That was the unofficial slogan for Team Shark Attack, a co-ed rec league volleyball team made up of Sandbar staff (current and former) and friends. We put together a team this fall for the Lawrence Parks and Rec league and had a blast.
We had nine official players, and any given night we had at least six, enough to play. Some nights we shared our players with our friend Jana's team, because some of her team bailed on her.
Our team wasn't always good. In fact, we ended the season at 10-20, in sixth place out of nine teams. But by the end of the season, we had improved enough to earn compliments from another player- one whose team has been playing together for 30 years, and a team we had just beat.
We may not have been super volleyball players, but we always had fun! Thanks to Justin, Pat, Tom, Megan, Caroline, Hayley, Brandon and Sherri for working hard for Team Shark Attack. See you on the volleyball court!
Oh, and the ironic part of our slogan? Spiking, along with overhand serving, isn't allowed in the rec league. "Up not down" was another often-used phrase on our team. As was "a girl's gotta touch it at least once." You can imagine the fun we had.
Our resident Guinness drinker and web/IT guy Frank was hanging around the bar on Sunday, doing what he does best, when a rather funny situation took place.
Here's Frank's account:
Three college-age girls were sitting at the bar Sunday evening, around 7 or 8 p.m. By their volume and actions I would assume they had been there for awhile. One girl inquired about the toy on the cash register that's supposed to be Dave. (If you haven't seen it, there's a basketball player bendy toy laying on the cash register that's labeled with Dave's name as a joke.)
Fyler: "Oh that's Dave the owner."
Girl: "Oh, is he married? I need a sugar daddy."
Fyler: "Yeah he's married and 40."
Girl: "Hmmm, that's a bit old for me…."
<takes a couple of sips from her drink>
Girl: "Is his wife hot?"
That's when I realized I had to text Dave. 🙂
Thanks Frank! Dave (and his wife) were entertained by this exchange. I don't think Dave was thrilled by the girl's comment about 40 being old, but he'll live.
Down at the Sandbar, we love us some Jimmy John's. They're open late, they deliver and they're freaky fast. What more could you want when you're starving late at night, mopping up a mess and washing dishes, when you'd rather be home in bed?
Andrew started working the door at the bar the day he turned 18. Also that day, he began calling Jimmy John's for late-night sustenance. He's ordered the same exact thing, at least three times a week, for three years now.
Andrew's been dreaming of the day he calls, gives just his name and location, and the employee knows exactly what order to put in without him saying another word.
It happened. Sort of.
Andrew was busy sweeping the sidewalk or doing some other thankless closing task, so Dave made the nightly call.
Dave: I need to put in an order for Sandbar
JJ: Is this for Andrew? Bootlegger, no veggies?
Dave: <stunned silence> Yep.
Andrew's dream finally came true. And it only took three years.
(We've got another funny story about Jimmy John's. We'll share that one another day.)
Sandbar fan Ashley emailed us this fantastic picture that her photographers, Heartland Photography, took on her wedding day a few weeks ago:
(I hope it's okay to use this picture here- Heartland Photography, if you want us to take it down, just let me know. It's just so fabulous we wanted to share it!)
You can go here to see the "sneak peek" of Ashley and Tyson's wedding pictures, which includes the one above as well as some other amazing pictures.
And here, the photographers provide a slideshow of their favorites, which again includes the photo above along with a great shot of the wedding party inside the bar.
Ashley told us "we also did *gasp* put on the mermaid costumes (we returned them, I promise) and took a couple more pictures." Clearly she's heard about the recent mermaid costume thefts!
Congratulations on your marriage, Ashley and Tyson! And if anyone's looking for a photographer, check out Heartland Photography. We were blown away by the gorgeous pictures on their site!
Yesterday, former Sandbartender John married the love of his life Natalie. After a beautiful wedding and fun reception at the Oread, the mostly younger half of the wedding guests moved on to the Sandbar.
Some of the group gathered upstairs on the beach for a few pictures:
And then the party moved back downstairs. John and Natalie danced in the window to the back room while everyone cheered. Their friend Pump convinced the bartenders to pause the music for a few minutes so he could say a few profound words about the newlyweds. Jake, groomsman and another former bartender, was up on the bench in front of them, and Dave quickly joined.
(For those of you who might be familiar with Jake & John, or with the items that deck our walls, you might notice that in the photo above, above the girl in the purple dress' head, there's part of a framed picture. The guy in the middle in the blue shirt is Dave, and Jake and John were on either side of him. Very fitting that they chose this spot to dance last night, huh?)
And then, it was time for Natalie's first ever hurricane.
Yes, she and John dated through most of college, and he tended bar here for at least a year, yet somehow Natalie always dodged the mermaid costume and never actually experienced the indoor attraction. For her hurricane initiation, John donned the mer-man costume and read the poem with her.
You might be surprised that a bride would come to the Sandbar on her wedding night; but you might be more surprised to learn that there were TWO brides in the bar last night. Another bride- who was still dressed in her full length gown- showed up with a small entourage. Congratulations to that couple as well!
We also got to see another former Sandbartender, Drew. He was out on the town with friends celebrating his bachelor party and they stopped by the bar.
We love rubber ducks. They're some of the most popular drink toys at the bar, especially since you can order rubber ducks in almost any theme now- nurse ducks, construction worker ducks, mermaid ducks.
When Dave was at the pool store and saw a giant inflatable duck float, he had to buy it. It's kind of ominous looking, for a kid's pool toy- the head bobs eerily while it floats in the water and the eyes have a creepy stare.
Naturally, we had to do something ridiculous with it. So, when the Sandbar staff isn't working, they're playing in the pool and making silly videos like this one.
