JUST PLAIN NEWS

ó A membership service of the ó

ó Great Plains Regional Volleyball Association ó

As I write this, high school VB season is almost half over and we must start thinking about the upcoming club season. As club directors and coaches know, good preparation prior to the beginning of the season is crucial. That’s why here at the office, there are many things happening as we begin to prepare for the 1999 season.

- We are starting to rewrite the player’s handbook and will issue one to every member as soon as they register. This handbook will be invaluable, as in it is all of the information that anyone would need to understand all of the policies and regulations of the region. If you are involved in any aspect of Great Plains Volleyball, from player to parent, you need to be aware of what is and what should be happening as you participate in a Great Plains sanctioned event.

- Tony Carrow and the Junior Board have been very busy with writing some new policies and cleaning up the wording of some old regulations. Because we added some new policies regarding tryouts this year, Tony has also been very busy conducting Club Directors meetings. At these meetings, Tony explained all of the new policies and handed out this year’s new registration materials. If you are a club director and you missed the meetings, you will need to contact the office, so you can attend the make-up meeting that will probably be held sometime in late November or early December. NO REGISTRATION MATERIALS WILL BE MAILED OUT THIS YEAR.

There is a lot of information in this newsletter. Please read it carefully. One of our goals in the office is to get information to you as soon as it is available. Please use all of the resources available to you; the web page, the office and the handbook, as you make your preparations.

---Sue Mailhot, GPRVA Commissioner

Club and Tournament Directors (Adult and Junior), need to get your tournament dates to me as soon as possible so we can get the 1999 schedule together.

I am looking forward to the new season with enthusiasm. Each day brings a new idea and challenge. I hope that your needs as a Great Plains member are being fulfilled. Please feel free to call me at the office if you need anything.

—Debi Godek, GPRVA Administrative Assistant

Great Plains RVA, 7614 Park Drive, Ralston, NE 68127-3944 Office: 402-593-9670

Fax:402-593-9760

E-Mail:gprva@radiks.net

Web Page:www.gpvb.org

Sue Mailhot, Commissioner Office:402-593-9670

13003 S 33rd Circle, Bellevue, NE 68123 Home:402-291-0171

Fax:402-293-8441

Cell:402-598-4782

E-Mail:sjmvb@radiks.net

Debi Godek, Administrative Assistant

7785 Greenleaf Drive, LaVista, NE 68128-2767 Home:402-339-6951

Daryl Korinek, Lincoln Area (99),… ……………………..3325 R St, Lincoln NE 68503 H:402-477-1559

Ken Curran, Men's B (99) 5238 S 88th Plz, Omaha NE 68127 H:402-593-7462

Tim Goodroad, Omaha Area (99) 3309 N 58th St, Omaha NE 68104 H:402-553-0843

Randy Hansen, Men's Open (99) 4120 Red Deer Dr, Lincoln NE 68516 H:402-421-1624

Marg Brungardt, Greater Region Area (98) PO Box 279, Battle Creek NE 68715 H:402-675-6471

VACANT, Boys' (98)

VACANT, Lincoln Area (99)

Deb Grafentin, At-Large (99) 3214 N 97th St, Omaha NE 68134 H:402-571-4644

Matt Bassett, At-Large (99) 4515 William, Omaha NE 68106 H:402-554-0655

DeAnn Korinek, Scorekeepers Chair (99), 3325 R St, Lincoln NE 68503 H:402-435-3444

VACANT, Adult Representative

Rick Welch, Juniors (98) 1209 N 161st Cir, Omaha NE 68118 H:402-445-0669

Please contact your representatives if you have comments and ideas for the Region's various programs and policies. Contact the Region Office if you have questions or problems of an administrative nature.

As you can see by the directory on the facing page, the Region's leadership structure has changed. The Junior, Adult, and Officials Program Boards are responsible for making decisions and determining policy as they relate to their own programs. The Board of Directors tends to larger issues. The Board has created several committees to deal with issues such as finances, marketing, risk management, and recognition.

