An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads ?Sports Lab.?

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking through a gym entrance. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a yellow shirt and black shorts.

Nykeem says HEY EVERYONE, WELCOME
TO SPORTS LAB.
WHERE A HANDFUL OF SPORT
AND A HANDFUL OF SCIENCE,
EQUALS A FISTFUL OF FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads ?Sports Lab? open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads ?Sports Lab.?

(Music plays)

Nykeem walks into a gym and a caption reads ?Boys and Girls Club, Ottawa, Ontario.?

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM,
AND TODAY WE'RE AT THE BOYS
AND GIRLS CLUB OF OTTAWA.
HERE TO PLAY
A PROFESSIONAL
GAME OF HOT POTATO.
BUT IT'S NOT A SPUD
WE'RE KEEPING IN THE AIR.
IT'S A VOLLEYBALL.
(Music plays)
(Fanfare)
(APPLAUSE)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads ?Volleyball.?

Nykeem stands on the court with people playing volleyball in the background.

Nykeem says VOLLEYBALL IS ALL
ABOUT FUN WORDS,
LIKE 'SPIKE', 'DIG',
AND 'PANCAKE'.
IT'S YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATES
DOING YOUR VERY BEST
TO MAKE SURE THE BALL
DOESN'T MEET THE GROUND.
JUST ASK ONE OF OUR
RESIDENT SPORT SCIENTISTS.

Nykeem throws a volleyball and Dr. Heather catches it in the sports lab.

Dr. Heather says GOOD SET UP, NYKEEM.
VOLLEYBALL IS A GAME
AS RICH IN PHYSICS
AS IT IS IN FUN.
FOR EXAMPLE,
GRAVITY AFFECTS THE BALL
AND VELOCITY
AFFECTS THE PLAYERS.
WHEN YOU FOLLOW
THE BOUNCING BALL
YOU DISCOVER HOW THE UNIVERSE
PLAYS ITS OWN PART
IN THE BALL HITTING
THE NET OR HITTING IT'S MARK.

Back on the volleyball court, Nykeem says SO KEEP YOUR
FINGERTIPS READY
BECAUSE SPORTS LAB
IS BUMPING UP THE FUN
AND SPIKING ITS TERRITORY.

Now Megan appears on screen with a caption that reads ?Megan.?

Megan has long, straight blond hair pulled in a ponytail and wears a red shirt with a team name that reads ?Maverns.?

Megan says MY NAME'S MEGAN,
I'M 11 YEARS OLD
AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING
VOLLEYBALL FOR SEVEN YEARS.

Clips of Megan playing volleyball appear on screen.

Megan says THE REASON I'VE BEEN
PLAYING VOLLEYBALL
IS BECAUSE MY PARENTS LIKE IT,
MY BROTHER LIKES IT
AND MY DOG LIKES IT, TOO.

Nykeem walks up to Megan on the court.

Nykeem says HEY MEGAN.

Megan says HEY.

Nykeem says WELCOME TO
SPORTS LAB.
OKAY, SO HOW IMPORTANT
IS TEAM WORK?

Megan says IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE EVERYBODY
WORKS TOGETHER
AND THEY JUST DO THEIR
BEST AND ALWAYS HAVE FUN.

Nykeem says HMM, SO YOU PLAY FOR
THE MAVERICKS, YEAH?

Megan says YEAH.

Nykeem says OKAY, DO YOU GUYS
HAVE ANY TYPE OF CHANT?

Megan says YUP.

Nykeem says HOW DOES IT GO?

Megan says MAVS ON TWO,
ONE TWO, MAVS!

Nykeem says THAT WAS AWESOME.
ALL THIS EXCITEMENT
MAKES ME WANNA LEARN MORE
ABOUT VOLLEYBALL.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Megan says OF COURSE!

Nykeem says THEN ALLOW ME TO SET UP
THE STORY OF VOLLEYBALL.
(Fanfare)
(APPLAUSE)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads ?History of Volleyball.?

