GREAT ATMOSPHERE IN THE SAND
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
After stepping in as a backup in a game, Ida Larsson got a taste for beach volleyball and now she trains and competes regularly. The high-intensity team sport gives her great energy, which she brings into her work as a Team Leader at Stena Recycling.
For Ida, beach volleyball is a fun and challenging contrast to the football she has played since childhood.
“I like beach volleyball because it has high intensity and teamwork is key. It’s a very social sport with a positive atmosphere both on and off the court. Everyone pushes each other, no matter which side of the net you’re on,” she says.
Ida lives in Gothenburg with her fiancé. She moved there in 2013 to study mechanical engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. Since 2018, she has been working as Team Leader for Sales and Operation Planning (S&OP) in the ferrous and stainless business area at Stena Recycling. Her daily work, together with her two colleagues in S&OP, mostly revolves around coordinating and optimizing the iron business – the right material to the right customer at the right time. She is now also working on implementing similar approaches in the alternative raw materials business area.
“The best part of my job is getting to work with all wonderful colleagues around Sweden and together create a sustainable and pro-fitable business for Stena Recycling,” she says.
A SOCIAL SPORT FOR THOSE WHO LIKE COOPERATION
Growing up in the small town of Hova, Ida played a lot of football.
“I grew up in a big family with four siblings, three older brothers and a younger sister, and I’ve been playing football for as long as I can remember. In recent years, however, I’ve left my football shoes on the shelf and tried out some new sports, including beach volleyball, climbing and padel,” she says.
Since moving to Gothenburg, she has played beach volleyball sporadically just because it was fun, but thanks to a friend from the football team she now plays more seriously with one regular and a few spontaneous training sessions per week.
“It all started when I got to play as a backup in a game with my football buddy and got a taste for it. I became a member of the club after that,” Ida explains.
Nowadays she also competes in beach volleyball in her club the Gothenburg Beach Volley Club’s internal series. Every week, two matches are played, consisting of two scoring sets. Everyone from beginners to elite, seniors, and juniors, participates. For women, there were 14 groups in the fall, with six teams in each group divided into eight divisions. Gothenburg Beach Volley Club has more than 1,500 members and is Sweden’s largest beach volleyball club with the world’s largest beach volleyball center.
According to Ida, beach volleyball suits those who like a sport where you fight for every ball and enjoy cooperation.
“It requires the ability to control a ball and to read the game, and a bit of stubbornness as I would say it takes a few practices to get into it, as with most sports,” she concludes.
THIS IS BEACH VOLLEYBOLL
Beach volleyball is a variation of volleyball played on sand. There are only two players on each team, which makes it less possible to cover the entire court. Therefore, beach volleyball is played with a significantly slower ball, and on a slightly smaller playing field, than traditional volleyball. Beach volleyball has been an Olympic sport since 1996.
NAME | Ida Larsson |
AGE | 30 |
NUMBER OF YEARS AT STENA | 4 |
TITLE | Team Leader for Sales and Operation Planning |
COMPANY | Stena Recycling |
FAMILY | Fiancé |
LIVES | In Gothenburg |
INTERESTS | Beach volleyball, climbing, padel, football, cooking, baking and plants |