JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Indoor volleyball is back at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph as the Rambler Fitness Center opened its evening league March 25, and anyone with a Department of Defense ID card can still join a team if spots are available.
"This is one of the more popular sports here at Randolph," Rikk Prado, Rambler Fitness Center sports manager, said. "I sent out word about the league only once and I got 11 teams. There's always a lot of participation with volleyball, especially from women."
Games start at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, and a significant change to their format this year is they are self-officiated, meaning players make their own calls to enforce the rules during action - but that's not a cause for concern, Prado said.
"People tend to make their own calls in volleyball anyway," he said. "We're using the honor system and with all the familiar faces I see in this league year after year, players get to know each other, so I'm not worried about personal integrity."
Additionally, without a budget set aside for referees, the league not only saves the Air Force money, but is also no longer limited to a predetermined amount of games.
Each team is scheduled to play at least 10 times, but "we can potentially play as many as we want to," Prado said.
"I'm just glad we still have a lot of teams competing and that we are cooperative to officiate so we can continue the season," Staff Sgt. Christina Carter, Air Force Personnel Center technical sergeant promotions manager who is playing on one of three AFPC teams, said. "Everyone is excited and ready to play."
At the end of the season, at least four of the top teams are set to compete in a tournament.
Despite not knowing how long the self-officiated volleyball league will last, Prado knows the importance of supply and demand.
"I've got people who want to put shorts on, play and get sweaty, so that's what we're going to do," he said.
To sign up, contact the Rambler Fitness Center, building 999, at 652-2955.