Even if you’ve never had the pleasure of lounging on its sandy beaches or sipping on a freshly crafted Caipirinha, it’s easy to see why Rio de Janeiro is often regarded as paradisiacal by both locals and gringos. Known worldwide for its natural beauty, mellow atmosphere, and effortless happiness. The story of the city's very own sport - and one half of our brand name - reflects all of Rio's best qualities through two wooden bats.
Frescobol, whose intriguing name literally translates to “fresh ball,” was born in 1945 when an enterprising architect named Lian Pontes de Carvalho endeavoured to reinterpret tennis and other racquet-based sports for Brazil’s beach environments. He brought his creation to the shores of Posto 5, in Copacabana beach, and the game quickly resonated with the Cariocas.
The idea was to subvert the competitiveness of tennis — where you make it hard for your opponent to return the ball — and turn it into a easy-going, collaborative game where you and a partner team up to create as long a volley as you can. There are no winners or losers, the only goal is to commit to not letting the ball fall.
Lian’s initial attempts at bringing his dream to life were rough drafts at first. Early frescobol balls were literally tennis balls with their fuzzy exteriors removed. It would be another ten years before Brazilian players got an upgrade via imported racquetballs.
As for the beach bats, they required a craftsman’s approach to durability, as well as an artist’s eye for which varnishes and wood finishes would work best for catching the attention of fellow beachgoers. Similarly to early surfboards, they were made from the scraps of foraged wood and transformed into subcultural status symbols.
Within a few short years of its invention, frescobol quickly became a hit. From the 1950s through the 1990s, however, it existed in a sort of grey area halfway between an informal game enjoyed amongst friends and a recognised competitive athletic pursuit with its own rules and organisations.
Everything changed in 1994 when frescobol was established as a competitive sport with the creation of the First Brazilian Circuit of Frescobol. Previous to the organisation being set up it, was more of a regional pick up game with rules and procedures varying city to city and even beach to beach. This made for quite interactive players, as visiting groups would always need to chat with their hosts and align what rules they'd like to play by.
Today, players can choose how seriously they want to take the game, with most choosing to follow a laid-back approach to the sport, not unlike how Brazilians approach pretty much everything -the Carioca way.
