By Tris Wykes

VIRGINIA BEACH - The Norwegians are coming. And one can only hope they arrive with sunblock and a willingness to samba.

The Scandanavians in question, a contingent of 14-year old boys from Bergen, Norway, will comprise one of 365 teams and be among an estimated 3,000 participants in this weekend's North American Sand Soccer Championships at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

The event, in which teams compete with four players and a goalkeeper in one of thirty four divisions, is billed by its organizer, the Hampton Roads Soccer Council, as the world's largest sand soccer tournament. The championships serve as the Council's primary fundraiser.

Revenue from this year's event will likely approach $100,000, said tournament director Dick Whalen, who indicated that the funds go to defray the operation of the HRSC's 19-field facility in Virginia Beach.

The tournament, which began in 1994 with 26 teams, now includes entries from ten states and several foreign countries. Among the countries competing is Brazil, which last yesar was represented by two finalists in the men's open division. The winner of that division takes home a $2,000 prize.

"Virginia Beach was like a home for us last year and we want to defend our championship", said Paulo Ferriera, the team's 41-year-old coach. "We walked on the sidewalk and brought the drums and our flag and everyone that talked to us was friendly. The only time we stopped playing the drums was when we played the games."

The South Americans' passions for a samba beat is matched only by their skill on the sand, where their expertise has earned them seven titles in 12 tournaments during the past two years. Comprised on nine Brazilians and an Alaskan of Brazilian decent, the team wowed the crowd of last year's tournament. "Those guys moved us up to a level of pizzaz that the locals around here had never seen, " said Whalen, noting that when the Brazilians weren't playing soccer, they'd play volleyball with their feet. "People didn't know what to make of it," he said.

Flamilia's players range from 19 to 32 and are sponsored by a Brazilian nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a money transfer company. They recently won a Palm Beach, Fla. Tournament and a $700 first-place prize and plan to enter at least nine sand competitions this year. Such familiarity, augmented with biweekly practices on the beach, often lead to a competitive advantage," Ferriera said.

"On grass, if the ball is kicked, I know which way it is going," he said. "But on sand, it can hit a hole and bounce differently. That's why sometimes the ball goes one way and the goalkeeper the other".

Virginia Beach resident Mona Denton knows where the Norwegians are going - she's helping coordinate their activities outside the competition. Denton, a member of the Sons of Norway, an organization for Norwegians living in the area,will help ferry them to shopping malls, the new "Star Wars" movie and an amusement park. The Norwegians have never played sand soccer, yet call their team the Bergen Beach Boys. "I understand they really don't even play on grass, more like gravel," said Denton, who has exchanged e-mails with the team's coach. "Bergen is the second largest city in Norway, but it can rain every day for a month there and the coastline is rocky."

Other long-distance entries come from Michigan and West Virginia, and the tournament also includes several military teams, among them groups from the aircraft carriers George Washington and Harry S. Truman.

Competition at the Championships, which begins withg an under-10 division, takes place on fields 35 yards long by 25 yards wide, with goals of varying sizes. Players from 9 to 16 shoot at 6-by-8 foot nets; older teens play with ones 7X12 and adult teams shoot at frames 7X18..