Volleyball by Kendall

     Volleyball has become a very popular sport in the world. It is even in been part of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964.  It has quite a history that has become what it is today.

     Volleyball originated in the United States in 1895. The sport was created by William G. Morgan who was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts (History of Volleyball 1). William wanted combine parts of basketball, tennis, baseball, and handball in order to make a game for his classes of businessmen which demanded less physical contact than basketball (History of Volleyball 1). The game of volleyball had begun soon after it was established. Although at the time it was called mintonette, volleyball got its name during a demonstration game where someone commented to Morgan that the players appeared to volley the ball back and forth over the net. This led to a more simple explanatory name for the sport. Volleyball had gotten very popular and on July 7, 1896 at Springfield College, the first game of volleyball was played (HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL 1).

For Morgan, the game could be played in the gymnasium or the exercise hall but could also be used outdoors. The game consisted of any number of players to keep the ball in motion from one side to the other over a net raised 6 feet 6 inches above the floor . The play would start by a player on one side serving the ball over the net into the opponents ' field or court. The opponents would then return the ball without hitting the floor and both sides would keep striking the ball back and forth until one side fails to return the ball or allows the ball to hit the floor.

     Volleyball had reached Japan and Asia through the YMCA network by 1896 and a specially designed ball was made in 1900, the rules of the game were set in place in the next twenty years. In 1916, the Philippines created the "set" and "spike" and a six-a-side play was instituted and became the standard two years later (History of Volleyball, 1). The rules that mandated the three hits per side and back-row attacks were established by 1920. During the same time in the 1920's, the United States, Russia, and Japan had begun volleyball associations. It became even more popular when U.S. soldiers brought the game overseas during WWII and shortly afterward, France had  also recognized the sport nationality (History of Volleyball, 1).  In 1949, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had established the game a non-Olympic sport in 1949 and the first World Championships for men were also  held during that same year at the time. Three years later, the women's first world -level competition came three years later. The Russians were the best in playing the sport until the mid-1980's with competition from Japan. The United States made their stance as the men's team won back-to-back gold medals in Los Angeles (1984) and Seoul (1988).

    Volleyball has had a tremendous impact regarding sports. Today there are over 800 million people who play volleyball at least once a week and there are more than 46 million Americans who play volleyball in the United States.  The game has always had a great importance in sports and will continue to be one of the most popular games in the world.

Works Cited

"History of Volleyball » NCVA." NCVA RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.

"History of Volleyball - Volleyball.Com - Volleyball Timeline, Volleyball Origins, Volleyball Inventor, Equipment, Clothes, Shoes and Rules for Beach and Indoor." History of Volleyball - Volleyball.Com - Volleyball Timeline, Volleyball Origins, Volleyball Inventor, Equipment, Clothes, Shoes and Rules for Beach and Indoor. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Volleyball." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.

"Athletic Association to Add Volleyball to Offerings." ABC Newspapers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.

"Remote Whiteboard." Remote Whiteboard. Ad01, 30 July 2012. Web. 14 May 2014.

   

 

Ping Pong/Table Tennis by Kendall

     Ping pong or table tennis started sometime in the 1880s where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. They would convert their dining room tables into miniature types of the original tennis playing field (Table Tennis History, 1). Various every-day objects were used to create the sport. The game was first called by many names such as "whif-whaf", "gossamer", and "flim flam". The game was played with paddles made from cigar box lids and balls that consisted of champagne corks (Table tennis, 1).

     Table tennis grew in popularity after James W. Gibb innovation that changed the style of the game. Gibb was a British enthusiast of table tennis who found novely celluloid balls during a trip to the U.S. in 1901 and learned that these were essential for the game. Another enthusiast, E.C. Goode, created the modern version of the racket by fixing a sheet of pimpled/stippled rubber to the  wooden blade in 1901 (Table tennis, 1). By 1901, tournaments were beginning to be organized, books were written to describe about table tennis, and even a non-official world championship was set up in 1902. Sometime in the 1900s, table tennis was banned in Russia because the rulers at that period of time deduced that playing the game had an adverse effect on players' eyesight.

     Later in 1921 the Table Tennis Association was founded in Britain and the International Table Tennis Federation followed after in 1926. In 1926 the first ever official World Championships was organized in London and in 1933 the United States Tennis Association now called USA Table Tennis was created. Some time in the 1950s, rackets began to be used with a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer that had a huge  change to the game with the establishment of greater spin and speed (Table tennis, 1). These were first introduced to Britain by S.W. Hancock Ltd. who was a sports goods manufacturer. Speed glue was used to increase the spin and speed which led  to changes of the equipment to "slow the game down" (Table Tennis, 1). Table tennis was even introduced as an Olympic sport at the Olympics in 1988.

