Controversy around beach volleyball outfits

                Everybody has played beach volleyball, at least once in their lifetime. However, we don’t really think about the clothes. On the contrary, for professionals the clothes are number one concern. There are very strict dress codes for men and for women. To me it’s really strange and unfair that men have to play in tops and shorts while women wears skimpy bikinis. I remember a situation from my experience when a friend of mine wasn’t allowed to play in shorts. It was said to have been against the rules.

                Luckily, the rules have changed in 2012. The communications director for USA Volleyball says that it is our choice what we wear. It’s only the men who are obliged to wear tops. They have to do it for identification because the names and numbers are there.

                Thanks to the change in dress code rules, the Egyptian team could play in long-sleeved outfits this Olympics. I’m very glad that the rules maker were sympathetic towards their religion.

                I think that the changes are for the best but still the system is faulty: men are unhappy about t-shirts in the boiling hot weather and women resent their clothes when it’s cold.

 

 

My sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_volleyball
https://www.bustle.com/articles/171814-what-is-the-2016-olympic-beach-volleyball-dress-code-heres-how-the-rules-have-changed
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/women-beach-volleyball-bikinis-men-uniform-guidelines-kerri-walsh-jennings

Sitting volleyball

                When you think about volleyball, the first image that your brain projects is that of tall, able-bodied, strong people running around the court and jumping impressively high. On the contrary, volleyball is a perfect sport for all age groups, all gender and both: disabled and able-bodied players. It is very versatile this way.

Today I want to tell you about sitting volleyball. It’s been played for more than 20 years now. It was first demonstrated at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1976. Four years later, it was introduced as a full event. There is not much difference as far as the rules are conserved. The only differences are the position of line , the height at which the net is hung and a few other modifications concerning specifically the sitting position of the players- for example:  “The position of each player is determined and controlled by the position of their bottoms. This means that the hand(s) and/or leg(s) may lie in the attack or free zone outside the court. “Bottom” is defined as the upper part of the body, from shoulder to one’s buttocks.”

Your mention of success against the odds made me think of disabled volleyball players. I was shocked to find out that double leg amputees are the fastest in on-court movement. In a way it’s really uplifting piece of information: even after a tragedy you can still be good at something seemingly out of reach.

 

My sources:
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Grassroots/SportKit/ParaVolley/Guide-to-Disabled-Volleyball
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting_volleyball

"Tootsie"- review

   A Few days ago,during my English class, I watched a well-known American comedy  called “Tootsie”. The movie was directed by Sydney Pollack in the 80s, starring Dustin Hoffman as the leading character and Jessica Lange as his partner.

   Michael Dorsey is an unemployed actor who can’t find a job because of his difficult character. When there is no other way to get a it, he decides to dress up as a woman to land a role in famous soap- opera. In the beginning everything seems to be easy but in time things get complicated and living in lie gets out of control.

   The plot of this move is excellent- it’s really hard to watch without laughing but what’s more important, it raises a serious problem in a humorous way- how women are objectified and belittled in their everyday roles. After viewing it becomes obvious and plain to see.

   The cast of the film is also brilliant- especially the amazing Dustin Hoffman! The characters he played were really hard to convey. He had to play a man and a woman , combine those two totally different characters in one! Jessica Lange deserves appreciation too. She played her character so well, that her Oscar for the supporting role comes as no surprise.

   I recommend “Tootsie” for everybody who want to watch no-banal movie with a lot of wit. Great choice for those seeking fun as well as those who want A moment of reflection at the cinema.

History of volleyball

   Volleyball is one of the most noteworthy sports in the world. Maybe not all of us are experts at the rules of this game but I think that everyone knows more or less what it is about and had chance to take part in volley match: for example on a PE lesson or on some kind of meeting with friends. But, has anybody ever  wondered how it came to be? Or, how long have people known that sport? So, today I’m going to present a historical side of my passion.

   Volleyball was invented in 1895 in the USA, by a PE teacher - William G. Morgan. It was a kind of an indoor pastime, inspired by tennis and handball but requiring a bit of athletic effort.  The premiere match took place on 9 February and the game was called  Mintonette. The first rules were obviously different than the current ones - a match had nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning (now we have 3 or 5 inning, which depends on the final score) ,there was no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents' court (now the limits equal 3 hits) or the fact that in case of a serving error, a second try was allowed (now a second try is not allowed and a serving error makes your team lose one point). In time, rules were being changed. In 1900 the first official volleyball ball was designed and created .

Volleyball came to Poland in 1919 with YMCA’s  help. The first Polish Championships took place in 1929 in Warsaw, where some men’s and women’s clubs competed. The winners of this event were: for men - YMCA Łódź, and for women- AZS Warszawa.

In 1947 an international federation - the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was founded and 2 years later held the first World Championships for men and in 1952 for women.

The Polish National Team won a gold medal in 1976 in Olympics in Montreal and they were also winners of The World Championships two times – in 1974 in Mexico and in 2014 in Poland.

   That’s a part of the history of volleyball and history of Polish volleyball as well. I think it’s really interesting that people have played this sport for more than 100 years and are changing the rules all the time, which makes it more exciting!

 

 

 

My sources:

http://www.fivb.org/en/volleyball/History.asp

http://www.volleyball.org/history.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi%C5%82ka_siatkowa

 

The shortest volleyball player

   When we think about volleyball, we usually imagine a group of tall and strong people, who can jump high. Probably this is the reason why a lot of short people give up on their dreams about a volleyball career and start believing that they don't stand a chance because of their height.

Of course- being tall is very helpful in volleyball but it's not a prerequisite. So that's why I want to write about a person who goes against the trend and shows that you can be a volleyball star without being 1,90-meter tall- FARHAD ZARIF.

   Farhad is an Iranian volleyball player who is only about 1,65 meters. His range in spike is 2,90 m and in block 2,71. He used to play in Iran National Team in 2006-2014 as a libero- a person who receives balls. What's more, he won 7 awards for being the best libero during Asian Club Championships, FIVB World Grand Champions Cup and Olympic Qualification Tournament and 3 for being the best receiver. He is known as one of the best players in the volleyball industry.

   In my opinion, his example shows that everyone can follow their dreams and achieve their aim even if it looks impossible at first glance. All you have to do is believe in yourself and focus on your goals.

 

 

 

My sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhad_Zarif

http://sport.tvn24.pl/siatkowka,119/perski-liliput-kontra-wiezowiec-z-donbasu-siatkarze-w-liczbach,465645.html

http://m.zapytaj.onet.pl/Category/012,002/2,24414536,Jaki_jest_najnizszy_Siatkarz_swiata_.html