Nykeem says THE GAME OF VOLLEYBALL
CAN TRACE ITS HISTORY
BACK TO 1895,
IN HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.
WHERE A MAN NAMED
WILLIAM G. MORGAN,
A YMCA PHYS-ED DIRECTOR,
WANTED TO CREATE
A FUN SPORTS CLASS.
HE NAMED HIS NEW SPORT
MINTONETTE,
NOT VOLLEYBALL.
AFTER A MATCH,
SOMEONE IN THE CROWD NOTICED
THAT THERE WAS A LOT
OF VOLLEYING GOING ON
AND SUGGESTED CHANGING
THE NAME TO...

A deep voice says VOLLEYBALL!

Nykeem says WILLIAM MORGAN AGREED.
TODAY VOLLEYBALL IS PLAYED
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

Back on the court with Megan, Nykeem says OKAY, MEGAN,
YOU READY TO PLAY?

Megan says OF COURSE!

Nykeem says ALRIGHT,
LET'S DO IT.

Nykeem and Megan chant and say SPORTS LAB ON TWO.
ONE, TWO, SPORTS LAB!

Now Megan and Nykeem play on opposite teams with other kids on the volleyball court.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT, LET'S SEE
WHAT YOU'VE GOT MEGAN!

A coach wearing a gray sweatshirt says PERFECT!
WOO!
JUST FINGERTIPS ON THE BALL,
JUST FINGERTIPS NOW.
THAT'S IT.

Nykeem says LET'S SEE A SPIKE.
WOO!
UH, DIG.
HIGH FIVE?
WOO! GOOD JOB!
OH YEAH!

After the game, Nykeem and Megan sit on a bench next to the court.

Nykeem says WOW, MEGAN,
THAT WAS AWESOME.
BUT I THINK I
SHOULD'VE STRETCHED.
CAN YOU SHOW ME SOME?

Megan says YEAH LISTEN RIGHT HERE.
THIS ONE'S REALLY
GREAT FOR YOUR ARMS.

Nykeem holds his right arm with his left, stretches, and says OH YEAH, I REALLY
DO FEEL THAT.
THAT FEELS GOOD.
WITH ALL THAT RUNNING,
HOW DO YOU KEEP ENERGIZED?

Megan says WELL, I ALWAYS
KEEP MOVING
AND I LISTEN TO
MY PARENTS CHEER.

Nykeem says HOW DO YOUR
PARENTS CHEER?

Megan says THEY GO,
"GO MEGAN! GO MEGAN!
GO, GO, GO MEGAN!"

Nykeem says GO MEGAN! GO MEGAN!
GO, GO, GO MEGAN!
LIKE THAT?

Megan says YEAH.

Nykeem says THAT WAS GOOD?
OKAY, SO MEGAN,
WHAT DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT THE SCIENCE
OF VOLLEYBALL?

Megan says NOT MUCH, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO SERVES.
I LIKE THIS SERVE
CALLED THE FLOAT SERVE.
DO YOU KNOW
HOW IT WORKS?

Nykeem says NO, BUT THAT'S
AN AWESOME QUESTION.
LET'S PUT A CALL
INTO THE LAB.

Nykeem looks at his watch and says ARE YOU HEARING THIS, DOC?

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says THAT'S INTERESTING.
LIKE I SAID, THE UNIVERSE
HAS A BIG EFFECT
ON HOW THE BALL BEHAVES.
THERE ARE FORCES ACTING
ALL AROUND US ALL THE TIME.
I'LL NEED A FEW EXAMPLES
OF A FLOAT SERVE
SO I'M SENDING SOMEONE
WHO WILL BE AT YOUR SERVICE.
SWEET, ALRIGHT.
LET'S GO.
(Fanfare)

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads ?Pop Quiz.? The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says POP QUIZ TIME.
WHY IS A VOLLEYBALL NET
2.43 METERS TALL?
A - TO MAKE IT
MORE CHALLENGING.
B - TO CATCH THE OTHER TEAM.
OR C - FOR A BIG
GAME OF PING-PONG.

A skeleton with a red cap says THE ANSWER IS A.

Nykeem says THE NET USED TO BE LOWER,
BUT AS TIME PASSED,
THE AVERAGE HEIGHT
OF HUMANS INCREASED.
SO THE NET WAS RAISED.
HMM, I WONDER HOW HIGH
IT WILL BE IN 20 YEARS.
(Music plays)
(APPLAUSE)

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads ?Meet the Pro.?

