There are always admiring glances for the women beach volleyball players on Las Vistas beach but the latest batch were looking more powerful, more skilful, and more determined. The Union Jack bag was a clue, the GB Women’s two leading pairs were over for a weeks training camp, a vital stage in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Shauna Mullin (left) and Zara Dampney, ranked 34th in the world were sporting the patriotic holdall but the country’s other hopes Denise Johns (in pink below) and Lucy Boulton (in white below), ranked 52nd were also getting some sand between their toes. The very public countdown may be on and the 15,000 tickets for each match at Horse Guards Parade may be sold out but the GB players still have an agonising wait to see which will be the lucky pair competing, or hopefully both.
Shauna was born in South Africa but spent enough time at college in Scotland to pick up a hint of the accent in her voice. Zara is from Poole in Dorset and explained the Olympic set up during a break from their two intense training sessions a day. “We are guaranteed one place among the 24 teams as we are hosts but the other depends on a long drawn out Continental Cup competition. The semi final stages are in Paris during June with the final deciders in Sardinia soon after.”
The women are used to globe trotting, Shauna and Zara had six weeks on the National Tour in New Zealand, a month in Los Angeles, a quick week back at their Bath University base and then headed for Tenerife and hard work. We have played a lot of matches in New Zealand so over here we are working on the technical side of the game with the GB head coach Morph Bowes.
Last August there was a test event at Horse Guards Parade and even with a scaled down 1,500 crowd our duo caught a taste of Olympic fever.”It was great to feel the encouragement for us, it will be a very special feeling playing in front of such a strong home audience” said Shauna. Hopefully Denise and Lucy will also be in the London mix, it all helps to put their sport on the map. There are more photos of all four GB Women here.