The Canadian world number one writes exclusively for beachmajorseries.com while chasing gold at the Gold Coast

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Sarah Pavan on Twitter

✨I love playing under sparkling lights and glittery rain✨ * We made our Commonwealth Games debut last night with a 2-0 win over Fiji. Trinidad & Tobago are up tomorrow! 🇨🇦🙌🏻🤗 #LiveTheMoment #ShareTheDream #gc2018 #gc2018beachvolleyball

Hello everyone! It’s Sarah Pavan again from the Gold Coast! The Commonwealth Games are well underway, and it has been a blast so far!

We are just finishing up pool play here at the beach volleyball competition, and teams have been fighting hard for their place in the playoffs. With three pools of four teams, it was crucial to finish top two in the pool to guarantee a place in the quarterfinals. The remaining two spots went to the best third-placed teams. The next three days will be much more intense, as we are moving onto the single-elimination playoffs, with the finals to be played on Thursday night.

The teams that have survived the group phase are:

As always, beach volleyball is the hot-ticket item at the Games, and every single match has been close to sold out! Through the heat and humidity during the day, to the rain showers that seem to occur almost every morning and night, the fans are there to stay, and it is so awesome to be able to play in front of people who are so committed to experiencing our sport.

Can Sarah and Melissa take the first ever gold medal in beach volleyball at the Commonwealth Games?

Australians LOVE beach volleyball, and never having played a tournament here, I haven’t had the opportunity to see how many young kids are involved, or how the sport has reached people of all ages, until now. It is so exciting to play in a volleyball culture other than the ones we typically think of and see on a regular basis, and it makes me so happy to see how beach volleyball has grown and developed in Australia.

The 4,000-seat stadium on Coolangatta Beach is absolutely beautiful, and the scenery is second-to-none. From the venue, we have a breath-taking view of the coast, from the high-rising buildings of Gold Coast to Surfer’s Paradise, and all the way to the Coolangatta Beachfront. Even if people aren’t able to get tickets to see the games, they are heading out to Coolangatta just to take in the atmosphere and cool vibes. Seeing people gravitate towards the beach volleyball venue makes me think about the Beach Major Series events, and how people just can’t seem to stay away once they hear the music and excitement on stadium court. Beach Majors has definitely set the bar as far as on-court entertainment and fan engagement go, but the Commonwealth Games have stepped up, and have been doing an amazing job putting on a show for the athletes and spectators alike.

Beach Volleyball Major Series on Twitter

Last season they won gold in Poreč, bronze in Gstaad and finished fourth at #WorldChampsVienna and #HamburgFinals... Now @SarahPavan and @melissa_hp10 are a step closer to a medal at #GC2018! Their morning victory secured them a place in the elimination round! #GC2018Volleyball

The Commonwealth Games are often referred to as the Friendly Games, and this is made very clear to us while we are competing on stadium court. Every single team has someone cheering for them, whether it be family and friends or fellow athletes, and if that isn’t the case, the Australians have been so gracious in picking up the slack, cheering for all teams and making every competitor feel like they are playing for something bigger than themselves. No matter what the score is, the athletes are encouraged from start to finish, and I think that perfectly represents the spirit and inclusive nature of the Commonwealth Games.

Obviously every team here has been preparing hard for the Commonwealth Games and wants to win, but Melissa and I have been so humbled in our interactions with many of the teams we are competing against. We haven’t seen most of these teams before now, but they are all up-to-date on what is happening in beach volleyball, and watch Beach Majors videos on YouTube to help them learn and improve their techniques. It is amazing to be able to talk, take photos, and engage with all of these teams from all over the world, and it is clear to us that the Commonwealth Games serve a much bigger purpose than simply winning medals for the majority of the countries involved.

Even though we are learning many valuable lessons here in Australia, as always, our goal as a team is to win, and it’s go-time. The next few days will be challenging as we pursue a gold medal for Canada, so be sure to follow along with Beach Majors, as they have been doing an awesome job in sharing all of the Gold Coast action! I hope you all enjoy watching as much as I will enjoy being on the court!

See you soon!

Sarah

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Sarah and Melissa's quarterfinal against Scotland's Lynne Beattie and Melissa Coutts begins at 9.30pm Australian time. Click here for the full last-eight line-up.

Missed Sarah's first blog? Click here to read it.