VOLLEYBALL

NEWSLETTER

The following Newsletter has been forwarded to you, from the Volleyball Newsletter E-Mail list. The UK's leading on line Volleyball News service, providing up to date volleyball information, direct to newsletter members throughout the UK and Ireland. Articles are collected from a variety of sources and credited appropriately. The Volleyball Newsletter uses advertising sponsorship to support our free and non-profit making service to newsletter members. To advertise your volleyball events or products, direct to players, club and league secretaries throughout the UK and Ireland, then please see our web site for details or contact Dave at Dave.Reece@volleyballnewsletter.com

Hi all, more news from the web.

Since the last issue, our newsletter server provider has closed down, hence the Volleyball Newsletter has moved, you may need to adjust you white list or spam list. 

Cheers - Dave Reece Dave.Reece@volleyballnewsletter.com

Level IV referees course  

Suffolk Volleyball Association will be running the entry level refereeing course at Stowupland Sports Centre (part of the High School) on the 7th and 8th of February, 2009.

All players are required to know the rules - yes that's a rule - the course is therefore suitable for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of the rules of volleyball, as well as those who are looking to referee. The course is split over two days and covers all of the rules and how to score. It is split between classroom and practical sessions. It is the only tutored refereeing course; higher grades are achieved through practical assessment. 

Stowupland is easily accessed from the Midlands and Cambridgeshire via the A14, Norfolk via the A140 and Essex via the A12 / M11 and A14. The High School is also 1.6 miles from Stowmarket Rail Station, which is served by trains on the Norwich - London, Ipswich - Cambridge and Ipswich - Peterborough lines. Full details and an application form are here: http://www.ipswichvc.org.uk/SVA/Downloads/SuffolkRefereesCourse.pdf

Many thanks
Andrew Whitefield andrewawhitefield@hotmail.com
Suffolk Volleyball Association

New Look SVA Web Site  

The Scottish VA have a new look web site, you can check it out at the usual place at: www.scottishvolleyball.org

A few new pages and items, plus an RSS newsfeed, they would also like to hear from you about the new look ( feed back).

BVF Video 

The BVF in partnership with Yorkshire Forward will stage the Volleyball World Championships, 1st Round at the EIS Sheffield from the 2nd - 4th January 2009. Event and ticket details are below. The following is a link to a video produced by Yorkshire Forward to help promote the Event, Yorkshire and Volleyball - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUuX9NTwJA Please circulate to all in your address book, pass on the word - be at EIS Sheffield from the 2nd - 4th Jan and get behind the GB teams. Wayne Coyle Wjcglenavon@aol.com

Click to View

Northern Ireland Win Irish Student Men's Gold  

The University of Ulster Jordanstown beat Queen's University Belfast (QUB) in a hard fought men's final of the Irish Students Championships in Limerick (Munster Republic of Ireland) at the weekend.

It was the third 5 setter final in 5 years, with the fifth set going 15 - 12 in favour of Jordanstown.
Captain Nick Wright said, "It was a great result for Northern Ireland students as our Jordanstown ladies also took home the Plate." Unfortunately Wright injured an ankle on returning to training and is hors de combat for some 10 weeks into the New Year.

Alan McKnight from QUB picked up the accolade of Most Valuable Setter of the tournament. University College Cork won the women's' senior up final with University College Dublin thereby stopping the Dublin Girls winning an 8th title in a row! It was a great tournament and UL did a great job to run the whole thing so well! 

Maurice Colman Tourghlay mauricecolmantourghlay@msn.com

Time to Vote 

Hello everyone.

Please could all those of you who support better funding for sport follow the link and add you name to the e-petition detailed below. Remember to confirm your signature by responding to the e-mail that will be sent to your mailbox once you sign. Without this action your name will not count! 

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/OlympicLegacy

“The Olympics must provide a legacy for future generations. Although medals are important, legacy is more important. Some of the sports which are currently in limbo have a real chance of contributing to that legacy at low cost - volleyball and handball are good examples. Squad players have put their careers and lives 'on hold' in order to commit to the required training regime. They have committed themselves wholeheartedly and the government should ensure that they and UK Sport also commit. These players realise that the glory of medals will probably not be theirs, but they are trying to give something to the community - surely something that is worthy of support in these difficult times.

Funding is currently centred on those sports which already gain the greatest publicity and who therefore already have the best chance of finding private sponsorship. The legacy we need can be best served by helping those less publicised sports which show commitment and focus, together with the potential for community benefit.”

I thank Mike Wicks for setting up this petition and hope that by spreading the word we all gain from it.

