Setting Up a Nice Shot Volleyball Club Trying to Attract Japanese Team to Local Event by Jeff Davis Volleyball isnít generally regarded as an international sportóin which teams from different nations and cultures get together to competeóbut one local organization is trying to change that. The Washington Diplomats Volleyball Club, based in Gaithersburg, Md., will be competing in the 2004 Cherry Blossom VolleyFest tournament next spring, and they are working to attract a team of girl volleyball players from Japan to join the local festivities. The VolleyFest involves 48 junior Olympic teams from the East Coast and Midwest. Girls ranging from 14 to 18 years old will come together on March 27 and 28 to compete during one event of the larger 92nd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. Tom Herod, club director of Washington Diplomats Volleyballówhich is not related to The Washington Diplomat newspaperósaid he hopes that inviting a Japanese team to the event will open a door of international opportunities for his American volleyball players. ìThe Japanese are very good at the sport, and weíre trying to have a rich cultural experience with them here,î Herod said. As it st ands now, traveling plans for a Japanese team have not been finalized, but Herod is working with Masayuki Yoshida, a professor at the University of Osaka who specializes in gymnastics and other athletic programs, and the two are hoping to bring at least one team over for the competition. Herod said his organization is planning fundraisers to help the Japanese girls come to Washington, D.C. ìWeíre also looking for sponsors to help us out,î he added. ìSomehow we have to come up with $50,000 for this event for all the teams to come.î While Herod works on making VolleyFest an international event, he is also continuing his endeavors with his own local volleyball team. The Washington Diplomats Volleyball organization, which Herod formed three years ago, aims to give girls in the area more academic and athletic opportunities. ìThe reason I started the club was to introduce [the girls] to the game and get them full rides on athletic scholarships,î he said. Herod, who has more than 30 years experience coaching youth sports, such as basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball, places a strong emphasis on academics while still promoting the athletic skills his players need to succeed in their competitions. ìWeíre developing student athletes and building better players,î he said. The clubís participation in the VolleyFest tournament this year will allow them to further that goal. Herod said the festival will help to fund the Washington Diplomatsí 2005 season and expand their programming to the heart of Washington, D.C., where he noted that volleyball is played less frequently. In the meantime, the club is focusing its efforts on the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival. In addition to the tournament itself, there will also be a gala reception opening the VolleyFest on Friday night, which is being called, appropriately enough, the VolleyBash. The 2004 Cherry Blossom VolleyFest will take place at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center on the weekend of March 27, 2004. For more information, please call Washington Diplomats Volleyball at (301) 990-2646 or visit www.diplomatsvb.org. Jeff Davis is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.