In volleyball, there are six players on a team, with three positioned in the front row and three on the back row. After the ball is served, front line players may switch positions at the net. Each team is allowed a maximum of three hits at the ball per side. A single player may not hit the ball twice in succession. A block, however, is not considered a hit.

The game is played on a court measuring 18 meters in length and 9 meters in width. A pole (referred as an antenna) is placed on either side of the net perpendicular to the sideline, and is considered as a vertical extension of the side border of the court. A ball that is maneuvered over the net must bypass the antennae completely without making contact with them. Volleyball players have developed various skills such as spiking, passing, blocking, and setting, as well as inventing particular player positions. A ball is considered “out” if it hits an antenna, the floor completely outside the court, any of the net or cables outside the antennae, the referee stand or pole, and the ceiling above a non-playable area. Catching, holding, or throwing the ball are also not allowed.

When a player touches the ball while reaching over the net, it is considered a violation if the ball hasn’t gotten past the vertical plane of the net. Stepping over the court centerline with any part of the player’s body is also a violation. If it’s only a player’s hand or foot, the entire hand or entire foot must cross before it is considered a violation.

Students looking to become college athletes need information on how to avail of athletic scholarships. The Internet has proven to be a useful venue for both high school students and coaches looking for new talent to become college athletes. There are many websites and online forums wherein students and scouts can come together and interact. D1Athletes is an online community wherein student athletes and coaches alike can share and exchange information they need concerning college volleyball and athletic scholarships. D1Athletes offers them a place to build an online presence and gain important public exposure.

To learn more, visit D1Athletes.com or just click athletic scholarships

A recent study by the NCPA (National College Players Association) in conjunction with Ellen J. Staurowsky (Professor and Chair, graduate program of Sports Management at Ithaca College in New York) sheds some doubt on whether there really is such a thing as a full ride scholarship.

Why is this important to you? Because if you are lucky enough to have multiple scholarship offers to choose between, having a more complete picture of the hidden costs you may incur at one school vs. another could influence your decision. In addition, those who assume they will have no financial liability for their child’s college education may not be prepared to finance whatever the scholarship doesn’t cover. This information can help you better plan for these costs.

Here’s what you need to know. The NCAA is very specific about what athletic scholarships can cover: tuition and fees, room and board, and course-related books. Each school reports an estimate of the total cost of attendance (COA). This is typically found on the school’s website, and information for the 2008-2009 academic year was used for this study. It was supplemented with data from the United States Department of Education National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) as well. This study looked at the COA for 336 Division I universities, and compared it to the costs that the NCAA allows a scholarship to cover. They found additional educational expenses across the different schools (not covered by an athletic scholarship) that ranged from $200 per year to $6000 per year, a surprisingly large variation across schools. The average out-of-pocket expenses were $2763 per year. At this rate, over the course of five years, a typical athlete who is redshirted freshman year would have to pay $13,800. At the schools with the highest incidental expenses, a five year tab could exceed $30,000. So much for a free ride.

What constitutes these out of pocket expenses that aren’t covered by a scholarship? They vary widely from school to school and could include a student orientation fee, first year program fee, new student fee, continuing student fee, student activity fee, parking fee, loan fee, and numerous other program fees. Apparently, colleges excel at coming up with fees.

Here’s what you can do about it. The NCPA has a tool on their website which allows you to calculate the estimated scholarship shortfall for any of 336 Division I universities. Find it at shortfall_search.asp. Take a look at the estimated additional costs at the schools you’re seriously looking at. And consider this just another important piece of information that can help you zero in on the right college decision.

You are welcome to reprint this article. However, please credit me as the source with the following:

Laurie A. Richter, author of Put Me In, Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting.

I am the author of Put Me In, Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting. It can be found at http://www.RightFitPress.com or http://www.putmeincoachbook.com

I am the parent of a college freshman currently playing basketball. I have 24 years of market research experience which I put to good use to write this book. I interviewed families of student-athletes who tried to get recruited, some successfully and some not successfully. I also interviewed dozens of college coaches and share the perspectives of forty of them in the book. It is an ideal how-to book for any high school athlete who wants to compete at the next level but isn’t quite sure what steps to take.

Is this something that would interest you? Is this something that you want to be a part of? There are many steps you can take to dramatically increase your chances of playing collegiate basketball and getting a basketball recruiting scholarship. To be successful, you must take control of this process and you must learn how to maximize your chances of obtaining the athletic scholarship you are seeking.

Today, the recruiting process is highly sophisticated; and, in most cases, demands that student/athletes know how to market themselves. Many well-intentioned coaches, parents, and high school guidance counselors, who are advising student-athletes today, do not understand the steps in the recruiting process.