The Program Board Directors and the At-Large members of the Board of Directors are elected, generally around the time of the various Regional Championships. The Program Boards then elect their representatives to the Board of Directors, which then meets to elect its officers. The term of each director and officer expires in the year indicated in the directory.

The Program Boards meet as necessary before and throughout the season to plan and implement their programs. The Board of Directors meets three or four times a year to handle its business.

As you can see, some of the board is up for re-election each year. The Region needs good candidates for every position. Hopefully, the new organization will encourage people to serve since they will be able to concentrate on the programs they are interested in. And just in case a multitude of candidates step forward, the Program Boards can add At-Large directors as they see fit. The various committees would also welcome additional members who would bring expertise or simply an interest in their area. In any case, everyone is always welcome to attend any meeting to observe or address the board. Call the Region Office for sites, dates, and times.

Finally, the Commissioner is serving as the Region Administrator, with the assistance of Debi Godek, the Administrative Assistant. Although the Commissioner attends as many of the board meetings as possible and is involved in many of the discussions, she has no vote on any of the boards. The Commissioner is supervised by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Sue Mailhot is beginning her first year serving in this position.

The Region's Bylaws and Operating Code will be printed in a Member Handbook and distributed to all members at the beginning of the 1999 season.

The Region has accumulated several lost items, chairs, jewelry, and balls. If you came home from a tournament last season or the season before, especially the various Regional Championships, without some of your belongings, please call the office to identify them and they will be returned.

Items found:

2 lawn chairs

6 Balls marked with various club names and symbols

(River City, Blair, Beatrice, MSH VB, S, Quinn)

Black ankle brace

Congratulations to our own Great Plains member Jaisa Kappas and her partner Kendra Cory of Tecumseh for finishing 3rd in the Women’s B Division at Aspen, Colorado over the Labor Day Holiday.

The Great Plains RVA hosted a Coaching Accreditation Program Course August 7-9, 1998. CAP is a comprehensive, three-level coaching education program that covers all aspects of coaching and teaching volleyball. It includes the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and the Complete Guide to Volleyball Conditioning; both focus on the critical athlete performance principles in coaching. Thirty participants attended the clinic held at Lincoln East High School. Stu Sherman of Graceland College – Lamoni, IA, Stephanie Schleuder of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Tom Shoji from the University of Colorado at Pueblo were the cadre members. Participants came from Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Arkansas and even Japan, including eleven of our Great Plains members. Our Great Plains members included, Level I: Nancy Miller, Rhonda Burbach, Rick Welch, Carrie Broomfield and Emil Berecek and Level II: Howard Wallace, Deb Grafentin, Teri Miller, Tony Carrow, Sean Wickham, and Paul Shimek. Congratulations to you all! A special thank you to Myron Oehlerking and Wick Colchagoff for their generous time helping to make the clinic a great success. Thank you also goes to Rick Welch and Tony Carrow for their help setting up the clinic materials.

1998-1999 Official United States Volleyball Rules

(See Official Rulebook for complete changes)

Rule 2. Net and Posts

Rule 2.6.2 will be changed for the year 2001 to eliminate all wires that support posts from the floor or if that is not possible, then all exposed wires must be padded at least 1.25 cm (1/2") thick, resilient shock absorbing material throughout the entire length. The padding must be clearly identifiable.

Rules 2.6.3 and 2.6.4 (padding of the poles and referee platforms) are recommended for all levels of play in USA Volleyball. By the year 2001, this will be required for all USA Volleyball sanctioned play.

Rule 12. States of Play

Commentary 12.4.4.6 will be added for a replay for any interference from official(s), media, equipment, personnel or spectator(s).

Rule 14. Playing the Ball

14.2.4 is a new Rule concerning the Joust, which is a ball held between opponents over the net. This will no longer be considered a double fault (caught ball). The new Rule is the same as played in Beach Volleyball. This eliminates a referee's decision in this play. Play will continue, and the side on which the ball falls after the contact over the net will have three additional contacts.

