Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice Reese.
Hi Janice, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started Nashville Beach because there simply wasn’t a place in Nashville to play true competitive beach volleyball.
At the time, options were limited to makeshift courts with dirty river sand, poor drainage, and layouts that weren’t designed for the sport. If you wanted to train seriously, compete, or experience beach volleyball the way it was meant to be played, you had to leave town.
So we did.
Roman and I traveled extensively, playing and competing on beaches across the United States and internationally—California, Arizona, Hawaii, and across the country, as well as Costa Rica, Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands. Everywhere we went, we studied how great beach courts were built and how they functioned. Each trip reinforced the same idea: why couldn’t Nashville have this?
That vision became a bold experiment—creating a white-sand, tournament-quality beach court in our own front yard.
Roman led the design, researching court dimensions, grading, and drainage systems essential for high-level play. We installed a French drain system and spent countless hours sourcing the right white sand—sand that would drain properly, play consistently, and feel like a true beach. That first court became the foundation for what Nashville Beach would grow into.
As players found us, the vision expanded. What started as one court evolved into what many now call “the beach at the end of the road.” We added additional courts, ultimately growing to four, each with its own deck and shade. Inspired by our travels, Roman designed gathering spaces including a tiki hut, a palapa deck, and an above-ground pool—creating a destination where people could play, stay, and connect. Nashville Beach became more than a place to compete; it became a community.
Over time, Nashville Beach’s impact extended far beyond our own courts.
We have had a direct hand in helping create and improve multiple beach volleyball facilities across the city and region, bringing proper design, drainage, and high-quality white sand to projects that previously lacked those standards. We worked with Metro Parks to help create the Centennial beach volleyball courts, improving the design through proper drainage and white sand to support consistent, competitive play. We developed the beach volleyball court at The Rusty Nail, contributed to the courts at David Lipscomb University, designed the courts at Austin Peay State University, and collaborated with a development company to build the courts at 1City—helping integrate beach volleyball into an urban mixed-use environment.
Through this work, Nashville Beach helped raise the bar for what beach volleyball courts could and should be in Middle Tennessee—both recreationally and competitively.
Our partnership with the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) further expanded that influence. As the AVP acquired Volley America, its grassroots development organization, Nashville Beach played a role in helping grow competitive beach volleyball across the Southeast—supporting juniors, adult leagues, and tournament pathways that connect local players to regional and national opportunities.
Today, we are entering our 36th year of providing beach volleyball to the Nashville community.
Nashville Beach continues to support players of all ages and skill levels, host leagues and tournaments, mentor juniors, and foster a space where competition, wellness, and connection thrive. Our work has shaped not only a single venue, but an ecosystem—one that has helped establish Nashville as a recognized beach volleyball city.
What began as a response to a lack of opportunity has become a lasting legacy—built on travel, craftsmanship, technical expertise, and a deep belief that strong communities are created through play. Nashville Beach isn’t just where volleyball happens. It’s where people gather, grow, and belong.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As Nashville Beach grew, so did our understanding that building courts was only part of the work. The larger challenge was helping the city understand why proper beach volleyball infrastructure mattered in the first place.
One of our greatest struggles was working across the city—with Metro government and the Parks Department—to address the poor quality of existing public courts. Many were built with river sand that compacted, retained moisture, and lacked proper drainage. These conditions not only diminished the quality of play, but directly contributed to player injuries. Upgrading those courts required persistence, technical education, and a willingness to engage multiple stakeholders who were unfamiliar with the unique requirements of beach sports.
We invested significant time and energy educating city leaders, parks staff, developers, and community partners on the benefits of proper beach court design—explaining how white sand, engineered drainage, correct grading, and tournament-quality nets and lines are not “luxuries,” but safety and accessibility requirements. We consistently tied these improvements back to public health, injury prevention, and the broader value of play as a community connector.
Our advocacy was grounded in experience.
We understood firsthand the impact of having a place where people could come together through sport—across age, background, and skill level. To deepen that understanding and bring best practices back to Nashville, we traveled extensively and volunteered our time to support national, regional, and corporate beach events across the country. We worked events in Virginia Beach supporting joint beach soccer and beach volleyball programming, and in Tampa, where we helped run a corporate beach event designed to bring business leaders out of boardrooms and onto the sand—demonstrating how play fosters connection, teamwork, and well-being.
As part of this broader ecosystem-building, Nashville Beach also supported the growth of FUDS (FUDPuckers Beach Volleyball), which began in Destin, Florida and later moved to Fort Walton Beach. Through collaboration with Abbott Realty, the FUDS Spring and Fall Classic—weeklong celebrations held each spring and fall—became signature events for the region. Nashville Beach helped expand their visibility across the Southeast by connecting players, partners, and promotional networks. Roman worked directly with Chester, co-founder of FUDPuckers, and Dan Martin of Abbott Realty to strengthen collaboration, elevate the player experience, and support the long-term success of FUDS as both a competitive destination and a community gathering place.