Thank you for your support

Keith Hill keith.hill40@ntlworld.com

2,500 SIGNATURES  WILL GET THE PETITION LISTED ON PAGE ONE

4,000 WILL GET IT IN THE TOP 30, SO PLEASE SIGN UP, GET YOUR SPORT NOTICED

Staffs v Riga 

EVA Div 1 Men Newcastle Staffs v Warwick Riga 13th December 2008

Newcastle Staffs v Coventry & Warwick Riga 1-3 23-25 25-18 22-25 21-25. Match photos at: http://www.mcgugan.co.uk/volleyball

A very green venue. New ball in use. Lots of us thought it would go to 5 sets. Riga went 5 points down in first set (13-18) but a 4 point run of Phil Wyles serves after winning the next point got them to 18-18 and that was enough to let them win the set. Riga also appeared to stop trying too hard on the serve to force Staffs to get the ball back for the rest of the match. Set 2 went to Staffs easily which fooled us into thinking it would be a five setter but Riga didn't seem to be under too much pressure winning the next two despite Phil Wyles keep serving into the net.

Jon McGugan

Devon Women VC 

Devon Women VC have had a few up's and downs in resent years, from challenging for a division one spot a few season ago, to being relegated to Division Three last year, however the girls are looking to bounce back in style.

L-R: Natascha Jeffries-Tolksdorf, Claire Babbage, Charis McKenna, Gosia Krzyszkaska, Silvia Angelini, Corinne Jeffries-Tolksdorf, Jess Webber, Sophie Batho, Justin Sutton & Coach Paul Sutton. Not in Photo: Laura Wilson, Marilyn Cole, Natalie Smith

The girls have put in quite a bit of work in getting the team prepared for the 2008/09 season. A bit of fund raising has improved the bank balance, a few new players and they have got themselves a new look, thanks to a new club sponsors ( www.connaught.plc.uk ). The girls only have one aim this  year, to bouncing straight back  to Division Two and so far they are off to a flying start with the National Leagues only 100% percent record, Played: 12, For: 36, Against: 0.

VE Division Three West

Kimberleigh Smith 

Wiltshire’s 20 year old beach Volleyball star Kimberleigh Smith has been selected for the new sports sponsorship scheme Team Jazz, set up by Jazz Apples to help stars of the future reach their sporting dreams.  Kimberleigh, who is already represented of the under 21 GB squad, has her eyes firmly set on winning gold at the 2016 Olympics after beating off fierce competition for a place in Team Jazz. Having represented the GB under 21’s in the world championship last September, Kimberleigh is now looking to continue improving with the hope of making the European under 23’s and 2016 Olympics.

The sponsorship will now provide Kimberleigh and the other nine successful applicants with £1500 in support including cash funding, branded kit, a publicity campaign plus an awe inspiring team building trip. Kimberleigh says: “I’m so delighted at being selected for Team Jazz. My last few months have given me so much confidence to really push myself and aim high. Hopefully the sponsorship will give me the extra push and backing I need to be able to keep improving and reach my Olympic goal.”

The scheme received a huge number of applicants from a host of talented sports enthusiasts competing in a wide range of sports the length and breadth of the country. The judging was carried out with the assistance of the sports charity Sports Aid, whose role it is to help companies support athletes, while making sure that the sponsorship goes to the right people. The judging panel was made up of extreme sports athlete Tim Emmett, Sports Aid’s Award Manager Emmanuel Blanchard and three Jazz Apple representatives.

Emmanuel Blanchard from Sports Aid comments: “The Team Jazz initiative provides much needed financial support and recognition to 10 athletes who have great potential and desire to succeed in their chosen sport. We were pleased to offer some advice in relation to funding outstanding athletes, helping Jazz Apples achieve the objectives of their scheme.”

Anna Mosek Anna@impactagency.co.uk

Feed back on the New Mikasa Ball 

I have had one for a month or so now. 1) It feels harder. 2) It requires more effort to get it to go, especially on digs. This is obviously deliberate to make it harder to kill. 3) It is more visible. 4) You would think you would notice the pimples but no one has apart from when they look at the ball. 5) We think it goes straighter but difficult to quantify that. Jon  I'd like to add to the previous feedback about the new Mikasa ball.  The pimples on the surface give it more grip than the MVP200. This makes setting without rotation easier, and allows for more top/side spin on hits and serves. It is possibly harder to get movement on the ball with float serves. Not completely sure on that yet though. Ben

Access to the Great Britain Team  

Volleyball fans across the country are being offered unique access to the Great Britain team ahead of the World Championship Qualifiers in January 2009. The British Volleyball Federation is offering clubs and schools the opportunity to attend the first round games at the EIS – Sheffield, January 2-4 2009 and providing financial assistance to get you there!

