Tama Slama

What a run...first 10 years of slam on our home court...Tamarama Beach. Given we never had a permit arranged...it made for some nervous mornings on the day of each slam. I'd usually load up the family truckster the night before...get zero sleep and hit the beach about 6am in order to have first nets up on the sand and secure our spot for the tourney! Some highlights from a decade of slam at Tamarama Beach:

• Catering - the year we decided to switch to catered lunch...when Jenn was on the 20 cent Tama Park BBQ cooking a hundred snags with a queue of people snaking through the park waiting for lunch...some of whom weren't even playing!

• The Storm - rained all night on slam eve, got to the beach to find a hundred foot tree that has washed ashore on our court space along with a 5ft sand channel created by the tides...we had to shovel to make room for the courts. In the end the day was full sunshine...Gods of Slam!

• Boys in Blue - the year the police were called to investigate the event...they asked to look in our esky...Jenn refused to let them search, while Marcus was yelling...’NANNY STATE!!'

• The Hot - it was 39 degrees on the sand one year - I remember Shep taping parts of his costume to his feet so he could run out onto the court...we moved from Jan to Feb after that ;-).

Shout outs:

• To Alan & Jodi at the Tama Kiosk - thanks for your amazing lunches! (even at Country Slam)

• To the Tama Park maintenance & gardening crew...we had a few testy moments but appreciated your support and always lived by our motto - Take only pictures...leave only footprints!

• To the long time Tamarama volleyballers who gave up 2 courts for every slam...love your work!