Experts agree that the most prized commodity in the “game” of athletic recruiting is information. College coaches and prospective college athletes both succeed or fail by information or the lack of information. Athletes need to know where they can receive a scholarship, and how to go about getting one; college coaches need to know about athletes who will best fit their programs.

As a student athlete, you can help your chances of “winning” an athletic scholarship by following the Top 10 Tips listed below.

1) Demonstrate superior athletic ability—-You don’t have to be an absolute superstar, but you must have talent.

2) Get in the best physical condition you possibly can. Obtain a great conditioning program and STICK WITH IT. Playing at your optimal potential is only possible when you are in top physical form.

3) Become a student of the game. Know your position inside and out.

4) Become fundamentally sound. Work on your shooting hand mechanics, free throws, jump shots, dribbling, etc.. as often as possible.

5) In the off-season stay focused on your strength training and vertical jump and you will see drastic improvement.

6) Learn about the mental game of basketball and how it impacts your success.

7) Play pick-up games as often as possible and vary your pick-up game competition as much as possible.

Get and keep yourself eligible by passing the required academic courses with a satisfactory GPA. Score the required entrance score on the SAT or ACT.

9) Conduct yourself in a manner that calls positive attention to yourself. Coaches shy away from possible problem athletes who might bring negative attention and disgrace to their programs.

10) Undoubtedly, it is imperative to learn how to promote yourself to college coaches.

The sooner a college coach knows about you, the better your chances are of getting a scholarship.

Lynn West Why Pay For Your Education, When You Can Play For Your Education! http://www.college-athletic-scholarship.com Athletic Scholarship Info – All Rights Reserved

Oddball scholarships for golf caddies:

Do you have an interest in golf? Did you play on the high school team, but was not at a high enough level to be recruited to the college team? Are you considering becoming a golf professional after college? Then become a golf caddie and put yourself in the running for the golf caddie scholarship. This type of scholarship is offered at many colleges and universities. Upon acceptance of the scholarship, some students are required to work for the local college or university golf course.

Oddball scholarships for descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence:

If you can trace your family tree back to a signer of the Declaration of Independence then you are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Family history must be verified. Currently the scholarship is around $1,500 and the student must attend a four year Public university. It looks like it is time to trace your family genealogy and see if you might be in the running for this scholarship.

Oddball scholarships for shooting sports:

Have you participated in the American Legion Shooting Sports program at the state or regional levels? If so, then you can apply for this $250 scholarship.

Oddball scholarships for accordion players:

Are you a skilled accordion player? Then why not participate in the American Accordion Musicological Society Contest? The application deadline for this contest is in September with an award of $1,000.

Oddball scholarships from the Danish Sisterhood of America:

Are you a member of the Danish Sisterhood of America or a child of a member? This will make you eligible. The scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement. The scholarship can be up to $1,000.

The list of oddball scholarships is endless. You can access free and fee required scholarship databases on the Internet. Fill out a profile including your academic background, college goals, and any unique activities you do. You are bound to find an oddball scholarship that is geared toward these activities or interests.

To Discover more about oddball scholarships and college grants please goto http://www.scholarshipgrantonline.com

Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, some other Government and State-funded loans, Pell Grant and other Government grants, some private grants and scholarships.

Federal Student Loans

Although the amount given is small and may need supplementing with a private type of loan, it is your first step and is an essential part of any Student Loan credit package. Why? Because it is government funded and has the best terms available.

There are two types – Subsidized and Unsubsidized.

Subsidized Loans are for only very financially needy students and the government pays for all your interest payments – not bad eh! – until the student has graduated. You also have a 6 month grace period before paying back the loan.

Unsubsidized Loans are available to all students and are much easier to obtain. The interest rate is still low – around 6-8 percent and also provides a six month grace period.

The Perkins Loan – this loan type is the hardest to get and is for only the most financially needy of students. It therefore has the best terms – a nine month grace period and you have 10 years to pay it back.

As with most federal student loan programs, having no credit shouldn’t be a problem.

Grants and Scholarships

Grants and scholarships are not loans, so of course require no credit checks. Scholarships are normally awarded on merit where as grants are provided more on need – check out the Federal Pell Grant.

A lot of states also have many grants and scholarships so check with your state’s government education fund. There are also many professional societies. If there are a shortage of teachers for example the government will provide more funding to these related professional teachers societies so it is more likely you can get a grant or scholarship from these places.

