An interview with an expert Christian volleyball ministry administrator on the usage of volleyball in Christian ministry. Doug Swank is a former amateur athlete with serious experience in several sports, including primarily soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball. He has played, refereed and coached in all of these sports. He played serious volleyball for 17 years. He started and ran a major Christian volleyball ministry in Denver for over 7 years that had a significant impact on Christians' lives and volleyball in that community.
Many of his encouraging stories and concepts for successful Christian volleyball ministry come out in this dialog which initially focuses on repairing the problems in the rule set for one church's adult co-ed volleyball league.
Click this link to download the 2-hour interview:
LINK FOR MP3 DOWNLOAD #1
The interview reviews 3 documents: an email, a recreational division rule set, and a "competitive" division addendum. These are read out loud during the interview, but if you want to see them, they are further down this webpage. Please note that these 3 brief documents do NOT contain the bulk of the rich insights provided by Doug. These insights can only be gained by listening to the interview. I read the documents out loud to Doug over the phone as we proceeded, because he did not have access to the documents in person.
Some days later, Doug expressed a desire to further clarify what he meant when he said that "competitive" is not a good word to use when labeling a league or division. He took 15 min. of this next interview to give the full explanation. Then after that, we interacted over a few letters from my friend Jake who had heard the first interview. (Letters are not shown, but are read aloud during the interview.) And as always, there are lots of wonderful volley stories thrown in! This interview is a bit shorter, only 1-hour 39 minutes. (And never a dull moment!)
Click this to download the 2nd interview:
LINK FOR MP3 DOWNLOAD #2
(No need to view this page while listening to the 2nd interview.)
CONDENSED VERSION:
The two audios above total 220 minutes. I have re-edited them into ONE file of SHORTER length, 146 minutes. Nothing but the best and most valuable material. Click this to download the CONDENSED edition:
LINK FOR MP3 DOWNLOAD #3
(And you can skip all the email reproductions below.)
----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Cook
To: Tim G.
Cc: Joey P.
Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2009 10:26 PM
Subject: VB league upper division thoughts
Tim (cc:Joey),
I'll make this short...
1. PLEASE keep team sizes to no more than 8 players.
2. PLEASE do not let gender play ANY kind of factor in the rules of play. Specifically, don't have any rule about the number of women that have to be on the court during play. During the draft, simply divy up the women among the teams so as to have it a mixed-gender league.
3. PLEASE enforce simple clock-wise rotation so that if you have 8 players present, one is rotated out on each side. (No front-row only players substituted in and out, etc.)
There are no drawbacks to any of these as long as you practice all of them. Practicing them all will greatly enhance the enjoyment of all. Without these 3 principles firmly in place, the games carry the potential for extreme disappointment to many of us. I use the word "potential" only as a technicality; it HAS been extremely disappointing to me personally all 3 years I've been here. And I believe the only reason it hasn't been to others (at least not reported by others) is that they haven't really known anything else, or they have low expectations as to how fun it could be so they can't get to a point where they are disappointed.
If you don't understand why the things I've affirmed are true, please ask me. These have stood the test of time; 14 years of experience in variety of local serious-recreational volleyball groups.
These might also be good to implement in the lower division as well.
Sincerely,
Tom Cook
M____ L___ CHURCH RECREATIONAL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE RULES
Rule 1: SCORING
Section 1-Rally Point Scoring: Rally point scoring will be used. In rally point scoring, a point is awarded on every rally regardless of which team is serving. Games will be played to 21 points. The last game is only played to 15. You must have a two point advantage to win a game and a scoring cap at 25 (no cap in playoffs).
Section 2-Scorekeeping: The home team is responsible for supplying one person to keep score, which includes a) operating the manual-flip scoreboard, and b) completing the score sheet. The home team is the first team listed on the league schedule.
Rule 2: PLAYERS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Section 1-Players: A team must begin the game with a minimum of 4 participants with 1 being a female player. If a team has 6 participants, a minimum of 2 female players must be on the court (at no time can a team have more than 4 male players on the court).
This is bad. Neither gender should be discriminated against. Should read:
A team must begin the game with a minimum of 4 participants with 1 being a female player. If a team has at least 6 participants, a minimum of 2 female players must be in the lineup to play.
Section 2-Substitutions: Teams must follow a pattern of CONTINUOUS SUBSTITUTION; in this method the server rotates out and another player rotates in. The person serving will always rotate out of the game so that the person entering the game will serve upon entry. In order to keep 2 female players on the court at all times in the same position, a captain may move a female player on the bench ahead of a male player on the bench, or withhold a female player from entering until another female player is in the serving position. Only exception is to sub guy for guy and girl for girl if you have 3 girls and 3 guys on the court at all times.
Multiple errors in this. Should read:
Teams must follow a pattern of CONTINUOUS SUBSTITUTION: In this method, all players rotate clockwise whether on the court or not. That is, the players off the court rotate clockwise as part of the circle. Players excess 6 should be divided as evenly as possible to rotate in from both of the sides. Right side new player rotates into the server position. Left side player rotates into the left hitter position. No effort to keep 2 female players on OR off the court will be allowed. Female players rotate in and out exactly as male players with no regard to gender. [No substitutions "guy for guy" or "girl for girl" are allowed.]
