After jetting around the world in recent months, Chaim Schalk finds himself back in Central Alberta — where it all started — this weekend.
He couldn’t be happier.
“Unfortunately, I don’t get back here too often,” the Red Deer native and professional beach volleyball player said Saturday after he and his doubles partner Tim Gourlay posted a 4-0 mark in the $5,000 Jonathon Walsh Memorial pro tournament at Sylvan Lake.
“When I’m playing on the world tour it’s really tough to get back home, but when I’m here it’s great. I always have a lot of people here to support me.”
And on the odd occasion he can compete in a pro tourney in the Red Deer area, the experience is just that much sweeter.
“It not very often I can play in an AVA (Alberta Volleyball Association) event,” said Schalk. “While growing up I played on the Alberta tour all of the time but nowadays playing on the world tour keeps me pretty busy. If I can get one of these in a year that’s huge, and the fact there’s decent money in this event and a bunch of decent teams here makes it a lot of fun.”
Schalk, a member of the Canadian national beach volleyball team, and his former RDC Kings teammate Gourlay enjoyed success as a beach duo some half dozen years ago. These days his world tour partner is Martin Reader, with the double teams stationed in Toronto.
The world tour season started in April in the Cayman Islands and concludes with an early October event in Morroco.
“There’s so much travel involved,” said Schalk, in his second season on the global circuit. “So far this year we’ve flown 25 to 30,000 miles around the world just training and playing in different events. Competing at the highest level in the world is a lot of pressure and a lot of intensity, but it’s what I love to do.”
So far, Schalk and Reader haven’t cashed in on a consistent basis.
“To be honest, It’s tough to make money out there as a second-year player,” said Schalk. “I’m still trying to make a name for myself and you can make some decent coin if you can start to place well.
“Unfortunately the funding for our sport is not great in Canada, so the goal right now is to break even and when that happens hopefully we can start to make some money here and there.”
In order to help finance his beach volleyball travel, Schalk occasionally returns to Red Deer to work for his father in the construction business.
“And right now we’re looking for sponsorship,” he added. “It’s tough. We haven’t been able to get many sponsors yet but we are talking to some companies.”
Schalk receives some financial aid from Sport Canada as well as the Alberta Podium group, but is seeking more from the business sector.
“That’s the next plan, to get some sponsorship and some money,” he said. “When you’re travelling overseas to play it just makes it that much easier if you have people and money backing you.”
When the current season ends Schalk will take a short break and then begin training for the 2012 campaign at the national team centre in Toronto.
“We’ll be there a good three months before next season starts come April,” he said.
Schalk and Gourlay will play in the men’s quarter-finals today at 11 a.m. at the Sylvan Lake pier. The men’s and women’s finals are set for 5 p.m.
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com