The red sand of P.E.I. may make for stunning postcards, but it doesn’t measure up when it comes to the exacting standards of international beach volleyball.
Organizers of the 2009 Canada Games say contractors had to buy 750 tonnes of sand from neighbouring Nova Scotia after they learned the Island’s fine sand is too easily compacted.
That means Island sand is great for building sandcastles, but it’s a potential safety hazard for leaping athletes requiring soft landings, says Robert Arsenault, facilities co-ordinator for the Games, which start Aug. 15.
“The particles have to be like ball bearings — they can’t compact,” he said in an interview. “When you put pressure on them, they just move out of the way and your foot goes to the bottom of it.”
Arsenault said eight samples of sand were tested from across the Island, including some from the province’s famous beaches and its lesser-known, inland gravel pits.
Simply put, none of it was “fluffy” enough.
“This was a very hard specification to meet,” Arsenault said, noting that Volleyball Canada follows a set of international rules that clearly define the size and shape of the coarse sand particles required for top-level competition.
And aside from the compaction factor, there is also an aesthetic requirement. The sand on the court can’t be too sticky, either.