Adding Sand Volleyball to North Carolina High Schools

(Triangle area Focused Proposal)

Proposed by The Carolina Region of USA Volleyball

USA Volleyball (USAV) – National Governing Body of the sport of volleyball (both indoor and beach) in the United States

Carolina Region/USAV - 1 out of 40 Regions in the United States affiliated with USA Volleyball

Who is USA Volleyball and Who is the Carolina Region

USAV?

501(c)(3) non-profit Dedicated to developing and improving

the sport of volleyball throughout the state of North Carolina from grassroots programs to elite by utilizing: Coaching Education Player clinics Facility improvements/development Quality tournaments Information services.

The Carolina Region’s Mission

2000+ adult members (players, officials, coaches)

5400+ junior members (players – mostly girls but some boys too)

7+ indoor tournaments for both adult and junior players

5+ coaching education opportunities Official training opportunities Sand volleyball for adults and juniors

Annually, the Carolina Region offers the following:

• 800 million participants world wide• 29 million in United States• Includes indoor, sand, grass, sitting, deaf, etc.• 217 nations member of FIVB• 2nd most popular team sport (indoor volleyball)

in United States high schools after basketball

The Popularity of Volleyball

• 2 person vs. 2 person form of volleyball played on sand (or grass)• Traditionally called Beach or Doubles Volleyball

• Added as an Olympic Sport in 1996• Most represented sport in world internationally• Sand players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri

Walsh are most recognizable figures in U.S. volleyball

• Several organizations offering professional tournaments around world• International: FIVB • US: AVP, USAV/IMG, NVL

Growing Popularity of Sand Volleyball

• 2006 – vh1vball – Triangle area outdoor organization starts hosting jr beach tournaments (~16-20 teams/event)

• 2007 – vh1vball forms a Spring junior “beach club” with practices/league matches• Hugely popular and fills up within a few days of registration

opening each Spring• 2011 - Carolina Region USA Volleyball forms a Junior Beach

Tour • Serves as umbrella tour with events hosted by several

different organizations across the state• Triangle area – vh1vball, Blue Sky Volleyball• Charlotte area – Sportslink• Western NC – Bearfoot Juniors• Wilmington – Capt’n Bills

• 2012 – Tour Highlights 15 events in 2012. 2nd Annual Carolina Open (USA Beach National Junior

Tour event) with 103 junior teams competing; one of the largest on the entire tour

Triangle area tournaments by vh1vball averaged 90+ teams!

“Beach” Volleyball in North Carolina?

• Collegiate scholarship opportunities• Title IX considerations• Low cost start up• Lots of player development advantages• Other states getting programs started in

high schools (Arizona and Southern California had high-school focused leagues in spring 2012)

Why Sand Volleyball? Why Now?

Jan 2010 - NCAA approves Sand Volleyball as an emerging sport with scholarship opportunities

Sport has 10 years to establish 40 programs before becoming an official NCAA Championship sport

Spring 2012 - inaugural season 16 schools including College of Charleston

and several others in Southeast and West Coast

Projections suggest the number of schools participating will easily meet the 40 program minimum by 2014 season.

Collegiate Scholarship Opportunities

The addition of one High School team could mean at least a dozen or more females participating in athletics

Title IX Considerations

Practice facilities Near term: Local parks (free or discounted rental rates) Longer term: New facilities on school campuses

Low cost uniforms (shorts and t-shirts) Can be a self-officiated sport much like

Tennis Will be run as a “club” activity until

enough schools are participating so to officially add to the NCHSAA athletics program

Low Cost Start Up

More contacts per player (2 players instead of 6 on court) Allows players to very quickly pick-up Improves all skills involved with volleyball

Great for general athletic conditioning (cross-training for other sports)

Don’t need to be the tallest or fastest, just consistent and smart

Great outdoor sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime

“If you want to become a better volleyball player, coach and play sand doubles.” ---John Kessel - USAV

Player Development Advantages

• Rules? NCAA Sand Rulebook (adapted from USA Beach rules)

• When? Spring (mid March to mid May)• What?• Practices• Late afternoon (3-5PMish) however many days per week as

school desires (recommend at least 2-3 times)• Tournaments • multi-school invitationals or head-to-head meets• One school serves as host, responsible for preparing site/running

event• Where?• Green Road Park (Red Division) – 4201 Green Rd, Raleigh - 6 courts • <=5 miles: Ravenscroft, Millbrook, Wakefield, Sanderson,

Leesville• Jaycee Park (Blue Division) – 2405 Wade Ave, Raleigh - 6 lighted courts

(nets must be slackened and tied down for proper junior height play)• <= 5 miles: Broughton, Cardinal Gibbons, Cary High, Cary

Academy, Athens Drive

Proposed Specifics for 2013

• With increased participation and facilities on school campuses we can switch to fielding already existing school conference divisions

• Map Legend:• Yellow Flags – Sport Facilities• Blue Flag – Blue Division Schools• Red Flags – Red Division Schools

Proposed Blue and Red Divisions

• How? Follow the Tennis Model (partially)• Minimums:• 6 female players• Seed teams 1-3 which plays the comparably

seeded team for an opposing school• Flexibility for More Players:• Boys: Minimum of 4 players to field 2 teams to

add to the required 3• Girls: Either 4 or 8 more players to field a total of

5 teams (if 2 boys teams also contesting) or 7 teams (if no boys teams)

Proposed Specifics for 2013

• How? Continued…• Schools play either 3, 5, or 7 matches

depending on how many teams each school can field. Extra teams from a school can play exhibition matches against other school teams after required minimum matches played.

• Match format:• 2 games to 21, 3rd to 15 if necessary

• Matches can be played as follows based on number of teams fielded and number of courts available• 3 teams – all 3 matches at once • 5 teams – 3 matches, then 2 matches• 7 teams – 4 matches, then 3 matches

• Each match counts as a point• Team with majority points based on number of

teams playing WINS

Proposed Specifics for 2013

• Playoffs/Championships• Host: vh1vball - 6+ years of running large junior

beach volleyball tournaments• Location: Green Road Park, Raleigh• Date: May 11, 2013• Top 4 Schools Invited• seeding based on regular season records

• Teams within each flight (1-3 or 1-5 or 1-7) will be seeded in a double elimination style playoff

• Points awarded based on finish for each school’s team at each flight• 1st – 4 3rd – 2• 2nd – 3 4th - 1

• Winning team from each flight with get an award

• School with most points wins a team trophy

Proposed Specifics for 2013

Transportation costs to tournaments Uniforms Coaching salary

Costs to the High Schools

Sand Volleyballs Coaching Education opportunities Hosting services for Championships

event

Items provided to the High Schools

by the Carolina Region

Mark Nalevanko – mark@vh1vball.comCarolina Region Beach Program&Kevin WendelboeCommissionerCarolina Region of USA Volleyball

Thank You for Your ConsiderationQuestions???

www.carolinaregionvb.org