Good sports: CISM Volleyball on fort celebrated as great way to build friendships

Sierra Vista Herald, Sierra Vista Arizona ^ | Bill Hess

[SandRat]

FORT HUACHUCA — Germany is hosting soccer’s World Cup, but this Southern Arizona Army post has it own international tournament.

The 27th Conseil International du Sport Militaire Volleyball Championships began on Saturday. A very small, Olympic-like opening ceremony was held on Bujalski Field outside Barnes Field House, the venue for the games between teams from nine nations.

With military members from the post carrying signs identifying the nations, the teams marched on to part of the field, behind one of their members carrying their national flags.

First to be announced was L’Allemagne — Germany. The others followed in alphabetical order based on the countries name in French — Le Canada, Canada; La Chine, China; Chypre, Cyprus; La Cor/e du Sud, South Korea; L’Inde, India; Les Pays-Bas, the Netherlands; Le Qatar, Qatar; and finally Les ƒtats-unis d’Am/rique, the United States of America.

For Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. Dwayne Lucas, the International Military Sports Council’s objective is important in using athletics to build trust throughout the world. The motto of CISM is “Friendship through sport.”

Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, commander of the Intelligence Center and the fort, welcomed the nine men’s teams and four women’s teams.

During the years, military forces have sometimes served together in war and against one another, Fast said. But the idea of CISM is to foster a way to bring peace, and sports venue is one way to build a better foundation for understanding.

Before she spoke, the sports’ organization flag was raised to the somber and long CISM anthem played by the 36th U.S. Army Band. The U.S. flag was then raised to the “Star-Spangled Banner”, followed by a cannon salute.

Army Maj. Debra McNamara, who is assigned to the fort and was selected for the U.S. women’s CISM team, read the athlete’s oath. She has played in previous CISM volleyball games.

Lucas, who is the CISM vice president to the Americas for CISM and the chief of the volleyball section, greeted each of the nations using a word or phrase in their language meaning welcome.

When it came to the United States, he used what he called “a good old American word, howdy.”

In his let-the-begin games speech, Lucas told the athletes, “I expect good hard competition.”

After a short display of Navajo hoop dancing and singing by the Redhouse Duo, the teams left the field and began mingling with each others.

Cameras were in abundance.

B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) was a backdrop for many photos, as was the fluttering national banners.

Col. Gurbaksh Singh, the mission chief of India, said this is the first experience for his nation in the volleyball arena.

Qatar also is participating in its first CISM volleyball tournament, said Brig. Gen. Al-Khelaifi Khalifa, who is Qatar’s mission chief. He found it interesting that he and his countrymen went from one desert area of the world to another — one near sea level to Arizona’s high desert.

After the half-hour welcoming ceremony, the 55-year-old Lucas sat down in the shade of a tent, a portable mister fan keeping the air cool.

A former volleyball player, the director general of the Canadian Air Fore Aerospace Equipment Program Management Division said many of the players will be on their country’s national teams during the 2008 Olympics in China.

He said the men’s and women’s Chinese teams are powerhouses.

“They (the Chinese team members) are 12 inches taller than I am,” Lucas said with a laugh. Purportedly no member of the women’s team is under 6 foot tall, and one man on the men’s team is 6 feet 8 inches tall.

To some degree CISM is like a mini United Nations.

“We even have disagreements,” Lucas said.

Little did he know that comment would come true Saturday afternoon when team representatives and others went through some of the administrative procedures.

A sticking point for most of the teams, led by the Dutch contingent, was a need to change how this year’s games should be played because too few countries showed up for the men’s competition.

The volleyball technical committee and national representatives discussed the issue for a long time, with a decision made for the committee to meet separately and report back to the group later Saturday.

The team representatives wanted a round-robin tournament, which gives each team additional games so they play against more countries.

While the glitch had to be worked out, Lucas is looking forward to next year’s CISM world games in India. At least 16 countries are expected to participate in volleyball at the Indian games, he said.

Nearly two dozen sports will be part of the event, with 100 of the 127 member nations of CISM expected to attend, the Canadian general said. He expects at least 10,000 people to participate in the games, ranging from athletes, to coaches, to staff to officials.

“It’s the real precursor for the Olympics,” Lucas said.

[SandRat]

Chinese volleyball player Li Yin shades herself from the sun after participating in Saturday's CISM Military World Volleyball Championships opening ceremony on Bujalski Field on Fort Huachuca. (By Mark Levy-Herald/Review)

[SandRat]

This is what greeted me on the Front Page of the paper this morning.

[Mr. Brightside]

I'm all about building friendships with volleyball players.

[jim-x]

Yep, invite the chinese military to the Army INTELLIGENCE CENTER!!! Makes sense to me.

[in hoc signo vinces]

Keep you enemies close...