The annual Queen of the Beach volleyball tournament will be Saturday, June 27, at Montrose Beach with 35 two-person and 15 four-person teams scheduled to play.
The finals are scheduled to start at about 2 p.m.
"The tournament has always been a great way to celebrate Pride," said Anton Mulvaney, who is the commissioner for the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association's ( CMSA's ) Friday night beach volleyball league and one of three chairman for Queen of the Beach ( with Kevin Hansen and Bill Helton ) .
"Traditionally, the tournament has had a lot of guys dress up [ in drag while playing ] ; there really has been a fun element to the event," Mulvaney said. "Now, there's not as many people dressing up, but there's still a lot of fun and there's much more competitive play."
The event has been a predominantly male event, but Mulvaney noted that there are several all-female teams in the four-person division this year.
"I think the event will be very well attended," he said.
Players will range in age from their 20s to 40s, or maybe even a drop older, Mulvaney said.
And to top it all off, local superstar Tony Akers will also be there.
"When I think of beach volleyball in Chicago, I think of Tony. He just plays a lot of beach volleyball," Mulvaney said.
The CMSA's Friday night beach volleyball league ( open division ) has ballooned to 162 teams, up from 111 and 140 the last two years. However, the female division is down three teams, to 18.
This year, there also is a new two-person division, with seven teams, on Fridays.
"With six divisions [ in Friday's open division ] , we have everything from ultra recreational players to others who are extremely competitive," Mulvaney said.