This is probably the most important issue of the Digs you will receive this year.  Why?  Because at the July 2001 meeting, the Board of Directors voted to change the process in which Board members are elected.  Previously, the only way to vote was to attend the General Membership meeting held in May of each year.  However, in order to allow for greater participation in the election process, the Board voted to move to a mail-in ballot.  This edition of the Digs contains your ballot.  Please take the time to read about the candidates and then complete and mail in your ballot by the deadline indicated.  You must be registered during the current season in order to vote.  And, please, only one ballot per person—we do not want any recounts!

Due to resignations, the Board of Directors elected two new Board members at the January meeting.  Julie Briggs was elected to a term that will expire in May of 2003, and Skip Slawson was elected to fulfill a term that expires in May of 2002.

Julie is a very busy person!  She currently serves as the Women’s BB/B Coordinator, the Fellowship Coordinator, a scorekeeper rater, and a scorekeeper clinician.  She is a certified Provisional referee and certified Regional scorekeeper.  In her spare time, she plays on two teams, Women’s BB and Women’s 35+ (and serves as Team Representative for both teams), and she is the Club Director for Milkshake Madness Volleyball.  Milkshake Madness Volleyball is a “just for fun” series of outdoor tournaments.  When we need a message to get out to the volleyball community, Julie is one of the people we call—her mailing list has grown to over 600 people!  Julie also can be found refereeing at Sportsplex in Springfield.

Skip is very involved in the Juniors volleyball program.  He has been coaching and working with youth since 1986 and coaching volleyball since 1995.  He has been the Juniors Age Group Coordinator since 1998.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we welcome their expertise and willingness to take on additional responsibilities, and we look forward to working with them.

I would like to extend personal congratulations to CHRVA member Cheryl (Farley) Dodds, who on January 25, 2002, was inducted into the George Washington University Athletic Hall of Fame.  Cheryl, who currently plays for the Womens AA team The Alternates, played for GW from 1985–1988.  Cheryl received Atlantic 10 Conference first team honors in 1987 and 1988 and was the team MVP and co-captain in 1988.  As a middle blocker for the Colonials, she put herself in the history books as the leader in career solo blocks, fifth in career kills and career digs, seventh in total attempts, eighth in attack percentage and ninth in career block assists.  Since playing USAV volleyball, she has been selected to the Womens AA All-Tournament team three times.  Cheryl is married to Blair Dodds (former CHRVA member), and they are raising a future volleyball star, daughter Sydney, age two.  Congratulations, Cheryl!