Emma

I’m so excited about everything! The opportunity to play at such a high-profile event in an amazing country is obviously at the top of the list. More specifically, I am really looking forward to meeting a variety of athletes and working alongside a team of experienced staff to learn more about the high-performance lifestyle.

What does it mean to be the first athletes to represent Team Scotland in Beach Volleyball at any Commonwealth Games?

Jennifer

I feel extremely lucky to be one of the two athletes who are representing Team Scotland in Beach Volleyball for the first time at any Commonwealth Games. Due to our young age, it feels like we have achieved so much as a pairing already to get here, which makes me feel quite overwhelmed!

Emma

Being first makes the whole experience that bit more meaningful for us. Although there are no expectations to live up to, we are delighted to be the team to set the standards for future Scotland Beach Volleyball squads.

How did you get in to Beach Volleyball?

Emma

I’ve played Indoor Volleyball for 11 years for City of Edinburgh Volleyball Club. In 2015 it was announced that there would be a Beach Volleyball squad travelling to Holland for the International Children’s Games (ICG). I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be one of the two players in this team. We trained a few nights a week and competed in tournaments at the weekend in preparation for ICG. This was my first exposure to Beach Volleyball so coming 7th out of 12 was not too bad!

Jennifer

I first got in to Beach Volleyball through Emma. I have also played Indoor Volleyball for 11 years, and Emma and I have been on the same team for several of those years. We were very familiar with each other’s game and we had a very strong bond within. Emma had already played Beach and asked me if I’d join her as a pairing.

What are the differences as a player between Beach Volleyball and Indoor Volleyball?

Jennifer

There are several differences as a player between Beach Volleyball and Indoor, and one of the main differences is that beach requires you to be stronger in all areas but especially overall fitness. In Beach Volleyball, there are only two of you, so each of you has to cover a much larger amount of court space, unlike Indoor where there are six players to cover a court which isn’t much bigger.

Emma

I think people underestimate how contrasting the two sports are. They are COMPLETELY different. I agree that the main difference is in fitness and also the increased responsibility each player has on the beach, since there are only two of you, as opposed to six indoors. Beach players have to be a lot stronger physically, in terms of speed, power and overall fitness and also have to be mentally tougher for a couple of reasons- there are no substitutions and you only have each other for support as opposed to another five players. There are other smaller differences such as the ball; the size of court; the surface; some rules and dealing with the weather (especially in Scotland!)

What’s the one thing you love about your sport?

Emma

My favourite thing about Beach Volleyball has to be the tactical side of the game. I love learning new tips and tricks in training which can be implemented in matches.

Jennifer

The one thing I love most about the sport is that it is completely different to Indoor Volleyball and is exciting in its own way. I specifically love the fact there are only two of us on a team, as I feel it is easier to bond and get to know each other better on and off the court. We also understand the way each other plays and can easily give each other support and advice on how we can improve our game. It’s just a bonus that Emma and I were close friends before we started playing beach, so it was easier and more exciting going into the beach world with an already strong bond!

Give us an interesting fact that we might not know about Beach Volleyball?

Jennifer

The first two-man Beach Volleyball game was played in 1930! Also, due to the sand being so hard to run in, we don’t feel as good as we look!

Emma

Beach volleyball is the only Olympic sport that has a rule which prohibits players from wearing too much – and each player jumps around 300 times in one match!

How is your schedule shaping up ahead of the Youth Games?

Jennifer

So far our schedule has been very busy! We have been training on the beach in St Andrews a few times a week with our coach Colin, who has been helping us to improve our fitness and all other aspects of the game. Emma and I have also been down to our local beach in our spare time to work on our fitness on the sand, which is helping massively! I have also been going to the gym up to 5 times a week so it’s fair to say we’ve both been pretty busy in preparation for the Games!

Emma

We also have numerous preparation tournaments planned prior to the Games. Alongside Beach Volleyball, I have just been selected to play with Scotland National Team at the Indoor Small Countries Division European Finals in Luxembourg at the end of June so, as well as the beach, I am also training 15 hours a week indoor and 4 days a week in the gym.