[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 28, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page S9235]]


 THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVENTION OF VOLLEYBALL IN MASSACHUSETTS

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, most people know about the famous sport 
that was born during the late 19th century in Massachusetts. The sport 
was basketball, and its birthplace was Springfield. But what many may 
not know is that Massachusetts also gave birth to another outstanding 
game during that same era.
  In 1895, William G. Morgan, the physical fitness director of the YMCA 
in Holyoke, invented a sport that he regarded as a cousin of badminton 
and called mintonette. Today, it is known as volleyball, and this year 
it is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
  Just as the slams of Dee Brown and the no-look passes of Sherman 
Douglas for the Celtics today bear no resemblance to the basketball 
played beneath the peach baskets of the 19th century, the hard-hitting 
and fast pace that characterize volleyball today are a far cry from 
Morgan's invention.
  He initially developed it for his noon businessmen's fitness class. 
He wanted a game that was less strenuous than basketball, that did not 
require physical contact, but that would still provide excellent 
exercise. Morgan's game was originally played indoors, with a soccer 
ball stripped of its leather cover. The rules were a conglomeration of 
regulations adapted from basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. 
The net was 6 feet high, compared to the standard 8 feet today, and 
players could hit the ball as many times as necessary to return it. A 
game consisted of nine three-out innings, like baseball. A ball hitting 
the floor more than once was an out.
  For a time, the Holyoke YMCA was volleyball's only home. But when 
players began to take the game outdoors, its popularity soared. Nets 
started appearing on playgrounds and beaches throughout Massachusetts 
and surrounding areas. In 1916,
 the YMCA and the NCAA jointly issued a new set of rules similar to 
those in use today.

  At that time, there were 200,000 players of the still mostly American 
game. But when U.S. soldiers introduced volleyball to Europe during the 
First World War, the game began to spread to other countries, and it 
spread even more rapidly during the Second World War.
  In 1947, the International Federation of Volleyball was created with 
13 charter members. That number has now grown to 180. By the time 
volleyball became an official Olympic sport in 1964, teams from Europe 
and Asia were often dominant. Japan had developed a power game that 
later spread across the globe, and Soviet bloc nations frequently 
prevailed in international competitions.
  In the 1970's, the United States built state-of-the-art training 
centers, in a major effort to recapture our own game. The result was 
the Los Angeles miracle of 1984. The American men's team had been 
ranked 19th in the world, and hadn't even qualified for the games since 
1968. In 1984, it surprised and delighted the Long Beach Arena crowd by 
defeating Brazil in straight games to win the gold medal. Millions of 
Americans watched on television and shared in the glory of that magical 
night, leading to a rebirth of the sport throughout the Nation. America 
had finally caught up to our own game. Led by Steve Timmons and Karch 
Kiraly, the American team played an extremely exciting brand of 
volleyball and dominated the sport. At those same Olympics, the U.S. 
women's team also shined, winning a silver medal.
  A large part of the game's rebirth in America has been on the beach, 
where professional beach volleyball is rapidly gaining popularity. One 
of the stars of the beach game is Massachusetts native Karolyn Kirby.
  Kirby, from Brookline, grew up as a sports lover, cheering on the 
Celtics, Red Sox, and Bruins. In high school, she excelled in 
volleyball. She was a star collegiate player indoors, earning All-
America designation at both Utah State and the University of Kentucky.
  After college, she took up the outdoor game, and is now the world's 
best female beach volleyball player. She has been the No. 1 player on 
the Women's Professional Volleyball Tour since 1990, and she has won or 
shared the tour's MVP crown four times. She is also the world's No. 1-
ranked beach player and will likely represent the United States in 1996 
when beach volleyball becomes a full medal sport at the Olympics.
  What makes volleyball such a popular sport is that it can be played 
at all skill levels and by all ages. Forty million Americans now play, 
making it one of the top 10 participatory sports in the Nation. Most of 
those 40 million citizens may not be adept at the bump-set-spike play, 
but they enjoy the game immensely, because it brings families and 
friends together in backyards, parks, playgrounds, and beaches 
throughout the Nation.
  To commemorate this auspicious 100th anniversary, the men's Division 
I championship was held in Springfield in May, and was won by UCLA. The 
women's Division I championship is scheduled for December at the 
University of Massachusetts.
  In October, the women's Division III title finals will be played at 
Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges, and in conjunction with that event, 
new members will be inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame at 
Heritage State Park in Holyoke.
  In addition, more than 250 men's and women's teams gathered for an 
international volleyball celebration from May 27 to June 3 at Westover 
Air Force Base in Massachusetts. The occasion was the annual USA 
Volleyball Indoor Open Championships, and for the first time in the 
event's 67-year history, teams from around the world participated.
  Massachusetts is extremely proud of this aspect of its heritage, and 
I welcome this opportunity to commend all those who have made 
volleyball such a positive addition to the life of our Nation.


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