Kira appears on screen with a caption that reads ?Kira.? Kira has long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and wears a black long-sleeved shirt.

Kira says MY NAME IS KIRA,
AND I'VE BEEN PLAYING
VOLLEYBALL FOR 12 YEARS.
I'M A SETTER,
AND IT MEANS I AM SETTING
THE BALL TO THE HITTER
SO THEY CAN SPIKE IT.
(CHEERING)
AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL,
YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME
PRACTICING AND PLAYING GAMES
AND TRAVELLING WITH YOUR TEAM.
I GET TO PLAY WITH SOME
OF MY BEST FRIENDS.

Nykeem and Megan walk up to Kira on the court and Nykeem says HEY KIRA.

Kira says HEY.

Nykeem says KIRA, THIS IS MEGAN.
MEGAN, THIS IS KIRA.

Kira says HEY MEGAN.
NICE TO MEET YOU.

Nykeem says MEGAN, DO YOU HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS FOR KIRA?

Megan says WHAT TEAM DID YOU
GROW UP PLAYING ON?

Kira says I PLAYED ON THE VANCOUVER
THUNDER VOLLEYBALL CLUB.

Megan says AWESOME.

Kira says OH YEAH.

Nykeem says THAT'S PRETTY COOL,
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY CHEERS?

Kira says YEAH,
IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.
IT GOES THUNDER ON TWO.
ONE, TWO, THUNDER!

Nykeem says OH, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE OURS.
LET'S TRY KIRA'S.

Megan says OKAY.

They all say THUNDER ON TWO.
ONE, TWO, THUNDER!

Nykeem says MEGAN, WHY DON'T YOU TELL
KIRA WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

Megan says WE WANT TO SEE
A FLOAT SERVE.

Kira says PERFECT, I CAN TOTALLY
HELP YOU WITH THAT.

Nykeem says WELL, LET'S TAKE A STEP BACK.
SO, TO FLOAT SERVE,

Kira says YOU WANT TO GET AS LITTLE
SPIN ON THE BALL AS POSSIBLE.
BY HITTING WITH
THE HEEL OF YOUR HAND.

Kira serves the ball.

Nykeem says YOU CAN NEVER REALLY TELL
WHERE IT'S GONNA GO.

Kira says IT'S ALL PART
OF THE FLOAT.

Nykeem says OKAY, CAN WE SEE
ONE WITH SPIN?

Kira says OF COURSE.
TO GET A SPIN ON THE BALL,
YOU WANNA TOSS IT
WITH A LITTLE SPIN
AND CURL YOUR HAND
WHEN YOU SERVE IT.

Kira serves the ball.

Nykeem says THAT WAS GOOD.
OKAY, WHAT'S UP, DOC?

Back in the sports lab, Dr. Heather says OKAY GUYS.
I'VE BEEN CHECKING OUT
WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SENDING MY WAY
BUT FIRST,
LET'S TALK ABOUT MOTION.
MOTION IS ANY
MOVEMENT OR CHANGE
IN AN OBJECTS
POSITION OVER TIME.
SO IF THIS APPLE MOVES
FROM HERE TO HERE,
IT'S BECAUSE OF MOTION.
ISAAC NEWTON,
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE
SCIENTISTS OF ALL TIME,
DEVELOPED THREE
LAWS OF MOTION.
THE FIRST ONE SAYS,
THAT AN OBJECT WILL
ALWAYS BE AT REST
OR ALWAYS BE IN MOTION,
UNLESS ACTED ON
BY AN UNBALANCED FORCE.
THAT MEANS, ONE FORCE
IS STRONGER THAN ANOTHER.
WHEN THE BALL IS SERVED,
IT'S IN MOTION.
GREAT.
TO COME BACK DOWN TO EARTH,
IT NEEDS AN UNBALANCED FORCE.
THAT'S WHERE
GRAVITY COMES IN.
GRAVITY IS STRONGER
THAN THE SERVE
SO IT'S AN UNBALANCED FORCE.
THE BALL COMES
BACK DOWN TO EARTH
INSTEAD OF FLOATING AWAY.
NOW, THE KEY TO
KIRA'S TRICKY SERVE,
IS THAT SHE HITS THE BALL
WITHOUT PUTTING SPIN ON IT.
THAT MEANS, THE BALL
DOESN'T TURN IN THE AIR.
SINCE THE BALL
ISN'T SPINNING,
THE AIR MOVING
AROUND THE BALL
HITS THE SEAMS OF THE BALL
AND BECOMES ROUGH
AND DISTURBED.
THAT'S CALLED TURBULENT AIR.
TURBULENT AIR
MAKES THE PATH OF THE BALL
UNPREDICTABLE.
A FLOAT SERVE
KEEPS YOU GUESSING.
BUT, AS TO WHY IT FLOATS,
GUESS NO MORE.

