I hope to one day help produce a reality TV show based on a group to which I am very fortunate to belong. A lot of folks could learn from this club.
The members of Kits Beach Volleyball Association in Vancouver have become my best friends and, in many ways, my family.
The KBVA is a collection of athletes of all colours and socioeconomic status.
We all show up for tournaments in board shorts. No one knows who owns a house, who rents, and who is homeless and crashing on the couch of a generous co-member. No one cares.
It is all about the love of the game and of each other. I have never experienced anything like it.
The KBVA includes players who have represented Canada in the Olympics all the way down to those just getting their feet dirty. When I played in my first KBVA tournament at age 49, the top players were very gracious in demolishing me and my Mexican teammate. We were happy to finish 21st out of 36 teams.
As is customary, once the cash was doled out, the tournament winners bought beer for everyone else. It is a beautiful tradition that is honoured by all elite players.
I have never seen a hint of racism in my four years as a member of the KBVA. I doubt that I ever will. Perhaps everyone should show up for work in board shorts.
(Rob Driscoll – BIG Media Ltd., 2021)
