$25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway for Volleyball Design Contest

Fun fact: Despite the fact that I have been playing volleyball for 20 years, I almost never own a volleyball. It’s a little bit embarrassing, so I decided to remedy the situation by buying my own volleyball with an Amazon gift card I received for my birthday.

 It took me a couple of weeks to decide which ball I would be purchasing, mostly because I’m a nerd, and needed to do some research. You see, I’m a bit of a volleyball traditionalist, and as such, I’m usually wary of new elements of the game, whether it’s a new rule (i.e. the let serve, which allows your serve to hit the net and still be in play) or a new piece of equipment. Why should I have to evolve? 😉

 If you’re a volleyball player, you know that a new ball was introduced to most players last year, and it is completely different from any other volleyball I’ve ever used. It’s called the Molten FLISTATEC V5M5000-3N  and is used for both men’s and women’s volleyball. To me, the texture is sort of like a dodgeball, which totally threw me off my game for the first few months. It doesn’t float like other volleyball models, and it feels heavier. It does have a bit more bounce to it than other volleyballs, which actually makes it a little easier to play defense, but takes some getting used to. I’ll be honest: I hated this volleyball. It really is quite different playing with this ball.

Nevertheless,I finally came to terms with reality and thought that there must be some reason why people love this volleyball so much. So, I did my research. What I learned is that it is easier to set and play defense with this volleyball, based on how you contact the ball and how the ball comes off of your hands/arms. I’m a setter, so I thought I’d check this out the next time I played. I noticed that it was so much easier to get a grip on the ball, and I didn’t get called for double contacts at the same rate as I did with the slippery ball that I’m used to using. It was much easier to control this ball when I set, and I loved it!

One thing I noticed that I didn’t like was that I had a much more difficult time getting my serve to float like normal. I have a pretty nasty float serve (if I may say so myself) which comes from me mastering it over the course of 20 years. I have a whole little routine, and I work to make sure I contact it exactly the same way each time. Obviously this doesn’t always happen, but it’s a goal I’m pretty good at hitting consistently. Anyway, with the new ball, I just couldn’t figure out why my serve was so much easier for the opposing teams to receive. I was hitting the ball the same way, but it definitely wasn’t floating like it used to. This made me sad. :’-( So, once again nerding out, I went online to see if I could figure out how to fix this, if possible. It turns out that I needed to contact the ball with more force/power, and that would make it harder on the other teams. It worked! Yay!

I still haven’t gotten comfortable with serve receiving this ball like I can the older styles (such as the Pro Touch), but I’ll get there. I just need to keep practicing! It’s actually pretty fun to feel like I’m actually practicing volleyball, as opposed to just playing it. It gives me some goals to work towards, and I love goals!

So, I guess you can tell at this point that I ended up buying it, right? Now, if you know anything about playing any sport, it’s that you need to write your name and/or jersey number on your things, or someone could get it mixed up with their own, or a stranger could just take it if you leave it at the gym/field at the end of the night. I don’t want that happening!

Over the last year of playing, I noticed that people were doing something different with this volleyball. They weren’t just writing their last name on the ball — they were actually designing them! I have seen all kinds of cool designs on these volleyballs. I felt inspired to design my own! And what do I (sometimes) do when I’m inspired? I do a giveaway!

That’s right, y’all! It’s time for another Flecks of Lex giveaway!

I want to see the most fun and creative volleyball designs for the new Molten FLISTATEC volleyball! Please email , tweet, tag me on Instagram, and post pictures of your volleyball on the Flecks of Lex Facebook page! I’m going to extend the deadline to submit your photo to April 30. The photo that gets the most likes and the Flecks of Lex stamp of approval wins! The winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Rules: You must have a close up picture of the volleyball, and you must have a picture of yourself with the volleyball. (They can be the same picture, or two separate pictures.) I don’t want you claiming someone else’s work as your own! Feel free to write up a little caption explaining your design and what you used to decorate your volleyball. Encourage your friends to like your photo on all social media channels! Good luck!