By Scott Vanier

In a joint amphibious exercise, local sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen stormed the Virginia Beach oceanfront in support of the latest operatton: the 6th annual North American Sand Soccer Championships, held June 5 and 6. Recognized around the world as the "Grand Prix" of amateur beach soccer tournaments, the Championships have exploded in size from 26 team on six fields in 1994 to this year's 365 competing on 28 fields. It is now the largest weekend of sand soccer in the world.

Nearly 3,000 players representing teams from Virginia to Florida to Norway descended upon the local oceanfront to compete for fun and prizes, including the Brazilian team "Flamilia". Representing 10 states and several countries, players competed five-on-five in 34 youth, adult and coed divisions constructed for various competitive skills.

Several local military teams also entered, representing Fort Story, the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers George Washington and Harry S. Truman, the guided missile frigate Simpson, Assault Craft Unit 4, Naval Security Group Northwest, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic and the Atlantic Intelligence Command.

But, before a single soccer ball could hit the sand, the area had to be transformed from a casual berch of sunbathers to a controlled zone of play fields. A call for help was issued and local forces responded. Marines from the Marine Corps 4th Supply Battalion in Newport News, sailors of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 and Coast Guardsmen from the Maintainance Logistics Command, Norfolk, joined forces the day before the competition.

Equipped with Humvees and sunscreen, the volunteers took to the beaches in the early morning to set up tents, line fields with rope ant erect soccer goals from 1st street to 14th street. While nearly fifty sailors were on the beach filling bags with sand to be used as weights for holding down goals, Marines took to the streets with 2 ½ ton trucks to get bleachers from nearby elementary school and move them to the beach.

"It's turned into a major military logistics exercise", said retired Navy Captain Dick Whalen, director of the tournament. " Back in 1994 when this began, it was so small that parents could set up the fields. As the tournament continud to expand, we realized we needed additional help. We can't do it without them," Whalen added. 'It's a greast marriage".

All proceeds of the event went to the new soccer complex in Virginia Beach.