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Think of your favorite sport. You know the team’s colors, star players, the coaches, maybe even their stats. What about the officials? Can you name any of them? These individuals are the unsung heroes of the game. Without them it would just be a bunch of athletes running around playing tag or hitting a ball. It’s the officials that truly make the difference.
This month Marcia Alterman, Executive Director of the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), is stepping into the limelight as she becomes the first official to ever be inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“I am amazingly honored and humbled,” says Alterman. “When I look at the coaches, the other people in my class, these are some huge name coaches and the idea that they gave one of their four spots to me is just amazing.” Alterman joins coaches Marv Dunphy, Peggy Martin and Terry Petit as the 2009 inductees.
So who is this unsung hero, Marcia Alterman? “I played volleyball at Wichita State back in the dark ages. Back before women’s athletics was an iota of what it is today,” says Alterman. After college, she spent twelve years playing volleyball at the club level. “The teamwork aspect was such a positive experience for me,” she says. “Six people who all have a particular job to do. Yet have to do whatever it takes to make the team successful.”
It was during this time that Alterman realized her volleyball skills were stronger on the officiating stand, rather than in front of the net. “I was officiating matches to earn extra money. I kept looking for ways to get better because I just enjoyed the game so much.” She pursued her passion and received two national officiating certifications in 1983.
“Officiating offers you a chance to grow in so many ways other than just in the confines of the sport. The personal skills and the resiliency that I’ve developed, the assertiveness, all of that I contribute to my officiating,” says Alterman.
For over 20 years, Alterman officiated for the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA Championships. She was also part of the 1996 Olympic staff.
“There are two things I always promise coaches that they could guarantee from me – that I would know my rules and my techniques, and I would apply them. I’m not going to make a mistake out of ignorance. And, I’m going to work hard.”
These days “I wear a lot of different hats, but all of them have something to do with training volleyball officials.” Thirteen years ago, Alterman left the business world and decided to focus on volleyball full-time. Not only is she the head of the PAVO; she is Coordinator of Officials for the Big 10, Big East and Conference East, and is Rules Interpreter for the NCAA.
“The game has changed so much in 20 years. It’s phenomenal! The rule changes have made it easier to understand. I think that helps draw a fan base. Look at Wichita State; they have blossomed out there,” says Alterman. “Good recruiting, going after the right kids, developing them well and making it good for the fans. They work very hard to do that.”
So what are Alterman’s future plans after being inducted into the Hall of Fame? Right now she shows no sign of slowing down. “Sometimes it’s hard to separate my personal life from work. I don’t leave work…ever…because I work out of my home,” says Alterman. There is a lot of travel, work days are typically weekends and she is on call most of the time. However, there are not really any regrets on Alterman’s part. “I fell in love with the sport in College. I’m so lucky that I get up every morning loving what I do.”
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