The first eighteen years of my life were spent in a small town in eastern Iowa named Solon. Population: 1,000. Matt Romanowski, Chris “Geeter” McGee’s fearlessly expressive emcee replacement during television broadcasts, would authoritatively pronounce it as “sa-lon,” but it’s actually less beauty shop and more Athenian lawmaker. The high school mascot still remains the Spartan and the football team, which the community will never stop caring about, has won 39 straight games.

What the community doesn’t care about, and won’t until there’s a legitimate reason for dramatic change, is Randall Park–home of the only two sand volleyball courts in the region. Or, what I believe could be, after significant tender love and care, the home of summer training for future NCAA Division I scholarship athletes.

On January 15th, at the NCAA Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, a vote will take place determining sand volleyball’s fate at the collegiate level. Whether it remains on the emerging sports list for women is up to 63 schools, Stanford among them, which called for a school-by-school vote, otherwise known as an “override,” to prevent NCAA approval.

Why would Kerri Walsh’s famed alma mater not support the four-time first-team All-American’s lifeblood and passion, the sport that has witnessed five U.S. gold medal ceremonies in the last 12 years—two by Walsh herself? A few reasons:

--Resource and budget inconsistency between larger and smaller institutions and infrastructure costs for “cold-weather” schools, forced to build new competition and training facilities.

--Regionalization in reference to recruiting, where a competitive disadvantage for “cold-weather” schools is established due to the lack of ideal “beach” volleyball weather on northern, non-coastal campuses.

--The overwhelming opinion that sand volleyball will take away from the current growth in popularity of the indoor game.

Big-time programs like Washington, Minnesota, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa and Penn State are all in favor of the “override” with Stanford, and I believe it’s only partially due to the reasons listed above. In order to determine so, I sent an email to the head coach of each marquee university, asking one question: “What is the primary reason for your support of the override?”

Only the University of Washington felt comfortable with the response, “no comment.” Huskies head coach Jim McLaughlin was born and raised in Malibu. He was an honorable mention All-American setter at UC Santa Barbara as a senior. He grew up down the street from the beach, and yet, not a single word back from him as to why he’s supporting the death of sand volleyball at the collegiate level. Instead, one of his staff members inquired as to what publication I was writing for. After quickly responding with avp.com, I never heard from him again.

I must be missing something. Could the addition of sand volleyball not be important enough to warrant even a uniform, textbook response; similar to the one I received from Stanford’s Associate Athletic Director?

“Stanford has a proud volleyball history both collegiately and internationally in the indoor and outdoor games. Stanford has also been a leader by providing quality athletic opportunities for women. True to its history, Stanford does not oppose the addition of sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women. Stanford’s reason for supporting the override is related to the effective date of 2010. This date has not allowed the necessary national review and debate over the legislation being proposed to support all aspects of the operation of the sport. Unfortunately we are unable to change the effective date at this time and therefore the only option is regretfully to support the override.”

This statement, while very politically correct, does not exactly pass the smell test. Indoor teams, including Stanford, have been practicing and competing in sand volleyball events since the spring of 2007. Sand volleyball was recommended for the Emerging Sports list in the summer of 2008. The NCAA Legislative Council began debating Sand Volleyball in January of 2009, and then approved sand volleyball as an emerging sport at the Division I level by a landslide vote of 74 percent to 26 percent on April 20th. Mind you, this came with 100 percent Pac-10 support.

According to Kathy Deboer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), potential legislation was made available to Pac-10 coaches and administrators shortly after that vote, and the conference has a member on each of the three groups (Financial Aid Cabinet, Championships Cabinet and Personnel Cabinet) that wrote the rules and regulations Stanford and other Pac-10 schools are now saying they did not have time to review.

Lest I forget, once the cabinet recommendations became public in August, there was also a 45-day “open-window” for amendments. Did schools from the Pac-10, or the entire Big Ten and Big 12, that are supporting the override, offer any legislation during those 45 days? Of course not, but I probably didn’t need to answer an obviously rhetorical question.

