Time to put bad volleyball terms/practices to rest

I love volleyball. As the Mama Kahu at Haili Church in Hilo, the host of the sanctioned Haili Volleyball Tournament, it's pretty much a qualification of my position. It's actually become a family sport. My son, Andrew "A.J." Welsh first learned how to play volleyball six years ago at Haili Christian School. As the starting front middle blocker, he just helped Hilo High School win their fourth consecutive Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division 2 Championship. As much as I love volleyball, there are a couple of bad sportsmanship terms often heard at games that I feel need to be left by the wayside when entering the gym. One of them is "side out." It seems there's always one parent, usually a woman, yelling this term each and every time the opposing team serves. Since volleyball has changed its rules in recent years to count every ball in play, this term has become obsolete. Yelling "side out" now is like telling the player to "hit it out of bounds." It's not only annoying, but it's disrespectful to the opposing team. This goes against the BIIF rules and philosophy to "cheer with aloha."

Another taunt that needs to go by the wayside is when people in the audience and on the opposing team yell "jump," in an effort to try throwing off someone who is making a jump serve. This is not only immature, it's simply bad form. No coach should allow this to happen on any occasion. Period. I'm happy to say that Hilo High parents and spectators have not participated in or indulged in these antics. Perhaps it's time for other schools on the Big Island to take the lead of their championship team. Let the kids play and always cheer with aloha. That's a couple of rules that should never go by the wayside. Ever!