USAV Nationals - 5-27-09

How it took me 4 days to find the complimentary computer at our hotel is as mind-boggling to you as it is to me. Regardless, plenty of things are worth discussing as we're at the half-way point of Nationals!

First, let's discuss the venue:

* The stadium itself is fantastic. The convention center has 3 domes which makes for a cool interior. As a spectator, this has been the best in regards to set-up out of the 3 I've been to now (Austin and Atlanta being the others). Ample seating at each court, with the stands for the Open courts being much more spectator friendly, as you can view all four courts from any of the "grandstands". Last year, the open courts were cut off from each other, making viewing all the games somewhat difficult.

* As a player, it is not the friendliest of setups. First off, the netting in between courts is 9 feet at best, so players are constantly bouncing balls over them in warmups, causing for an overwhelming amount of replays. Courts seem to have more deadspots than in previous years, and although it doesn't get much better at most big centers, the lack of padding underneath the sport court causes for aches and pains. Even with a two day rest between co-ed and Men's ball, my body is needing more and more care before/after matches.

* The city itself is interesting... I will try to not hold a grudge that virtually every food vendor was shut down on Sunday/Monday. Construction right now is BRUTAL. I never thought I'd see more construction than I do in Chicago, but Minneapolis is certainly trying to one-up us. The nightlife isn't nearly as entertaining as it was in Austin, but there are some nice hotspots like Brit's and Bootleggers, and the homeless population obviously is a bit less aggressive compared to Atlanta. I'd put it behind Austin but ahead of Atlanta.

As for volleyball, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the Open level. I realize that some of these players are professionals (the women's A2 teams being there/a few men on the National Training Team Roster included), and maybe they use this for socializing more than competing, but watching players with physical ability mail it in is depressing. One match you'd see some absolutely fantastic ball, an example being the Paul Mitchell/Creole 5-setter where Paul Mitchell overcame a 2-0 deficit, winning the 5th 21-19. Later in the day, Creole's players are goofing around, half-assing their swings and getting smoked by a much weaker squad that simply wants it more. Too many matches lacked passion from both teams, and I honestly enjoyed watching AA/A ball much more. Although the physical ability wasn't as good, these players wanted it, leading to much more exciting volleys.

Individually, I had fun playing co-ed with friends, we weren't the most competitive team, but we gave it our all and most importantly we had a lot of fun. We took 5th, losing to a team that lost in the finals. The people that organized the team hadn't won a set in the previous two years they had competed, so they couldn't be happier with how we played! I don't get to play with them too much, so I'm glad that we had a chance to hang out both on and off the court.

Today was the first day of our men's team competition, and despite our best efforts we went 2-0. Still working out the kinks, but I'm confident that we'll come out strong tomorrow now that we've gotten our nerves in order. Great comeback in the 2nd match from being down 7-3 in the third set, so hopefully we use that momentum to continue our success tomorrow!

8 AM games, so I'm watching the Lakers/Nuggets game then getting to bed early. More updates tomorrow!

Minneapolis: Here we Come! USAV Nationals

Hello all,

I'm about to begin our drive from Chicago and Minneapolis, and could not be more excited. I'll be there the entire week, and hope to take some good video as well as provide an inside perspective of all the festivities. If anyone has a specific request, feel free to e-mail me at Bpmcder@gmail.com, otherwise I have quite a few interviews/topics I hope to cover already.

Hopefully I'll see some of you there!

The Grassroots of Volleyball in the United States: How Do We Fix it?

There is a thread on Volleytalk (link is http://volleytalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=menvb&action=display&thread=26690) discussing an article that was posted in the most recent USA Volleyball magazine about whether or not the sport is dying. This is not the first time I've thought about the sport and its lack of promotion in certain areas, so I figured I'd write a quick blog on it.

Going outside the box and switching gears a bit from the thread's tone:

I brought up the point on THE NET LIVE's last show that the sport here seems to struggle to be appealing to younger kids (5-8 would be the age I'm referring to, although I'd even add a year or two on the top end). It is a painfully fundamentally demanding sport. Unlike soccer, where a kid can completely whiff kicking the ball, yet play continues as the other 20 children follow him/her around the field, volleyball has too many stops when serves are missed, people can't pass, etc.

Basketball was my favorite sport growing up. I remember being 5, running downstairs for christmas, and seeing the plastic 4-foot basketball hoop that I could play with. I spent countless hours on it. Fast forward a few years where I had the Chicago Bulls wooden backboard with an actual metal rim that could hang about 5 1/2 feet above ground on the back of my bedroom door. Even though I was too small to be able to make a basket on a regulation hoop, I was still able to play a version of the sport at a level that kept it somewhat interesting.

Even with Baseball, you have t-ball to give children the ability to hit that would never be able to hit a ball that was pitched to them.

What do we have with volleyball?

Even within the sport, at the club level we realize that once a player finds a club that they're happy with, the odds of them leaving are slim (and yes, I realize that the legality behind not being able to recruit a player from one club to another comes into play). Still, if a child falls in love at the age of 5 with soccer, baseball, basketball, or any other sport, what are the odds they'll be pulled away by volleyball at 10-13? Our sport is coming into play much later than other sports, and other than cases where older siblings/parents play it, their exposure to it compared to the rest is minimal.

How do we counter this?

If I was in charge, I'd be looking for a way to make the sport adaptable for younger kids. I would create a sport court that could be broken down which had smaller dimensions for a court. A net system that was MUCH shorter. A ball that stayed in the air a bit longer (lighter balls are nice, but it doesn't change the time that children need to be able to react to the ball - perhaps something in between a volley lite and a beach ball?)

I have no doubt that people with a little money, a lot of time, and some creativity can find a way to make the sport more child-friendly without sacrificing the basic principles of the game, as well as the overall fundamentals used. If you had a smaller court, a net low enough where children could put it over on a regular basis, and a ball that moved a bit slower in order to make it easier to keep it in play, volleys would be longer and the appeal to play it would increase.

Just my thoughts on the topic.

Loss of a Great Man: R.I.P Wayman Tisdale

I apologize for the lack of updates - I've been trying to get my ducks in a row since my return to Chicago, so my volleyball happenings have been a bit sidetracked. I assure you I'll have quite a few posts coming up in the near future, so don't take this off the bookmarks quite yet!

I did want to put a brief update regarding some sad news I read about today: Former NBA player Wayman Tisdale passed away this morning at the age of 44. Although he was a great player on the court, his personality and impact he had off the court was absolutely awe-inspiring. I beat this point to death constantly, but in a time where professional sports is littered with greedy athletes where steroids and run-ins with the law run on the ESPN ticker frequently, stories like Wayman Tisdale's are refreshing.

I had always been a fan of his, but reading this 2008 article (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?page=tisdale-081203), I found myself with a much greater respect for him as a person.

"You can never give up because quitting is not an option. No matter how dark it is or how weak you get, until you take that last breath, you must fight."

--Wayman Tisdale

You will be missed.

More updates on USAV Nationals, sand season, and other topics soon.