Doesn’t it seem that administrators are more interested in protecting the competitive status quo and saving on new expenditures than opening up new opportunities for women in volleyball, and they’re just using these legislative grievances as nothing more than a distraction—a classic red herring?

I certainly got that vibe after reading the response from Ohio State’s head coach, Geoff Carlston: “Simply stated, I strongly feel that the addition of beach volleyball, as it is laid out now, will negatively impact the fall indoor programs overall.”

Even an experienced sand coach, such as John Cook of Nebraska, appears hesitant of the proposed legislation. “We have played in every beach championships and Nebraska was one of only two BCS schools to write the original letter to get sand volleyball on the ballot…. We have an indoor sand court and will support a sand version that does not raise our budget.”

John Cook and Geoff Carlston are two of the most respected coaches in America, their programs are unparalleled, but unfortunately I need to ask it again, where were these guys when it was time to influence the structure? From what I have read on NCAA.org, the less-than-prominent Sun Belt Conference even submitted a proposal for a sand volleyball playing and practice season. I find it hard to believe that the Sun Belt has even half the conference staff, or half the volleyball staff, as the Big Ten and Big 12. Furthermore, I understand there is yet another window, post-January, for amending the rules for sand volleyball, but only if the override fails. So, don’t let anyone fool you, there is still time for change.

But that’s another word that scares me. Or, at least, appears to be scaring most of the coaches in America. Could it be the fear I’m sensing from each of these storied coaches is actually buried deep within the idea of change, itself? Not the legislation, or the budget, but the alteration and transformation of their program into what every coach is actually afraid of, the unknown? What will NCAA sand volleyball really turn out to be?

Throughout NCAA history, the fear of change has been faced head on by numerous visionaries. Where would women's indoor volleyball be today if, back in the 1970s, the women's basketball coach had not been willing to also coach the new volleyball team? Or, if Al Scates had not been willing to leave his paying day-job to go to Westwood for almost nothing and coach the men's team? If the fear that’s being harvested across the Big Ten and Big 12 wins out, no one will ever know what sand volleyball really could have been.

DeBoer agrees. Her organization was disappointed that the proposal would be reconsidered and a possible override was in place. She encouraged members to work to find a solution to the issues being raised before overturning the legislation. “If more time is needed, then let us seek that time rather than impulsively attempt to eliminate an opportunity for women that has both merit and marketability.”

As of today, the proposed sand legislation will take effect August 1, 2010, giving both Divisions I and II more than ample time to agree upon an appropriate set of playing rules and regulations ideal for governing the sport. Coaches who understand exactly what the addition of collegiate sand could do for volleyball and possess the wherewithal to comprehend that a governance system is still being shaped are now more important than ever.

Debbie Brown of Notre Dame is not only one of these coaches; she’s a ground-breaking Midwest volleyball pioneer. During off-season training this past spring, Brown used two of the six weeks allotted by the NCAA to focus less on specialization of her athletes’ skills and instead to improve her players’ overall games. How does one do that? You guessed it—take your kids to the sand. And it wasn’t her own personal involvement that made her such a proponent of the emerging sport.

“My players absolutely loved it,” Brown said. “They soaked up the required strategy like sponges and were so receptive to the idea of playing the ‘whole’ game. It was just a great experience for the girls; nothing but positives all the way around.”

Funny, that’s what I thought this whole argument was about in the first place—allowing female athletes additional opportunities to compete. But don’t take it from me; take it from an actual student athlete that has participated in both disciplines.

“NCAA sand volleyball would not only allow each school to have more scholarships but [it] also allows the players to have more opportunities,” First-team indoor All-American and 2009 Collegiate Sand National Champion at USC, Jessica Gysin, responded when asked what type of impression sanctioned sand volleyball would have on women’s collegiate sports. “I don’t see how it wouldn’t have a positive impact on everyone involved.

“It might have made the recruiting process more complex but it would have definitely been a bonus to choose a school that has both sports available. It would make schools that have sand volleyball as an option more appealing.”

That’s why the women of today’s NCAA should not be without opportunities to compete in the sport they fell in love with when Misty hugged Kerri back in Athens, 2004.

