Mission Statement
To promote volleyball education and growth of USA Junior Volleyball throughout Central Virginia.
To provide the highest possible level of volleyball coaching for every participant.
To expose each participant to the highest possible level of volleyball competition.
Introduction
Welcome to the Junior Volleyball Season. If you are new to HOV Juniors or to USA Junior Volleyball, this handbook will answer some of the questions you may have.
USA Junior Volleyball
When you join a HOV Juniors team, you will be asked to fill out a form which registers you with the Old Dominion Region of USA volleyball. USA Volleyball is the national governing body for volleyball events in this country, and is administered by 38 Regions. Our local region, which includes most of Virginia is the Old Dominion Region.
USA Volleyball membership benefits include a one-year subscription of Volleyball USA (a quarterly publication), secondary sports accident coverage when you play in sanctioned events, and a USA Volleyball logo decal.
Over 99,000 athletes throughout the nation participate in USA Junior Volleyball with local organizations like HOV Juniors. The club helps sponsor competition in six age groups: 18-and-under, 17-and-under, 16-and-under, 15-and-under, 14-and-under, and 13-and-under. A Developmental program is offered for U10 and U12 age groups and for those players not selected for travel teams in the U13 through U18 age groups.
Registration
Registration with USA Junior Volleyball is a simple process. You will need to fill out several forms: A Player/Parent Information/"Contract" form; a Medical History/Release form; the USAV Registration form; and an HOV Juniors player profile form.
We apologize for the duplication of information on these forms, but each one must be distributed to a different person. Please complete all forms in full, and if you have any questions please contact the Central Virginia Volleyball Secretary/Administrator at (434) 941-6158 or send e-mail to CVV.
On the first form is an Athlete and Parent "Contract," which details the basics of what HOV Juniors expects from both players and parents. For reference, the contract is printed, in part, on the next page.
All forms must be completed and returned before the athlete may begin practicing or playing in tournaments.
Athletic Contract
My main goal is to become the best player I can be. Only I am responsible for my own actions. I am fully committed to HOV Juniors and therefore will:
Conduct myself in a manner to bring credit and prestige to myself and the program.
Budget my time to meet all the responsibilities of work, learning and other personal areas.
Attend every possible practice, match and team function. If I am unable to attend, I personally notify my coach.
Be ready for practice on "Lombardi time" (15 minutes early).
Pursue mental and physical conditioning outside of practice.
Communicate, both on and off the court, with my teammates and coaches for mutual understanding.
Discipline my body, including adequate sleep, a healthy diet, and ABSTAIN from alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
Recognize the unique aspects of volleyball, yet learn from my mistakes and never make excuses or lay blame.
Accept all coaching comments and assignments only as ways in which the team and myself might improve.
Ignore the errors of my teammates, as I believe no one is trying to make a mistake.
Supportthe full effort and good skills my teammates exhibit.
Perform with full effort and intensity to the best of my ability in all training and competitions.
Concentrate, never cause distractions, or worry about worrying.
Clean our tournament area and practice facility of all trash. Leave the area as I found it, if not better.
Realize that a team is made up of individuals and everyone cannot start. Accept my role on the team and what it takes to do the best.
Parent Contract
I have given permission for my child to participate in HOV Juniors. We have discussed the risks, commitments and sacrifices involved and are committed to the success of the program. I understand and accept the financial obligations of participating, with the following in mind:
Team selections are made by the Director of Coaches and Player Development and a group of coaches; I trust their judgment and will be supportive of my child and the team.
The registration fee is not refundable if we choose not to participate, regardless of the reason. This fee will be refunded only if my child is not placed on any team, regardless of the level for which he/she registered.
There are different levels of competition and the fees for the levels vary.
Team fee for HOV travel teams for 2007-2008 is $495. Payment is due 10 days after receipt of acceptance letter.
Included in these fees are: uniforms (excluding bags and warm ups), practice facilities/equipment, coaches education/travel/salaries, USA Volleyball membership, tournament entry fees, and program administration.
HOV-1 teams will compete in up to five ODR USA region tournaments plus the Shamrock festival. HOV-2 teams will compete in up to two ODR tournaments plus the Shamrock Festival. Developmental program teams may compete in one ODR tournament.
Parents are responsible for making their own travel arrangements.
Players will have the opportunity to raise money to offset their individual expenses.
Payments may be made by cash or check to Central Virginia Volleyball--HOV Juniors.
Players will immediately become ineligible to participate if any payment is not received on time and will remain so until the account is current.
Team Selections
Teams are selected by the Director of Coaches and Player Development and a panel of coaches, who review all available physical testing data, skills test results, and observe the quality of play during tryouts. Selections are made from the oldest to the youngest age groups.
HOV Juniors Administration
HOV Juniors is administered by Central Virginia Volleyball, Incorporated, Board of Directors. The HOV Juniors Director is a CVV Board member and is assisted by the Director of Coaches and Player Development.
