Colorado Senior Volleyball Association HistoryPrior to 1987, the history of Colorado senior volleyball is lost in time and collective senior moments. In 1987 Bonnie Pang, Platt Park Rec Center, inherited the program from Englewood’s Malley Rec Center. There were 10-12 teams representing Denver, Malley (Englewood), South Suburban (formerly Littleton, now Centennial) and Lakewood. In 1988 Page Gaines began coaching a women's 55 team and a men's 65 team for the second 1989 National Senior Games (aka The Senior Olympics) in St. Louis, MO. The women's team took 4th, and Fran Zelinkoff was named an All-Star, an extreme honor for a player not on a gold or silver team. In 1989 the men's 65 team won gold. In the 1991 Senior Games in Syracuse, NY, the men's 65 took silver, and the women's 55 team again placed 4th. Fran Zelinkoff currently is the only active player from those first teams. A number of Colorado teams continue to compete and win at NSGA Senior Games, including the women's 60 team, which won gold in 1995 in San Antonio, TX, and silver in 1997 in Tucson, AZ. The women's 65 team won gold in 1999 at Orlando, FL, and in 2001 at Baton Rouge, LA. In 2009 the men's 70 team won silver in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1991 Fran Zelinkoff requested that a volleyball venue be added to the annual Huntsman World Senior Games (HWSG) in St. George, UT. In 1995, Colorado volleyball teams began participating. The level and intensity of play at Huntsman is now superior to the NSGA Senior Games and comparable to the annual USA Volleyball Open Championships. In 1992 John Lopez took over the Senior Volleyball League, and in early 1994 Robin Garneau chaired the first formal organizational meeting at which officers were elected. In mid-1995, Marilyn Baily became President and in 1997 applied for incorporation. In April 2000, Larry Brown became President and served until early 2001. In 2001 Page Gaines became President and applied to the State of Colorado to formally change our name to Colorado Senior Volleyball Association (CSVA). Page Gaines, along with Fran Zelinkoff and Joe Purcella, finalized Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, and other voluminous paperwork to begin the long and involved quest for nonprofit status. A generous contribution by Vonnie and Joe Purcella enabled CSVA to hire attorney Martin Green, who greatly expedited the process, and in February 2003, CSVA obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. In September 2005 Bob Reinman became the CSVA President. In February, 2012 Fran Zelinkoff became the CSVA president. In February, 2014 Carrie Fehringer became the CSVA president. In February, 2018 Art Smoot became the CSVA president. In January 2010 CSVA had 48 teams and 400 participants in its League and other senior programs, double the number from September 1994 of 23 teams and 200 participants. In September 2012 the league had 51 teams and 424 players. In March 2014 the league had 49 teams and 501 players. In September 2014 the league had 50 teams and 502 players. In September 2016 the league had 46 teams and 550 players. Player and Team Participation
The top 4 divisions require female players to be on the court at all time. The remaining divisions do not have that requirement, but most teams include women. The official policy of CSVA is to encourage more female participation. The CSVA web site was started in 2008 by Art Smoot with the address ColoradoSeniorVolleyball.ORG and was switched to CSVA.ORG in 2010. |
