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Beach volleyball is usually not top of mind for athletes in the Ozarks.
“We grew up in the Midwest, and everybody grabs a football and goes and plays catch and stuff,” said local volleyball coach and Ozark High School graduate Layne Louallen.
Now, the area has a group focused on changing that.
“My sister and myself, we played the big three, basketball, football and baseball. She played softball and I played football. But in the area in the Midwest, if you’re not playing those sports, there’s not really much [outside of] that,” said Volleyball Beach Ozark Co-Owner Michael Sylvara.
Sylvara teamed with his brother-in-law and sister, Andrew and Madisen Bettlach, to come up with a plan.
“We’ve got sand, we’ve got bright lights,” Sylvara said.
Together, they’ve built a ten-court volleyball complex in Ozark called Volleyball Beach Ozark.
It’s located on Highway NN just east of Lambert’s Cafe.
“We wanted to give people a chance, and young athletes the ability to maybe play at the next level,” Sylvara said.
To reach those goals, area volleyball players will be able to practice year-round.
“We’re going to cover it with the dome from September to May,” he added.
A dome, modeled off one in the Kansas City area where Sylvara used to organize tournaments, will keep the courts usable even during the icy winters of the Ozarks.
“When it’s freezing out, you can come here,” Sylvara said. “It’ll be bright, it’ll be 72 degrees, you can get in the sand.”
Add in a bar and restaurant that will be added in the coming weeks and the location should be a premier practice place for everyone, not just competitive players.
“You don’t even have to have any experience,” Louallen said. “I mean, you’ll leave with a team of friends.”
You’ll leave with a team of friends and maybe a new favorite sport.
Volleyball Beach Ozark first opened up in June.
Sylvara says the bar and restaurant should be finished in September.
Then the dome will be put up in the following weeks with a grand-opening set for sometime in October.
