Chinese 9-Man Volleyball Thrills Lower East Side, 6-Woman Teams Too

A streaking comes across the sky. It’s a red, white and blue volleyball served or otherwise struck on the weekend of June 18-19 across on one of the five Lower East Side parks and playgrounds that were home to one of downtown’s most exciting annual events, the New York Mini Chinese 9-Man Volleyball Tournament.

The name can be confusing to outsiders. Females play their own 6-Woman variant of the game, and Mini doesn’t small. The event, now in its 38th edition, and organized by host team the New York Strangers, featured more than 1,110 athletes from 68 teams and five additional cities: Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and San Francisco.

In the somewhat complex points scoring system based on wins and point different, the 9-man competition was won by NY Strangers A, followed by Washington D.C. CYC Juniors and San Francisco Tien Lung Dragons. Topping the 6-Woman field were NY Fresh Taimei Hao Bao, trailed by NY Vikings Storm and Philadelphia CIA Women.

In prior years, teams have also come from Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and elsewhere.

Despite the visiting players arrival into air befouled by Canadian wildfires and some briefly ferocious wind and rain on Saturday, spirits for tournament remained high.

Matches were held in five venues this year, enfolding both today’s greater Chinatown and the past’s heavily Jewish Lower East Side:

Sara D. Roosevelt Park (three men’s courts) just north of Hester Street. Because this section of the park—where the Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony is also held—up to Grand Street is below grade, it makes for an arena-like effect, which is great for spectators from the sidewalks of bordering Forsyth and Chrystie streets. The men’s championship matches were held here on Sunday.

Seward Park (three men’s, two women’s courts) was the site of the main “command center,” and also home of the beloved Seward Park Library, which was open on Saturday but closed Sunday. Though volleyball players commandeered the park’s beloved calisthenics area as a staging area, for this occasion, there were few complaints. Should anyone doubt the athleticism of volleyball players, seeing them get taped up and worked on under by massage therapists in between matches is illuminating.

Lillian D. Wald Playground (one men’s, three women’s courts), where Cherry Street turns into a footpath between Montgomery and Gouverneur Streets and adjacent University Neighorhood High School. The women’s championship matches were held here on Sunday.

Sol Lain Playground (three men’s courts)—adjacent PS 134, formerly the Henry Street Playground but renamed to honor the memory of its eponymous local Jewish community activist, high school teacher, and sports coach. in 1971.

Henry M. Jackson Playground (three women’s courts), which is named both for the streets it is bound by—Henry, Madison, and Jackson—and the once-famed Democratic senator from Washington state (middle name Martin, nickname “Scoop”). The colorful cityscape murals adoring the back of the former JHS 12 (since converted to condos) makes this the Mini’s most photogenic setting.

What is 9-Man Chinese Volleyball?

The genesis of 9-Man somewhat elusive. Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan of the Holyoke, Massachusetts, YMCA, as a less vigorous alternative to basketball, invented in 1891. The game took off, first in the U.S., then abroad. In 1913, it was included in the Far East Games in Manila, the Philippines, and—likely via Christian missionaries—it subsequently became popular in Toisan (Taishan), in the Guangdong province of Southern China.

With later Chinese immigration to the U.S.—with the majority of those immigrants being men—came a passion for vollyeball. By the 1930s, 9-Man was an established part of Chintown’s culture in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston, though one little known to outsiders. Beyond the joys of the game itself, 9-Man also became a symbol of Chinese solidarity in cities that were often indifferent to their welfare.

Compared to regulation volleyball, 9-Man features some notable rule changes. Notably, there’s no rotation. Rather, each team has three designated servers on the court at any given time. Jump serves are forbidden, but striking your own ball after it hits the net is allowed.

Ethnicity rules apply to both the men’s and women’s teams. For the men, six of the nine players on court must be 100 percent Chinese, for the women, it’s four of six, with the others of at least half East Asian descent.

“NYMini is more than a volleyball tournament—it’s a celebration of community,” said Danny Moy, Tournament Director. “For 38 years, we’ve brought generations of athletes and volunteers together through sport while investing in youth development and giving back to our community.”