Coaches at Central Virginia Volleyball-HOV Juniors receive a small stipend for their efforts. HOV requires all of its coaches to be at least IMPACT certified, and actively promotes coaches' education through the Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP), sponsored and administered by USA Volleyball. CAP is instructed by some of the top coaches in the country, including National Team and College/University coaches, both current and former, as well as FIVB (the international volleyball association) instructors.
Player and Parent Obligations (Misc.)
As a player, you should be committed to attend regular practices and tournaments. Every player is expected to adhere to the USA Volleyball Participant Code of Conduct and in addition should exhibit good sportsmanship and support their teammates.
Players must also attend a referee or scoring clinic, since each team is required to provide officials during tournaments. Each team will need to send three players to each clinic. More information on these clinics will be distributed as soon as it is available.
Parents are expected to make certain their children arrive on time or, preferably, early to practices and tournaments. On tournament days, players should arrive at least 1 hour before the first match played or at least 30 minutes before first match worked and should be at the court stretching at least 45 minutes prior to a match. About 30 minutes before game time, the team should be warming up indoors wherever possible, and with a volleyball if space and tournament rules permit. When using a team volleyball, make sure the coach knows it has been removed from the team ball bag, and do not use it outdoors. Balls are numbered by team and are very easy to lose among the hundreds which are at the tournament sites. During the day, each team should stay together and must advise its coach if players leave the site to obtain food. Be aware of the match schedules and when your team plays, referees, or rests. The schedule is available at the tournament site. Sometimes, after the last match of pool play, a team which has not qualified for playoffs at a tournament may need to stay and referee one match. This is usually decided by the locations of the participating clubs. Before leaving for home, each team will properly dispose of its own trash.
Parents should also be available at least once to provide transportation to and from tournaments. In addition, if you attend a practice, be ready to assist the coach as needed, whether you toss balls or help in other ways. Parents must also display good sportsmanship at tournaments. For weekend-long tournaments several parents will be required to act as chaperones. In the case of girls teams, female chaperones are normally required.
Good communication between coaches and players or parents is vital. If you cannot attend a practice, you need to inform your coach as early as possible. Please make certain that coaches know ahead of time with a written note if possible. During the season, if you are concerned with playing time, please talk with the coach after practice and please remain calm. If you will not be participating in a tournament, you should give adequate notice so that a substitute may be found (a general guideline is three weeks).
One other note: players are not allowed to wear watches or jewelry during tournaments, and will not be allowed to wear them during practice. Further, the club strongly recommends that every player wear knee pads during practice and tournaments.
Scheduling Changes
In the event of bad weather, a decision whether to cancel a practice will be made by HOV and/or the team coach(s). Tournament cancellations or postponements will be announced as early as possible, but this depends on the conditions and tournament directors. If roads are hazardous in your area, please carefully consider whether to attend practice. If you decide to go, please allow extra time and drive carefully on the way. Call your coach or Central Virginia Volleyball, Inc. if you are uncertain as to whether there is a change.
Traveling to and from Tournaments
Each team will have a specific meeting place for each tournament. The same location will serve for the departure and arrival point. It is important to note that since many tournaments begin at 9 A.M. and require two to three hour drives, in some instances teams will leave before 6 A.M.
Teams should stay together while traveling. Please do not exceed the speed limit, especially in the rain or snow. Each player should leave and return in the same vehicle, and should phone home before returning if they are meeting someone at the return site. This is generally a good idea because departure times can vary by as much as three hours for teams in the same tournament, depending on the outcome of pool play and elimination matches.
It is critical to remember your uniforms, knee pads, court shoes, whistles (to referee) and lunch when preparing for a tournament. Many sites sell food, most often not nutritional, but occasionally no food is available. Bring a water bottle for use during matches, and label it with your name or some other identifying mark.
Tournament Procedures
Old Dominion Junior Volleyball Tournaments are held on weekends from January into May (typically every other weekend for all age groups), and are played using a round-robin pool play format. Each team will play at least three matches, and possibly more depending on the tournament. Some, but not all, tournaments use the pool play matches to determine seeding for playoff rounds, but the exact format varies both by tournament and age group. Most events begin around 9 A.M. and may finish as late as 9 P.M.
In many tournaments, the top two teams in each of four pools will advance to the playoff rounds. There may be a playoff, in the event of ties for first or second place in a pool, to determine which team advances to the playoffs. Teams that do not advance to the playoff rounds might still need to provide officials, depending upon the distance they must travel to the tournament. Those teams with the least distance traveled to the tournament site will generally officiate. Semifinals and finals are usually officiated by adult USA Volleyball Referees, at least one of whom will be present throughout a tournament in order to supervise youth officials during pool play.
Teams are typically grouped into pools of four or five teams. Each team plays every other team in its pool once. In a four-team pool, there will be three games per match, while five-team pools will have two games per match. Teams not scheduled to play supply officials (two referees, two scorers, and two line judges) or enjoy a rest period. The rest periods should be used for meals.
If your child is running a fever before the start of the tournament, they should not attend the tournament until their fever has broken and they are considered non-contagious. If your child becomes ill and feverish at a tournament they should be quarantined with their family.