Volleyball Advisory Committee
Minutes
Dec. 3, 2008 • 10 a.m.
Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building
Gainesville, Florida
I. Introductions and Purpose
a. Mrs. Rohrer called the meeting to order at 10:07 a.m.
b. Advisory Committee Members in attendance were, Elise Bush, Bolles School; Suzanne Winkler, Bishop Kenny High School; Doug Manning, Deltona High School; Rob Brashear, Sickles High School; Mike Flynn, Tampa Prep (Sarasota); Michelle Faulk, Santa Fe High School (FACA Representative) and Rusty Batcher, Collier Athletic Arbiters (Officials Advisory Committee Representative). FHSAA Staff Members in attendance were, Jamie Rohrer, Denarvise Thornton, Paul McLaughlin, Justin Harrison and intern, Colleen Healy.
c. Mrs. Rohrer had all present introduce themselves and briefly discussed the Recommendation Process as well as the Purpose of the Volleyball Coaches Advisory Committee.
II. Review Procedures, Agenda and Expense Vouchers
a. Mrs. Rohrer reviewed the procedures that would be used in order to conduct the meeting, briefly went over the agenda and had all Advisory Committee members complete and submit their expense vouchers.
III. Selection of Chairperson
a. A motion was made for Mike Flynn to chair the meeting. The motion was approved 5-1. [Motion: Bush, 2nd: Winkler]
IV. Review and Adoption of 2007 Committee Minutes
a. A motion was made to approve the 2007 committee minutes. The motion carried 6-0. [Motion: Brashear, 2nd: Manning]
V. Review of existing Girls Volleyball Manual
a. The Committee reviewed the current Girls Volleyball Manual. During the review, two items stood out as possibly needing restructure and clarification.
b. Item #1 – Pg. 6, paragraph under “regular season” warmup schedule needs to be added to Pg. 20, below “state series” warmup schedule. The Committee feels this is a necessary change for consistency.
c. Item #2 – The Committee is interested in adopting the NCAA warmup schedule for all varsity contests.
d. A motion was made for Suzanne Winkler to draft a recommendation regarding the warmup schedule and forward to the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee for their January meeting, once approved by the Committee members via e-mail. The motion was approved 6-0. [Motion: Faulk. 2nd: Bush]
VI. Review 2008 Volleyball State Championships
a. Mrs. Rohrer noted the FHSAA’s appreciation for the great hospitality and all the hard work put into making the FHSAA Girls Volleyball Finals a success. The Lakeland Center, Polk County School District, Lake Region Volleyball Officials Association as well as many others, continue to host a great event year after year.
b. The Committee did note that the FHSAA should look into more sufficient netting systems for the warmup area at the Volleyball State Finals.
c. The Committee also noted that they would be interested in shortening the event to a three-day format and playing on two courts at a time for the semis and one court for the finals. The Committee feels that this would increase attendance and make the event more electrifying.
d. Many Committee members have played in events using two-court structure and feel it creates much more excitement.
e. It was also brought to the Committee’s attention that Volleyball Coaches should set the bar a bit higher with their professionalism. Many coaches coach their teams in very casual attire and the message that seems to be sent is a lack of professionalism, when in most cases, that’s a false assumption by spectators.
VII. Review 2008-2009 NFHS Volleyball Experiment and surveys:
a. Head Coach Standing – Mrs. Rohrer discussed the results of the Coaches and Officials Survey with the Committee. All Committee Members received copies of the survey and it was noted that the survey showed results of a very positive experiment in all aspects. Mr. Batcher did note during this discussion that if the NFHS Rules change or the FHSAA chooses to experiment again with this rule, it would be beneficial to remind coaches where the libero replacement zone is located on the court and that coaches should not assist the line judges with their calls during contests.
VIII. Old Business
a. Mr. Batcher inquired as to the status of possible official evaluations during regular season. Mrs. Rohrer noted that officials evaluations were currently being conducted in Softball, Baseball and Basketball, and the staff would discuss the possibility of adding more sports in the future.
IX. New Business
a. Submit rule change recommendation to NFHS: Coaches Standing. A motion was made to approve the recommendation. The recommendation carried, 6-0. [Motion: Brashear, 2nd: Winkler]
b. Submit rule change recommendation to NFHS: Multicolored Ball. A motion was made to approve the recommendation. The recommendation carried, 6-0. [Motion: Faulk, 2nd: Manning]
c. Adopt best 2 out of 3 option for the FHSAA Volleyball Format. A motion was made to deny the recommendation. The recommendation carried, 6-0. [Motion: Bush, 2nd: Brashear] – The Committee felt the rationale was not sufficient as each school/district can choose how to schedule their matches. Currently, schools have the freedom to schedule earlier matches or play fewer matches if they so choose. The Committee felt the current options for scheduling were sufficient.
X. FACA Recommendations
a. The FACA did not present any recommendations. However, the committee discussed with Mrs. Faulk the possibility of better organizing the FACA Postseason Awards. It was noted that it may be better to begin e-mailing nominations instead of the current format. By utilizing technology, the response rate may increase and the nominations may be a bit more accurate.
XI. Officials Advisory Committee Recommendations/Information
a. The Officials Advisory Committee did not present any recommendations.
b. Mr. Batcher gave a brief summary of the Officials Advisory Committee and what the Officials Advisory Committee was about. Mr. Batcher also discussed his role in attending the Volleyball Coaches Advisory Committee Meeting.
c. Mr. Batcher did discuss the recommendation briefly, which was implemented as an experiment. Allowing head coaches to stand seemed to be favorable in all aspects. The Volleyball Officials do feel it may be necessary to reiterate the area where a coach can stand or possibly create a “Coaches Box”, so that there is no question.
d. Mr. Batcher did also notify the Coaches that the Officials Advisory Committee has chosen to table a recommendation regarding an increase in official’s fees, due to the downturn of the economy. The Committee Members were appreciative of the decision.
e. Mr. Batcher also addressed a couple of additional items. 1) Officials Campaign – Notified coaches of where to find this information and that the need of officials is increasing. 2) Student-Officials Program – Notified coaches of the student-officials program and how it works. Mr. Batcher offered to assist coaches in any way possible to promote an increase of officials and the betterment of Florida High School Volleyball.
XII. Sportsmanship Update
a. Mrs. Rohrer briefly discussed the ejection totals for the year and noted that there has been a slight decline. However, even though numbers are down, the total number of gross unsporting conduct incidents has increased, therefore, coaches need to pay close attention and make their best effort to support the FHSAA in its mission to improve sportsmanship in high school athletics.
XIII. Roundtable Discussion
a. Mr. McLaughlin discussed the “PREPARED” program created by the National Center for Sports Safety. This program is an online program dedicated to ensuring the safety of young athletes. The program is focused on sport safety education for coaches and teaches the coach emergency skills for sport related injuries. Each committee member was given a free trial offer for the program and was asked to forward their feedback to Mr. McLaughlin once they’ve had a chance to take the online course.
XIV. Adjournment
a. Mrs. Rohrer and Mr. Flynn, thanked the Committee for their continued efforts and involvement in making Florida High School Volleyball such a success. A motion to adjourn was made and carried at 1:25 p.m. [Motion: Faulk, 2nd: Winkler]