Sitting Volleyball

Sitting volleyball, also known as Paralympic volleyball, is a form of volleyball for athletes with disabilities.5 The sport originated in the Netherlands in 1956. Sitting volleyball was first included in competition in the 1980 Paralympic Games in Arnhem, Netherlands. In 1984, the United States participated in its first Paralympic Games in New York City. Sitting volleyball is currently played in more than 60 countries. Every year, during the early spring, at least one club tournament is held in Omaha, Nebraska, and one tournament is held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since 2005, there have been many other club teams,both able-bodied and disabled, started across the United States.3

        In sitting volleyball, an .8 meter-wide net is set at 1.15 meters high for men and 1.05 meters high for women. The court is 10 meters by 6 meters with a 2 meter attack line. Players must have at least one buttock in contact with the court.5 Regarding the zone lines, the attack lines are drawn parallel to the centerline and 2 meters from the middle of the centerline. The service zone is marked with two lines, each 15 centimeters long and placed inside the service zone at the end of each court, 20 centimeters behind and perpendicular to the end line. Both are drawn as an extension of each sideline.4 Athletes with the following disabilities are eligible to compete in sitting volleyball: athletes with amputations, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, brain injuries and stroke. There are no athlete classifications by disability.5

        At the most recent Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the United States of America had both a men and women team in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Women’s team won the gold medal match against China with a score or 3-0. The men did not make it to the medal matches.1 Nicky Nieves played sitting volleyball in the most recent games in the middle blocker position. She is from Bronx, New York and graduated from Queens College with a degree in Speech Pathology in 2012. Some of her career highlights consist of winning the gold in the Rio games, silver in the World Championships in 2014, and won gold in the Parapan American Zonal Championship in 2011. Going to the Rio Paralympic Games was her first Paralympic experience.2 Next week, I will be discussing about the sport of  Soccer 7-A-Side.

References

1IPC. (2016, September 17). Sitting Volleyball. Retrieved from Paralympic Games: https://www.paralympic.org/rio-2016/schedule-results/info-live-results/rio-2016/eng/zz/engzz_sitting-volleyball-daily-competition-schedule-date=2016-09-17.htm

2USA, T. (2016). Nicky Nieves. Retrieved from Team USA: http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/athletes/Nicky-Nieves

3Volleyball, S. (2006). History of Sitting Volleyball. Retrieved from Sitting Volleyball in the U.S.: http://www.sittingvolleyball.org/history.htm

4Volleyball, S. (2014). Sitting Volleyball Rules and Key Rule Modifications that are Different from Standing Volleyball. Retrieved from Sitting Volleyball in the U.S.: http://www.sittingvolleyball.org/rules.htm

5Wikipedia. (2016, October 6). Sitting Volleyball. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_volleyball