2007 Off-Season Board Meeting Notes

The TASO-Volleyball Off-Season Board meeting was held on February 2-3, 2007 in Austin.  All districts were represented.

The Board welcomed newly elected district director Jerry Brand (District 10) and re-elected district directors:
Connie Johnson  (District 2)
Scott Lankford  (District 4)
Dan Lawless   (District 6)
Kathy Mills   (District 8)
Doug Trent  (District 12)

The Board was pleased to welcome Rachel Harrison (UIL) and Sam Tipton (TGCA) to the meeting.  Rachel Harrison presented information from the UIL which included the UIL calendar for 07-08, rule changes for 07-08, COPE training/incident reports, and  regional tournaments, as well as the state tournament.  Sam Tipton spoke to the group and expressed his appreciation to all officials for their hard work and dedication.

Rule Changes 2007-08:  The NFHS news release and rule changes for the 07-08 season are available on this website.  The NFHS news release is also available at www.nfhs.org

Election of Officers:  The terms of President Sandra Welch and Vice President Robert Cantu will expire on December 31, 2007.  Anyone interested in running for either position should notify the TASO office in writing of their intention to run for office at least 45 days prior to the state meeting.  Per the Operating Procedures of TASO-Volleyball:  To hold office, a person must have been (1) a member in good standing of TASO-Volleyball for the preceding five years prior to their nomination, (2) must have served on the Board of Directors of TASO-Volleyball for at least one term, and (3) must remain a member in good standing through their term of office.  A member in good standing is one who has complied with all membership requirements at the state and local level. 

State Meeting 2007:   The state meeting will be held on July 13-14, 2007 in Corpus Christi at the Omni Marina Hotel.  The Board Meeting is scheduled on Friday afternoon and the president/secretary/scheduler workshop is scheduled Friday evening.  The general meeting, breakouts sessions, etc. are scheduled for Saturday.  Please watch the web site, as well as your e-mail and regular mail for information on registration, breakout sessions, golf tournament, etc.  The Corpus Christi chapter has already begun working on the meeting and invites you to Corpus for a great time.

Sweater/Sweatshirt:  The Board is searching for an acceptable sweater/sweatshirt that may be purchased and worn as part of the TASO-Volleyball uniform.  Although the sweater/sweatshirt may not be worn alone as a uniform, it may worn over the already existing uniform shirt to provide extra warmth in cold gyms.  The sweater/sweatshirt will have the TASO logo and will be available from TASO authorized vendors. 

Units (points) for Calling Varsity Lines:   If assigned by their scheduler, a TASO-Volleyball member in good standing may receive units (points) at the rate of ½ point per varsity match for calling lines. 

Minimum Age Requirement:  The minimum age requirement for membership in TASO-Volleyball has been reduced from 18 years of age to 17 years of age. 

Electronic Testing:  Electronic testing will be available for those officials attending the state meeting this year.   You will be able to return to your home and within a certain time period, you will be allowed to test on-line.  After the time period has past, you will not be able to test on-line.  For those attending the state meeting who do not wish to test on-line, written tests will be available at the state meeting.  District Clinic testing will be the same as in the past.  Hopefully, the results from on-line (state meeting) testing will be positive and we will be able to move forward with on-line testing for district clinics.

District Clinics:   Sites have been set and will be provided on this website. 

Advanced Training:  As a result of a proposal brought before the board, advanced training will be made available to chapters.  TASO-Volleyball will allocate a maximum of $1,500 in matching funds to cover expenses for two pilot program clinics up to a maximum of $750 in matching funds per clinic with the host chapter responsible for the payment of a like amount.  More details will be available at the state meeting.   A committee comprised of Cantu, Cox, Lawless, Trent, Welch and Williams will provide guidelines and oversee implementation of the training.