TheGreatLineJudge

TSSAA's handling of the state tournament is at an all-time low. I remember when it was held exclusively at MTSU with assistance from Siegel and Blackman. These teams deserve to play in facilities with a high ceiling and generous open areas.

They used to tell us that volleyball lost money for the home office every year... Many moons ago, hospitality for those working degraded down to ham sandwiches in a bag that someone made. Literally.

If MTSU can't handle it, why not utilize another college in the Nashville area with good facilities? Last I checked, Lipscomb and Belmont had OUTSTANDING facilities to play and watch volleyball. And if they weren't available.... why not A-Game on a full basketball court, instead of a normal volleyball court there?

Where is the concern for the student-athlete's experience?

You would not see basketball or king football downgraded to a middle school facility.

Every kid is a college prospect. If you think college is only Division I or "your" idea of what college should be, that's a mistake. Can't allow elitism to creep into our collective mindset and become infested in us. It's dangerous.

Can't think of a single player I've encountered over time who skipped high school ball. I can think of many, many, many kids who gave up another high school sport to focus on volleyball, but not one who skipped entirely.

I agree with the selfish comment 100%. Yes, there can be inconsistences between what is taught at club vs high school... and plenty of them at that... but who really benefits from not competitively playing their sport of choice for 6+ months straight?

I'm terribly late to this, but I regret to hear the news. Phil was a good man - it was always a pleasure to see him in the hallway. Late condolences to his family.

Post season: Two REFEREES required. The host school is (as always) required to provide line judges. Most Nashville area schools request that the local association provide line judges for a multitude of reasons.

Personally speaking, give me two folks who really know what they're doing, no matter what color the shirt is!

I had heard this was the case. Nice to see it in print.

Just to throw something in from the rules perspective:

The rules do not mandate a certain style short to be worn, only that the color remain the same. If a player is not comfortable/allowed to wear spandex, she may wear something else, as long as it's the same color as everyone else. Got a stripe down the side? No problem. Basketball shorts? Soccer shorts? Soffees? All fine.

It is color, not manufacturer or style, that the rules mandate.

Also, as much as the players roll and move, spandex is often times the least revealing and most decent uniform choice they could have made.

MTSU and Lipscomb might use the same software for stats.

Collegiate stats are standardized... I believe most NCAA schools and several NAIAs use the same software... at least the same output report. MTSU has a screen at the end of the score tables so that coaches can see the stats live, point by point, throughout the match. I think THAT would be neat to have as the standard.

I was dumbfounded to see that big universities like MTSU, Lipscomb, Belmont, etc. don't webcast their games however all the schools that my daughter plays against (smaller, DII) do.

Lipscomb and Belmont have their matches webcast on ASun.tv (aka PPV). I usually see a broadcast table/booth for the internet feed - very cool. MTSU, to my knowledge, has nothing.

What happened to CPA's coach from last season?

She came over to the dark side.

In all seriousness, I have no idea why she isn't coaching this season. She is an official for now.

Remember, coaches can ban refs.

Coaches can ask to not see a referee at their match again. That's not the final word, though. Only assigners can bump someone.. no such thing as "banning" a referee.

I think it would be hard to ref an Oak Ridge game, but I could do the others. I will do OR ganes just like Karns uses Phoenix Rising coaches as there personal officiating crew and no one cares.

 

Also Coach Cantrell and Coach Jones will get no warnings. This year they will get an immediate Red. They have exausted their quota of warnings. At our early bird tournament Cantrell must have gotten a dozen cards and Jones wasn't far behind. Boys, that day is over.

 

Officiating needs to get more aggressive and let the players decide the matches.

orcat,

A couple of words of wisdom from me to you, respectfully.

Don't ever preclude what you will or won't do to a coach sanction-wise. Much like pre-determining that a team "will" or "won't" commit X number of ball handling faults, net faults, or will/won't win the match, it's dangerous for us as officials to determine the outcome before play even begins. We are facilitators, not dictators - we ensure fair play and fair play starts with us.

Officiating is not "aggressive" or "not aggressive" - it is "fair". We have a rule set to enforce, nothing more and nothing less. Our personal viewpoints and opinions get set to the side. Are there rules and interpretations I wish were different? Sure. I think any person who has been involved in the game long enough has their own personal views. However, we are charged with enforcing the rules as they are written - otherwise, there are no rules.

Finally, if you have concerns or reservations about where you do/don't work, speak with your assigner. You have a wonderful high school referee board out there in Knoxville and I know they will do the right thing.

To paraphrase my old friend ComPassion - the game is about the kids. If the adults could stay out of the way, everything would be just fine.

I don't normally post these, but I found it noteworthy.

