Re: USA Volleyball Rules Changes for 1999

[Todd <tdh@vbref.org>]

John Hunley <john@jrh.com> writes:
> Todd forwarded:
> > Rule 24 is amended to state that "minor misconduct" offenses are
> > not subject to sanction.  Only when a team member's behavior
> > reaches the level of "rude conduct" will sanctions be applied.
> > Oral and/or hand signal warnings by the first referee will advise
> > the team when a member's behavior is approaching this level.
> > Warnings will not be recorded on the score sheet. If a penalty is
> > assessed, the signal will be a Yellow card.  A Red card, for
> > repeated rude behavior or the first instance of offensive conduct,
> > will signal expulsion. Yellow and Red cards held together will
> > signal disqualification for repeated offensive conduct or for
> > aggression.
> 
> So the captain can argue every judgement call in the match, and as
> long as he does it politely, the referees have to just stand there
> and take it?  The way I read the above, even an oral warning is only
> given when the behavior approaches the level of "rude conduct."  Do
> we have no mechanism to control repeated unsportsmanslike conduct?
> Or do we have to start calling this a team delay to penalize them
> for it?

Maybe the word "sanction" is giving difficulty here.  I think the
rules differences document is using the word "sanction" to imply the
issuing of a card.  Under this definition, it seems, our individual
yellow cards (warnings) of 1998-99 aren't considered sanctions in
1999-2000.

I hope the actual rules will be much clearer than this summary of
differences.  I think this change is merely procedural in terms of the
color of card that gets pulled out, like was discussed in the "Yellow
card costs a point" thread that followed this post a couple months
ago:

        http://www.dejanews.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=445488864

The verbal warning will replace the yellow card for unsportsmanlike
conduct.  Repeated unsportmanlike conduct should then draw a yellow
card (instead of red) and be considered in the class of "rude conduct"
just like last year...if I understand all this correctly.


> > If the first referee whistles the fault, he/she will indicate:
> >         1) the team that will serve next; then
>
> How does the first referee indicate the team that will serve next?
> With the "point" signal, or the "side out" signal?

Tom Blue told us last weekend that the point signal is being
elininated.  What we now know as the side-out signal will be used for
every rally to indicate the team that serves next.

> Sounds like whatever the signal is, it's the same regardless of
> which team served.  I'm assuming we still rotate on a side out.

Yup, and yup.

> Even as a player, I know that many times when a rally ends, you
> don't necessarily remember who served, and you depend on the
> referee's signals to know whether or not to rotate.  I guess maybe
> international players can remember, but I think it's going to be a
> big problem for teenagers.

Agreed.  I'm going to have problems with it as a player, for sure!  As
a player, I have long relied on the sideout signal as the indicate if
it was time rotate.

The new signalling order will be better for the poor scorekeeper in
rally games, that I can say for certain.  After scoring long rally
matches with lots of subs this past weekend, I would have loved to see
the indication of the next serving team first in the sequence, as
opposed to waiting to see it placed second in the sequence.

Don't ya just love recording those sideout/points along with double
subs: write an R in the circle, put a square on the other side, look
in running score to see what point just got scored, write the point in
the square, circle the point in running score, write S5/8 9/2, slash
8, write 5, slash 9, write 2, circle two team subs, write circle for
the service <breathe>.  Oh, and if it's a deciding game, and it was
the left team who just sided out, be sure to double up on the running
score column and substitute number records.


It's also nice to see the gap between USAV and FIVB rules narrow...but
as this occurs, it just widens the gap for the NAGWS and NFSHA to
catch up.  :-\

Best Regards,
--
                  Todd H.   tdh@vbref.org
USAV Regional Referee, Great Lakes Region, Palatine, IL
Todd's Volleyball Referee Page http://www.io.com/~tdh/vball/
"So you're a Ref and an engineer? Oh that explains it...."