UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 37, Page 1
July 18, 1996
UD trainer & coach to play part in Atlanta Olympics

     When the Olympic Games open in Atlanta tomorrow, two UD faculty
will be on hand to witness the spectacle and, more importantly,
provide their expertise.
     Lynn Snyder-Mackler, a physical therapist and sports trainer,
will serve as chief trainer for the Olympic beach volleyball teams.
     "One of the fastest growing professional sports in the world,"
according to Newsweek, beach volleyball will be an Olympic medal event
for the first time this year, Snyder-Mackler said. The host country
picks a new sport for Olympic competition, and beach volleyball got
the nod from the U.S.
     The game is played barefoot in the sand with two-member teams.
The stadium for beach volleyball holds 11,000 people, and the event is
sold out, she said.
     Competitors are coming from such countries as Brazil, Argentina,
Cuba, New Zealand and several European countries, with three men's and
three women's teams representing the U.S. Although some teams travel
with their own support, Snyder-Mackler and her staff will be on hand
for all the teams. A physician also will be present with
responsibility, not only for the teams, but for spectators as well.
     Snyder-Mackler, who was invited by the Atlanta Committee on
Olympic Games, headed south before the start of the games to meet her
staff, check out the facilities and be on hand to meet the teams.
     After attending Olympics in Montreal and Los Angeles as a
spectator, Barbara Viera, women's volleyball coach, decided she wanted
a different perspective of the games and volunteered her services.
     After a multi-step process, she was notified last summer that she
had been selected as a competition assistant. Her first duty was to
participate in the Volleyball Centennial Cup competition in Atlanta
last summer, which served as a test and training event for volleyball
volunteers.
     At the Olympics this month, she is assigned to the Omni facility
in Atlanta, where she will be in charge of volunteers- making
scheduling and assignment decisions. Volunteers will be doing
everything from acting as "fast wipers" (polishing the court floors
during time out) to patrolling the court boundaries.
     She left for Georgia July 15, will return Aug. 4 and will be
working the courts every day. A true fan, when she isn't volunteering,
she will be in the stands cheering U.S. teams in other events.
     Viera said she is excited about this opportunity, particularly
since she knows many of the Olympic team players.
     "And," she added, "I think the U.S. women's volleyball team has a
good chance of winning a medal this year."
     The Olympic Games open July 19.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure