Four beach volleyball courts lie wedged between the Deschutes River and the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend. Local residents are accustomed to seeing the sand courts, but they may know little about them.

In 2010, several die-hard volleyball players and supporters saw a need to add the sand version of the sport to what they recognized as a booming volleyball interest in Bend. Those enthusiasts created the Bend Volleyball Association (BVA), which obtained a temporary lease on land owned by the Old Mill District to construct four regulation-size courts.

Bend’s Ben Staley, aided by former professional volleyball players, among others, took the lead in building the courts. These volleyball devotees are members of the BVA, which ran the courts until last fall, when Staley approached a club volleyball organization in Bend — Oregon Volleyball Academy (OVA) — to take over the facility.

Staley recognized that an organization like OVA was needed to manage the courts. According to Staley, the courts are temporary, and due to limited available land at the Old Mill, the courts in time will probably get replaced by a commercial or residential structure.

With its established ties to the local volleyball community and its organizational resources, OVA’s youth volleyball program, Staley believes, would be able to generate the interest and gather the support needed to build permanent courts elsewhere in Bend.

“When we do have to move,” Staley says, “we will need help.”

According to OVA director Turner Waskom, OVA was equipped to take over stewardship of the beach courts. He and his wife, Summit High School volleyball head coach Jill Waskom, have many years of experience with managing teams and courts.

“Volleyball has been what we’ve done since we got out of college, and that’s been 22 years now,” Turner Waskom says. “So it was an easy transition to beach volleyball.”

The courts are currently owned and maintained by OVA and the Old Mill District. While the property is not considered public, anyone can hit the sand and play.

According to Waskom, OVA encourages the public to utilize the courts because it spreads awareness of the sport. Waskom hopes that Central Oregon residents will take ownership and care for the courts. He also believes that more play on the Old Mill courts will boost the demand for the permanent sand courts Staley is seeking.

And that demand for more courts has been increasing rapidly each year, according to Jason Ring, a coach with OVA. It is not unusual, Ring observes, to see the Old Mill courts packed on the weekends with players socializing with friends and getting in their bumps, sets and spikes.

“Beach volleyball has always been very popular,” says Ring, 38 and a former star player on the Association of Volleyball Professionals beach tour. “There is almost a cultlike following.”

Ring, a Southern California native who grew up in Central Oregon and graduated from Redmond High School, was one of the individuals partnered with Staley to construct the Old Mill courts. Ring was in charge of verifying that the courts followed regulation guidelines pertaining to size and sand depth. Today, in addition to coaching with OVA, he helps run the sand courts.

With the help of Ring and other former beach volleyball pros, OVA has been able to oversee the courts without a hitch. But funding is the crucial element in maintaining the courts, according to Waskom, who adds that Bend-based Pahlisch Homes has provided the most consistent support since OVA took over.

“The courts have been and will continue to be a great place to encourage not only people being physically active, but for families that enjoy the game to be active together,” says Jason Myhre, director of sales and marketing with Pahlisch Homes. “This is an important part of our philosophy as a company.”

According to Ring, beach volleyball builds a sense of community and is about having fun with friends and family.

“I think leagues are great,” Ring says, “but we want people to just come and join the community.”

Currently, the only official league at the Old Mill courts is the Junior Sand Volleyball League, which runs Monday and Tuesday evenings during the months of May and July. (OVA has opted to not conduct league play in June, Waskom explains, because school is getting out for the summer and some players may have other commitments.) The courts are also reserved on Wednesday and Thursday nights for those involved with the courts’ management.

Many volleyball players opt to practice in the sand to improve on the skills required for indoor leagues.

“It (beach volleyball) requires a lot more work,” says Claire Haley, a freshman volleyball player at Summit High School. “There’s only two people, and you cover more court.”

Drop-in players do not need to contact OVA to use the courts. And with the exception of the evening league play during the week or an occasional weekend tournament, the courts are free to use on a first-come, first-play basis.

According to Waskom, public turnout has been as high as ever this spring, and grabbing a spot on the courts during a sunny Saturday afternoon may not be easy.

“The Old Mill is awesome,” Ring says. “It attracts everyone because they can barbecue, bring their dogs, the river is right there — combine that with the sand, and that’s why we love it here.”

Old Mill Volleyball Courts

Contact Oregon Volleyball Academy: turner@oregonvolleyballacademy.com