Bringing The American Tradition Home

Written by: J.J. Vance on 23rd November 2009

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In this country, Volleyball is a sport that needs no introduction, because most Americans have played the game at some point in their lives. Since it’s birth in the United States back in 1895, this American pastime has traveled all over the world, and it now reaches billions of people. Even though the sport got its roots here, the indoor game has yet to be successfully showcased as a professional sport on American soil. In fact, it has been the development of pro leagues overseas that have provided the platform for the sport to truly shine. The opportunity to live the dream of playing professionally is the light that has drawn thousands of American athletes to foreign shores. But the success they find abroad is bittersweet, as they are a world away from their homes and families. Long overdue, that dream is now being made available here in the United States of America.

Ron DeShay, the founder of the Women’s National Volleyball Association (WNVA), grew up playing volleyball in Texas. He credits Mick Haley, the Head Coach of the University of Southern California Women’s Volleyball Team and former US Olympic Coach, for having a big impact on his life as it relates to his love for the game. DeShay says, “I’ve told Mick informally, but I don’t think he will ever know how much the times he allowed me to work with him during the summers back in Texas really affected my life. It was a vitally important time and my passion for this game has never stopped growing. I have been carrying this dream for so many years; it means a lot to finally see it start taking shape. I can only imagine that it will mean a whole lot more to the athletes, coaches, families and the fans who have dedicated their lives to this game.”

Earlier this summer, the WNVA staff spent some time with the women’s Olympic silver medal winning National Volleyball team and their Head Coach, Hugh McCutcheon in Anaheim, California. DeShay and McCutcheon are good friends, so when it was time to start sharing the news, Ron called him. During a promotional shoot for the WNVA, the league’s staff shared the good news with the National team members! Needless to say, the ladies were extremely excited. Later that day, some of the team members were interviewed and they shared their thoughts and feelings about the new WNVA. There was both laughter and tears as these athletes told stories about Volleyball and what it meant to be able to play professionally in the US.

It’s been a little bit more than three years since DeShay started out on this journey, and what started as one mans dream, will soon become the hope for many. For the National Volleyball team and the many athletes like them, the only thing standing between their dream of playing professionally in America, is just a little bit of time. At one point, the thought of ever seeing a professional indoor volleyball league in this country seemed too impossible to imagine. But just like these ladies, brought home silver during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they are now looking forward to doing their part to bring this American tradition back home to the USA. Let The Revolution Begin!

David Weitl says:

December 18, 2009 at 12:14 am

I am intereste in anything and everything you have about your plans to start a women’s professional volleyball league in the USA. I am interested in furthering the concept by generating the support necessary to attract a team to Seattle. Please contact me, we can make this work.