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THE COURT OF PARENT OPINION - CONNECTED BY TECHNOLOGY

By Az Volleyball Mom, 01/01/21, 9:15AM MST

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The Arizona Region has permission from state health officials to allow 3 spectators per team to attend games. Each spectator can play a pivotal role in keeping families at home updated throughout the day.

Not all designated "team parents" can attend each game as spectators. This blog is meant to be a helpful guide for the athletes' parents and loved ones who are able to serve as spectators at games.

Competitive kids usually have competitive parents and we all want to be able to watch and cheer for our teams on game days.

While it will be bit of a struggle this year getting into facilities due to the pandemic, technology makes it possible for us moms and dads to stay updated on our children's games from home.

Our region's AZ Volleyball Mom shares some tips to help volleyball families stay connected from the court.

NEW THIS SEASON: Cameras have been added to a few of our most-used venues so families and fans can view the action from their mobile devices.

The following live streaming tips are not meant to be endorsements of any particular platforms... but rather a listing of a handful of available resources for your team to consider.

Team coaches are responsible for their teams. Anything related to team practices, games, instruction, uniforms, meeting times, lineups, rules etc. should go through the team coach first.

On game days, the customary role of a team parent is to be the go-to person to assist the team during game breaks. This includes setting up a camp area, hauling out the trash, and keeping track of water bottles, backpacks, left behind clothing, etc.

This season however, the role of the team parent may include helping the coaches keep track of wristbands, communication, and managing their team's social media platforms.

THE ROLE OF A TEAM SPECTATOR - HOW TO HELP YOUR TEAM'S COACH

On game days, team spectators can help with the following. Please:

  • Remind teams about handwashing with soap and water after each game and prior to eating
  • Encourage teams to use hand sanitizer often
  • Discourage the sharing of any food and drinks
  • Remind other team spectators about mask requirements
  • Remind athletes about mask requirements especially when they are not playing in the game and between matches
  • Encourage social distancing when possible
  • Clean up the camp area and haul out your team's trash

VIDEO RECORDING AND LIVE STREAMING OF GAMES

For teams 14 and older, it may be important to families to have recordings of games they can use for recruiting purposes.

The Arizona Region of USA Volleyball provide a new option at some of our facilities this year; When you view your team's pool on the tourney schedule, you may see BallerTV will have a camera on your court. Click the "Watch live here!" link to find out how to access the game.

If you have a parent willing to record games and share the video with all families, it would be greatly appreciated. Each team can determine how to go about sharing the video.

Recording tip: If the referee allows you to, please attempt to record video from the back, right side of your team's court. This allows you to avoid your video being blocked by the line judge on the left and for college coaches to get a good view of the athlete's ability to jump and be in position.

REMINDER: YOUR VOICE AND EVERYTHING YOU SAY NEAR THE CAMERA CAN BE HEARD AND IS BEING RECORDED. Please remind those around you about this and please keep conversations kind and polite.

One team may choose to use Facebook to live stream its games. Another might use Instagram.

In our social media comments section, we see many families saying their teams use Sporfie.

The region does not endorse any particular platform over another. It's up to your team, collectively, to choose what works best for you all.

And if you have a tech-savvy parent who's willing to teach the others on how to live stream and record, that is always super helpful!!

A PRO TIP: I've found it's easier to practice using your social media in the week before the game instead of minutes before the game starts!!

SUPPORTING THE KIDS AT ALL TIMES

If we were to name one positive about 2020, it just might be that we've learned to treat each other with a little more kindness. That extends to the court, too.

Please remember the players are missing their families just as much as their families miss them on game days.

When my daughter was little, she always used to turn around to see if we were watching when she was able to get her serve over the net. Not much later, she'd glance back to see if we got her monster block on video. She's a little older now and doesn't look back during the games anymore. But, she knows if we made the effort to be there.

Now that we can't always be there, we want her to know we're cheering on for her and her team from our living room.

If you are lucky enough to be the parent who gets to attend a game, please cheer on every single kid as if they were your own.

PARENT TEAMWORK

Our family has been incredibly fortunate to be part of a team where each parent wants to step up and support all the coaches and players. That's the kind of teamwork which will help make 2021 a success for everyone.

All of us at the region are especially grateful for every club, coach, athlete, parent, family and fan chipping in during an unusual time.

We wish all teams the best as they compete throughout the season.

Please help us keep our teams healthy and safe... THANK YOU!

BEST WISHES FOR A PROSPEROUS 2021!

#AZVolleyballMom #AZRegion