Beach Volleyball Sans Beach

As I watch the finals of the AVP Crocs Slam – Chicago held in that tropical beach location that is Grant Park, I cannot help but wonder can you truly have beach volleyball without a beach? Since the last tour stop was in Folsom Field in Boulder, I guess you technically can, and thankfully the combatants still wear two piece bikinis. But it just doesn’t seem the same without them running into the surf after a win, and then emerging from the surf a la a scene from a Bond movie. Perhaps they should make that part of the trophy presentation, but then I guess they would need to find an actual beach, and if they emerged from Lake Chicago they may be coated with some debris. Next tour stop – Brooklyn!