Beach Volleyball - Fundraiser - Bright Steps Forward

Join Dolphin Great Sam Madison at the Bright Steps Forward Volleyball Tournament being held Sunday, June 7, in Ft. Lauderdale next to the Yankee Trader Hotel. Here's a unique opportunity to do a good things for your community and to play the fun sport of Volleyball at a beach.

Players of all levels will be present and the idea is to have fun while helping out the community. This event will be more than just a beach volleyball tournament. A pre-tournament party will be held on the 4th hosted at the Grande Hotel - poolside

To purchase tickets for this worth-while event please click on the title of this post.

Below is a full description of the event dates and ceremonies.

Volleyball Tournament /Fundraiser

Pre-Tournament Party Ft.Lauderdale Grande Hotel

June 4,2009 @ 7:00pm poolside

Volleyball Tournament

Sunday June 7,2009 @10:00am

Post Tournament/ Awards Party

Ft.Lauderdale Grande Hotel

June 7,2009 poolside @ 5:00pm

We hope to see South Florida show up in force for this fun and worth-while event!

Womens Pan American Cup Schedule Announced

Each country will play five pool matches in a round-robin format from June 26 to July June 30, followed by an off-day on July 1. The winner of each pool advances to the semifinals on July 3, while the second- and third-place pool finishers play cross-pool quarterfinal matches on July 2. The championship match is schedule for July 4. All match times and pool schedules will be announced at a later time.

For Tickets and More Information please Click Here

The U.S. Women’s National Team, part of Pool A at University of Miami’s Bank United Center, starts competition on June 26 versus No. 30 Costa Rica. The Americans face No. 48 Guatemala on June 27, followed by a June 28 contest versus No. 26 Mexico. Team USA hosts No. 17 Peru on June 29 before concluding pool play on June 29 versus No. 19 Puerto Rico. The U.S. captured the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and is currently ranked second in the world.

Brazil, the 2008 Olympic Games gold medalist and leader of the FIVB world ranking, headlines Pool B at Florida International (U.S. Century Bank Arena) where it will be part of a round-robin group of No. 13 Dominican Republic, No. 23 Canada, No. 31 Argentina, No. 43 Colombia and No. 53 Trinidad & Tobago. Full schedule for both pools can be found at the end of this release.

Cuba, a 2008 Olympic Games semifinalist and currently ranked third in the world, Venezuela and Uruguay were eligible for the Pan American Cup but elected to withdraw from the event.

Classification round matches will be played on July 2 and July 3 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (all Eastern Time). The final classification matches on July 4 will be played at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (all Eastern Time).

The Pan American Cup serves as a qualification event into the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, the premier annual international women’s volleyball tournament. The Pan American Cup’s top three teams from NORCECA and the top team from South America earn berths into the World Grand Prix.

USA Volleyball has never hosted the Women’s Pan American Cup in the seven previous years of the event’s history. The 2009 Women’s Pan American Cup is the largest international volleyball event hosted by USA Volleyball in terms of country participation.

Miami will be a busy location for volleyball the last week of June and first week of July. The 2009 USA Junior Olympic Girls’ Volleyball Championships will be played June 26-July 5 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Typically, the tournament attracts 788 teams and approximately 9,500 athletes in addition to parents and relatives. A total of 19 championships are contested in age groups ranging from 12 to 18.

Women’s Pan American Cup Schedule (all times Eastern Time)

Pool A
June 26: Puerto Rico vs. Guatemala, 3 p.m.
June 26: Peru vs. Mexico, 5:30 p.m.
June 26: United States vs. Costa Rica, 8 p.m.
June 27: Costa Rica vs. Peru, 3 p.m.
June 27: Mexico vs. Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m.
June 27: United States vs. Guatemala, 8 p.m.
June 28: Costa Rica vs. Guatemala, 3 p.m.
June 28: Puerto Rico vs. Peru, 5:30 p.m.
June 28: United States vs. Mexico, 8 p.m.
June 29: Mexico vs. Guatemala, 3 p.m.
June 29: Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico, 5:30 p.m.
June 29: United States vs. Peru, 8 p.m.
June 30: Guatemala vs. Peru, 3 p.m.
June 30: Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 5:30 p.m.
June 30: United States vs. Puerto Rico, 8 p.m.

