Don't Forget Our Paralympic Teams

I was sitting at my computer struggling with a bout of insomnia and surfing through the daily news when I came across an article at the USA volleyball official website that reminded me of a corner of volleyball that we don't talk about here very often. In fact, many people don't even know it exists. Sitting volleyball has earned a distinguished place in the Special Olympics, and the U.S. National Teams competed proudly at the 2008 Paralympic Games without enjoying most of the media coverage given to their Olympic counterparts.

I'd like to take a second today to commend the bravery and determination of the men and women of sitting volleyball teams around the world. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the sport, sitting volleyball, the game is exactly what it sounds like-volleyball competition played sitting down. Designed for locomotor-disabled individuals, the game is played on a smaller court with an 0.8 meter wide net set approximately one meter off the court.

Players are required to have one buttock or an extension of their torso on the floor when hitting or attacking the ball. Although designed for those individuals whose physical disabilities prevent them from standing competition, most club teams include non-disabled individuals who enjoy the variety and the fun atmosphere of the game.

The U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball team won a Paralympic silver in Beijing, defeating the defending team from the Netherlands before falling to top ranked China. USA volleyball has officially announced that the U.S. Women's Sitting Volleyball Team has been named the Paralympic Team of the Year for 2008.

The men and women of the national and club sitting volleyball teams show great determination and fortitude when they're out on the court, leaving behind their disabilities to become something I think we can all relate to-die hard volleyball players. Let's remember them the next we're out on the court feeling as though we're too tired to go on and let their shining example be the guideline by which we measure ourselves.

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