Transcript Successful Sitting Volleyball Programming Through

Successful Sitting Volleyball
Programming Through Collaboration
Elliot Blake – USA Volleyball & University of Central Oklahoma
Ashley Thomas – Bridge II Sports, Paralympic Sport Club
Jenna Hinton – Triangle Volleyball Club
Jennifer Cooper Weatherford – Armed Forces Services Corporation
Who’s Who
Elliot Blake
Sitting Volleyball Coordinator, USA Volleyball & University of Central Oklahoma; 5 years
Level II Coach, USA Volleyball; 14 years/18 seasons at collegiate, club, and high school levels
Junior National Referee, USA Volleyball; State Referee, PAVO; High School Referee; 10 years
M.S. in Sport Management, FSU; B.S. Physical Education, FIU
Ashley Thomas
Founder and Executive Director of Bridge II Sports, Paralympic Sport Club; 6 years
Awarded Paralympic Sport Club of the Year, 2012
Member of the National Parakayak Team, USA Canoe and Kayak
Certified Adapted Sports Technician, BlazeSports; 5 years
Jenna Hinton
Assistant Director, Triangle Volleyball Club
Level II Coach, USA Volleyball; 16 years at collegiate, club, and high school levels
IMPACT Instructor for the Carolina Regional Volleyball Association
Three-time CVAC All-Conference Player at Barton College
Jennifer Cooper Weatherford
San Antonio Military Adapted Sport Coordinator, Armed Forces Services Corporation; 1 year
Military Site Coordinator, US Paralympics; 2 years
Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist; 3 years
M.S.R.L.S. in Therapeutic Recreation, TSU; B.E.S.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, TSU
Sitting Volleyball
• London Gold Medal Game
• A discipline of volleyball
• Rules are nearly identical to indoor
– Only 4 modifications
Current Status of National Programs
• National Teams
– Men’s team did not qualify for London
– Women’s team won Silver Medal in London
• A2 Team (development program)
– Continues to receive new funding for military
athletes
– Number of athletes has remained stable
• Resident Athlete Program
USA Volleyball – National Sitting Team High Performance Pipeline
U.S.
National
Sitting
Teams
Experienced
volleyball players
looking to join the
sitting teams
Youth
National
Teams
Resident
Athlete
Training
A2
Program Training
Team
Military
members who
are identified
as emerging /
elite athletes
Extended Stay or One-on-One Training at
Team Training Site
Athletes
with no
previous
volleyball
experience
USAV
Region
Teams
Community
or Club
Programs
Military Sport
Camps and
Competitions
USAV Open
Championships,
Tournaments,
and Clinics
Military
WTU
Training
Community Based
• Very few ongoing programs
Why so few community programs?
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Is there a facility/equipment issue?
Is there a lack of knowledge?
Is finding participants a struggle?
Is there a certainty that it just will not work?
Is there a fear of failure?
Facility / Equipment
Facility / Equipment
Facility / Equipment
Knowledge & Participants
Finding Success
Jenna Hinton
Ashley Thomas
Why develop sitting volleyball?
Typical sitting volleyball session at Triangle
Ashley – Paralympic Team Sport
• One sport does not fit all
• Community Collaboration is the
only way to grow the variety of
adapted sports options
• Triangle has an excellent
reputation will well trained and
certified staff
• Triangle has their own facility
Jenna – Volleyball is our mission
and passion
• Goal of Triangle Volleyball
Club
• Make volleyball open and
accessible
• Growing the sport of
volleyball
Initial challenges
Ashley – Learning how to work together
• Sharing info with our population
• Not being afraid of sharing contact
info
• Partner having good understanding of
cross disabilities
• Safe practices for the sport
• Communicating sports/calendar
Carol at Triangle Sitting Tournament 3/17/13
Jenna – Club and Administration supports
this initiative
Current Challenges –
• Identifying folks who want to play
• Connecting/reaching our audience
• Pacing growth [this program is in it’s 2nd
year]
Youth player with Bridge II Sport
Collaboration
The view from center court at MAPL 3/10/12
Shared Success
Monique Burkland [Team USA vs. Team NED] at MAPL 3/10/12
• Takes Time and Investment on
both sides
• Big Stage = Big Impact
• Three Prongs to Collaborations
• Local Paralympic Sports
Club
• Local Volleyball Club
• National USA Volleyball
support [both
Para/Olympics]
Event: MAPL
Impact – Broaden Base of Influence
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Education
Awareness
Volunteers
Creates new
Needs
Carol, Jenna, Ashley and the Duke ‘Team’
New Inventions: The Striker
Through a collaboration with Duke University
a device [‘the Striker’] was developed with the
specific goal to allow a player with paralysis to
play sitting volleyball independently.