Alternative and Co-Signer Loans

You need a credit worthy co-signer to get this type of loan – typically your parents will be the co-signers. The downside is that if you cannot make your loan repayments then your co-signer are up for the bill. This can be very awkward and should be considered carefully. There are a few terms between you and the co-signer agreed upon before taking out the loan. For example if you are starting to fall behind you need to let them know and maybe take out a part-time job to help get back up to date. Good credit can lower your repayment amounts.

Keeping away from bad credit

You want to avoid defaulting on your student loans at all cost, this may mean consolidating your loans or changing terms, you could ask about reducing your monthly payment, you will still have to pay it back in the future but it could help you get over a rough financial patch you may find yourself in.

Find out where online to apply for no credit student loans

College grants and college scholarships are abounding today, and in fact, many of the available grants and scholarships actually are not awarded every year, for the simple reason that nobody applied for them! As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Businesses and corporations use the college grant and college scholarships they offer as a tax writeoff, and if it is not awarded, then they lose out on that writeoff, so they are more anxious than ever to award these college grants and college scholarships.

One common myth which is held by many people is that you need to show a financial need before you will be awarded a college grant or college scholarship, or that you need to excel in a particular area, like the star quarterback in football, the ace basketball player who can shoot three-pointers all day long, the violin player or the piano player where it appears that Carnegie Hall is clearly in their very talented musical future, etc. But note that I said these are “myths”. In other words, these perceptions are incorrect.

Today, a college grant or college scholarship is available to virtually any student who has the motivation and the incentive to fill out the application forms. In fact, many students get multiple scholarships and grants, simply because they sat down and took the time to fill out the applications. These are students who do not excel in sports, in music, in drama, or any other area – they simply want to go to college, they understand the importance of having a college education in today’s very competitive real world, and they made the time to go through the steps required.

While there are both grants and scholarships available, grants are more likely to be awarded based on financial need, whereas scholarships are not nearly as closely tied to whether or not there is a financial need. But then again, when you look at the cost of a college education these days, after considering living expenses in a dorm or a campus apartment, meals, books and other very basic necessities, the cost of that college education is going to run well into five figures, perhaps even six figures, so a financial need is not going to be hard to justify for virtually anyone.

College grants and college scholarships differ greatly from the usual student loans like the FAFSA loan that is available through almost any college’s financial aid or admissions office. A student loan needs to be paid back. Although payments usually do not start until after the student has graduated and the interest rate is quite low, the fact that it needs to be paid back makes grants and scholarships a much more attractive option to pursue, since neither grants nor scholarships need to be paid back.

There are going to be incidentals that cannot be anticipated when you are going to college, and the grant or scholarship money may not be immediately available. For this reason, it is a good idea to get a Student Credit Card to handle those unexpected expenses and not put undue stress on you when you need that extra book or to pay that additional lab fee or whatever.

Take the time to search out the many resources available for a college grant or college scholarship. After graduation, it is much better for you if you start out by not being in a huge pile of debt, but can start clean with your new degree.

Jon is a computer engineer who maintains web sites on a variety of topics based on his knowledge and experience. You can read more about finding college grants and college scholarships at his web site at Finding College Grants and Scholarships.

A scholarship is a way for you to get FREE money to go to school and is awarded to you if you meet certain standards.

The money you are receiving can be used to pay for your tuition and feels. Normally it pays for some part of your schooling, but if you find something good you may able to get it all paid for. The best part however, is that you never have to pay it back. Part of this money comes as grants from the federal government, and the rest is paid for buy private organizations.

You can get access to this money if you do well in school, live in a certain area, belong to a certain religion, are an athlete or belong to an ethnic minority.

Learn more about it

There are many ways to find out about these deals. You can contact the State Department for Higher Education, your high school guidance counselor, the financial aid department of the school you would like to attend, the internet or your local library. Other good avenues are your employer, or the company your parents work for. Very few people know about this, but millions each year are allocated for financial aid from these companies.

Find what is the right one for You

Once you start searching, you will find so many deals that it will be hard to sift through them all and decide which is the best one. The solution is to take a little time and check them out, find out what they want from you and what they require for you to qualify. There is a possibility that they will ask for transcripts, essays, letters of recommendations and other prove of your eligibility. So be well prepared before you contact the various deals. Be aware that this isn’t just a paper, it is much more important. This may be a deciding factor on whether you can go back to school or not. So, think about how important it is when you are applying and getting paperwork together so don’t blow it. Another thing: watch out for scams – unfortunately there are lots of them out there.

In each state there are scholarships every year that nobody claims which means there are millions of dollars just sitting around unused. Why couldn’t you use that money to finance your education? And don’t forget: you never have to pay it back.