The addition of sand volleyball will help female athletes subsequently gain the experience and knowledge necessary to drive them in the direction of whichever discipline they choose to pursue following graduation.

“I’m willing to take a chance on the beach game, train as hard as I can and see what I can do. Physically, it makes a lot more sense for me to gravitate toward beach anyways,” Gysin finished with before heading off to prepare for another pivotal Pac-10 match.

There’s no question, the benefits are clear—I don’t care who you are or what you’re looking at. But above all, above everything we’ve just discussed frontwards and backwards, it starts with sand volleyball providing a cost-effective Title IX compliance opportunity for athletic departments and universities across the nation. With a projected marginal scholarship count of six full rides, limited real estate footprint needs, and a per-court construction cost as low as $15,000, sand volleyball would allow athletic departments to strive toward Title IX compliance with limited resource outflow.

Thirty-four of the 63 institutions in favor of the override are not within Title IX compliance. That’s 54 percent. Every one of these schools needs to add a women’s sport and sand volleyball provides an affordable option. Each university could improve funding of its current program by upgrading staffing levels, slowly adding scholarships, and, until a specialized sand player pool develops, double-counting volleyball participants; the same way most are double-counting Track & Field and Cross-Country participants (http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/GetOneInstitutionData.aspx).

Bottom line: Sand volleyball is an economical way to provide more opportunities for women in the world of college sports.

Let’s be honest. Collegiate sand volleyball means scholarships, scholarships mean significantly more girls playing, more girls playing mean additional grassroots initiatives and developmental programs, more grassroots programs mean new East Coast and Midwest-based indoor sand facilities, more indoor sand facilities mean endless recreational sand leagues and opportunities to play, and more opportunities to play mean that one day I might not have to reside in Southern California to get my fix. And if I’m lucky, there might even be a newly developed and unfilled sand coaching position available for me at the local University; because as much as I’m focusing on the addition of millions of new youth players, one can’t forget the addition of jobs, especially in this economy.

If you’re unlike me and appreciate statistics versus raw emotion during the heat of a debate, I’ve also come prepared:

--The most recent report from the Sporting Good Manufacturer’s Association shows participation in sand volleyball grew by 7.6 percent from 2007 to 2008 and has grown by 25.8 percent in the last two years.

--Sand volleyball has more than three million participants and has added 293,000 overall from 2007 to 2008. Female participants under the age of 18 totaled 217,000 in 2007 and 240,000 in 2008.

--Sixty-four percent of youth female sand volleyball participants report playing only the sand game and not indoor volleyball.

--In 2009, the number of sand volleyball events and participants from NCAA-member schools doubled from 2008 levels, with the most high-profile being the third annual CBS NCAA Collegiate Beach Championships in California.

--Beach volleyball has been an Olympic Sport since 1996. In August 2008, beach volleyball was featured as part of NBC’s prime-time coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games and, due in part to the remarkable success of the American women’s and men’s teams, received more hours of airtime than any other sport. There have been professional opportunities for women in beach volleyball in the United States for more than 20 years. The number of ranked females on the AVP circuit grew by 24.4 percent due mainly to an increase in junior girls and women ages 16-22.

--Networks during the Beijing Olympics became increasingly savvy about targeting demographic segments, which is the reason U.S. women's beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh "seemingly commanded more attention from NBC" than the U.S. men's basketball team, according to Brian Lowry of Daily Variety.

Every single NCAA institution can capitalize on the global popularity of sand volleyball by opening up their minds and realizing the media-friendly sport can, and will, benefit their athletic departments.

Of course, easier said than done. Indoor collegiate coaches and administrators are committed to a system, a system they’ve dedicated their entire lives toward and have zero intention of abandoning. What may end up happening, though, is something every coach fears more than just change.

Take my Hawkeyes for example. University of Iowa administration is only seeing what a staff has been trained to see in an environment such as Eastern Iowa. Eventually, Head Coach Sharon Dingman’s hands may be tied.