The Striker - Final Product
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Carol at Triangle Sitting Tournament 3/17/13
Identified a specific ‘Need’
Duke University is contacted
Collaboration begins
Product delivery
Success
• Plans to host a PreParalympic tournament
[prior to Rio].
• Increased Military
opportunities
• Collaboration of exposure
in Paralympic Experience
• Exposure to Duke, UNC, NC
State
• Continued growth of
regional sitting volleyball
Jenna at AVCA Convention with Team USA
How To Measure Success
• Local – new opportunities
• Great Support
• MAPL – 4500
– 3 impact of Clubs
– Family with daughter with no
limbs
– $1000
– $120
– Open communication,
collaboration to work with
strengths
– Medical provider have higher
expectations
– Volunteer to learn sports then
implement elsewhere
• w/c basketball tournament
Jennifer Cooper Weatherford
Rik Mullane
Ed Dahl
Eddie Dahl
WHY DEVELOP SIT VOLLEYBALL???
• Need and interest
• MILITARY CITY USA
• Charitable organizations
interested in helping
• Staff & coaching available
• It’s FUN for people with
disabilities & able-bodied!
Initial Challenges & Collaboration
• Had to figure out the 6
W’s… Who, What, When,
Where, Why & How
• Determination of dates
and times
• Most cost-effective
facilities
• Participation
• Marketing
Events Conducted…
• 2009: Coaching Accreditation Program featuring Sitting
Volleyball Modules
• 2009-2013: Various sitting volleyball clinics & competitions
at Fort Sam Houston, CFI, San Antonio College & St. Mary’s
Hall
• 2011-Present: Service members involved in the league help
lead Cadre Courses, camps & clinics to military staff, fellow
wounded service members & community athletes
• 2011: National A2 Camp at Saint Mary’s Hall Preparatory
School
• 2012-Present: Open League Nights with St. Mary’s volleyball
team, UTSA volleyball team & several club teams
• November 2012: Open Tryout for USA Sit Volleyball Team
Successes…
• We host sit volleyball programs twice/week for the service members.
• We conduct sit volleyball once a year for a month for PT for the Soldier Athlete
Reconditioning Program (SARP) at Fort Sam Houston.
• We have developed great friendships & had a lot of fun along the way!
• From the open national team tryout, 4 soldiers were selected to attend camps
with the National & A2 Developmental teams.
• We have several athletes that have played with the National Sitting Volleyball
Pipeline:
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SGT Delvin Maston
MAJ Thomas Davis
SSG Jen Yung Lee
SPC Matthew Spang
SPC Chris Tarte
SGT Ryan McIntosh
SGT Alejandro Seguritan
SPC Stephen Bracken
How we measure success…
• METRICS… We track numbers at every event we do & put them in monthly &
yearly excel reports. We also track our participants success & attitude.
• We have had over 100 people play sit volleyball with us. Over 60 military
athletes & 40 community athletes.
• SOF’s - Smiles On Faces… We have put over 180 Smiles On Faces!!
• Productivity from us & the athletes… How hard are we working and how
happy are we?? The participants & the staff. If it’s not fun anymore it’s not
worth it!
Current & Future State of Activities…
• Current State of Activities…
We just completed our 3rd Sitting Volleyball Season & will start our Fall
League back in September. Due to a softball league that all the
Warriors play in once a year until July we decided to end this Spring
league early. We are very flexible to our participant needs & level of
interest at the time.
• Future State of Activities…
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Plan to send a team to the 2013 U.S. Open National Championships
Increase the local community involvement
Continue sponsorship of the League
Conduct more social events for the participants & families like pool
parties & BBQ’s. Conduct more joint events featuring local clubs and
college volleyball teams:
• Texas Juniors
• Bexar County Juniors
• St. Mary’s University
• University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA)
On the Horizon
• USA Volleyball Open National Championships
– May 27-28
• Youth Sitting Volleyball Camp
– July 28-August 1
• Parapan American Zonal Championships
– October 9-13
• A2 Team goes international (again)
– Spring 2014