NCAI athletics offers a variety of sports, including boys’ and girls’ soccer, basketball, and girls’ volleyball. There is noticeably no volleyball team for the boys of our high school. Many boys have expressed an interest in playing volleyball on a school team, but nothing has been done. However, there could be a strong and successful boys’ volleyball team at NCAI in the future.
Following is a short interview with our school’s athletic director, Dan Turner, about the possibility of a boy’s volleyball team at NCAI.
1) Do you think NCAI athletics has a boy’s volleyball team in its future?
“It is hard to determine what the future might hold and therefore I’m not sure I’d say “yes” or “no”. There are a lot of factors involved in how our athletic department continues to develop from year to year.”
2) Do you know of someone who would be interested in coaching a boys volleyball team?
“Nobody has expressed a personal desire to coach a boys volleyball team to me, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.”
3) What are the factors that prevent NCAI from having a boys volleyball team?
“I think the biggest reason is that it has not been a high priority for the athletic department. Some factors that would need to be addressed if we ever were to consider it would be things like facilities (where would this team practice and what facility conflicts would this create) and the impact it would have on current programs.”
4) Are there enough other boys volleyball teams around Managua that our boy’s volleyball team could play?
“I have not looked into this very much although I suspect that we would be able to find competition.”
In addition to interviewing Turner, a survey was sent to all of the highschool boys about their interest in being a part of a volleyball team. Out of the 33 responses, 72.7% said they had never played on a volleyball team, but 42.4% said they would consider joining one. An additional 24.2% said that they would maybe consider joining a boys’ volleyball team. A major challenge in adding a boys’ volleyball team is determining the optimal season. When asked to choose between soccer and volleyball, 78.8% of the boys said that they would not choose volleyball over soccer, making a first-semester team unlikely. However, only 36.4% would choose basketball over volleyball.
In conclusion, the NCAI athletics department is constantly evolving. There is no clear answer as to whether or not a boys’ volleyball team could start at our school. Nevertheless, if one were to start, based on the survey results, it would be during the second semester when the basketball teams are practicing. Despite the challenges and preventing factors, there is a possibility of NCAI having a boys’ volleyball team in its future. If our high school boys were motivated to start a team and took action, it could become a reality. I look forward to cheering on the future boys’ volleyball team at our school!