Back on the court, Nykeem says THANKS TO MOTION,
VOLLEYBALL KEEPS THE FUN
LEVELS CRANKED TO HIGH.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Kira says TOTALLY, I THINK
IT'S REALLY COOL.

Nykeem says AND YOU?

Megan says I THINK IT'S AWESOME.

Nykeem says MEGAN, YOU READY
TO SERVE?

Megan says YUP.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT,
WELL YOU'RE UP.
LET'S MOVE
BACK, KIRA.

Megan serves and says HERE COMES
A FLOAT SERVE.

Kira says NICE SERVE, MEGAN.

They all say SPORTS LAB ON TWO.
ONE TWO, SPORTS LAB!
(Fanfare)
(APPLAUSE)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads ?Fun Fact.?

Nykeem appears on screen alone on the court and says ONE OF THE MOST COMMON TOOLS
IN A VOLLEYBALL PLAYER'S KIT
IS JUMPING.
JUMPING CAN BE USED FOR
A TON OF DIFFERENT REASONS.
KANGAROOS JUMP AROUND
TO GET FROM PLACE TO PLACE,
WHILE FROGS JUMP
TO GET AWAY FROM PREDATORS.
IN VOLLEYBALL,
A GOOD SPIKE
ISN'T COMPLETE
WITHOUT A SOLID JUMP.
WOO!
IN FACT, DURING
A VOLLEYBALL GAME
A PLAYER JUMPS
AN AVERAGE OF 300 TIMES.
I WONDER WHAT
THAT FEELS LIKE.
NOW I CAN SEE WHY
THEY SPREAD IT OVER
A WHOLE MATCH.
EXCUSE ME WHILE I
GO SET THE RECORD
FOR SITTING.

Now Nykeem walks over to Megan on the court and Nykeem says MEGAN, I HAD A BLAST HANGING
OUT AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB,
LEARNING ABOUT MOTION
AND THE FLOAT SERVE.
BUT, WHERE DID
ALL THE KIDS GO?

Megan says I DON'T KNOW!

All the other kids from the court appear and say WE'RE RIGHT HERE!
(APPLAUSE)

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads ?Pro Tip.?

Kira appears on screen and says WHEN IT COMES TO VOLLEYBALL,
SPIKING'S FUN.
BUT THE FOUNDATION
OF THE SPORT IS BUMPING.
YOU'RE BUMPING THE BALL
TO PASS TO YOUR SETTER,
OR TO GET IT OVER THE NET.
HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT.
PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER,
AND YOU'RE HITTING RIGHT ON
YOUR PLATFORM, RIGHT HERE.
DON'T WORRY,
YOU'LL BE SPIKING IN NO TIME
IF YOU LEARN HOW TO BUMP.
MY NAME'S KIRA,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Nykeem walks on the court and says TODAY WE DISCOVERED
THE INS AND OUTS
OF A VOLLEYBALL IN MOTION.
AND FOUND OUT THAT FLOAT SERVE
CAN MAKE YOUR OPPONENT SINK.
BEST OF ALL,
WE KEPT THE BALL IN THE AIR
DUE TO THE POWER OF FUN,
FRIENDSHIP AND TEAMWORK.
NOW, I GOTTA GO,
BUT I'LL BE BACK.
IN THE SPORTS LAB
WE ALWAYS KNOW
THERE'S MORE PLACES TO GO.
SPORTS LAB!

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.