Beach Volleyball History Benefits Transitioning from Indoor Volleyball National/Regional events Q/A

1. Beach Volleyball • History • Benefits • Transitioning from Indoor Volleyball • National/Regional events • Q/A • Presented by: • Mark Nalevanko – vh1vball Junior Beach Director – mark@vh1vball.com • Kevin Wendelboe – Carolina Region/USAV President - crvb@bellsouth.net

2. History • 1920s – First played on the beaches of Santa Monica, California • Players got tired of waiting on enough people to show up to play games so they adapted to playing a 2 person version of volleyball • 1947 - First official two-man tournament held on Will Rogers State Beach in California • 1960 – First time the Manhattan Beach Open is held. Longest running beach volleyball tournament to this day.

3. History (Part 2) • 1983 - First official players organization formed – Association of Volleyball Players (AVP) – hosting events across the country for next 25+ years • Early 1990s – FIVB forms international pro beach tour • 1996 – Sport makes debut in Olympics. • 2011 – USAV and National Volleyball League (NVL) begin hosting pro beach events as AVP restructures

4. History (Part 3) Sport Expands to Juniors… • 1994 – AAU hosts a junior beach volleyball tournament in California kicking off formation of AAU Beach program • 2001 – First FIVB World Junior Beach Volleyball Championships • 2005 – USA Beach Junior Tour inaugural season • 2006 – vh1vball – outdoor volleyball organization based in Raleigh holds junior beach tournaments for the first time • 2011 – Carolina Region/USAV starts a junior beach volleyball tour • 2011 - Carolina Open stop added to the USA Beach Junior Tour

5. Transition from Indoor Volleyball • First – Why play sand volleyball? • Quickly develop/improve all volleyball skills from being involved in EVERY play. • Beach game is suited for players that don’t want to be specialists • You don’t have to be tall to be successful (Example: Holly McPeak, one of the all-time greats was only 5’ 6” tall) • Improved conditioning from running in the sand • Improved quickness from covering more court area • Improved vertical from jumping in the sand • Kinder on the body – sand is a low impact surface conducive to repeatedly jumping/diving • Sport being added to NCAA program starting in 2012

6. Transition from Indoor Volleyball • First – Why play? • IT’S FUN PLAYING OUTSIDE!!!

7. Transition from Indoor Volleyball • Second – What’s the same? • Same principle skills of volleyball (serving, passing, setting, hitting) all apply to beach volleyball with ball control being crucial • Same rules (mostly) • Net Heights • Same September 1 age cutoffs used for junior divisions (based in 2 year increments instead of every year currently) • 18U, 16U, 14U, 12U Girls and Boys

8. Transition from Indoor Volleyball • Third – What’s different? • 2 players – No player rotation necessary, just Left Side/Right Side positions • Shorter/Simplified court • About 3 feet shorter and 1.5 feet narrower on each side • No front/back zones or center line under net

9. Transition from Indoor Volleyball • Primary differences? • Dealing with outside elements (sand, sun, wind, rain) • Rules • Tournament matches consist of best 2 out of 3. First 2 games to 21. Third game to 15 • Switch sides on multiples of 7 (games to 21) or 5 (games to 15) • Block counts as a contact • No open hand dinks/tips at the net • Sets over the net must be made directly forward or backward of where the player is facing (no shoots to the side allowed) • No re-dos on the serve toss • Hand setting generally tighter (players discouraged to attempt overhead sets on serve-receive) • Net violations tighter too (can’t touch the net while making any play on the ball)

10. National/Regional Events 2012 • USA Beach Junior Tour • Website: www.usabeach.org • Schedule just released including a North Carolina event • Registration to open up around March 15th • Carolina Open – Raleigh/Cary – May 19-20, 2012 • Largest junior beach volleyball tournament in NC (close to 90 teams last year) • May 19 - Girls 18U, 16U Boys 18U • May 20 - Girls 14U, 12U Boys 14U • Top 3 finishers in each division receive: • FREE ENTRY to National Championships in Milwaukee, WI – July 28/29 • Chance to win a travel stipend valued at up to $500 (2 available)

11. National/Regional Events 2012 • Carolina Region Junior Beach Volleyball Tour • Website: www.carolinaregionvb.org/jrbeach • Over a dozen events planned (twice as many as last year) • More Sites • Raleigh/Cary • Charlotte • Wilmington • Claremont (between Statesville and Hickory) • Wilson (about 30 minutes east of Raleigh) • Emerald Isle – Tour Championships • Points awarded to players based on finishes with top-earners winning season-ending awards at tour championships post-tournament banquet • Cost usually between $10-20 per person

12. NCAA Sand Volleyball • Collegiate Sand Volleyball Makes Debut in Spring 2012 as Emerging Sport • Website: www.collegesand.org/ • 15 schools already • College of Charleston • Florida State • University of Alabama-Birmingham • University of Southern California • And others including several more in Southeast • 10 years to get at least 40 schools sponsoring the sport to make it an official championship NCAA sport • Dual format play (similar to tennis) with best of 5 matches played between teams • Inaugural championships in Gulf Shores, AL (April 27-29)

13. More Resources (National) • USA Beach Volleyball • Website: http://usavolleyball.org/volleyball-disciplines/beach-volleyball • Holds HP Beach camps (tryouts for national teams) across country (closest in AL, FL) • USA Beach Junior Tour • Website: www.usabeach.org • AAU Beach • Website : www.aaubeach.org

14. More Resources (North Carolina) • Carolina Region Jr Beach Tour • Website: www.carolinaregionvb.org/jrbeach • Facebook: www.facebook.com/vh1vballjrs • vh1vball Juniors (Raleigh) • Website: www.vh1vball.com/juniors.asp • Maintains the region’s facebook site plus a biweekly e-Newsletter dedicated to junior beach volleyball • Blue Sky Volleyball (Cary) • Website: www.blueskyvolleyball.com • Hosts both adult and junior beach volleyball events • SportsLink (Charlotte) • Website: www.sportslinkus.com • Runs sports leagues of all kinds including adult and junior sand volleyball

15. Frequently Asked Questions • What are the requirements/fees to sign-up for a tournament? • All events on Carolina Region Jr Beach Tour require USAV membership • USAV memberships from club team participation are good throughout summer • 1 event ($5) or summer membership ($15) forms available at check-in if needed • Cost of registration per event will vary from $10-20 per person typically. Carolina Open is around $30 per person. • Where do I sign-up for an event? • Most events will have a direct link from the Carolina Region Jr Beach Tour page (www.carolinaregionvb.org/jrbeach) to the host’s tournament site page. • If Carolina Region is hosting the event, then registration will be available directly on the aforementioned webpage

16. Frequently Asked Questions • How do I find a teammate for an event? • Ask your indoor club teammates, school teammates, friends • Send an email to the tournament host about whether anyone else is looking for a teammate • How to I get more formally introduced to the sport (coaching/training)? • There are Carolina Region sanctioned training sessions in Triangle area (Other areas may offer more opportunities soon) • March 24 • April 7, 21 - FULL • May 5, 12 - FULL • Some people hold private instructions. Email Mark at mark@vh1vball.com to help get in touch with someone.

17. Frequently Asked Questions • How are tournaments typically structured? • Teams are put into pools of 4-5 teams and play each team in their pool in round-robin fashion • Top 2 teams (4 team pools) or Top 3 teams (5 team pools) advance to a single-elimination playoff • If space/time permits, tournament director may offer a ‘Consolation’ playoff bracket for lower-placed teams after round-robin competition ends • Finalists in each division receive awards (medals/trophies)

18. Others Questions??? Thanks for your support!