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Juan Gutierrez and Juan Clara were getting some final hits in before they had to go home.
The two were part of a laid-back sand volleyball match on Thursday night composed of young adults and Houma teens, five-to-a-side. The competition was not the fiercest, with consistent services from experienced players being returned by awkward bumps, suspect sets and specious spikes from those a little greener to the sport.
While they were mostly there for fun, the two Juans were still putting in some more work. Clara’s parents have a volleyball court in their backyard, and the family plays on the weekends. In an effort to keep up with his family on the court, Clara and Gutierrez have been coming to the Sandbox about three times a week to polish their games.
“They’re really good, so we try to get a little bit better. I don’t really play that much, so we decided to start coming over here to practice,” Gutierrez said.
Such was another night at the Sandbox, a new business on Corporate Drive in Houma catering to the spikers of the Bayou Region. The spot, owned and operated by Teri Liner, features an open-air deck for patrons to have a drink, a kitchen making standard bar fare and three sand volleyball courts for play throughout the night.
Liner, a native of Avondale and a volleyball coach at Vandebilt Catholic High School, said the Houma volleyball scene is “getting there,” but still has a ways to go. She saw the opportunity to take an active part in cultivating that culture while bringing a business unlike any others to the area. According to Liner, she has not run into any unexpected obstacles since opening in June.
“It’s been pretty good so far. We’re surprised how well it went without any advertising,” Liner said.
Indeed, Clara said he heard about the Sandbox as many young people do these days: through social media. Liner’s main form of marketing has been through word of mouth and the venue’s Facebook page, and Clara said he saw videos and pictures of the courts from friends on Snapchat and Instagram.
Liner hosts volleyball league nights on Tuesdays and Fridays, with players coming from Thibodaux, Houma, Raceland and other spots to get some games in. One court is left for open play on league nights, and all three are open on the other days. For patrons under 21, a night of unlimited play on the courts costs $5. According to bartender Sadie LeBlanc, the weeknight crowds have skewed younger, with local high school athletes using volleyball as a way to get their cardio in. On the weekend, more middle-aged adults show up, but there are still kids in the sand returning serves. Clara and Gutierrez said the friendliness of the crowd is what has kept them coming back so often to practice.
“Instead of [us] coming here and asking to play, they’ll come up to you and ask to play,” Clara said.
LeBlanc has been working at the Sandbox for four weeks now, and she said she’s enjoyed her time behind the bar. Though the summer has featured some brutal heat, the bar’s fans have done enough to keep her cool. LeBlanc said she’s excited to work for a new business, saying Houma needed something like the Sandbox. She praised her new job’s family-friendly environment.
“It’s kind of like you’re on a beach, you know? It’s fun, no one complains, no one fights. It’s a good place to just drop your kids off and let them play. I would. I’d trust them,” LeBlanc said.
Liner said the open court play has been easygoing, with a range of talent on display and no hardliners on the game’s rules. When people have been playing for fun, they have managed to keep it relaxed, according to Liner. She said while some will show up only to sit at the bar, the siren call of the sand is sometimes too hard to ignore.
“Some of them are funny because they’re sitting at the bar like ‘Oh, I’m not going out there.’ And then they have a few drinks, they end up on the court, and they don’t want to get off the court,” Liner said.
The bar is now trying out different things to see what works in bringing customers. It will have a grand opening on August 26, complete with a band playing on the Sandbox’s deck. Liner said she while the upcoming winter will present uncharted territory for her business, she plans to stay open and see how the business can pivot when the temperatures drop.
“We’re going to stay open. We might try a winter league, I don’t know. But it don’t hurt to try, so we’re going to see if we can get some teams,” Liner said. “We’re definitely going to be open for Saints games and stuff. We’re going to give it a try. That’s for sure.” •
