13 yr old girls

Question
Tom,
My 13 yr old daughter plays volleyball at a club. I hear the other teams do a chant or cheer to encourage each other. my daughter says her coach doesn't let them do that because he thinks it's bad sportsmanship. What do you think and do you know what they may be chanting?
Thank you, Lori

Answer
Good evening!

The bottom line is:  Is the chant meant to distract the opponents?  

If it is, then yes it's unsportsmanlike.  Very rarely have I ever heard girls chant, "Miss it, miss it, miss it".  I have also never heard players holler "ONE," when the other team passes the ball, "TWO," when the other team sets the ball, and "THREE" when the other team spikes the ball.  Both of those examples would be poor sportsmanship.  

Softball teams do little cheers from the dugout all the time.  I don't think it's meant to disrupt the opponents.  In fact, in the College World Series, I saw the women cheering.  No problem!  

Your daughter may be describing the little cheers teams do after serving aces, spiking kills, or getting stuff blocks.  Those are OK unless they're directed at the other team.  Just last year, my team had an opponent that, after blocking us, would do a little cheer, which ended with them pointing at us.  Oh, oh.  Not a good idea.  As a referee, I would warn them and card the team if I saw it twice (I referee in the fall.)

However, if it's just a celebration of a team's good fortune or a girl's strong play, then I have no problem with it.  In fact, in my conference in Martinsville Va, my teams were the first teams to do it back in the early 90's.  My A.D. came to me and said, "Other A.D.'s are asking me what those little cheers are during a match.  What's up with it?"  I saw college women do it, and I thought, "What a cool way to have fun!"  And if the opponents don't like it, then that's their imagination playing games with them......b/c we're just having fun and we're not teasing them whatsoever. The local paper wrote a story on it.  Jeeeze, we were just having fun!  haha

Maybe your daughter can tell you more about what their doing.  If I haven't answered your question, please ask again!

Please visit me at www.coachhouser.com.  I think you'll enjoy it, and I know your daughter will!  I start my 2nd of 7 volleyball camps on Monday.  I can't wait!!

Tom Houser

www.coachhouser.com