Starting in May with the U.S. Border Open in Brownsville, Texas – the inaugural event for a new facility – the tour for boys’ and girls’ beach volleyball teams (no co-ed teams) ages 10-20 will travel the country over 12 weekends, culminating with the USA Beach Junior Tour Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Eighteen different USA Volleyball regions are participating in this year’s Tour. Besides the U.S. Border Open, the other new events for 2010 are the Ohio Valley Open (Mason, Ohio), the Hawkeye Open (Des Moines, Iowa) and the Keystone Open (Norristown, Pa.).

“We are really excited to bring the USA Volleyball Beach Junior Tour to so many new parts of the country,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball’s director of beach programs. “The Beach Junior Tour is a great way for kids to try beach volleyball, or improve on their existing skills.”

“We are glad to be able to expand the number of tour qualifying events in 2010 and look forward to awarding championship bid invitations – that include free entry fees – to the top three placing teams in each age division for the Open Championships in Ft. Lauderdale,” said Rick Schanz, the tour director from the Elevation Group. Schanz added, “Championship bids will be extended to the top three teams in each age division with alternate bids offered through sixth place, so we should have good representation from across the country at our finale in Fort Lauderdale.”

The 2009 Tour had 13 events in 11 regions with 2,224 participants. An average of 85 teams competed per event, a 49 percent increase in average participation from previous years.

The USA Beach Junior Tour focuses on competition and fun in a healthy environment. Players officiate their own matches and the events foster a friendly environment amongst competitors.

The tour is sponsored by Spalding King of the Beach volleyballs, sanctioned by USA Volleyball and produced and operated by the Elevation Group of Companies.

Event registration will be open on March 15 and posted at www.usabeach.org.

2010 Events Schedule can be viewed on the USABeach.or Events Page

“The opportunity to play sand volleyball in the spring will spur growth in the sport. I wish I had that opportunity when I was at Stanford,” said 2008 Olympic Beach Gold Medalist, Kerri Walsh.  “Additionally, this development will give more women an opportunity for a professional volleyball career in the United States.”

Capitalizing on the recent success of USA Volleyball’s beach teams in the Olympics and the growth in grassroots programs, the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics made the recommendation to add the sport to the emerging sports list last summer.

“The United States has a proud and successful history in sand volleyball, having won at least one gold medal in every Summer Games since the discipline was added to the Olympic program in 1996,” said USAV CEO Doug Beal. “This move by the NCAA is wonderful, particularly in light of the increased varsity athletic opportunities for young women at the collegiate level and the synergy with already existing USA Volleyball programs.”

“The addition of sand volleyball as an NCAA sport will help us grow the discipline and increase its visibility around the country,” said Ali Wood Lamberson, USA Volleyball’s Director of Beach Programs. “Along with USA Volleyball’s already existing Beach High Performance and Development Programs and the USA Beach Junior Tour, NCAA sand volleyball opportunities will start young athletes looking at beach as an option much earlier in their careers.  This will help the United States sustain our level of competitive excellence.  Further, USAV is poised to support NCAA sand volleyball with various programs including coach and official education programs.”

The NCAA will call the new sport “sand” volleyball, rather than “beach” volleyball, in hopes that the sport will have broad appeal across the country and not be confined to coastal areas.  Already schools including The University of Texas, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Utah are competing in collegiate competitions in the spring.

“The addition of sand volleyball to the list of collegiate options is significant for our sport,” said Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. “With more than 400,000 girls playing high school volleyball, we welcome the addition of collegiate roster spots.”

The group most responsible for spreading the popularity of the sport beyond the California coast is the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) which hosts a series of competitions on man-made courts at in-land locations like Cincinnati, Ohio, Atlanta, Ga., and Las Vegas, Nev.  The AVP also sponsors a series of indoor sand competitions in January and February called “Hot Winter Nights” in cold-weather cities like Omaha, Ne. and Grand Rapids, Mich.

“We are thrilled that the NCAA has voted to make sand volleyball a collegiate sport,” said Jason Hodell, CEO of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. “The vote confirms the momentum behind the sport of beach volleyball, and we are excited to help grow our sport on the college level and create new beach volleyball stars around the country.”