Pool B
June 26: Colombia vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 3 p.m.
June 26: Dominican Republic vs. Argentina, 5:30 p.m.
June 26: Brazil vs. Canada, 8 p.m.
June 27: Argentina vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 3 p.m.
June 27: Colombia vs. Brazil, 5:30 p.m.
June 27: Canada vs. Dominican Republic, 8 p.m.
June 28: Colombia vs. Canada, 3 p.m.
June 28: Trinidad & Tobago vs. Dominican Republic, 5:30 p.m.
June 28: Brazil vs. Argentina, 8 p.m.
June 29: Brazil vs. Trinidad & Tobago 3 p.m.
June 29: Argentina vs. Canada, 5:30 p.m.
June 29: Dominican Republic vs. Colombia, 8 p.m.
June 30: Colombia vs. Argentina, 3 p.m.
June 30: Canada vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 5:30 p.m.
June 30: Brazil vs. Dominican Republic, 8 p.m.

July 1: Off Day

Classification Rounds
July 2: #31 Pool A 6th vs. Pool B 6th, 11 a.m. (class 11-12)
July 2: #32 Pool B 4th vs. Pool A 5th, 1 p.m. (class 5-10)
July 2: #33 Pool A 4th vs. Pool B 5th, 3 p.m. (class 5-10)
July 2: #34 Pool B 2nd vs. Pool A 3rd, 5:30 p.m. (quarterfinals)
July 2: #35 Pool A 2nd vs. Pool B 3rd, 8 p.m. (quarterfinals)

July 3: #36 Loser #32 vs. Loser #33, 11 a.m. (class 9-10)
July 3: #37 Winner #32 or #33 vs. Loser #34 or #35, 1 p.m. (class 5-8)
July 3: #38 Winner #32 or #33 vs. Loser #34 or #35, 3 p.m. (class 5-8)
July 3: #39 Pool B Winner vs. Winner #34 or #35, 5:30 p.m. (semifinals)
July 3: #40 Pool A Winner vs. Winner #34 or #35, 8 p.m. (semifinals)

July 4: #41 Loser #37 vs. Loser #38, Noon (class 7-8)
July 4: #42 Winner #37 vs. Winner #38, 2 p.m. (class 5-6)
July 4: #43 Loser #39 vs. Loser #40, 4 p.m. (class 3-4)
July 4: #44 Winner #39 vs. Winner #40, 6 p.m. (Final)

USA Volleyball Junior Olympics Championship June, 26th - July 5th.

We in South Florida are being treated to some of the best Volleyball on our planet in both the adult and Junior levels as both the USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championships will run concurrently with the Eighth Annual Women's Pan American Cup starting June 26 in the city of Miami, Fla. The USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championships will be staged at the Miami Beach Convention Center between June 26 and July 5. The nine-day Pan American Cup, which will be played on the campuses of the University of Miami and Florida International University, crowns its champion on July 4. We urge all fans to not only attend; but to invite friends and family to witness and embrace the sport that we all love and admire.

For Tickets and further event information, please click here.

Miami will be hosting its first USA Volleyball Championship in either Junior Olympic or Adult Open formats. However, USA Volleyball hosted the 2008 NORCECA Boys' Youth Continental Championship at Florida International University in August. In addition, neighboring Fort Lauderdale has hosted the 2006 and 2007 USA Volleyball High Performance Championship, and it will again host the 2009 event at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center between July 22-26. Overall, the Miami-metro area has gained favorable reviews as a host for major junior-level volleyball events involving international teams.



"USA Volleyball is extremely excited about the opportunity to host one of the largest international volleyball events in Miami and to pair it with the 2009 USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championships," USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officer Doug Beal said. "It will provide a unique opportunity for our developing young volleyball players to be exposed to elite international volleyball teams from North America, South America and the Caribbean. The two events will also generate terrific excitement in the community and lead to greater popularity for the sport."

"We are delighted with the partnership and support already given by the Miami Sports Commission, University of Miami and Florida International University in making these two events spectacular," USA Volleyball Managing Director of Events Mike Chandler said.

