{"id":396,"date":"2018-06-26T03:01:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T03:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bringitusa.com\/live\/?p=396"},"modified":"2018-06-28T19:21:46","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T19:21:46","slug":"sitting-volleyball-the-game-will-find-a-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bringitusa.com\/live\/sitting-volleyball-the-game-will-find-a-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Sitting Volleyball : The Game Will Find a Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_0156\"“The game will find a way”, John\u00a0Kessel assured me at the 2015 AVCA Convention during his presentation on growing the game internationally by sharing resources abroad. \u00a0Coach Kessel, USAV\u2019s Director of Sport Development, taught\u00a0a plethora of unconventional ways\u00a0to play, teach and grow the sport in underprivileged countries without critical resources. \u00a0He shared stories about\u00a0USA Volleyball’s “Leave a Ball Behind<\/a>”\u00a0program and illustrated\u00a0how to\u00a0hand-craft volleyball courts cheaply out of scrap wood and ribbon.<\/p>\n

Among the many altruistic ideas that Kessel shared that day, it was those regarding\u00a0sitting volleyball that resonated the deepest. \u00a0Having never witnessed a sitting volleyball game or practice, I felt a bit unqualified to\u00a0introduce the sport in Nicaragua and yet I couldn’t quite\u00a0let go of the belief that it absolutely must be done.<\/p>\n

Not more than three months later, I received an email from Kessel saying that Northwest University Head Coach Steve Bain was qualified to lead a sitting volleyball clinic.<\/p>\n

The Northwest University women’s volleyball team was scheduled to tour Nicaragua in March of 2016. \u00a0Hosting Nicaragua’s first ever sitting volleyball clinic quickly\u00a0climbed to the top of our tour agenda. <\/span> Northwest University graciously\u00a0confirmed their willingness to teach, play and share whatever resources they\u00a0could offer.\u00a0The Nicaraguan national team jumped at the opportunity to create a learning environment to teach the sport to people with disabilities in their community.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0103\"On March 6, 2016 in Nicaragua’s capital city of Managua, several disabled athletes rolled into the gym to find a lowered net strung across a sized-down volleyball court.\u00a0We kicked off the clinic watching a video of the USA Women’s Sitting Paralympic team compete. Afterwards we turned attention towards the whiteboard where Coach Bain broke down the primary\u00a0differences in sitting volleyball: a shorter net (1.15m\u00a0for men and 1.05m for women), a smaller court (10 x 6 meters), blocking a serve is legal, and one’s bottom must remain on the ground at all times.<\/p>\n

The disabled\u00a0athletes in the gym were eager to get the ball in motion. \u00a0As the women’s team from Northwest University sat down on the court, the athletes\u00a0without legs slowly and carefully lowered themselves down from their wheelchairs. Warm-up drills quickly turned into friendly competition on our mixed squad of volleyball players. \u00a0Language barriers and feelings of discomfort\u00a0dissolved\u00a0<\/span>as the games progressed. \u00a0Standing\u00a03 feet tall on one’s bottom has a way of making eye contact easier, high-fives natural and smiles contagious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IMG_0129\"As the games came to a close, emotions welled up in the eyes of many in attendance. The clinic was the first of its kind in Nicaragua and the joy it brought to the gym was palpable. \u00a0The disabled athletes, many of whom are war veterans, thanked\u00a0the team for giving them an opportunity to play volleyball for the first time ever. The Nicaragua national volleyball federation agreed to launch a sitting volleyball program for the future development of the sport. \u00a0And\u00a0Bring It USA has agreed to facilitate that development with aid and resources attributed by future volleyball service tours to Nicaragua.<\/span><\/p>\n

With limited resources, language barriers and willing hearts… the game found a way. \u00a0#<\/s>thegamewillfindaway<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The game will find a way”, John\u00a0Kessel assured me at the 2015 AVCA Convention during his presentation on growing the game internationally by sharing resources abroad. \u00a0Coach Kessel, USAV\u2019s Director of Sport Development, taught\u00a0a plethora of unconventional ways\u00a0to play, teach and grow the sport in underprivileged countries without critical resources. \u00a0He shared stories about\u00a0USA Volleyball’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[22,10,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-giving-back","8":"tag-giving-back","9":"tag-nicaragua","10":"tag-sitting-volleyball","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nSitting Volleyball : The Game Will Find a Way - 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