New CPA Coach

A quick check of the Nebraska player bio shows quite a coup in CPA's search for a new coach. You have all the conference honorifics and high school/club honorifics, but what REALLY got me:

Captained the U.S. Youth National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 Under-18 World Championships - equaling the USA’s best finish in the tournament

 

Selected as the captain for the U.S. Junior National Team that won the 2006 NORCECA Women´s Junior Continental Championship in Monterrey, Mexico

WOW. And the 2006 NCAA Championship to boot.

What a great pickup for CPA, and a HUGE pickup for (hopefully) Nashville area club ball!!

Boy has it been a while and will likely be a while again. Just passing through, catching up.

Yes, it's true, many R2s are referees-in-training. When I started out, seemingly ages ago, I had absolutely zero training. Throw me to the lions and go. But as was said, the game is a lot faster than it used to be. Some matches, it's true, the R2 seems to do nothing but take care of subs. Other matches, the R2 is a complete life saver. It's like anything else: knowledge, training, and experience are the only teachers.

Nashville has gone way farther to teach officials and it's still a growing experience for those doing the teaching. We do clinics and lots and lots of education opportunities for the less experienced. Just like in school, some soak it up and excel, some don't pay attention, others will just squeak by or drop out. I always hope that my R2 is someone who is either knowledgeable or is trainable... it's important that the R1 not only have a teachable partner, but that the R1 knows how to get maximum value from their partner and themselves know what to do!

Finally, rumor has it that all varsity matches will require R1/R2 beginning with the 2011-2012 season; for 2010-2011, it is an option. I heard it in the off-season.. as always, don't take it as gospel, but seek your own sources for confirmation.

A little late:

A - Loretto/Boyd winner.. may see a re-match in finals

AA- Page.. by a mile

AAA- Ravenwood in a great final

DII A- Knox Webb (solely on record)

DII AA- SBA in a 5 set heartbreaker with Father Ryan... SBA has got a LOT of heart

Hey guys! Been quite busy as of late.

As far as line judges go, there is no hard and fast rule. Generally speaking, adults are strongly preferred for a district match... you will typically see the same on a JV, though I'm personally more lenient on JV. Ultimately, it's up to the referee who is or isn't acceptable.

My only two requests: someone who PAYS ATTENTION and someone with a BRAIN. Enthusiasm is welcome and a closed mouth is required.

You have got to be kidding me . Just one poster helping another out . Its all Good !!

Not directed at you, sir. Directed at the "discussion" earlier in the thread. I never mind folks helping one another /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Who cares if there are gale-force winds and temperatures in the 30's?

Once upon a time, I umpired softball. I know how cold and ugly it is in the early spring. I've stood on the chalk line with the wind blowing during a 30-something degree day. Got caught with no gloves and less than protective outerwear. I feel your pain, good sir.

Doesn't change my position, though. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Folks, just a reminder to air out your laundry in places other than public forums. If you have a direct issue, take it up privately.

Interesting stuff. You have now the Williamson County district and a metro Nashville district in AAA. Thanks for the post, PH.

STBulldog:

 

Only mods and CoachT can delete posts (and also the post originator). As a moderator I did not delete your post.

 

Regards,

P4k

Wasn't me, either.

Here I was thinking I could be first to the punch. Whoops.

I echo P4K's sentiments and pretty much agree wholesale. If anything, you would hurt 1) softball and 2) high school volleyball. If forced to choose between club and high school, most of the kids who play both would likely take club.

Sure, the weather is nominally better. But as oldsetter said, softball took to the spring long before volleyball came around. Besides, if you make it to the next level in softball, you'll just have to contend with the same weather conditions as before.

Just my two cents.

Link

Highlights:

-Beginning with 2010-11, multi-colored balls may be used, provided 1/3 of panels are white

-Bobby pins 2" or shorter may be worn.

-Legal contact is now anywhere on the body.

-Substitutions will be made in succession (USAV style) where players line up to be changed, but are only in the sub zone one pair at a time.

-Head coach allowed to stand at any/all time(s) in the replacement zone no closer than 6 feet to the sideline.

-Assistant coach allowed to stand at certain times (exact text not yet available as of 2-9-09)

There are now only a handful of major differences between USAV, NCAA, and NFHS. Among them: incidental net contact, ball handling directives, and certain center line actions.

These changes are very much for the better. Can you say "USA Volleyball"?

Straight from the horse's mouth: Schools were allowed to use the parking as a fundraiser. Don't know who floated the idea or who ultimately approved it. This was done in appreciation for the short notice after MTSU was ousted as tournament host. MTSU was asking for "triple" the amount last year and TSSAA would have lost "thousands of dollars".

No matter the score, your crowd was loud and proud.

My personal thanks to CPA for a volleyball crowd I will NEVER forget. You guys made my dream of seeing 1,000 people (or being loud enough to count) at a high school match come true.

According to the TSSAA website, Independence won over Brentwood to take the regional title. Wow.

http://www.tssaa.org/2008Champions/StateVo...l/AAARegion.htm