The USA Junior Olympic Girls' Volleyball Championships qualifying process will have a slightly different look in 2009 as it expands from nine to 10 qualifying events. The Sho-Me Qualifier, set for April 3-5 in Kansas City, has been added to the slate of qualifying tournament options. All 10 qualifiers will have Open, National and American Division bids with specific bid totals available later in the qualifier bid manual.

As you attend the Junior Olympics below are a few Florida teams to look at and cheer for:

12's - Blue Lightning 12 - American Divition
12's - Cape Coast 12 National - National Divition
12's - OVA 12 Asics - National Division
13's - Boomers 13 Elite - American Division
13's - OVA 13 Molten - American Division
13's - Gainesville Jr. Black - National Division
13's - OVA 13 Asics - National Division
14's - Cape Coast 14 National - American Division
14's - OVA 14 Molten - American Division
14's - Top Select 14 Elite - National Division
14's - OVA 14 Asics - Open Division
15's - Club Florida Mizuno - American Division
15's - Gainesville Black - American Division
15's - Boomers 15 Elite - National Division
15's - OVA 15 Asics - National Division
15's - Pinellas Heat Elite - Open Division
16's - OVA 16 Elite - American Division
16's - Pinellas Heat Elite - American Division
16's - Top Select Elite - National Division
16's - Tampa Bay Black - Open Division
17's - Pinellas Heat Elite - American Division
17's - TVA-WS National - American Division
17's - JJVA 17N - Adis - National Division
17's - USA South National - National Division
17's - Tampa Bay Black - Open Division
18's - Boomers 18 Elite - American Division
18's - NFVA 18 Elite - American Division
18's - Pinellas Heat Elite - American Division
18's - Inland VBC 18-1 - National Division
18's - OVA 18 Asics - Open Division

MIAMI TO HOST THE PAN AMERICAN CUP JUNE 26TH - JULY 4

USA Volleyball is hosting its first-ever Women’s Pan American Cup, which serves as a qualifying event into the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix. The event, which will tentatively have three of the four semifinalists from the 2008 Olympic Games, is the largest international volleyball event hosted by USA Volleyball in terms of country participation. Brazil won the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal by defeating silver medalist USA in the title match, while three-time Olympic Games gold medalist Cuba finished fourth in the 2008 Olympic Games. All three teams are currently ranked in the top four in the current FIVB World Rankings.

Team USA has not hosted a women’s senior-level international tournament since the 1998 FIVB World Championship Qualifier tournament in 1998. Due to international scheduling and professional league commitments, matches on domestic soil have become a rarity with only seven contests against foreign teams in the most recent Olympic quadrennial (2005-2008).

Purchase Pan American Cup TicketsEighth Annual Pan American Cup Online Tickets Available - BY CLICKING ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST

USA Volleyball and the Miami-Dade Sports Commission has established ticket prices for the Eighth Annual Women’s Pan American Cup to be hosted in the city of Miami from June 26 to July 4.

The nine-day Pan American Cup, which has three of the four 2008 Olympic Games semifinalists (Brazil, USA and Cuba), will be played on the campuses of the University of Miami (8,000-seat BankUnited Center) and Florida International University (5,000-seat U.S. Century Bank Arena). A total of 12 teams are scheduled to compete in the event, which serves as a qualifying event into the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix. The top three teams from NORCECA in the Women’s Pan American Cup and the highest placing South American country will earn berths to next year’s premier annual event.

A Pan American Cup tournament pass, good for all matches at both venues, is $75 for adults and $60 for children. Tickets for each date of competition at the specific venue (either University of Miami or Florida International University) are $20 for reserved general admission, $12 for adult general admission and $10 for child general admission. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.



Schedule of Events

June 26-30, 2009

TEAM POOL A — University of Miami, BankUnited Center
USA • Dominican Republic • Peru • Argentina • Canada • Uruguay

6/26/09n 6/27/09 6/28/09 6/29/09 6/30/09
MATCH 1 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M.
MATCH 2 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M.
MATCH 3 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M

TEAM POOL B — FIU, US Century Bank Arena
Brazil • Cuba • Puerto Rico • Venezuela • Mexico • Costa Rica

6/26/09n 6/27/09 6/28/09 6/29/09 6/30/09
MATCH 1 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M.
MATCH 2 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M.
MATCH 3 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M 8:00 P.M

July 1, 2009

OFF DAY

July 2-4, 2009

ELIMINATION ROUNDS — University of Miami, BankUnited Center
All teams to be seeded in Elimination Rounds based on Pool Results

July 2, 2009n July 3, 2009 July 4, 2009
MATCH 1 11:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M. 12:00 P.M.
MATCH 2 1:00 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M.
MATCH 3 3:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M.
MATCH 4 5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M. 6:00 P.M.
MATCH 5 8:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M.