If you are looking for money for college, keep in mind that there are scams out there. If you get contacted and told that you may be eligible for free money, check it out first. Take a look at the agency offering you the money. Do a little research and see if they are legitimate or just scams. Check them out on the internet and see what kind of information you can find. If they seem suspect, check with your local college if they have ever heard of the institution? If not, stay away. It may be one of the companies trying to take you for a ride.

Is this right for me?

A School or college can be prohibitively expensive. We all have our goals in life and usually what keeps us from achieving them is MONEY, pure and simple. Your future is very important. If there is a chance that you can qualify for free money to help you with school, and you never have to pay it back, why not try it? Get the help and advice you need and get the ball rolling. The future is in your hands!

Nic Haffner is a publisher of Scholarship Search and Info. You can go to The Scholarship Portal for more

FCS is an $11 billion lending cooperative and serves farmers in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. Every year the cooperative offers $100,000 in scholarships to deserving students enabling them to pursue an education in finance, or an agriculture-related field of study.

The Scholarships they offer are

1 University Scholarship Program: Scholarships are provided to agriculture-related universities in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. The universities determine the deadline for submitting applications as well as the amount and payment schedule.

2 4-H / FFA Scholarship Program: 8 scholarships awarded to state FFA and 4-H programs in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.

3 Farm Credit Scholarship Program: 18 scholarships for $2,000 each awarded to customer-members of Farm Credit, or children of customer-members.

Eligibility

In order to qualify candidates must

? Have a good academic record, possess leadership qualities, and must be involved with the community,

? Be a college freshman, sophomore, junior or senior or a graduating high school senior,

? Be enrolled in the College of Agriculture or College of Business,

? Have a cumulative grand point average of 3.0 or higher,

? Have an agricultural background or agriculture related work experience,

? Be a member or a child of a member of Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.
Employees or children of employees are not eligible to apply.

Interested candidates are required to submit an essay on how they plan to use their major in their chosen career and present their bio information at an FCS Customer Appreciation Event.

For more information about the FCS Scholarship Program, please visit www.e-farmcredit.com.

Rachna Mehra is a freelance writer from NYC, New York. For more information on scholarships and financial aid, visit http://www.10KScholarship.com

Today, most jobs require that you have a college education, and a quality education definitely helps people on the road to success. While you may not have money set aside for college and your parents may not be able to make large contributions, scholarships can help you get the money you need for college. There are literally thousands of scholarships out there and it may be quite daunting to know where to begin. Using a scholarships search can help you sift through the available scholarships to find those that are applicable to you.

Get Started Early

One of the most important things to remember when you are doing a scholarship search is that you should start as early as possible. If you wait until the last minute, the number of scholarships available will be much more limited and you will miss out on some great opportunities. Starting the summer before you senior year or the first semester can help you have the time you need to find quality scholarships. Many scholarships require a great deal of paperwork, and some even require that you write essays for them as well, so you want to be sure that you have plenty of time to complete them without rushing.

Online Searches

One of the best places to do a scholarship search is on the internet. A variety of great sites are available that can help you find scholarships, and they make it very easy for you to find them. Some sites allow you to fill out your personal information and then they match you up with scholarships that you are eligible for. While you may only have a few matches to begin with, most of these sites will email you when a new scholarship comes available of they find another scholarship that you may be interested in. If you are not able to search online, then check with your school guidance counselors to see if they can help you to do a scholarship search. Often, these counselors are familiar with and have access to a variety of different scholarship opportunities.

Important Information

When you are doing a scholarship search it is important that you include as much information about yourself as possible. Many of the scholarships are actually only available to those who meet a specific set of requirements. Some may require that you are a male, or some scholarships may require that you are part Indian or part Hispanic in order to be eligible. Other scholarships require that you have at least a “B” average in school or some may require that you are majoring in a science field. When you include your personal information, such as your race, gender, average grades, and intended field of study, you can be better matched to scholarships.

Instead of worrying about how college will be affordable for you, do something about it and start a scholarship search. With so many scholarships out there, no doubt you will be able to win enough money to help you out with college. When you use a scholarship search, it will be quick and easy to find the scholarships available to you so you can have the money you need for a great education.

Need more direction in getting started with a College Scholarhip Search? Visit our web site at http://www.finding-college-scholarships.com

NCAA Division II Athletics consists of 285 member institutions. These schools, while recognizing the benefit of college athletics to the college community, typically do not put the emphasis on sports (read: do not spend the money on sports) that most Division 1 schools do. Their facilities are typically not on par with the D-1 institutions and often they do not have the student body participation that their more famous D-1 brother-institutions have. This is not to say that the playing experience will not be a worthwhile endeavor, but rather that there may not be a three hundred member marching band leading you out to the field for your first game in front of a hundred thousand rabid fans.

