Beach Tennis Bonaire at the first International Sports Week
For the ABC Cup, hosted by Beach Tennis Bonaire during Bonaire’s first International Sports Week, the beach tennis associations on the neighboring islands of Curaçao and Aruba had organized their own qualifying tournaments.
Beach Tennis Bonaire and all the other sports associations on Bonaire, have had quite a boost the past days! For the sport, wellness and health sectors of our island, an exciting new event took place last week on Bonaire. The first Bonaire International Sports Week! “It’s in our nature” was the week’s theme, which highlighted Bonaire’s active community as a popular sports destination. A sports destination for both locals and tourists from around the world.
A nice list of sporting events
The inaugural Concacaf championship match, proved to be a prominent highlight of the Bonaire International Sports Week. The game featured the Bonairean football squad pitted against a team hailing from Turks and Caicos. The skillfully blended combination of athletic prowess and competitive spirit between the two teams, captivated the audience in attendance and too bad Bonaire lost 1-2, despite a first minute goal!
Additionally, we were able to watch the Girls Fast Pitch Softball Bash and a Walk for All. These events were followed by a running competition and a fun bicycle event. Later in the week an Aqua Speed Pro Kids International event and a Bolas International Match took place. At the bolas event, the teams from the ABC islands competed against one another. Our personal highlight, since most Sunwise Bonaire Teams play beach tennis themselves – was the first edition of the ABC Cup of Beach Tennis. This event was hosted by Beach Tennis Bonaire last week from March 25 until the finals on Sunday April 2.
Beach Tennis Bonaire to host the first ABC Cup
The beach tennis associations of the neighboring islands, Curaçao and Aruba, organized their respective qualifying tournaments. The top two teams per island, in both women’s and men’s doubles, were delegated to asnd housed on Bonaire. The International Sports Week sponsored the event. Following these quali events, there was a lot of enthusiasm among other players to travel to Bonaire too. They went on their own time and enter the various categories, including women’s and men’s Intermediate, Advanced, and Open. This resulted in many people from outside our island to compete on every level.
The level was, especially in the highest categories, extremely high and we could even spot some (potential) world-class athletes!
Beach tennis is becoming increasingly popular
Did you know that more than 500,000 people play beach tennis worldwide? With Italy, Brazil, and Spain being its three most popular countries. In terms of the development of the sport and facilities, the island of Aruba is the most advanced locally. In recent years, Curaçao and Beach Tennis Bonaire have been delivering players of higher caliber who can compete with Aruba. The delivery of these players is increasing.
The sport still utilizes the majority of the rules and scoring of traditional tennis, despite making adjustments to allow movement around the sand court and accommodate the faster pace of the game. The game’s faster pace is due to the players solely using volleys, as the ball is not allowed to touch the ground. Similar to how volleyball players reach difficult plays, points in beach tennis begin with a serve and end when the ball touches the ground, forcing players to sometimes dive to make their way to the ball. Players must return the ball to the other side of the net with just one hit.
Beach tennis uses a depressurized tennis ball to enable longer rallies because it moves through the air more slowly than a regular tennis ball does. On a standard beach-volleyball court with a 170-centimeter-high net, two-person teams typically participate in our beautiful beach sport at Beach Tennis Bonaire.
The great atmosphere at Beach Tennis Bonaire
Construction on the Sunset Beach Resort Bonaire forced BTB to leave Coco Beach. Currently, BTB is temporarily housed behind the Budget Marine building on Bonaire. The volunteers, the board, and the tournament committees of not just the ABC Cup but of all regular tournaments and league competitions of Beach Tennis Bonaire, know how to create an unmatched atmosphere on the current location behind Budget Marine, despite the fact that in theory it may be a little less desirable than Coco Beach, due to its location on the Caribbean Sea. Just take a look at the videos in this article, which Lukas Besseling produced yesterday, Sunday, April 2. With the Kite City Food Truck for delicious food and DJ Marvv producing tons of party beats, it became an unforgettable happening!
As a result of BTB’s initiatives, everyone who lives on Bonaire or travels here, can now play the amazing sport of beach tennis for free, every day. BTB aims to promote social cohesion and well-being on Bonaire and to promote Bonaire as a “sports holiday destination” through these efforts. Beach tennis players can currently use three permanent courts provided by BTB.
Beach Tennis Bonaire takes charge of upkeep for the courts and frequently restocks them with fresh sand, nets, and lines. The club constantly works to improve its facilities, including the enclosure, court lighting, and shaded areas. Additionally, free rackets and balls are provided by BTB to make the sport accessible to everyone.
BTB organizes monthly competitions, training sessions, tournaments, and other beach tennis-related events. The club requires players to make a small donation in order to participate in these events. Sunwise Bonaire is proud sub sponsor of BTB.