Team Sketches of 2009 Women's Pan American Cup Eligible Countries
(sorted by FIVB World Ranking)

Brazil, ranked No. 1 in the current FIVB World Ranking, finished second at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup with a roster mainly of junior-level players. It won all five of its pool matches and only lost to Dominican Republic in five sets in the gold-medal match. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Brazil muscled its way through pool play and the semifinals without dropping a single set. The Brazilians faced Team USA in the Olympic Games gold-medal match and came away with a four-set victory. In 2008, Team USA and Brazil faced each other in three exhibition matches in Colorado Springs (Brazil won two of three matches), a scrimmage in Beijing prior to the Olympics and the highlight match of the Olympic Games. Brazil holds a 32-47 all-time record against the USA.


USA, ranked No. 2 in the current FIVB World Ranking, finished fifth at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup with a very young roster that included just one Olympian from the 2008 Beijing Games. Team USA completed Pool A with a 4-1 record and in a three-way tie for first place. However, it was upset by Puerto Rico in the quarterfinal round and needed to defeat Peru and Venezuela in the classification matches to qualify for the 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix as the third-best NORCECA team in the Pan American Cup. Team USA went on to finish fourth at the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix by mixing up its roster with veterans and newcomers. The Americans placed second in the 2008 Olympic Games Pool A with a 4-1 record. Team USA collected a quarterfinal victory over then-second-ranked Italy and a sweep of then-third-ranked Cuba in the semifinals. The U.S. lost a four-set match to top-ranked Brazil in the gold-medal match, but was the only team to take at least one set off the Olympic champions. In 2009, Team USA will have a new coach but one not unfamiliar with USA Volleyball. Hugh McCutcheon assumed the head coach position of the U.S. Women’s National Team in December of 2008 after leading the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team to the gold medal in Beijing.


Cuba, ranked No. 3 in the current FIVB World Ranking, finished a disappointing 11th at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup with a young roster not resembling its 2008 Olympic Games roster. Cuba’s only victory was against Trinidad & Tobago in the last classification match. However, Cuba proved dominant at the 2008 Olympic Games with an undefeated record in pool play that included wins over USA and host China. Team USA defeated Cuba in straight sets in the Olympic Games semifinals. Cuba lost its chance at a bronze medal with a loss to host China in the third-place match. Team USA trails Cuba in the all-time series 49-88.


Dominican Republic, ranked No. 13 in the current FIVB World Ranking, won the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup after upsetting Brazil in the final. Dominican Republic won four of its five Pool A matches, but earned the tiebreaker over USA and Argentina who also had 4-1 records. Dominican Republic defeated the U.S. to open the tournament. However, USA still holds a 30-7 all-time record over Dominican Republic, which missed out on its opportunity to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games as Cuba won the NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament and placed fourth at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament (needed to place third).


Peru, ranked No. 17 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed seventh at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. The Peruvians were 2-3 in Pool B and lost a straight set match to Team USA in the first classification match. Peru ended the tournament with a five-set victory over Canada. Earlier in 2008, Peru finished second in the South American (CSV) Olympic Qualification Tournament and missing out on its chance to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games. The U.S. is 21-5 all-time versus Peru.


Puerto Rico, ranked No. 19 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed fourth at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. After a 3-2 record in last year’s pool play, Puerto Rico upset the United States in the quarterfinals before it lost to Dominican Republic and Argentina in the semifinals and third-place match, respectively. As the second-highest ranked NORCECA team at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup, Puerto Rico qualified for the 2009 FIVB World Grand Prix event later this summer. Team USA holds a 21-1 overall record against Puerto Rico when using a full senior level national team.


Canada, ranked No. 23 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed eighth at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. It finished Pool B with a 4-1 record, but lost all three of its classification matches in five sets. Canada and USA did not meet in 2008, with the last meeting a three-set American victory at the 2007 NORCECA Continental Championship held at Winnipeg. Team USA holds a 68-10 all-time record versus its neighbor to the north.