The decision of a University Board to make their school a D-2 school may lead from a perceived inability to compete at a higher level (as in the case of a new or growing institution) or from a conscious decision to downplay the importance of sports in the college environment. It is not directly correlated to the size of the university – there are many large D-2 schools (larger than many of the D-1 schools) and there are many small D-2 schools that could conceivably drop to D-3. Just as some private schools like Notre Dame, Stanford, and Duke choose to compete at the D-1 level with only a fraction of the student body of a large public university, so many small schools choose to stay at the D-2 level. Regarding the quality of the athletic teams the D-2 coaches have scholarships to offer, although not as many as the D-1 coaches. The problem of course is in the “pecking order” that accompanies the recruiting process. Typically, the D-2 coach recruits only after the major and the mid-level D-1 coaches. Top notch athletes, especially those with professional aspirations, will obviously look for scholarships from high profile universities with excellent facilities and a high degree of national exposure. You will see few of them at the D-2 level. The mid-level programs will pick up the borderline cases and athletes that they feel were underestimated by the major coaches. After this the D-2 coach goes to work. They have the same opportunity as the mid-level coach to pick up an over-looked or underestimated athlete, but in general his picks are obviously more limited than the D-1 coaches who preceded him. But it’s not all doom and gloom. In some sports, certain positions are harder to fill than others and D-1 coaches have a distinct advantage. In basketball, for example, high quality big men are always at a premium. The D-1 coaches quickly tie up all the available talent, in some cases tracking the players all through their high school careers. On the other hand, there is probably an over abundance of good guards in any given recruiting year. Even after the D-1 coaches have filled their need there are still quality athletes available. The D-2 coach is perhaps not as hampered in this area. For this reason, one will find the difference between guard play at a D-1 and D-2 school to be less than the difference between post players. [Note that this also may mean that a big man with even mediocre talent probably has a better chance of making it than a small man with a higher degree of athletic ability.] But the D-2 coach also has another opportunity to add quality players to his team.

Looking through a successful Division II program’s roster you will often find several players who have transferred from Division I schools for personal reasons, location reasons, or more playing time. These players may be very close in ability to those playing for the D-1 program. For some it may be a case of them simply giving up their dream of playing professionally and no longer wishing to devote the time in a major program. Going back to our reasons for playing college sports, they drop from category #1 to say, #2, #3, or #4. These players offer high quality performance to the D-2 fan while fulfilling their personal need for financial aid toward a college degree. A last source of recruits for the D-2 coach is the Junior Colleges. Just as was the case with the D-1 transfers he will look for players who have given up on their D-1 and /or professional dreams. A player who is having difficulty getting noticed shouldn’t overlook this avenue to a four year college sport career. Adding them to the mix of other transfers and high school recruits provides a reasonably high level of play in many D-2 programs.

There is a stigma attached to Division II athletics, that being that they are inherently inferior to Div-I. While this may be true in the general case it is not always true. Many Division II schools compete against and even beat Division I schools. In fact some Div-1 schools avoid playing their D-2 counterparts to avoid the possibility of an embarrassing upset. Several years ago we happened to witness a basketball game between a mid-major and their cross town rival. The game was going bad for the D-1 school until they threw in a 30 foot desperation shot to win in the last seconds. The D-2 school had clearly outplayed their opponent and the D-1 coach said so after the game. Sure the D-2 team finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally. However, the D-1 school also ended up winning their conference and tournament titles and playing in the Big Dance. There they upset one of the major basketball power-houses before bowing out. They were clearly not a patsy. But at least that year, the difference between them and the D-2 school was very little.

The bottom line is that Division 2 offers an excellent path to achieving that college degree so long as you are not intent on pursing a career in professional sports. [In fact, a few professional players do come out of D-2 programs including some very fine ones - Ben Wallace and Charles Oakley come quickly to mind.] And while most of the D-2 universities are not as well known as their D-1 brothers, it some cases it is simply because they do field impressive sports teams that the uninformed public views them as “inferior universities. In fact, in our home state the third ranked school in the state is a NCAA D-2 school even though there are 7 NCAA D-1 schools that could have grabbed the top spots (if the NCAA category had anything to do with quality of education). In terms of an education this is clearly a reasonable option. If you are looking for a list of NCAA Division II Schools and their coaches contact info, including email addresses, visit Virtual Athletic Director

More D-II facts from the NCAA Website

Free Athletic Recruiting Service – http://www.virtualathleticdirector.com