President of the Jamaica Volleyball Referees’ Association Dr Sandrica Young has given thumbs up to the administration of Major Warrenton Dixon, whom she says “has been more transparent in pushing the volleyball agenda and we will start reaping the benefits in the near future”.

Dr Young, Medical Officer at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, sees the efforts of Major Dixon, president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association, as crucial to lifting the standards of the game to the levels of countries such as Cuba, Puerto Rico and the United States.

“As with most sports in Jamaica, we do not get the corporate involvement that we would like to attract. Our facilities are not up to international standards; our players are volunteers whose primary goal is to make a living. Therefore work or school is their number one priority. Volleyball is for recreational purposes,” she pointed out.

Yet Dr Young believes that “we have players who can rank against the best in the world”. “Therefore if we should get more organised and attract the support of corporate sponsors, we would ignite interest in the sport and attract even more talent,” she said.

An accredited FIVB medical officer who plays for the UWI Intercollegiate team and Viqueens Volleyball Club, Dr Young has also been making her mark as a referee, having led the association since 2005.

“The changes in volleyball were mainly made to facilitate commercial sponsors and to make the sport more spectator-friendly. For example, over the years the game has transitioned from a side-out game (have to serve to win a point) to a rally-point game. In addition, it is no longer a fault if the ball touches the net during the service,” she explained.

She contends that the most “misunderstood” rule in volleyball is that of “penetration into the opponent’s court”.

“This is not allowed under any circumstance while the ball is in play. However, it is usually confused with penetration into the opponent’s space which is allowed as long as the penetrating player does not interfere with the opponent’s play,” Dr Young said.

Dr Young notes that while the opponent’s space is the area around the opponent’s court that is outside the lines of the court, the sidelines are part of the measurement of the court so “contact with them on the opponent’s side is considered contact with the opponent’s court which is a fault”.

“Furthermore the centre line (line dividing each court) is shared equally by both teams and a penetration fault is committed when a player’s foot goes entirely beyond the centre line into the opponent’s court when the ball is in play. Any other part of the body may touch the court as long as it does not interfere with the opponent’s playing the ball,” she said.

Dr Young said there were some 85 registered referees with only 40 presently active.

“(We are) hoping to increase the percentage through a referee’s course to be held the second week in January,” said Dr Young

A bona fide role model, Dr Young said that “players improvement is related to their knowledge of the rules and they will therefore put pressure on the referees to apply the rules correctly. This forces referees to understand the rules and their application.

“If you are uncertain of the rules this can be intimidating but if you are confident it makes for a better game. Therefore the better you are refereeing, you appreciate the games with higher skill sets more,” she concluded.