The event schedule is as follows:

Friday 2nd January 2009 14.00 Great Britain vs Israel (Men) 16.00 Great Britain vs Portugal (Women) 18.00 Montenegro vs Israel (Women)

Saturday 3rd January 2009 14.00 Israel vs Belarus (Men) 16.00 Great Britain vs Montenegro (Women) 18.00 Portugal vs Israel (Women)

Sunday 4th January 2 009 14.00 Belarus vs Great Britain (Men) 16.00 Israel vs Great Britain (Women) 18.00 Portugal vs Montenegro (Women)

The offer, in conjunction with event backers Yorkshire Forward, includes the opportunity to receive a weekly blog from a GB player in the build-up to the prestigious tournament, in what will be the GB teams’ first appearance in the World Championships. There are three packages available:

GOLD - available to schools and clubs that purchase 50 or more tickets for any single day of the event. They will receive a 50% discount on tickets, a £300 travel bursary to help pay for transport to the event, a weekly blog from a GB player and a signed GB training ball to be presented at the games.

SILVER - available when purchasing between 30 – 49 tickets for any day of the event. A 50% discount is available on tickets, a £200 travel bursary to support travel to the event and a weekly blog from a GB player.

BRONZE - available to schools and clubs purchasing between 12 and 29 tickets for any day. A 50% discount on tickets is available and a £100 travel bursary to support the cost of getting to the event.

Further details of how the offer can be accessed and an enquiry form are attached. Enquiry forms should be returned to wayne@podiumprojects.co.uk

Maria Bertelli mariabertelli@me.com

Volleyball Paradise Update

Back in December 2006 (issue 205), we featured an item on Mackenzie Aries from San Dieguito in California. Kenzie sent us details of her non-stop volleyball life and how she was using the internet to promoting and expand her volleyball career. [item http://www.volleyballnewsletter.com/rss/205-09.html ] Since then Kenzie has been making a name for herself on the web and in various publications, readers in the UK would have seen her featured in the Volleyball Magazine with an item called "Off The Court Technology Rules". She has also been writing a column for Rivals.com, a North American Student Sports Volleyball magazine site. Her latest online projects include "how to" video tutorials on volleyball for young players at www.onlinevolleyball.com and she has a excellent online Volleyball Blog site at www.onlinevolleyball.com/index.htm called "Everything volleyball". Kenzie is currently playing for the Pomona-Pitzer Women's College Volleyball team (near Los Angeles), you can check out the teams web site at: www.ChirpVolleyball.com. Rod Rod@BeaconsBeach.com

Latvian Women's Team

The Sitting Volleyball community in Great Britain was pleased to welcome the Latvian women's team to these shores last week for the launch of an initiative to bring together a Great Britain development women's squad.

Fresh from competing at the Paralympics in Beijing, the Latvian team arrived on Wednesday 3rd December with a busy schedule ahead of them. Their first engagement was in the prestigious surroundings of the Reebok Centre in Canary Wharf, London - where a four team tournament was taking place thanks to financial institution Morgan Stanley's Disability Task Force. Morgan Stanley themselves brought together their own women's team, alongside an East London Lynx women's side and finally a selection of players from East London Lynx's Sitting Volleyball side. The evening was a great success and huge thanks must again go to Morgan Stanley for their ongoing commitment to Sitting Volleyball in this country.

Thursday evening provided yet more competition for the Latvian side as they took on the East London Lynx Sitting Volleyball team at their training base in Limehouse. The match was played in great spirit and in three close sets the Latvian side ran out winners, mainly thanks to some stunning serving by Una Dzalba, who was one of the stand-out players for Latvia in Beijing.

On Friday, the Latvian side were whisked down to Canterbury in Kent to visit local disability schools where they put on a demonstration before inviting some of the spectators to take part - it proved to be a fantastic day for all involved, something the Latvian side were to later comment on how much they enjoyed and Tom Middleton, who organised the proceedings in Kent, was especially pleased to see so many young people playing sitting volleyball.

The weekend was to see the Latvian side taking part in training with the Great British men's squad at Roehampton University in south-west London. The camp, organised by the BVF, was also the launch of the British women's development squad as they look towards forming a strong team to compete at next years European Championships in Poland. Men's Head Coach Josef Banfi said he was pleased to have the Latvian's training alongside the British players as it gave them a view as to the contrasting styles of play seen in Europe and the commitment required to challenge for medals at Paralympics games.

Overall, it was a hugely successful visit by the Latvian side, who were a credit to the sport and happily passed on their knowledge to Sitting Volleyball players in this country. The week provided a key focus for the formation of a British women's team looking ahead to London 2012 and with foundations now laid, Sitting Volleyball looks set to grow even quicker around the UK.