The NCAA will spend the next year developing the rules that will govern sand volleyball as a collegiate sport, including regulations on financial aid, playing dates and recruiting.  Institutions will be able to sponsor varsity programs starting in the 2010-2011 academic year.

2009 USAV Beach PROGRAMS

Beach High Performance Tryouts

Open to athletes ages 14-25 (age definitions below.)  Selected athletes will comprise the Youth (U-19), Junior (U-21), and Senior A2 (U-26) Beach National Teams representing the United States in international competitions and beach high performance camps.  Beach volleyball experience is a plus but not required. All athletes will receive a written evaluation to be mailed after the camp.

Please note that international beach age classifications differ from USA Volleyball junior club age definitions and also from grade classifications of U.S. school systems.

A2 or U-26: Born between 1984-1988

Junior or U21: Born in 1989 and 1990

Youth or U19: Born in 1991 and after

Beach High Performance Tryout Dates and Information

* see USAV Website for MI and FL tryout schedule details.

Participants:  US citizens, ages 14-25 years

Cost:  $65

Register by 5 pm the Wednesday before each event.  Click here to register for USAV camps and tryouts!

For more information go to: USAV Beach

Beach Development Camps

USAV Beach Development Camps, three day grassroots camps for boys and girls ages 12-18, are designed to teach all levels of beach volleyball athletes. Camps will be led by USAV Beach Department staff and select athletes and coaches from the AVP and FIVB tours.

With an 8:1 camper to coach ratio, emphasis will be placed on individual and small group instruction including skill development, technique, beach strategy, combating the elements, fun, and competition.  The final day will include a half day tournament with prizes awarded.  Each camper will receive a written evaluation and will be added to the USAV Beach athlete pipeline database.  Space is limited so sign up early! Cost: $250

June 12-14                 Orlando, FL                9:30 am – 4:30 pm

July 22-24                  Long Beach, CA         9:30 am – 4:30 pm

July 29-31                  Holland, MI                9:30 am – 4:30 pm

Participants:  All levels ages 12-18

Cost:  $250

Register by 5 pm the Wednesday before each event.  Click here to register for USAV camps and tryouts!

For more information go to: USAV Beach

High Performance Holiday Camp

The Beach High Performance Holiday Camp for invited elite level athletes who excel at the Beach High Performance Tryouts will be held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA December 28 – 30.  Ages 14-20. Details to be confirmed.  For more information contact: danalee.corso@usav.org.

USAV Beach Coaches Clinics

USAV will be hosting a five-hour Beach Coaches Clinic the day before select USAV Beach Camps and Tryouts.  Coaches will learn the technical and strategic differences between the beach and indoor disciplines, and how to design a beach practice for different group sizes.   Clinic is open to all levels, and participants should be prepared to partake in on court drills.  Tentative times are 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  Cost:  $50.  Coaches interested in volunteering at the camp or tryout the next day may be eligible to attend the Coaches’ Clinic free of charge.  Contact ali.wood@usav.org for details.

• May 14, Siesta Key, FL
• May 22, Long Beach, CA
• May 29, Muskegon, MI
• July 7, Orlando, FL TBC
• July 21, Long Beach, CA TBC
• July 28, Holland, Michigan TBC

Register by 5 pm the Wednesday before each event.  Click here to register for USAV Beach Coaches’ Clinics

For more information go to: USAV Beach

Other Programs

• International Development Qualifiers: Open events to qualify for select FIVB and NORCECA events, all ages. March 14-15 and June 27-28, Long Beach, CA To register, go to IDQ Registration

• USAV Collegiate Challenge: One-day tournament for women’s collegiate beach teams, April 4, Long Beach, CA.  For more information go to USAV Beach or contact Danalee Corso Danalee.corso@usav.org

Contact USAV Beach Programs: 222 N. Sepulveda, Suite 2000 El Segundo, CA 90245 Ph (310) 364-5214 Fax: (310) 364-5213.  Beach Programs Admin Asst: Stephen Caselli Stephen.caselli@usav.org Head Coach of Beach Jr. National Team: Danalee Bragado-Corso Danalee.corso@usav.org USAV Director of Beach Programs: Ali Wood Lamberson Ali.wood@usav.org