Spikers set to get dirty

BIG LAKE — For 20 years now, Big Lake has been the place to go for volleyball players who like to get dirty.

Equal parts sport and spectacle, the annual Big Lake Mud Volleyball Tournament draws teams from around the Valley and across the state — as well as plenty of hootin’ and hollerin’ tailgating fans.

“It’s a smorgasbord of coolness,” event organizer Jimmie Rogers said Monday.

The rules of mud volleyball are the same as with the standard sport, with the exception of the court. Instead of hardwood, players in Big Lake will wallow in two regulation-sized mud pits dug at the Big Lake “Y” and filled with water by the Big Lake Fire Department.

“It’s quite a spectacle,” Rogers said.

Teams of 10 players each will vie for a trophy and the bragging rights that come with being the dirtiest team around. Each team must include at least two players of a different sex than the rest of the team, meaning no all-male or all-female teams.

“If there’s a team of ringers from the Colony High volleyball team or something, they’d have to get a couple of their dads or boyfriends to play,” Rogers said.

There’s still room for teams to enter, though there a maximum of 30 teams, Rogers said. The event starts at noon on Saturday and lasts as long as it takes to determine a winner in the double-elimination tournament.

“It’s non-stop, there’s no breaks,” Rogers said.

Proceeds from the event, which has a $125 entry fee, goes to benefit the Big Lake Lions Club.

Rogers said that fans usually back pick-up trucks up around the mud pits, and it’s not uncommon for there to be loud music and plenty of good cheer surrounding the action in the pits. And while the event can get a bit boisterous, Rogers said it’s actually good, clean fun.

“There’s something for everybody,” he said.

Teams come from as far away as Anchorage and Fairbanks for the event, which is expected to draw more than 300 people. Rogers said teams come from all sections of the community, from people who work together, to church groups to teams of teenagers.

“It’s a real eclectic bunch,” he said.

Predicting a winner is usually tough, Rogers said, because of the fact that the muddy conditions make for a much different game than what’s played on a court.

“The mud’s the great equalizer,” he said.

The fire department will be on hand all day long to help hose off competitors or keep spectators cool if the sun comes out.

But while sunshine would be nice, Rogers said the mud volleyball tournament is one sporting event that will go on rain or shine.

“We’ve had rainy days and it just doesn’t matter,” he said.

Anyone wishing to enter a team in the tournament can call Rogers at 982-1400.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com