From: robert.x.barrett@jpmorgan.com

Referees Make More Out Calls Than In Calls

John McEnroe's famous "you cannot be serious" outburst at Wimbledon ranks as one of the most memorable - and maligned - moments in sporting history. Tennis study shows John McEnroe was right about line calls - 40pc of the time But it seems the tennis star may have had a point when he questioned an official who deemed his serve was out. For scientists studying the accuracy of refereeing calls in tennis have discovered that while errors are rare, line judges are 84 per cent more likely to wrongly deem a ball out than in. The researchers believe the reason for the discrepancy is to do with the brain not being able to process images the eyes are sending it quickly enough. They also think their findings could be useful in the modern game where professional tennis players are able to challenge umpires' decisions. "Our perception lags behind reality," said David Whitney, the neuroscientist behind the research at University of California. "The visual system has mechanisms that help alleviate this problem of living in the past, but these mechanisms are not perfect and occasionally result in visual illusions - like the misperception of tennis ball location we discovered." Using modern technology such as Hawk Eye, his team, who published their findings in the journal Current Biology, studied more than 4,000 randomly selected Wimbledon tennis points, and uncovered 83 incorrect calls. Of those, 70 of the errors were wrongly deemed as long. Neuroscientists believe the reason behind the discrepancy are not the result of poor refereeing but rather, the errors are due to the way the human brain processes visual information about motion. "The visual system is sluggish," said Dr Whitney. "It takes a hundred or more milliseconds for us to become aware of an image that strikes our retina." He said that by the time we perceive an object like a tennis in one location, it will have already changed location. In particular, he said people consistently mis-perceive moving objects as shifted in the direction of their motion, so that at any moment they appear to be farther along their path than they are. "On a tennis court, a ball could physically bounce in the court but be called out, or a ball could physically bounce out of the court but be called in," Dr Whitney added. The new findings suggest, however, that players could maximise their opportunity to challenge calls by focusing on balls that are called "out," since they are more likely to be incorrect. The report also suggests that every shot in professional tennis should perhaps be reviewed by instant replay. "If that proves prohibitively time-consuming, the rules allowing players to challenge referee judgments should be scrutinised at least, in light of the current findings," he wrote. By Richard Alleyne, from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/27/scitennis127.xml

Back in January (Issue 226), we congratulated the BBC for starting a Volleyball sports page, unfortunately the page never got updated (and most likely minimal hits), we can now report that the page appears to have disappeared. Not sure if anyone can throw any light on the subject...

Britain awarded volleyball World Championships

British Volleyball has received a major boost with the announcement to stage the first round of the World Championships in Sheffield. The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has chosen the city to host Great Britain's first appearance in the competition with matches against some of the top countries in Europe at the EIS Sheffield (EISS), January 24.

It is a major coup for the British Volleyball Federation (BVF) who have been tasked to oversee the development of the countrys Olympic and Paralympic Squads. Sheffield has become the home of British volleyball with the EISS housing the British indoor squads, while the venue is the number one choice for many national teams around the world to stage their training camps in this country.

EISS is also the location of the BVF's High Performance office and has hosted numerous major events including Volleyball England National Cup Finals and the European Championships. Richard Callicott, President of the British Volleyball Federation, said: Sheffield has become synonymous with British volleyball in the last 12 months and therefore we are delighted to stage these first round games in such familiar and fantastic surroundings as the EISS.

The matches will be a great test for the GB teams, but with home advantage and a partisan crowd behind them, both have a great chance of reaching the next round. It will be the first World Championships that the Great Britain teams have competed in and is another opportunity to test themselves against the best with the ultimate aim of being ready for a competitive finish in the London 2012 Olympics.

The teams have achieved excellent results earlier in the year at the EISS in the European Championships and European League, so the World Championships provides another opportunity for the Yorkshire and Volleyball public to get behind the teams. A number of players from the GB squad reside in Sheffield, including local girl Rachel Laybourne.

Rachel added: I am delighted the World Championships are going to be in my home-town of Sheffield. I know the GB teams will receive great support from local people as many of the players now live in the city and there is a strong volleyball following across the region. Yorkshire Forward has given their support to the World Championships first round games and assistant director of culture and major events, Neil Jenkinson, said: It is great news that the FIVB has chosen Sheffield to stage this important global competition, adding another string to the city's growing sporting prestige.

The World Championship matches will attract many people to the region helping to bring in additional revenue to local businesses, while providing an opportunity to showcase the area to many first time visitors. The GB men have been drawn against Belarus and Israel and if they finish top of the three-team group, they will qualify for the next round where they would face Germany, Slovakia and Croatia.

In total there are three qualifying rounds before the World Finals which will be taking place in Italy in 2010. The women have been drawn against Israel, Portugal and Montenegro and will be hoping to finish top to reach the next round against the Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan. Their World Finals, which are also in 2010, will take place in Japan.

Tickets for the first round event in Sheffield are priced at £8 for adults and £4 for concessions. They are available in advance by visiting www.volleyballengland.org, calling 0114 223 5742 or from the EIS - Sheffield reception, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, S9 5DA. For further information visit www.eis-sheffield.co.uk

Steve Hutton steve@hrmedia.org.uk

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