Venezuela, ranked No. 24 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed sixth at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. Despite a 1-4 record and fifth place result in Pool B in last year’s event, Venezuela came to life in the classification matches until losing a five-set match to the United States in the fifth-place match. Venezuela also competed in its first-ever Olympic Games in Beijing after upsetting Peru in the Olympic Qualification Tournament. Unfortunately, it failed to win a match during its five Olympic pool matches but did take a set off Olympic silver medalist USA. Team USA is 3-0 all-time versus Venezuela with two of the three contests coming 2008.


Mexico, ranked No. 26 in the current FIVB World Ranking, finished 10th at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup in which it hosted. Mexico won two of five Pool A matches for fourth place, but stumbled in its two classification matches. Team USA, when using a senior national team, is 19-0 versus Mexico all-time, including a victory at the 2008 Pan American Cup.


Uruguay, ranked No. 29 in the current FIVB World Ranking, did not compete in the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. At the 2007 Women’s Pan American Cup, it finished in 11th place with a victory over Trinidad & Tobago. Team USA has never faced Uruguay.


Costa Rica, ranked No. 30 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed ninth at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. The Costa Ricans finished Pool A with a 1-4 record and win over Trinidad & Tobago. In classification matches, Costa Rica defeated Mexico in the ninth-place match. Team USA swept Costa Rica at last year’s Pan American Cup and are 8-0 all-time in the series history.


Argentina, ranked No. 31 in the current FIVB World Ranking, placed third at the 2008 Women’s Pan American Cup. It tallied a 4-1 record in Pool A and finished in a three-way tie for first place with Dominican Republic and USA. Team USA defeated Argentina in the Pan American Cup pool play and holds an 11-0 record in the all-time series.

Compete at the Florida Beach Volleyball Tournament in Ft. Lauderdale

The Florida Beach Volleyball Tour is moving back to the east coast this week. Fort Lauderdale Beach is always off the hook and this week promises to please. This week the Florida Beach Volleyball Tour welcomes its newest sponsor! Gotcha has joined us for the rest of the season and will be supplying some great prizes! We will also be giving away a Gotcha surfboard at the end of the season. (stay tuned for details). All divisions will be packed so be sure and register early to secure your spot. This week marks the second of three Florida stops for the EVP. The open divisions will be playing for $1,000 cash this week. Open divisions register at www.evptour.com


Attention Juniors!!!
Juniors will be playing for valuable points and prizes. We will be making a big announcement concerning the Juniors in the coming weeks, so make sure you come out and show your best.



Divisions:

Saturday: Mens and Womens Open, AAA,AA,A,BB,B
Sunday: Co-ed AA,A,B and Juniors
Pre-Registration closes 10 a.m. Friday
Check-in time is 7:30 am - 8:00 am. Saturday and Sunday
AAA $200 cash purse (10 team min.)

Pre-register at: www.flbeachvolleyball.com
for more info: Go to our Beach Volleyball section to get all the information on all the beach volleyball events.

Learn to Anticipate where the Ball is Going

Well...it seems everyone is looking for that "magic drill" ;-)
And I have to say there really is no 'magic' drill that will
make players better at anticipating where the ball will go,

The Good news is that doesn't mean the skill can't be learned
or honed. The KEY (like many other aspects of volleyball) is practice,
practice, practice. ;-)

I've found that f'ree-ball drills with penalties for letting the
ball hit the floor, such as making the whole team run suicides whenever a f'ree ball
hits the floor without first being touched by a player, are
beneficial in 'practice, but sometimes don't carry over into game action!

That's a big problem 'cause it just wastes your valuable
training time.

However - This Drill seems to get reasonably good results on
the court!



Two outside hitters stand at about the 10-foot line ready to hit
the ball over as a f'ree ball.

The defending player is on the other side of the net in the
middle-back position.

A setter sets the hitters off the net...

...and the hitters are instructed to only hit the ball in the
direction their bodies are facing, so the defender has ample
opportunity to read the hitters' body positions and react by
covering the line or angle shots.

Each defender is given the opportunity to defend against
four hits, then the players rotate positions.

