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

Click here for USA Beach Junior Tour – Mountain Open – Vail, CO (pdf required)

Here are some pictures for the USA Beach Junior Tour – Mountain Open in vail, CO.

Top three places in each age group have qualified to play in the USA Beach Junior Tour Championship in Huntington Beach, CA on Sunday, August 16. Winners should register now @ www.USABeach.org

The winners of the girls’ under-16 division of the 2008 USA Beach Junior Open Championships show off their medals.

B.J. Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: bj.evans@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 13, 2009) - USA Volleyball announced today the schedule for its 2009 USA Beach Junior Tour, sponsored by Spalding.

New stops for 2009 include Gulfport, Miss.; Galveston and Dallas, Texas, and Seaside, Ore.

The tour for boys’ and girls’ beach volleyball teams (no co-ed teams) ages 10-20 will include 14 stops in 12 different states in 2009. There will be an Open Championship on July 25 in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and a Tour Championship on Aug. 16 in Huntington Beach, Calif. More than 800 teams competed in the 2008 Beach Junior Tour.

“The Beach Junior Tour is a great way to get started in competitive beach volleyball,” USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal said. “The juniors who participate in the series this year could very well be our future Olympians.”

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 sanctioned by USA Volleyball and produced and operated by the Elevation Group of Companies.

For more information and to register, go to http://usavolleyball.org/event/event/1346.

2009 Tour Schedule

DATE NAME LOCATION
May 2: Delta Open (Gulfport, Miss.)
May 9: Texas Open (Galveston, Texas)
June 6: Great Lakes Open (Muskegon, Mich.)
June 7: Mid-South Open (Dallas, Texas)
June 13: Western Open (Seattle, Wash.)
June 20: Mountain Open (Vail, Colo.)
June 21: Southern Open (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
July 12: Gulf Coast Open (Siesta Key, Fla.)
July 25: Central Open (Milwaukee, Wis.)
July 25: USA Beach Junior Open Championships (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Aug. 1: North Coast Open (Chicago, Ill.)
Aug. 2: East Coast Open (Rochester, N.Y.)
Aug. 8-9: Pacific Open (Seaside, Ore.)
Aug. 16: USA Beach Junior Tour Championship (Huntington Beach, Calif.)