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Date: 10/8/2021
HOLYOKE – The International Volleyball Hall of Fame is gearing up to induct their newest class and welcome some of the most notable players from around the world.
Executive Director George Mulry said the class was made up of nine inductees, including three Americans. While they were preparing to gather in person for the ceremony, he said COVID-19 had presented some challenges for international inductees.
“It’s certainly brought some unique challenges due to COVID[-19] especially on the international travel side,” he said, stating that they had remained “optimistic” that travel restrictions would be lifted in time for the ceremony. He said while an announcement had been made regarding the lifted restrictions, they would not go into effect until Nov. 1, weeks after the ceremony.
“We’ve been scrambling the last three or four weeks to get special letters, exceptions [for visas] for folks to travel,” he said. Mulry said they had been successful in securing travel for all but one inductee, Andre Meyer, who resides in Luxembourg. He said Meyer’s visa had been denied.
The only other inductee that will be unable to attend the ceremony, Mulry said, was Taismary Aguero from Italy. “She actually reached out a couple months ago, her family didn’t feel comfortable given the climate,” he said.
While Meyer and Aguero will not be able to attend the ceremony in person, he said they were working to ensure they were included in some capacity. Mulry said they would have a video message to share at the induction ceremony, and they “have the option to patch them in via Zoom.” This, he said, was a little tricky due to the time difference between the countries and the fact that the event started at 7 p.m. “It will likely be a pre-recorded message,” he said.
Mulry called the 2021 induction class “one of the strongest and most decorated classes that we’ve ever had.” He said, “The fact that there’s so many Americans and they plan on attending is very exciting for us.”
The three American volleyball players being inducted in the 2021 class include indoor player Clay Stanley, indoor player Logan Tom and beach player Todd Rogers. Mulry highlighted each of their accomplishments and what made them stand out to the committee who chooses the class each year.
Tom, he explained, was “one of the bigger names” that most people in the volleyball community recognized. “She was the youngest woman ever selected for the American team [and] one of the best female players for the U.S.,” he said.
Mulry said the length of Tom’s career is one of the most significant factors that stood out. “She started when she was 16 playing with the national team and continued right on through,” he said. Tom’s accomplishments include earning two silver medals at Olympic Games along with “constantly being named MVP, best scorer and best server at international tournaments.”
“Her individual accolades and results her team had when she was involved really set her apart from others,” he said.
Stanley, Mulry said, was also a member of the national team during his career. However, Mulry said, Stanley’s story was one that stood out. “They didn’t even have high school volleyball, he was late to the game, but he made an immediate impact everywhere he played,” he said.
He said Stanley went on help the U.S. win a gold medal in 2008 and was the MVP “of the entire Olympics.” Mulry said, “That’s a pretty big accomplishment.” He also said that Stanley, “helped revolutionize” serving in the game of volleyball.
“There’s always been good servers, but he served at a different velocity and virility than anyone in the game,” he said. “That’s kind of how the game is played now.”
Rogers is the only American beach player being inducted this year. Mulry said Rogers’ “nickname is The Professor because of how smart he is with reading the game.”
“He didn’t have the physical presence of a volleyball player, and that’s what made him dangerous and stood out for him,” he said.
He said that Rogers and his partner had “about 42 wins” in a variety of international competitions. “They had an incredible run through the Olympics at the prime of their career, and won gold in 2008,” he said. “He’s another one that won best definitive player award, he won it four years in a row, [and] international volleyball player MVP for several years as well.”
Other players being honored at the ceremony include indoor player Giovane Gavio from Brazil, indoor player Sergio Dutra Santos from Brazil, beach player Ricardo Santos from Brazil and indoor player Sergey Tetyukhin from Russia. Mulry said to ensure the safety of all those involved, seating during the ceremony and dinner will be spaced out appropriately as it will take place indoors. Additionally, he said there will be a reduced number of attendees, which they felt was “a safer number.”
“We’re following all CDC [Center for Disease Control] and local Department of Public Health guidelines,” he said, adding that temperature checks would be required. “They’ll have to certify they have no symptoms and masks are required indoors for all events.” He said while they were not requiring a vaccine or negative test to enter the event, those traveling internationally were required to produce a negative COVID-19 test as “a condition of travel.”
While speaking with Reminder Publishing, Mulry said there were still tickets available to the event. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.volleyhall.org/induction-tickets.html. Those who are unable to attend the event can also watch the event via livestream at volleyball.org.