Day 6: Footvolley and Soccer- Sports (2)

An aerial view of Copacabana Beach including the mountains behind it. 

     We started off the morning with a late breakfast in our hotel.  After we finished eating, all of us went back up to our rooms to pack sunscreen and other necessities needed for our day in the sun. We came back out and found a cab to take us to Copacabana Beach (the driver charged around $17.00 for an hour-long drive). Copacabana is one of the most famous beaches in all of Brazil. This is the beach whose picture dominates many of the brochures. It is a two-and-a-half mile stretch of coast that has been highly commercialized with buildings surrounding it. Previously, the lobby attendant had advised us to leave our personal belongings in our room due to large burglary rates, so we only came with a bit of  money for food and cab fare.

A look at Copacabana Beach from a tourist's perspective.

      Copacabana is extremely crowded because it is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Families come to lounge in the sun or swim in the clear water.  Since we went during the week of Carnival, the beach was filled with people. There was so much shrieking and crying that we had to yell over the noise to be heard. The air was filled with shimmering waves of heat, so after we took a dip in the water, all of us drank coconut water from the fresh coconuts that you can buy from beach vendors. They cut off the top part and give you a straw to sip out of. It was a wonderful way for us to get replenished before watching and later participating in a beach footvolley match. Footvolley is a popular sport in Brazil in which impromptu games commonly take place on the sandy beaches (because it is a free location and has nice cushioning).

The coconut is served with a straw      

A professional game of footvolley on the beach

     Footvolley originated in Brazil and combines the rules of beach volleyball with football (soccer). Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands and use their heads, chest, thighs, or shoulders to bump the ball on their side. They can bump the ball up to three times before kicking it over, but cannot touch the ball consecutively. After the referee blows his whistle, the player has five seconds to serve the ball. If two players touch the ball at the same time, it is still considered one hit. When we were watching, the men hit the ball over the net primarily using their heads which sounded painful (you could hear the impact). The players allowed us to participate and while initially it was hard to keep the ball in the air, we were able to manage a fairly successful game. Usually it is played in teams of two, but they let us join in. We played three sets of games and the other side won by two games. Each of our games went up to twenty points but we were told it varied by the game. It was a fun way to help gain control in our legs. 

A man trying to get the ball from the net before it falls down.

        After a very late lunch at Stalos, we went back to our hotel to rest and get ready for the soccer match at 10:00. We ate some food before leaving and then took a cab to Mercana Stadium which was around fifty minutes (and cost around $15.00). We went to the football museum in the stadium before the game and learned a little about the culture involved in the games. The game we were watching was Flemengo against Cabofriense, two local teams in Rio de Janeiro. Flamengo had a crushing victory (five to one). The stadium was not even halfway filled with people due to the time and day of the week. Whatever crowd was there was extremely enthusiastic, yelling and cheering for every goal and attempted goal. People in the audience were waving signs and banners that supported their team. The players themselves celebrated after each goal and played hard. They were constantly moving to support their teammates. It was a fun immersion into Brazilian culture.

Team Flamengo

The Cabofriense Team