NAT'S ALL FOLKS AS COOK CALLS IT A DAY

By Ian Hanson

LONDON, August 2: Nat Cook spun around in the sand and gestured to the 15,000 strong crowd throwing her arms skywards, fists clenched, kicking up her heels, adenalin pumping through her 37-year-old veins.

Stuff she's been doing all her life at beaches and venues in sand pits in car parks, on barges, on beaches and even outside the Prime Minister's premises in London.
 
But as she edged the ball towards the net, Cook knew this could well be the last roll of the dice for an Australian sportswoman as synonymous with beach volleyball as the party atmosphere created at London's Horse Guards Parade - one of the most amazing venues of London 2012 - A fitting parade ground for beach volleyball royalty to face their final curtain.
 
It was the second match point in the third pool match for five-time Australian Olympian Cook and her partner triple Olympian Tamsin Hinchley against Czech Republic pair Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova- if the ball goes over the Australians stay in the fight ? If it doesn't then an extraordinary sporting career comes to an emotial end?
 
Unfortunately the ball fell agonisingly back towards Cook, dropping to the sand on the wrong side of the net one last time; the beach volleyball gods closing the book on a stellar 20-year career not only spanning a record five Games but a record 164 FIVB Tournaments.
 
Fifth in Beijing, Cook and Hinchley had come to London with high hopes but left without a win, losing their third straight match, this time to the youth and power of a Czech pair who were fired up, as dipicted on the big screens, to rain on the Aussies parade.
 
They fell 16-21, 21-18 and 15-11 - after 57 minutes of fist pumping and high and low fives, back slapping and gensturing - with music blaring and Congo dancing the order of the night.
 
And there were more than glimpses of the 2000 Olympic golden girl who turned back the clock  as she showed the style, anticipation, grace and technical skills of one of the sports greats.
 
"I don't want to leave, this atmosphere is amazing. It's the greatest thing on earth,and this is the greatest venue I've ever played in, " said Cook, who now plans to take a holiday to Fiji where she will not going anywhere near sand.
 
"I've committed 20 years to beach volleyball," she said. "It's emotionally and physically straining. There's no break. So that's it, my body is saying no more, you've had enough, I can't put you through any more.
 
"It has been an amazing journey, everyv day waking up determined yo be the best possible beach volleyballer I could be, determined to be the best."
 
Hinchley said she enjoyed every minute of playing with Cook.
 
"I am really proud to play for my country and really, really proud to play with Nat," she said.
 
"She is an amazing beach volleyball player, an amazing business woman and an amazing friend."
 
There will be no more digging, no more spikes, no more ice baths, physios, training sessions or sacrifices.
 
The party's over ....or maybe it's just about to begin. If there's a Congo line going on anywhere then rest assured she'll be leading the charge. Nat Cook...thanks for the memories.