Rule 17. Service

17.6 Service tossing error Rule is no longer in effect. This means the server will only have one toss of the ball to execute the service. Allowing the ball to fall to the floor after tossing, whether it was touched by the server or not, will result in an illegal service and loss of the rally (Hand Signal #18). This Rule change will help to eliminate delays and clarifies that a team may not request a line-up check, substitution or time out after the beckon for service signal. If the wrong player is in the service zone with the ball, the server can no longer toss the ball for service to receive an opportunity for the correct player to serve.

Additionally, no extra time will be granted nor interruption for a line-up check will be granted once the beckon for service has been given. For nationally sanctioned USA Volleyball competition in the 14 and younger age divisions, the current service tossing error rule WILL be used. It may be adopted for developmental purposes at all age levels by volleyball sponsoring organizations using USA Volleyball rules.

Rule 18. Attack Hit

Commentary 18.1 This commentary has been eliminated. Under this interpretation, if a back-row player in the front zone contacts the ball completely above the height of the net, directs the ball toward the opponent's court and it is legally blocked, the action will be considered a back-row attack even if the ball had also

been directed toward a teammate. This removes judgement by the referees on the intent of the player(s).

Rule 19. Block

Commentary 19.1 and Rule 19.1.3 added a phrase to the definitions of blocker and collective blocker respectively. These sections now mean that the blocker or collective block ceases to be a blocker or collective block when a player(s) satisfies two conditions. One that the player(s) are in contact with the floor and also has no part of the body above the height of the net. The Rule did not change if the player(s) makes a subsequent attempt to play the ball then the player(s) ceases to be a blocker or collective block.

Rule 20. Regular Game Interruptions

Commentary 20.7 A request for first or second time-out may be honored immediately subsequent to an improper request for substitution because of wrong player or excess individual or team substitution. A proper request for substitution may be honored immediately subsequent to an improper request for excess time-out.

Rule 24. Misconduct

Rule 24.2.3 No additional penalty (point or loss of service) will be charged. If an expelled team member continues to engage in misconduct, he/she is subject to further individual sanctions.

Rule 29. Line Judges

Commentary 29.2.1.2 The decision whether a ball that returns to the attacker's side did or did not touch the block is that of the first referee with the assistance of the second referee. This decision is not a responsibility of the line judge.

Game Procedures

Game Procedures 4.a) As soon as the line-ups are verified and the teams are ready, the whistle is blown and a visual sign is given by the first referee for service to begin. This marks the time the game officially begins.

Game Procedures 6.a) A game officially ends when the whistle is blown for the fault resulting in the winning point. The game interval begins at this time.

Game Procedures 6.c) The first referee will blow a whistle indicating the end of the prior game, and then whistle and motion the players to line up on the end line of their team court. The captains for each team then immediately meet at the center of the court where the first (or second) referee will conduct the coin toss for the deciding game. Once the choice of sides has been determined, the first referee signals the teams to the appropriate team areas, using the procedure specified in 6.a) if a change of court is necessary. Procedure for the start of the deciding game is the same as stated in 6.b).

Please note that there are two corrections to what is printed in the rulebook.

On Page 102, the second example – Red card to a player on the receiving team should be 1 in a circle followed by a 2 in a circle and box. Note also that the deciding score sheet printed on page 114 has to be updated.

GENERAL INFORMATION

TEAM REQUIREMENTS

12-05-98 Bellevue Bellevue Library 9:00 a.m.

99. Lincoln Pius X Cent HS 9:00 a.m

01-16-99 Council Bluffs TBA 4:00 p.m.

99. Norfolk NE Comm Coll 9:00 a.m.

99. Lincoln TBA

99. Omaha Abrahams Library 9:00 a.m.

02-20-99 Out-State TBA

Information and applications for try-outs are available from club directors, the Region Office, or USA Volleyball, 719-637-8300.