|
 When
the FIVB created the new position of the libero in 1998, it probably never
expected that these players would make of it such a coveted role in the
sport. Most teams questioned the use of a strictly defensive back row
player that wasn't allowed to hit or serve, but gradually, liberos all
over the world
began to show that this new position was going to be a huge success.
Brazil's Sandra Suruagy brought experience and ball control to her team
despite her (relatively high) age, thereby showing the world that age
didn't really matter for the performance of a libero; and Japan's Kazumi
Nakamura (pictured below) was also one of the first successful liberos. At
the turn of the century and at least up to the Athens Olympics, the most
famous libero in the world is USAmerican Stacy
Sykora. But the position only became a "hit" when Hiroko
Tsukumo dazzled everybody with unbelievable digs, saves, and other
defensive moves that left everyone's mouth agape. Her enormous efforts to
run a ball down and prevent it from touching the floor almost re-defined
volleyball in the late '90s, for since the beginning of the decade it had
embarked on a trend of power hitting and terminal blocking that was
turning the sport more like men's volleyball. People began to think that
this change was inevitable because players got taller and stronger by
natural evolution. But when the FIVB instated the position of the libero,
volleyball received a breath of fresh air, for it halted the speedy
transformation of volleyball into a power sport. Hiroko Tsukumo has
certainly known how to exploit her newfound fame, because her performances
have made being a libero an exciting appointment, and no longer one of
constrainment and limitation as was initially perceived. Some people
thought that liberos would take away the all-around skills of other
players, claiming that taller players wouldn't have the incentive to
develop their defensive skills because they wouldn't have to perform them
anymore—after all, the libero would do it. But that hasn't proven true,
because even for the rotation in which tall players have to serve, they
still have to play defence before the libero can be allowed in the
court. Not only that, but the new role of libero has spurred
players all over the planet to want to sharpen their defensive technique,
because it has given hopes to the not offensively-inclined to occupy a
spot in the roster.
In a country like Japan
where defensive players grow on trees, Hiroko Tsukumo doesn't seem like
she would be such a great hit, after all, most of the Japanese players
were good at defence already. But it was the fact that she embodied what
Japan did best that endeared her to the fans. And by wearing the
different-coloured jersey she stood out from
the rest with distinction and respect. Her saves brought the thrill back
into volleyball, the energy into the team, and the happiness into all the
short players who thought they would never play world class volleyball.
Unfortunately, despite Tsukumo's efforts, Japan did not qualify for the
2000 Olympics for the first time ever. But it's not as much a problem of
the Japanese team as it is a merit of the rest of the world's teams that
have gotten better. With liberos all over the world fine tuning their
teams' serve receptions, there have been less shanks and defensive
blunders, adding to the fact that Hiroko Tsukumo has glorified the libero
position and given it the proper recognition it needs to survive well into
the next century. |
