Successful Sitting Volleyball Programming Through Collaboration

Elliot Blake – USA Volleyball & University of Central OklahomaAshley Thomas – Bridge II Sports, Paralympic Sport Club

Jenna Hinton – Triangle Volleyball ClubJennifer Cooper Weatherford – Armed Forces Services Corporation

Who’s WhoElliot BlakeSitting Volleyball Coordinator, USA Volleyball & University of Central Oklahoma; 5 yearsLevel II Coach, USA Volleyball; 14 years/18 seasons at collegiate, club, and high school levelsJunior National Referee, USA Volleyball; State Referee, PAVO; High School Referee; 10 yearsM.S. in Sport Management, FSU; B.S. Physical Education, FIU

Ashley ThomasFounder and Executive Director of Bridge II Sports, Paralympic Sport Club; 6 years

Awarded Paralympic Sport Club of the Year, 2012Member of the National Parakayak Team, USA Canoe and Kayak

Certified Adapted Sports Technician, BlazeSports; 5 years

Jenna HintonAssistant Director, Triangle Volleyball ClubLevel II Coach, USA Volleyball; 16 years at collegiate, club, and high school levelsIMPACT Instructor for the Carolina Regional Volleyball AssociationThree-time CVAC All-Conference Player at Barton College

Jennifer Cooper WeatherfordSan 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

Experienced volleyball players looking to join the

sitting teams

Athletes with no previous volleyball

experience

Military members who are identified as emerging / elite athletes

U.S. National Sitting Teams

Youth National Teams

Resident Athlete Training Program

A2 Training

Team

Community or Club

Programs

USAV Region Teams

USAV Open Championships, Tournaments,

and Clinics

Military Sport Camps and

Competitions

MilitaryWTU

Training

Extended Stay or One-on-One Training at Team Training Site

USA Volleyball – National Sitting Team High Performance Pipeline

Community Based

• Very few ongoing programs

Why so few community programs?

• 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?

Jenna – Volleyball is our mission and passion• Goal of Triangle Volleyball

Club• Make volleyball open and

accessible• Growing the sport of

volleyball

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

Typical sitting volleyball session at Triangle

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

Jenna – Club and Administration supports this initiativeCurrent Challenges – • Identifying folks who want to play• Connecting/reaching our audience• Pacing growth [this program is in it’s 2nd

year]

Carol at Triangle Sitting Tournament 3/17/13

Youth player with Bridge II Sport

Collaboration

The view from center court at MAPL 3/10/12

Shared Success• 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

Monique Burkland [Team USA vs. Team NED] at MAPL 3/10/12

Impact – Broaden Base of Influence

• Education• Awareness• Volunteers• Creates new

Needs

Carol, Jenna, Ashley and the Duke ‘Team’

New Inventions: The Striker

• Identified a specific ‘Need’• Duke University is contacted• Collaboration begins• Product delivery

Carol at Triangle Sitting Tournament 3/17/13

The Striker - Final Product

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.

Success

• Plans to host a Pre-Paralympic 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 MullaneEd 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:

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

• 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!

How we measure success…

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…– 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