Players keep rotating until all the players have had a chance
to defend against 12 hits, with points scored for successful
passes up to the target.

This helps players learn to read opponents' body languages
and, because the balls are not coming right to them, they
learn to scramble and reach balls that are more than a few
feet to either side of them.

If you're a Coach -

Try to teach your players to be as aggressive as possible on
defense and never to let a ball touch the floor.

With positive reinforcement, players will quickly learn to
take pride in anticipating and reacting to balls to keep points
alive.

Special Thanks to Hayley of Volleyball-Magic.com. She has several instructional papers as well as videos to help you and your team take their game to the next level.
Volleyball-Magic.com

Playing with Injuries

Anyone that has ever played a sport has had to play with an injury or two. Recently, Sports Illustrated ran an article regarding kids that play injured with their parents' consent, which greatly made an impression on me, and made me question just how far would I allow my daughter, who plays in the 16 and under team of the South Dade Volleyball Club, to play knowing fully that she is suffering some type of injury in her body.

Of course, many parents would yank their child right out of the games and practices and seek medical attention so that they can be treated and subsequently work their way back into playing shape, after undergoing therapy.

But what if your child was THE best player of the team? I am not saying mine is, but I can safely say that her participation in the games do help the team, as other ladies do, and in preventing her from playing does alter the team’s cohesion sufficiently. Injured, one may ponder the “what if’ of deciding to let her play through the pain and benching her immediately.

My challenge would be just how well my daughter would communicate the pain and the extent of her injury, and how well I would emphatically listen to her. I know that she is a trooper and highly competitive, so I know that she may try to mask the pain, or even lie to me, in order to continue playing.

I have caught her after hard practices where she would not confide to me that her body was hurting. So far, she has had shoulder pain, back pain, and has had a twisted ankle. None, thankfully, were serious enough that kept her away from the courts more than a week or so. All these injuries have transpired through in six years of volleyball, and I have stressed to her the importance of communicating to me these injuries, especially if her coach has not noticed or has been insensitive to her pain, which has occurred in the past.

The article states of many examples of overtly competitive parents who again seem to place their priorities incorrectly in their lives, and try to push doctor to ‘give something’ to their injured children so that they can play in next week’s finals, etc. These parents are so focused on the short term outcomes of next week's game, that they lose perspective about an devastating injury that may prevent their child to eve r play that sport again. Also, children’s growth can be stunted by a large injury, and this may affect them for the rest of their lives.

Personally, I have always suffered from a very weak shoulder due to the numerous sprains and tears from playing so many years of volleyball while injured. There was always another tournament, or important game that came up, and I always felt that I was indispensable for the team, so I would dab a lot of Ben Gay and take to acetaminophen pills to combat the pain. I would keep this injury to myself, so I would not have known how to put ice on the injured shoulder and work on the range of motion so as to be able to recuperate better. To this day I still suffer from a weak shoulder!

All I can say that, along with the code of ethics, I believe that coaches, organizers and physical therapist that attend games, should be aware that parents that force their children to play with pain are actually guilty of endangering their child’s lives and child abuse. We must play an active role in ensuring that parents understand this and make sure that their priorities are set correctly.

With the pressures life places on our children nowadays, forcing our children to play injured, and perhaps damaging their future growth and development is not acceptable, even when the parent is thinking about the good for the team, and their self esteem. This is supposed to be a game that our children enjoy, not some personal vendetta the parents have carried with them from their own personal issues in their youths, in which they manifest through their children’s persona.

Let the kids play, and when they push themselves hard while discovering their body’s limits and invariably get injured, take the recommended time of healing, put the child through the mandatory therapy, and work their way into full recuperation. This will guarantee a healthy future full of games and growth.

This article was written by Flip who once again has shared a very interesting perspective for all parents to think about and for all players to be open about an injury with your parents and coaches and make sure to get medical attention.

Again, we invite all parents and players to become guest writers on the report. If you have a story, training tip, announcement, player profile, etc to share with the South Florida Volleyball Community we want to post it!

As Club Season Ends in Orlando a Volleyball Parent Reflects and looks forward to What's Next

Last weekend Orlando was host to the Regional Volleyball Tournament, where more than 160 teams from ages 12 to 18, played in the Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday.
For many, this also marked the end of the 2008-2009 volleyball season. Some teams finished their season the weekend before that in West Palm Beach, but this would be the de facto end to the season as we knew it.