“Iowa has had the stance since the first discussions that we wouldn’t support Sand Volleyball. The University believes we would be disadvantaged from a geographical standpoint. As the Head Coach at Iowa…it is my job to get our [indoor] program in the best position to be competitive nationally and I believe not having Sand would hurt our recruiting. If the numbers are accurate regarding high school players who would like to play Sand, then they will make their decision to attend an institution that sponsors Sand,” Dingman said.

Mark Rosen of Michigan and Russ Rose of Penn State both agreed. Neither Big Ten coach felt “being forced” to add sand volleyball because of recruiting disadvantages, and the need to remain competitive, appropriate. But they also stated they are not against the game of sand volleyball, just that they didn’t see it working on their respective campuses.

Mike Hebert at the University of Minnesota supported their sentiments regarding recruiting and then some. “My administration at Minnesota has repeatedly said no to the proposal that sand volleyball be adopted. We would have to build an indoor facility (not going to happen), hire additional staff (not going to happen), and try to out-recruit the sun-belt schools for talent (not going to happen). Minnesota, in my opinion, will not participate in sand volleyball.”

Perhaps Mike, Mark, Russ and Sharon are all accurate. The addition of sand volleyball will likely complicate things and force coaches to work harder. But does it matter at all that, as Coach Dingman says, there are huge numbers of high school girls who would like to play sand volleyball? Are the nation’s coaches so comfortable in their high-paying positions that their answer to the very desire that created their job is to deny it to today's youth? Perhaps coaches do need to work a little harder.

Mark my words; a growth in youth and collegiate participation WILL one day turn into a growth in adult participation. Our sport can still grow; this is not a pipe dream.

Keep in mind, I respect the opinions of every coach I spoke to and completely understand where each of them is coming from. This is not an easy decision. And final say does not come from only one person. Budgets and expenses are real concerns. The economic hardship faced by all is a difficult reality to stomach, and no one doubts the severity of our current financial climate.

But that’s where I draw the line. If an administrator or coach doesn’t want to add sand volleyball, then don’t add it. That’s part of the definition of being an emerging sport. Don’t take away the opportunity for other schools to add it by voting “no” in Atlanta because recruiting may, or may not, become more difficult. Kids these days already want to attend a school with more days of sun than rain and snow and it has nothing to do with the sport they’re playing. When the economy rebounds, take another look and see if it fits your athletic department. If it still doesn’t, once again, don’t add it. It’s up to each university to determine its own sand volleyball fate. Don’t lock arms and deny thousands of girls the chance to earn a college education by overriding NCAA acceptance of a game they all love.

The AVCA has worked for 30 years to get more spectators into the gym to watch volleyball, and the sport is still hovering around the 1,000-fans-per-match club, the same benchmark for success volleyball was tracking 15 years ago. Adding sand volleyball as a spring sport will not chase away the fans indoor volleyball has now; it may instead give the game an opportunity for more. Volleyball is a great sport; we just need more people in the stands cheering on the amazing athleticism required of its competitors. If sand volleyball, the more familiar commercial version in the United States, can give the sport access to new spectators, why would our universities not at least try it?

I know if I could go back in time and make some changes, things would certainly be different. Imagine if sand volleyball was available for both women and men at the collegiate level 15 years ago, and Randall Park was the site of eastern Iowa’s elite sand training center. It’s a miracle I ended up playing volleyball in the first place—after all it took a $25 bet at the University of Hawaii to initiate the try-out process that eventually led to what has become a pseudo-successful professional career. Talk about a weird twist of fate. But what if the opportunity was there to earn a collegiate scholarship on the sand from the moment I entered middle school? What if I could have become a Hawkeye and represented the University of Iowa at the NCAA National Championships—on the sand?

As of April 2009, every middle school girl across the nation could have that dream, and now an override can take it away. We must defeat this brazen attempt to limit opportunity. Who knows, maybe ten years down the road, the boys growing up who love the sport as much as I do, and live in a community as small as Solon, will have the opportunity as well. Not all of us are built for the gym; some of us are built for the sand, and there shouldn’t be discrimination regarding education because of it.

Support the NCAA emerging sports sand legislation and the sport you love today by voicing your opinion and being heard: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/2420g41250.