Pressure is mounting for Australia’s beach volleyball teams to cement their places at the Games. As the countdown clock keeps ticking, having a poor tournament even this far out could be the end of the London dream.

Securing automatic qualification- a top 16 Olympic ranking as at 17 June 2012- is a prize worth fighting every point for. Competitors are literally travelling the globe trying to earn crucial rankings points in exotic locations such as Stavanger, Moscow, Quebec and Phuket. Failing that, there are seven additional spots up for grabs- with Great Britain already guaranteed a men’s and women’s team by virtue of being host nation.

For the two Australian men’s teams in the mix – Josh Slack/ Chris McHugh and Sam Boehm/ Isaac Kapa, an automatic berth looks out of reach. A high-pressure showdown at the Continental Cup Final in June looks likely. As a last resort, the lucky losers from all Continental Cups then fight for two spots at the Olympic qualifier just days before the Games begin.

For triple Olympian Joshua Slack, this is a familiar situation.

“Qualifying for my first Olympic Team in 2000 came down to the last few weeks and 2012 looks set to be the same,” 34-year-old Slack said ominously.

“In 2004 and 2008 (former partner) Andrew Schacht and I had the results for automatic qualification and the year of the Olympics was working to get an edge on rivals and improve the Games seeding.”

Although it may not be the ideal way to qualify, Slack has a positive feeling about London based on his form with new partner, 22-year-old Chris McHugh and their form on the World Tour.

“In Russia we played with a lot of confidence and finished fifth. We got the wild card into the main draw and instead of worrying about what could happen in sudden death qualification, we stayed confident.
Every team we beat was ranked higher than us.”

“We know we can do it. It’s about reproducing it and being consistent in every point and every set of every game.”

After taking a year out from the sport in 2009 and filling his days working as a landscaper, financial planner and studying online, Slack is going through his paces with purpose and is determined to be playing on the Prime Minister’s doorstep in London.

Australia’s top women’s teams- Louise Bawden/ Becchara Palmer and Nat Cook/ Tamsin Hinchley, are looking to dodge these last-ditch qualifiers.

“If you want to see a pressure cooker environment then that final Olympic qualifier will be something else. We want to avoid that situation,” Bawden explained with a laugh.

If the next eight months go to plan, Australia has the firepower to qualify these two women’s teams automatically and threaten the top seeds in London.

Although Nat Cook is gunning to be the first Australian woman to compete at five summer Olympics and will hope to maintain her strong Olympic record, Cook and Beijing 2008 partner Hinchley are in a race against time to rediscover their world beating form.

While Cook and Hinchley were playing with other partners before reuniting in July, 2011 Australian Champions Bawden/ Palmer rocketed up the world rankings. The girls have been impressive since winning silver in just their third World Tour event together and are known for their aggression and killer instinct on the court and beaming smiles off it.

Bawden/ Palmer sat inside the top 16 after a strong start to the year before Palmer, a former U19 World Champion, was forced to take a break with an abdominal strain and the girls missed five Tour events.

Next week the duo who finished an impressive ninth at the 2011 World Championships in Rome will return to the sand for the Phuket Open.

“We’re really excited for Thailand because there’s been a break in competition for Bec. I think this is a really good opportunity for us to rev up our competitive side again,” Sydney 2000 indoor volleyball Olympian Bawden said about the final World Tour event of the year.

“We should be in the main draw and avoid qualification round. We are really going for a top five finish or better. There is only one gear to go at and there’s only one expectation and that’s to bring our best game, have the biggest fight and come out on top. ”

The Asian Championships follow a few weeks later in December and both offer a fantastic opportunity for valuable ranking points and prize money. Momentum and confidence going into 2012 could make the difference to their entire campaign.

There is no men’s event in Phuket so the Asian Championships is their next big international test. Importantly, the Australians will play against their likely opponents at the Continental Cup Final.

Looking to 2012, the rejuvenated National Beach Volleyball Series for 2011/12 will benefit all elite teams as they prepare for the World Tour, the Oceania Zonal Championships in New Zealand in February and the crucial Continental Cup.

Australia has the talent to qualify several teams for London. All of these players will be fighting like their lives depend on it and they all have strong motivating factors. What is also clear is that the sport is evolving and becoming faster, more athletic and globally there is more depth than ever before.

Bawden sums up the challenging task perfectly.

“Every point and every set of every game is important and strong results early on will take some pressure off in 2012.”

Andrew Reid
AOC