By Ed Piper
Girls sand volleyball is headed toward being sanctioned as an official sport in the CIF San Diego Section, possibly in 2020.
That's according to Kelly Drobeck, the girls sand and court volleyball coach at La Jolla High. The former long-time Cathedral Catholic coach is a major force, if not the major force, helping move the sport toward official recognition.
That would mean the Viking girls sand team would play in Spring 2019 as a club team, then possibly in Spring 2020 as an official team of the school.
Said Drobeck, in her second year at La Jolla High, "(We're) still working on getting state approval, hoping for 2020."
Asked what the delay is, the coach replied, "I'm not exactly sure why they (state officials) are dragging their feet. We have plenty of representation all over the county. I think it's a money issue."
She was referring to the schools that now field club teams in each of the San Diego Section's conferences--City, North, South, East.
Asked if she means money to pay coaches and buy equipment, Drobeck said, "And I think just the costs involved with offering playoffs and all that."
At present, sand volleyball, also known as beach volleyball, is a club sport, not an official sport under California Interscholastic Federation auspices.
However, the NCAA already has a women's sand volleyball championship, which raises the visibility of the increasingly popular sport. Another factor is the attention that women's pairs have received in the Olympics, particularly Kerry Walsh Jennings and her playing partners.
Boys sand volleyball is thought to be behind girls volleyball in the steps needed to become an official CIF sport, according to Viking boys coach David Jones. The effort for the boys began after the push for girls' sanction had already begun.
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