A beach volleyball league has started up in Eatonia.

Reception towards the league has been great so far. So much that the schedule had to be altered after new teams joined in following the major success witnessed on night one. Several teams are registered into the new league that began last week, and will continue all summer long as a fun, and just competitive enough opportunity in the Town of Eatonia.

Local Morgan Follensbee has been the key to putting everything together. Recently moving back to the area, Follensbee talked about just why she decided to put the work into building the new court that has brought a different version of volleyball to the small town.

"I played beach volleyball in Saskatoon the last five years, so I wanted to bring it to Eatonia," she began, "I chatted with some friends to see if we could make a go of it, thought it would be popular, and then talked with the Town who has been very supportive of everything."

The new sand courts are just yet another exciting addition to Eatonia, as according to the main organizer, the West Central community is riding a bit of a hot streak following their centennial celebration back at the start of the month.

Eatonia Beach VolleyballIt was a successful week one (photo via Eatonia Beach Volleyball/Committee Member Brooklyn Assmus on Facebook)

They might just be the busiest small town in Saskatchewan over the past few weeks.

"The other night we had beach volleyball going, and the Wheat Kings were playing a baseball game. We just had centennial," recalled Follensbee, "It's very busy and happy in Eatonia for the size that we are."

The new league runs every Tuesday and Wednesday evening, though a special night is coming up on August 10th to act as a meet and greet of sorts for all of the initial teams. Follensbee also said it would make for a good chance to get players out who are interested, but not quite sold on what the league exactly is.

"We usually play two nights a week, but we are going to put it all on one night so we can get together," she explained, "It's a good day to see what the league is like, and the energy we have there."

The league is mostly comprised of Eatonia locals (The Eatonia Beach Volleyball Team), though some teams such as 'South of the River' feature players from nearby towns as well. Half of the fun with the new summer circuit in Eatonia will be seeing just who comes out to play.

"We actually have two teams from out of town which we are super excited about. There's not a lot of playing the same team twice because there are ten teams, and it's only going for two months. It's going to change up every single week who you are playing so it's a bunch of fun that way."

Plans for the league began coming together in the winter. Once they determined a spot to put the court, the next step was filling it with sand, and everything was complete by Canada Day weekend.

The league started late this year, but is now set to be a staple in the community's summer plans at the Centennial Park.

Beach VolleyballThe league has entered it's second week (Previous photo via Eatonia Beach Volleyball/Brooklyn Assmus on Facebook)

The teams can be either men's, women's, or mixed, and the games are casual; with the action being a frank mix between the sport's indoor and outdoor versions of play. Teams play each other 4v4, and Follensbee gave the reasoning behind their retooled version of the game that includes the honour system in case of a close call.

"We tell people to be fair with what they are calling, if they carry or something like that, but really what it comes down is just fun," she shared, before expanding on the styles of play, "We hope people keep that attitude when playing, and we actually try to follow more of the court style volleyball rules because beach volleyball wasn't played as often here."

Even though the rules may be different many of the people who joined already have a decent volleyball background, and are just happy to have some higher level play available close to home. But people looking to use the courts should know it doesn't have to be that competitive. Follensbee is encouraging everyone in the community interested in playing beach volleyball to at least get out on their own time and try out the new digs.

"If you want to go and play on the night's the league isn't on, it is free to use. I'm encouraging people to go use it since it's there. We might as well get as much use out of it as we can since summer is short."

There is the possibility for a half season being held in August according to Follensbee, in addition to the meet and greet on August 10th. The league will wrap up August 31st with another get together for all teams involved, though it will be strictly business for the four teams that make it to the final weekend as they face off to be named the inaugural Eatonia Beach Volleyball League champions.

The organizing committee includes Follensbee, as well as Maryanne Becker, Hannah Eckstein, Brooklyn Assmus, Randi Somerville, Carson Assmus, and Spencer Somerville.