      Several rule changes were made after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney by the ITTF (International
Table Tennis Federation).  The first one was that the older  38 mm (1.50 in) balls were officially replaced by 40 mm (1.57 in) balls in October 2000. This was used to increase the ball's air resistance and slowed down the game with positive effects. Shortly afterward, the ITTF altered the scoring system from a 21-point to an 11-point score system. They also changed the rules on service that was made to prevent players from hiding the ball during service and to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce a server's advantage, which was effective in 2002 (Table tennis, 1).

       Table Tennis is still around today and continues to play a great influence around the world. It it is played by several countries worldwide and is in the Olympic sports. Table tennis will continue to play a huge role in sports and continue to maintain its popularity and be a good game for anyone that wants to play table tennis.

Works Cited 

"Table Tennis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2014. Web. 08 May 2014. 

"History of Table Tennis." History of Table Tennis. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.

"National Table Tennis Championships Tournament News, Updates, Fixtures, Results, Videos." SportsKeeda. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.

BBC News. BBC, 18 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 May 2014. 

"Table Tennis Rules." Table Tennis Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.

Tennis by Kendall

                     Tennis had originated in France around the twelfth century. The game was called paume
(meaning palm) and was a court game where the ball was struck with the hand (Bellis, 1). Rackets were not used until the sixteenth century and game was started to be known as "tennis". The sport became very popular in England and France but at the time it was just played indoors where the ball could only be hit off the wall (History of tennis, 1). This game was so popular that Henry VII of England was a huge fan which was referred by many people as real tennis.

                   By 1873, British army officer Major Walter Wingfield created a game called Sphairistiké (in Greek which means "playing ball").  Eventually this resulted in the development of modern tennis. This led up to the first cup in 1900 called the Davis Cup which was an annual competition between men's national teams. The Federation Cup for women's national teams occurred in 1963 a while after the Davis Cup. This was meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Tennis Federation (History of tennis, 1). In time this led to the modern events of tennis and tennis tournaments.

                 Tennis had a great inspiration and impact on sports. It is one of the most crucial sports that has a played a role in history. It has changed of what we think about sports.

Works Cited

"History of Tennis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Bellis, Mary. "The History of Tennis." About.com Inventors. About.com, 05 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

"Idaho Falls Community Tennis Association." Idaho Falls Community Tennis Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. 

Hockey by Kendall

                  Hockey is a very popular modern sport that plays one of the many important roles in sports history. This sport has been popular for thousands years which developed in time until the sport that we know about today. Here is the history about hockey.

                  Hockey first started in Egypt 4,000 years ago and in Ethiopia somewhere around 1,000 B.C.  There is even evidence that this game was played by Romans and Greeks, and by the Aztec Indians in South America that happened before Columbus' arrival in the New World; most evidence is found in certain museums (The History of Hockey, 1). The games objective was simple, two teams would play against each other to guide a puck/ball into the opponent's goal by using a hockey stick.

                  The game gradually changed in England in the mid-18th century, mainly around schools (The History of Hockey, 1). The first Olympic Hockey Competition was held  for men in London in 1908 with England, Ireland, and Scotland whom competed separately. Hockey first appeared publicly in the 1908 Games, but was dropped from the 1912 Games.  Hockey appeared  in 1920 in Antwerp but was omitted again in Paris in 1924 (The History of Hockey, 1). The Paris organizers did not include hockey on the basis that the sport did not have any International Federation. The Hockey Associations in England and Belgium agreed to acknowledge each other to regulate international hockey relations. Hockey became more popular in 1924 when the International Hockey Federation was founded in Paris by Paul Léautey, who would eventually be elected the first President of the FIH.

                Hockey has  had a great impact on sports and was able to become popular thanks to hockey organizations like the IHF and the NHL. Hockey is still played in the U.S. and around the world and remains a popular sport. Hockey has changed and made a positive impact on how we view sports.

Works Cited

"History of Hockey - International Hockey Federation." International Hockey Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. 

"Hockey." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 May 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. 

"Welcome to the African Hockey Federation." Welcome to the African Hockey Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

"National Hockey League." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

"PV-Hockey.com Paul Vincent Developement Hockey Camps." PVHockeycom. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

                 

Lacrosse by Kendall

      Lacrosse originated somewhere around as early as AD 1100 among various tribes in North America. Though a big majority began by Native Americans and at that time the game was simply referred to as stickball. The game was mostly played around in St. Lawrence Valley Area by the Algonquian tribe (J. Claydon, 1). Other tribes implemented this game in the eastern half of North America and around the Western Great Lakes.