Rule 3: THE MATCH
Section 1-Minimum players: Matches may begin with a minimum of four players per side. If a team does not have four players(3 guys, one girl) before ten minutes after the scheduled game time the team must forfeit the first game of the match. If a team does not have four players prior to 20 minutes after the scheduled start time then the team forfeits the entire match.
A few changes:
Matches may begin with a minimum of four players per side. If a team does not have four players (3 guys, one girl) within ten minutes after the scheduled match time, the team must forfeit the first game of the match. If a team does not have four such players within 20 minutes after the scheduled match time, then the team forfeits the entire match. The lead official may redefine the match start time as the time when he is ready to begin the match.
Section 2-Coin Toss: Either a coin toss or choice of "odd or even number" or "rock, paper, scissors" will determine who has the option of taking serve or choice of side. The same procedure will determine service in the third game. The team that does not serve first to begin the first game will serve first to begin the second game.
Slight changes:
Either a coin toss or choice of "odd or even number" or "rock, paper, scissors" will determine who has the option of taking first serve or choice of side. A procedure from the same set will determine service in the third game. The team that does not serve first to begin the first game will serve first to begin the second game.
Section 3-Timeouts: Each team has one timeout per game. To call a time out a team must inform the referee after a dead ball whistle before the service whistle is blown. Time outs will last for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Slight correction and enhancement:
Each team has one timeout per game. To call a time out a team's captain must inform the referee after a dead ball whistle and before the service whistle is blown. Time outs will last for 1 minute 30 seconds, with the option to end earlier if the requesting captain authorizes it.
[Last line changed to read: "with the option to end earlier if both captains authorize it.]
Section 4-Scoring: Rally point scoring will be used. See section I. Scoring for definition of rally point scoring.
Section 5-Deadball rules: The following rules govern:
a. The ball is NOT dead if it touches the net, having been served or hit by either team.
b. A served ball is dead if it touches the floor on the serving team's side, touches a player on the serving team, or touches any obstruction including the ceiling, wall, net support system or antenna.
c. A ball is dead if it touches the wall or any obstruction connected to the wall.
d. A ball is dead if it touches the ceiling (or obstruction connected to the ceiling) and then passes over the net. The ball is considered live, however, if it touches the ceiling (or connection obstruction) and remains on the same side of the net.
Section 6-Play-overs: A served ball will be replayed when:
a. An official commits an error.
b. Any object enters the court or there is interference with play. The location of the ball at the time of interference or a discrepancy in probability of a point being scored between the two teams at the time of interference will not be considered or prohibit a replay from being made.
c. A player serves the ball before the official's whistle signals for service.
C is an error. It should be omitted.
Rule 4: THE SEASON
Section 1-Regular season: Everyone will play the same number of games.
Section 2-Standings: Every game (all 3) played will count towards your record. At the end of the regular season all the teams will be ranked based on their record and seeded for the playoffs. All teams will make the playoffs.
Section 3-Tie breakers: Tie breakers will be broken based on head to head match up first, then to points scored. If still tied, "rock, paper, scissors" for highest seed.
Section 4-Play-offs: All teams make the playoffs and it will be a single elimination tournament. Based on the number of teams, top seeds could have a first round bye.
Section 5-Arguing: The only person that can challenge the ref's call is the team captain. If the ref feels that the arguing is getting excessive, the ref can take away one point from the arguing team. If it continues, the ref will call time out, talk with both captains and tell them to stop arguing. If it continues after that, the player will be thrown out of the game. Each case will be evaluated after to see what further action is needed.
The only person that can challenge the ref's call is the team captain. If the ref feels that the arguing is getting excessive, the ref will call time out, talk with both captains and tell them to stop arguing. If it continues, the ref can take away one point from the arguing team. If it continues after that, the player will be thrown out of the game. Each case will be evaluated afterward to see what further action is needed. [Doug did not review this wording.]
Addendum to
M____ L___ CHURCH RECREATIONAL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE RULES
for COMPETITIVE DIVISION
THE COMPETITIVE DIVISION WILL FOLLOW THE RULES FOR THE RECREATIONAL DIVISION, WITH THE FOLLOWING CHANGES
RULE 1: Substitutions: A team captain is not required to follow a continuous substitution pattern, but can make any substitution at any position at any point in the game with the following restrictions:
a) A player that is subbed out must come back into the game in the same position that they left.
b) There is not limit to the number of subs that you can make.
Bad rule. Substitions for ANY division of a church league ministry must follow the pattern of continuous substitution. This addendum rule should be deleted and the subsequent rules renumbered.
RULE 2: Setting: Bad sets are going to be call loosely. We are not going to call hands; the refs are going to do that. If it gets bad, the team captain will call his own players' hands.
RULE 3: Play-offs: All teams make the playoffs. There will be a double-elimination tournament. Once it is down to 2 teams the records do not matter anymore and the winner is champion even if it is their first loss.