SEASIDE There was definitely a touch of Olympic Fever going around this weekend, on the sands of Seaside.

While the Worlds Most Important Beach Volleyball Tournament wrapped up last week in London at the 30th summer Olympiad, the Worlds Largest Amateur Beach Volleyball Tournament was just getting started in Seaside.

And for three days, thousands of players were digging, diving, bumping, setting and spiking on the beach in the 31st annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament.

Nearly 1,100 teams gathered on 124 courts (both tournament records), for a weekend of doubles, 4-on-4 and 6-on-6 competition Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And with Olympic beach volleyball still fresh in everyones mind, this years Seaside tournament had a more noticeable Olympian feel to it.

Thats just the kind of spark that tournament director Steve Lindecke is hoping for not just in Seaside, but the sport of beach volleyball in general.

I think (the Olympics) have sparked interest for juniors and for the players of the sport who might have been indoor players who are now exploring beach volleyball, Lindecke said.

I definitely think the Olympics have helped in that sense. And since the juniors are the future, theres absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And no doubt there were some youngsters both boys and girls on the Seaside beach who were doing their best impressions of Olympic champions Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings the duo that won the Womens Olympics Beach Volleyball gold medal in this years games.

I want to be Kerri Walshs partner, joked Astoria High School senior-to-be Danielle Moyer, a regular in the Seaside beach tournament.

Perhaps because of the Olympics, it seemed like a lot of people were so good this year, compared to last year, she said. People were really hitting it, and it was just a lot better than Ive seen, so I think players really were inspired to go out and play.

Lindecke said, Young players can certainly be inspired by Treanor and Walsh, now the gold medal winners in the last three Olympic Games. Those two, what theyve done, is unprecedented in Olympic history. Theyre pretty amazing.

Angee Hunt the new varsity volleyball coach at Astoria joined in the Seaside fun this year, taking part in the 4-on-4 competition with former Fishermen players Kayce Lilley, Shyra Merila and Wendi (Agalzoff) LaRue.

And as far as Hunt is concerned, looking up to Olympians like Treanor, Walsh, Jen Kessy and April Ross (winners of the silver medal) can serve as an inspiration.

When the Olympics came on, you could tell there was a lot more enthusiasm and excitement about beach volleyball, she said. Girls were picking out different players to focus on. (USA indoor player) Destinee Hooker was also kind of a big one to watch.

And Walsh and Treanor with their long history theyre recognizable names and everybodys familiar with them. So it adds more focus to the sport.

Theyre good role models for players, and a good opportunity for them to see the best in the world play something that we can do on a regular basis here.

Lindecke, meanwhile, would like to see the Olympic Fever that surrounds beach volleyball stick around a while longer. Unfortunately, the excitement that spikes the sports popularity tends to diminish in a short time.

I can tell you that NBCs ratings are tremendous for beach volleyball, Lindecke said. After the Olympics end, the sport is back on television the next weekend, but the ratings are just a tiny fraction of what they were in the Olympics, even though its the same athletes.

Alas, none of the locals struck gold in this years Seaside tournament.

Astoria players Miranda Dietrichs and Kyra Grafton entered the Advanced Youth division, and did not make it out of Fridays round.

Moyer was teamed with Olivia Israel in the 18-and-under and were finished early Saturday.

We were going to be in Advanced, but we didnt want to play collegiate players, Moyer said. And there were still a lot of good teams out here.

Also playing doubles were Rachel Gascoigne and LaRue, while Alex Eterno and Jeramy Poyer played in the Mens division. As always, there were numerous other teams from around Clatsop County.

So whats next for the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament? The 31st annual event topped the 1,000-team barrier for the first time and shows every sign of growing more next year.

Wed like to see the Portland media get their arms around this a little more, said Seaside Chamber of Commerce Director Al Smiles.

The 31st annual Hood to Coast (Aug. 24-25) seems to have no problem in grabbing the headlines mainly because it goes through Portland.

This is the worlds largest amateur beach volleyball tournament, and Seaside also serves as the end point for the worlds largest relay race (the Hood to Coast), Smiles said.

So if they dont want to make it about Seaside, at least make it about Oregon. The majority of people would expect the worlds largest beach volleyball tournament would be in Florida or California.

But its right here in the Northwest, which says a lot about the local people, and the people who travel here from Portland, Vancouver and Seattle to play. They deserve the coverage.

Finally, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) can learn a lot from watching this tournament, Smiles said. We dont have the big plastic clapping things or the bleachers, and its not all choreographed. But thats not really what beach volleyball is. And thats why people continue to come here, because we keep it the way it is.