By Sam Goodykoontz

Never think that just because someone does not participate in the sports their school provides that they are unathletic. For example, sophomore Parker Conley plays sand volleyball, which is similar to indoor volleyball except that there are two players on each side of the net instead of six and it is played outdoors on a sand court instead of indoors on a wooden court.

Parker has been playing sand volleyball for about two years. When asked why he chose sand volleyball instead of indoor, Parker responded, “I enjoy both sports, but I prefer beach volleyball over indoor mainly because of the amount of players. The two-person team in sand gives me more room and it requires me to be quicker.”

When asked about his inspiration to play, Parker said, “My dad originally suggested that I play volleyball. My love for the sport drives me to be great at sand volleyball. It is what continues to inspire me to this day.”

He practices about six days a week, for 15 to 20 hours every week. When asked how he feels about sand volleyball, Parker said, “I really enjoy the sport and love seeing the results of the time that I put in. I feel very differently about the sport than from when I started. At first, I did not appreciate the sport as much as I do now because I was not accustomed to it. I did not realize the amount of strategy and nuance that the sport required.”

His achievements include winning many tournaments, but according to Parker there is not a big sand volleyball scene for boys in general,  and even less so in Arizona, so his goals lie in California for men’s volleyball.