Mar 28
Gay Beach Volleyball Players Find Love in the Sand
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Two out beach volleyball players have found love while competing alongside each other in the sand.
As reported by OutSports, the professional beach volleyball team members Kyle Friend and Tim Brewster started playing on the same team together during the AVP Tour in summer 2022. In a matter of months, we're qualifying for Pro Series tournaments and in love.
Per the pair, they were playing in Australia when Brewster let Friend know that he had feelings for him, and the rest is the stuff of romantic history.
On an episode of the "Sandcast Podcast," hosted by Olympian Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, the pair opened up about how things played out off the sand.
"We played together for six months before the off-the-court relationship started," said Brewster, a UCLA graduate who represented Team USA at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
And things have been interesting separating their two worlds together, Brewster shared. "We had those boundaries," he added. "I think we know how to keep the two separate to a point, although obviously it's impossible to keep them completely separate."
On the court, Friend thought their different playing styles might hinder how they work together on the court. However, they quickly found their groove.
"Kyle's one of the most level-headed people," said Brewster on the podcast. "It helped me out a lot when I started playing with him because I was not that."
With Friend coming out before Brewster, he helped him relax.
"To see somebody like that helped me through these internal struggles I was having. Obviously, I worked really hard and there was a lot of stuff I put in to make my volleyball really good but there's also a mental component, whether it was confidence or being comfortable, it helped my volleyball click," said Brewster. "It made a huge difference for me on and off the court."
Listen to their absolutely adorable story below.
