FIVB and NORCECA working closely with Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica, November 1, 2012 – The FIVB and NORCECA Confederation are joining efforts to support the development plan of Jamaica Volleyball Association by providing an international coach to work with the local association for a period of one month.

Reed Sunahara, an experienced professional who earlier this year guided USA Women’s National Team to the gold medal at the Pan American Cup, will visit Jamaica from November 1-December 1.

The FIVB, under the leadership of Brazilian Dr Ary Graça, is providing considerable assistance to NORCECA’s continental development plan destined to help the progress of all its National Federations category I and II.

Also, two coaches of Jamaica recently took part in a training program at the Saquarema High Performance Center in Rio de Janeiro sponsored by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation also presided by Dr Graça.

The Jamaica Volleyball Association has been making pronouncements about transforming volleyball to being a major sport discipline in Jamaica by year 2020 and the visit to Brazil of the Jamaican coaches is part of the development plan of the NORCECA Confederation.

After winning the presidential elections of FIVB last September during the World Congress in Anaheim, Dr Ary Graça said he is committed, with the support of the five continental confederations, to make volleyball one of the biggest in the world.

Sunahara’s initial focus will be on assessing the nature of the local programs and available resources and then make recommendations on the best way forward. He will also be assisting JaVA with the implementation of some national-level programs.

The impressive resume of Coach Sunahara includes being the winningest coach in the history of the volleyball program of University of Cincinnati with his teams compiling an overall win-loss record of 289-109.

As a player, he had an outstanding college career helping UCLA to three straight national championships, including two undefeated seasons (1982 and 1984) and the two-time All-American was considered the nation’s best outside hitter in 1984. During his career Sunahara played with Olympians Karch Kiraly, Ricci Luyties, Doug Partie and Dave Saunders and for 14 yerars, he has held his own camp, The Reed Sunahara Volleyball Camp.

Major Warrenton Dixon, President of JaVA, expressed appreciation to FIVB and NORCECA Confederation for the investment and noted that the continental confederation has also provided four scholarships for Jamaican coaches to attend technical seminars in Saint Lucia and Antigua.

Dixon also stated that FIVB and NORCECA are poised to provide even more developmental assistance to Jamaica in the near future.

"With limited resources available locally, we depend heavily on the support of FIVB and NORCECA to help us realize our goal,” Dixon stated.

“We have quality players and we have committed coaches; what we lack has been the investment to harness the true potential of Jamaica in volleyball and beach volleyball. NORCECA has however been providing us with some well needed assistance from its allocation of FIVB Development Fund," Dixon said.

The Reed Sunhara File

College: UCLA (BA in Sociology, 1989)

Coaching experience: UCLA (1987, 1989), men's graduate assistant coach: UCLA (1990-93), men's assistant coach; Toledo (1993-94), women's assistant coach; Toledo (1995-96), women's head coach (won 19, lost 40); Cincinnati (1997-99), women's assistant coach; Cincinnati (2000-present), women's head coach (won 262, lost 99).

Playing experience: UCLA (1982-86), two-time All-American, three NCAA titles; Nike/Molten at the USVBA National Championships (1987, 90); Cisneros Isla Verde in the Canary Islands, Spain (1988).