It almost seemed like the beaches of Florida until a green John Deere tractor drove by, reminding viewers and participants that this was the Labor Day Sand Volleyball Intramural Tournament in Ames.

A light wind flowed over the Southeast Recreation Field Complex, where the event took place, and the moist sand lodged itself between the competitors’ toes while the sun beamed its rays.

“If we didn’t have this breeze, we’d probably be frying,” said Erin Lusmann, junior in marketing management.

Lusmann supervises intramural events. She returned from Fort Dodge on Monday to help organize the volleyball games.

“I just got back from skydiving this morning at 11:30 a.m.,” Lusmann said. “It’s fun being around all the sports and the people.”

Many teams looked to be in the tournament just for the fun of it. Laughter broke out when the server couldn’t get the ball over the net. High fives were passed around to teammates who made diving attempts to hit spiked balls.

“This is just something to do on Labor Day,” said Noah Rasmussen, junior in mechanical engineering.

Rasmussen was one of the four players on the “Top Gunners” team, which was inspired by the movie “Top Gun.” Each member came to the tournament wearing matching white and pink T-shirts with nicknames on the back.

“Look professional, play professional,” said Justin Opperman, junior in mechanical engineering. “We want to strike fear at the net.”

It didn’t matter whether players won or lost the first game.

“It’s good because if you lose one, you can still play in the championship game,” said Bridget Hesse, senior in health and human performance.

An especially interesting match between the “Boners” and the “Desi’s” caught the eye of almost every spectator. One of the “Desi’s” players, Doo-wan Hong, cheered for the opposing team on numerous occasions.

“It’s all about having fun,” said Hong, senior in transportation and logistics.

The “Desi’s” lost, but each team member wore a permanent smile. They walked off the court dusting the sand off their arms and legs and laughing about the game. The “Boners” advanced to the next round, looking extremely competitive.

The two girls on this team, Liz Woods, junior in exercise and sports science, and Emily Thorson, junior in communication studies, said they played volleyball in high school and were particularly serious about winning.

Although fun was the theme throughout most of this event, the eight-team, double elimination tournament proved to be quite interesting during the final championship matches. One of the most energetic and encouraging fans was a supporter of the “Boners.”

“I’m just out here to cheer them on,” said Matt Hein, junior in sports management.

Hein used to coach summer league volleyball in Illinois and with occasional coaching tips exiting his mouth, Hein cheered his team on as they competed for the championship.

The “Boners” came out victorious winning two of three matches. They have competed in four intramural volleyball tournaments and finally won their first championship.

“The competition was good,” said Ray Sheaffer, senior in health and human performance. “The team we just beat was the hardest team.”

There are now four teams that can call themselves champions. The “Carpetbaggers,” “Statnerds,” “Fighting Camels,” and the “Boners” were the winning teams that received intramural championship T-shirts.

There were 32 teams signed up for the four-player co-ed event. The players called their own games and no referees were used.

“You meet a lot of people, and it’s fun,” said Kari Kanne, intramurals staff member. “You also get a good tan.”