Quicksand

There was a time when professional beach volleyball had the world by a g-string. Propelling it were bikini contests, and bronzed bad boys who epitomized this Southern Californian, hedonistic lifestyle swiftly turned sport, a sport that most found difficult to take seriously. Then, like a rocket without fuel, it suddenly fell off the radar. Most "fads" do. Dusting itself off took some time. Now grown and wiser, professional beach volleyball has evolved into an internationally recognized sport whose destiny lies in the most ironic of hands.