Is Russ happy about that? Not in the least. He wishes it was still the good old days when the biggest deal in town was the Bondi Iceberg Club at the south end of the beach — where members swim year-round in a 50-meter outdoor cement pool filled with ocean water, unheated.

For the Olympics, the Iceberg Club has hung up this notice at its entrance:

"The world famous Bondi Icebergs invite all members and visitors to enjoy the Olympic Games at the best club in Sydney. So come have a swim and join us upstairs for the best time in September."

Russ said they'll let you in even if you skip the swim, and they probably won't give you too hard a time about it.

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A week from now, it will all be history. Beach volleyball will hold its gold medal matches Monday and Tuesday, and that will be that. They'll take away the nets and volleyballs and dismantle the whole 10,000-seat stadium like some complicated beach tent.

Bondi will be back to being Bondi, although the surfing might actually be better.

The pit they dug in the sand for the stadium caused a shift of the sand near the shore, extending into the surf, a local surfer explained to me.

"Since they did that, I think the waves have been breaking a bit better," he said.

His only worry is that the sand might shift again when they tear down the stadium.

"Maybe," said the surfer as he adjusted his sunnies, "they could just leave it up."

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E-MAIL: Lee Benson's column will run daily during the Sydney Games. E-mail him at benson@desnews.com .