        These games were viewed as very significant and popular events which took over several days when played. They were played over large and wide open areas between villages and the goals (possibly due to natural terrain physical features such as trees and bushes), which were separated from about 500 yards to several miles in distance (J. Claydon, 1). There was no limit on the quantity of players to participate in the game. There were approximate estimations that varied between one-hundred and one-hundred thousand players that were active in a game at any time. The game had a few and simple rules which were the ball was not to be touched by any player's hand and there were no designated boundaries. A game would start when the ball was thrown into the air and players from each team would move in to be the one that would catch the ball first.  The balls consisted of deerskin, clay, stone, and sometimes wood (History of Lacrosse, 1).

       In 1637, a French Jesuit missionary, Jean de Brébeuf witnessed Iroquois tribesmen play lacrosse and he was the first European to write about the game. Jean called the game lacrosse. The reason he called this are speculated but it might be from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse, or was named after the crosier, which is a staff carried by bishops (History of Lacrosse, 1). The game began to become popular in 1856 starting with Canada first. During that year, Dr. William George beers, who was a dentist, founded first lacrosse club called the Montreal Lacrosse Club. In 1867, William codified the game by shortening the length of each game and reducing the number of players to twelve per team. The first game was played during the same year at Upper Canada College, whom lost to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3-1 (History of Lacrosse, 1).  Eventually by the 1900s, lacrosse was widely played in high schools, colleges, and universities began to play the game. Lacrosse was even demonstrated in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.

    For the United States, lacrosse was mostly centered in and around Maryland, New England, upstate New York, Long Island, and mid-Atlantic states (History of Lacrosse, 1). Today, lacrosse has spread nationwide and has attracted views in the media,  as well as high schools, colleges,and youth programs across the country. The biggest lacrosse championship was the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship which even went past the Final four of men's basketball. Lacrosse was easier to play in the 1970s through plastic stick heads that were introduced by Baltimore-based STX. This reduced weight and cost of a lacrosse stick and allowed for faster passes and game play than original wooden sticks.

     Lacrosse is one of the sports that is widely played in the world. It was even been played for thousands of years. This sport brings something unique and enjoyable for the whole world to experience.

Works Cited

"History of Lacrosse." History of Lacrosse. Issaquah Youth Lacrosse, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

"Lacrosse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.

Claydon, Jane. "Page Not Found." Origin of Men's Lacrosse. Jane Claydon, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.

   

     

Soccer and its influence on the world

     Soccer has been a popular sport for several years and has played a major role in sports which left a great impact on the world. Many wonder how it became so big and why several regions participate in this sport. Many also wonder how soccer varies through different types of social structures such as high school and college teams. I will explain and show how this sport affects the world today as well as in the past.

     Soccer is believed to have started back during the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. in China which took place during the Hans Dynasty. The goal of the game was to dribble spherical balls across a field and kicking it into a small net. Other facts showed that the Romans and Greeks used to play a ball game similar to soccer for fun and entertainment.

     Soccer started to become popular in England. The game would cause some people to play 24 hours a day and/or the competition/audience would be too chaotic that several incidents of violence occurred during a game.  Due to the increase of violence and military indulgences in the sport, King Edward III banned the sport in 1365.  Despite the setbacks, soccer eventually returned in 1815 where it was famous in Universities, Colleges, and Schools. Soccer became even bigger in October, 1863 where eleven representatives from London clubs and schools went to the Freemason's Tavern to set up common fundamental rules in order to control matches among themselves. The sport was spread around the globe during this time period by British sailors, traders, and soldiers.

    Some countries were intrigued by this sport such as Italy, Australia, and Germany while Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay played and accepted this sport in South America. Soccer gradually progressed and changed in time starting through the 1900s where FIFA was created in 1904 and by the 1930s various leagues were active in several countries. This game had different techniques when being played in certain countries. Examples are in the following: In Italy there is a defensive style that has fast alterations from defense to offense that use open space by opponents to score quick goals while England prefers an offensive strategy that is used through power, speed, and passing with a small amount of kicks and demands playing long balls behind defenders and various crosses.

    This sport has had a tremendous impact on the world sports wise. It continues to be one of the popular sports in the world and has changed people's perspective on sports. This sport has changed, celebrated, and hosted several games for over three thousand years. Talk about one of the longest sports!

Works Cited 

Eslami, Jafar. "The CHIMES Online." The CHIMES Online. Jafar Eslami, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. 

Jezek, Geno. "History Of Soccer." History of Soccer. Geno Jezek, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. 
Neice, Don. "Boys Soccer." Boys Soccer. Don Neice, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014 

Township Library :: Calendar Event. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. 
World Soccer Talk. Christopher Harris, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.