Well perhaps not for everyone, but Joanna Thunholm certainly thinks so!
Joanna has been playing volleyball for 19 years, beach volleyball for 10 years, and now has Eldon as her official sponsor. Joanna joined Eldon´s marketing department in Sweden, in February 2007.
Volleyball was developed in the USA in 1895 by Sports Instructor William G. Morgan (first played on beaches in Santa Monica in the 1920´s). It moved to Europe in 1914 and Scandinavia in the 1920´s (Sweden in the 1930´s).
Volleyball has been an Olympic sport since 1964 although beach volleyball wasn´t recognised until Atlanta in 1996 (first demonstrated at Barcelona in 1992).
Beach volleyball popularity grew a lot in the 1980´s and world tournaments are still dominated by players from Brazil and the USA, although Australia and China are now achieving more success.
Sweden has six national volleyball teams (men, women, boys, girls) and around 200 member clubs affiliated to the Swedish Volleyball Association (founded 1961).
Joanna plays 2 - 3 times per week in Stockholm during the season, although some weekends can travel up to 600 km for a tournament.
There are three beach volleyball leagues in Sweden: Nestea Swedish Beach Tour (Elite); Challenger (Division 1); Open (Division 2).
For now, Joanna is happy to play in both Challenger and Open series, although one day aspires to be playing in the ultimate division, as then you're playing with the very best in the Country.
Joanna is ably assisted by her practice partner Charlotta Hedberg who Eldon are also sponsoring. Although the girls have been practising together for sometime, they are playing as a team for the first time this year.
The Eldon Group would like to wish Joanna and Charlotta the best of luck for the rest of this year, and appreciate the amount of training and dedication you need to maintain the level of fitness required to be successful in such a physically demanding sport.
We will keep you posted on their progress!