Racket sports
Sayoc’s new game is day at the beach
Stephen Sayoc is well known as director of tennis at both the South Towns Tennis Center and the Village Glen. He has also been one of the area’s finest tennis players for many years.
For the past four years, Sayoc has also been involved in a new venture. He has become heavily involved in Beach Tennis, one of the nation’s fastest growing racket sports, and is recognized as one of the game’s finest players.
In 2006, ’07, and ’08, Sayoc advanced to the main draw of the national championships with different partners against players from all over the world. One of his losses was an 8-5 defeat to Alex Mangiozzi and Matteo Marighella of Italy, the world’s top-ranked team.
Sayoc won the 2007 Jones Beach Open on Long Island with former Orchard Park resident Mike Manzella.
He has made the finals and two semifinals in other tour events, including the Tri State Open last month in Long Beach, N. Y. He played in that one with Mike Edisson, who is unanimously recognized as one of the top players in the United States. This weekend, he is playing in Los Angeles in one of Beach Tennis’s biggest events.
“The skills I have acquired from tennis, namely volleying, hitting overheads, foot work, and conditioning, have played a big part in my success in Beach Tennis,” Sayoc said.
Sayoc, who will be 40 next month and looks 10 years younger, is in incredible shape from his many hours of teaching tennis and practicing Beach Tennis at Woodlawn Beach in Hamburg with fellow Western New Yorkers Brian and Dan Johnson, Joe Schafer, and Randy Rocchio. He has also practiced with Sherif Zaher and Nick Ziezuila when they were living in Western New York.
The rules and regulations for Beach Tennis go like this:
• The game is played on sand on a court 30 feet wide and 60 feet long.
• Regular tennis rackets are used and must be between 25 and 29 inches long.
• The Penn T. I. P. ball is the official ball.
• The net is 5 feet, 10 inches high.
• Stakes 6 to 7 feet tall are pounded into the sand to support the net.
• The racket’s head size must not exceed 115 square inches.
• The racket may be strung at any tension, using 15-18 gauge string.
• Scoring is the same as in tennis: 15-30-40 game.
• Matches are pro sets, first to win eight games, with no ad scoring.
• There is only one serve and lets are the same on the serve as in regular tennis.
• In mixed doubles, men serve to the men and women serve to the women.
• The ball cannot hit the sand. All shots must be volleyed (shots that are hit in the air). However, if a shot hits a sideline or baseline it counts as a good shot.
• When serving, a player cannot touch the baseline with his foot. If he or she does, they will lose the point.
• Players cannot pass the ball to their partners, as they do in volleyball. When they strike the ball they must hit it over the net or they will lose the point.
John Rarrick is one of the main spokesmen for Beach Tennis USA. He is very proud of the sport’s phenomenal growth over the past few years.
“I have been fortunate to have seen the game rapidly grow over the past few years.” Rarrick said. “We have 10 national tournaments a year, playing in Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Tampa, and other warm weather sites. Most of our tournaments have over 100 teams participating in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, in pro and amateur divisions.”
Rarrick stresses that teams can play upward of five to six pro sets a day in the qualifying round that usually starts on a Friday or Saturday. Teams are set up in different lools (flights) with the pool winners advancing Sunday to the quarters or semifinals, and eventually the finals. The winning team in the Men’s Pro division usually splits $5,000. Rarrick notes that in Europe, where the game is booming, prize money often approaches $50,000 for the winning men’s team.
Last year, almost every Men’s Pro finals was televised nationally through Fox Sports Net. This year, televised events were recapped. Next year, all Men’s Pro finals will again be televised, and Rarrick hopes that Beach Tennis can become an Olympic sport.
“Our sport greatly appeals to Division I tennis players and ATP professionals, such as Sayoc,” Rarrick said. “Beach Tennis is also a sport that is being played by players at all levels, especially at the recreational level. It is easy to learn and provides a great workout in a short period of time. Best of all, it is great fun.”
For further information on getting involved in Beach Tennis locally, e-mail Sayoc at sayoc.@verizon.net .
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