Personally speaking for the 16 year olds from the South Dade Volleyball Club, I am truly sad that we can’t look forward to another tournament on a weekend, or taking my daughter to practice and chatting with other parents I had the pleasure of meeting as my daughter joined the team early on this year.

As the ladies practiced and honed their skills under the eye of their coach, Jorge “Chamo” Torres, we would sit at the bleachers and talk about so many things.

Personally, I like to exercise a bit and would shag balls or volley with one of the other ladies who may not have a partner to practice pepper. I know that is an exception, and most coaches would prefer to have their girl’s parents sitting and watching, and not interfering, but I have always been a volleyball layer and simply cannot help myself in doing something with a team!

So, after so many practices on weekdays and games on weekends, it is sad to part ways with everyone after last weekend’s tourney.

We have shared so many experiences, especially watching the ladies in action during the games, that it is simply too difficult to begin to describe how we have bonded through all these months. But bonded we have, and I can say that we have labeled out ladies of the team as the “Cardiac Kids” for their fleeting glimpses of genius in the game, where they played one as a team and came through during clutch moments, as well as the regular mistakes that costs us so many games and added so many grey hairs to my head.

After our last game on Sunday, and after a fantastic showing on Saturday, the ladies placed on the gold bracket, single elimination games on Sunday, and the realization of the fact that this was finally over was when they were eliminated in the first game on Sunday. However, the ladies took advantage of one final time together on Saturday and went to one of the Disney activities that were so much in the back of their heads.


The beginning of this team's season ending was with Coach Chamo’s final chat with the ladies, and then with the parents, and then everyone wanted to thank Chamo and the girls, etc. Then began the picture taking. Everyone wanted a picture of everyone else, everyone was asking for their e-mail addresses as well as their phone numbers. But pictures were continuing, and nobody wanted to leave for their four hour plus drive back to Miami. But eventually, everyone parted ways.

However, ideas began to flow, and we will see the girls meeting a few times throughout the year. One of the things we will be doing is arranging a get-together in a few weekends, once life goes back to normalcy. One parent offered their home, and the date has been tentatively set.

The other is that the girls have agreed to meet one or two days every weekend to play v-ball in a sand court at Coral Reef Park. This way, theirs skills will be honed as their work out in the tough conditions of the sand and hot sun.

As I type this article I am right now at the park as some of the ladies are playing a two against two at this park. It is a beautiful day and the memories still abound of the season, and this is a way to close one chapter of this book and open another. I cannot wait until next season! In the meantime, I have found another way to get a workout and play volleyball with the ladies, and at the same time work on my tan.



See you all at the sand courts!









SPECIAL THANKS TO PHILIP "FLIP" LITTKE, WHO HAS CONSTANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE REPORT WITH ARTICLES AND HIS GREAT PICTURES. WE INVITE PARENTS AND PLAYERS TO WRITE IN AN ARTICLE AND OR OBSERVATION - TOGETHER WE CAN ALL MAKE VOLLEYBALL A GREATER SPORT IN SOUTH FLORIDA!

Summer Camp: University of Central Florida

If your going to attend two (2) summer camps this year I recommend going to a new and different camp. It's always good to get new feed back from a coach who has never seen you play and for you to promote your skills to a coach who otherwise would probably not get to see you play. There are several local universities that offer you the ability to do both. In addition, There is a university just a few hours drive from South Florida that offers a dynamic summer camp taught by a coach with both national and International experience.

The University of Central Florida

Todd Dagenais created the protocol for the Central Florida Volleyball Camps to help players from all levels improve their current volleyball skills, develop an appreciation for the finer nuances of the game, and foster an intense desire to work hard and improve at every challenge they attempt to conquer. Our goal here at Central Florida Volleyball Camps is to help show life lessons about what can be achieved when players push themselves to the maximum. Hard work is contagious and learning the value of what can be achieved through hard work is part of our mission statement. Developing players should attend our camps and clinics because of the top notch coaching they will receive. If you want to get better at volleyball, Central Florida Volleyball Camps is the place for you!

For the ful story click on our Summer Camp section on the right side-bar.