We also helped bridge collaboration across beach sports. Through our relationship with the Beach Tennis Association, we connected beach tennis, beach volleyball, and beach soccer—creating opportunities for shared programming and cross-sport engagement. These collaborations led to multi-sport events we hosted and supported in Panama City Beach, Florida, reinforcing our belief that beach sports thrive when they are designed and programmed together rather than in isolation.
Each of these experiences informed our work back home.
They strengthened our ability to advocate effectively for safer courts, better materials, and more intentional design in Nashville. They also reinforced our long-standing belief that beach volleyball—and beach sports more broadly—are powerful tools for building community, supporting mental and physical health, and creating inclusive spaces where people belong.
The path has not always been easy. Progress required patience, persistence, and the willingness to educate again and again. But those challenges helped shape Nashville Beach into what it is today: not just a venue, but a trusted voice for quality, safety, and community-centered design in beach sports.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Nashville Beach is a community-driven beach volleyball organization built on quality, safety, and the belief that play brings people together.
We started Nashville Beach because there was no place in Nashville to play true competitive beach volleyball. Existing courts were built with poor-quality river sand, inadequate drainage, and layouts that weren’t designed for the sport—conditions that limited performance and caused injuries. Rather than accept those limitations, we set out to build something better.
What began as a single, tournament-quality white-sand court in our front yard has grown into a four-court beach volleyball destination now entering its 36th year. Nashville Beach specializes in creating and operating high-quality beach volleyball environments—from proper grading and engineered drainage systems to white sand, tournament-quality nets, and lines. We are known for competitive play, safe facilities, and setting the technical standard for beach courts in Middle Tennessee.
What truly sets Nashville Beach apart is that our impact extends far beyond our own courts. Roman consults on the design and construction of tournament-quality sand courts for schools, parks, cities, recreation centers, and private companies—bringing decades of hands-on experience to projects that want to get it right the first time. Locally and regionally, we have played a direct role in helping create and improve beach volleyball facilities by working with Metro Parks to improve the design of the Centennial courts, developing courts at venues like The Rusty Nail, contributing to university programs at Lipscomb University and Austin Peay State University, and collaborating with developers to build courts at 1City.
Nashville Beach is also known for strengthening the broader beach sports ecosystem. We support regional destinations like FUDS (FUDPuckers Beach Volleyball), which began in Destin, Florida and later moved to Fort Walton Beach, helping expand the visibility of signature events such as the FUDS Spring and Fall Classic across the Southeast. Nationally, we have volunteered our time to support regional, corporate, and grassroots events—from Virginia Beach to Tampa—demonstrating how beach sports can bring together athletes, families, and business leaders.
Brand-wise, what we are most proud of is trust. For more than three decades, players have trusted Nashville Beach as a place that prioritizes safety, inclusivity, and authentic community. City leaders, developers, schools, and partners trust us for our practical expertise in court design and programming. Families trust us as a welcoming space where people of all ages and skill levels can compete, connect, and belong.
At its core, Nashville Beach is not just about volleyball. It is about creating places where people gather, relationships are built, and community is strengthened through play. We want readers to know that Nashville Beach represents a long-term commitment—to quality, safety, and the belief that investing in play is an investment in health, connection, and community.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was always drawn to being outside and in motion. I loved being in nature, on the water, and playing outside—those spaces gave me energy, perspective, and a sense of freedom. Whether it was exploring, swimming, or just being active outdoors, I learned early how grounding and restorative it is to connect with the natural world.
At the same time, I was—and still am—a deeply curious person. I read constantly and was always interested in understanding how things worked and why people and systems behaved the way they did. That curiosity showed up in everything from the books I read to the questions I asked and the paths I explored. I was comfortable moving between quiet reflection and active engagement, and I’ve always enjoyed learning across disciplines rather than staying in a single lane.
Personality-wise, I was independent, observant, and people-oriented. I liked bringing people together, whether through play, shared experiences, or conversation. I’ve always been motivated by connection—finding common ground, building community, and creating environments where people feel included and supported.
Those early interests still shape who I am today. My love for the outdoors and play carries through Nashville Beach, where community is built through sport. My curiosity and love of learning carry through my professional work, where I focus on connecting complex systems, translating ideas into action, and helping people work together across boundaries. At every stage, I’ve been guided by the same values: curiosity, connection, and a belief that meaningful progress happens when people are engaged, supported, and given space to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nashvillebeach.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashvillebeach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NashvilleBeach/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkpdf/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nashville-beach/
