It may come a year later than he hoped, but Br. Rice High School volleyball Coach Br. Paul Ickes is determined to do whatever he can to make sand volleyball a reality in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

The IHSA ruled that adding sand volleyball as a sport for this year’s term would have violated existing bylaws because the sport is too similar to the indoor game in terms of skills.

But that didn’t stop Ickes from moving forward; he hopes to see the competitive sport, which features two players to a team, become a reality.

“My dream is that it’s similar to what happened with bass fishing,” said Ickes. “It’s our version of ‘Field of Dreams.’ If you build the sport, the athletes will come.

“If you have two interested players, then you already have a team. I have talked with coaches in the Catholic League, East Suburban Catholic and Central Suburban League, and there is a lot of interest. I think a lot of schools are just waiting for someone to put it forward and put the structure together.”

While many people laughed at the idea of a bass fishing tournament being sanctioned by the IHSA, the event was a major success with 199 schools entering in the initial event last year.

Ickes believes the fate for sand volleyball will be the same.

“I have a dream that around this time next year, we play Marist here in our first match with hundreds of people lining the court in lawn chairs enjoying it,” said Ickes. “The interest is definitely there, not only from kids who play the indoor game but from others who aren’t with us during the indoor season. I really think there is a potential for this to grow into something special.”

Ickes submitted the formal proposal to the IHSA on Sept. 21. If the legislative commission of the organization votes to have the member schools consider it as a sport, Ickes said, there will be a series of meetings in November and early December before voting on the proposal occurs in mid-December. He said officials will likely know by early January if the sport gets the go-ahead for the 2010-11 school year.

Ickes said plans call for both the boys and girls seasons to take place in the fall season. The boys season will start the same day as all other fall sports, while the girls will commence a week later, giving players who did not make their indoor prep teams a chance to continue playing volleyball.

“I think there are a ton of girls who love the game who get cut from their indoor teams for whatever reason,” said Ickes. “This would be a perfect opportunity to keep them involved in the game; and if they want another shot at the indoor game, they can play club, and it doesn’t interfere. And I don’t think it’s something that would affect the fall sports. This will benefit those kids who are looking around for something to do. That’s our best-case scenario.”

Another positive for the sport is its cost, Ickes said. Sand volleyball doesn’t require much in terms of equipment. Only lines and a few volleyballs are needed, he said.

Ickes praised the village of Evergreen Park for being supportive of events he has run at Circle Park in the community. That facility has two sand volleyball courts and plenty of room for spectators.

Ickes said Br. Rice hosted a summer sand volleyball camp for elementary school players, and it attracted 27 athletes. Br. Rice also hosted a sand volleyball tournament for area youths, and he said he hopes to run another at the conclusion of the prep boys season next June.