17/02/2020 16:48
Snow Volleyball Festival attracts 100+ participants in Östersund, Sweden
News from the National Federations
Östersund, Sweden, February 17, 2020. Snow Volleyball is growing at a fast pace in Sweden. The Östersund Winterpark Snow Volley Festival, which took place this past weekend, is just a confirmation of this trend, as both beginners and experienced Volleyball lovers swarmed around the five temporary Snow Volleyball courts – which the organisers set up in the beautiful Winterpark in Östersund for this very event.
Powered by the devoted club Östersund Volley and the local municipality, Östersund has developed into a Swedish Snow Volleyball hub. Last year Sweden’s very first national Snow Volleyball championship took place on the frozen lake of Storsjön, located in the city centre of Östersund. The event was a major success. People flocked to the area to get a glimpse of the fascinating, action-packed and relatively new sport as eight teams fought for the right to call themselves the historic first champions.
Östersund Volley is now getting ready to host the national championship for a second consecutive year on February 22. The tournament has grown, both when it comes to the number of participants and the organisation as a whole. The number of teams has increased from four to six per gender. At the same time, this year’s edition of the wintery event will move to the town square Stortorget, with two courts available on the so-called Snow Heart Arena, which the municipality has constructed.
This past weekend, the organisers of the national championship held a sort of a kick-off for the upcoming Snow Volleyball festivities by delivering the first ever edition of the Östersund Winterpark Snow Volley Festival. The event took place just a stone’s throw away from the venue of last year’s national championships. Everyone, both club members and by-passers could join, experience Snow Volleyball and test it out on one of the five courts.
Östersund Volley once again showed their skills as an organiser as over 100 participants came together in joy and celebrated the weekend by playing Snow Volleyball. Apart from the much appreciated and well-visited test activities, the programme included a tournament featuring thirteen teams as well.
Elicia Anundgård was one of many kids who entered the court for a Snow Volleyball session. She played with friends and her father Daniel: “It was fun. I could play all week!”
Several of the participants had played Volleyball and/or Beach Volleyball coming into this weekend, but for many of them this was a new experience. One of them was Niclas Svedling, who was successful in the tournament: “I was in the audience and also acted as a referee during the national championships last year, but this was my first time playing Snow Volleyball and it was so much fun!”
The president of Östersund Volley, Daniel Anundgård, was the man behind the wheel during the event: “Our main goal is to grow the game. A festival like this can be an eye opener to people and a gateway into the world of Volleyball. I am happy we could pull this off!"
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