Sand Volleyball - What's Not to Love?

This past weekend Jenny Hahn, JVA Executive Director, and I traveled down to beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama for the 2013 AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships.  Neither of us had ever been to Gulf Shores and it was our first trip to the national championships.  It didn't take us long to realize what an awesome event it is, and something every volleyball fan, player and coach should witness.  

The atmosphere could not be more different from indoor.  Seating is wherever you find a spot - it is a free for all - no tickets, no assign seating.  Just pick a spot in the sand, bring your own beach chair and umbrella and enjoy some volleyball... in the sun.  Hopefully you do not run into some rainy weather, however, as there was some rain late afternoon on the first day of competition, Jenny and I simply made our way into the restaurant right across the street (less than 50 feet away) and grabbed a bite to eat while still being able to watch the main court.  Poor us!

Besides the fact that there are only 2 players on the court, the player/coach interaction is much different than indoor.  Coaches manage their time among the 5 teams they have competing so many times a team does not have their coach their and have to find a way to win.  Plus, during play, coaches are not supposed to get up and coach their team.  They can coach them during timeouts and during side changes while they walk along side the court to the other "bench" area.  It is really refreshing to watch players trust their teammate and communicate mostly with their teammate, rather than look over at the bench toward their coach.  Players need to learn how to face adversity, get a side-out and score points by relying on their teammate. 

As I mentioned, each college team had 5 pairs of teams competing against the other college team's 5 pairs. So 5 courts were simultaneously competing and the college team that won 3 out of the 5 matches was the overall winner.  This means that every match counts, regardless of what seed or ranking your individual pairs team is.  So when the score was 2-2, everyone made their way to the remaining court still in play and before you knew it, the court was surrounded by cheering fans.  It was awesome! 


We witnessed the development of volleyball maturity and volleyball IQ by watching the juniors sand tournament taking place during the collegiate championships.  Over 200 teams signed up to play in age divisions 12-18.  Parents sat along side the courts and looked surprisingly relaxed while their kids competed.  Parents... relaxed?  YES!  After all, you are outside, on a beach, ocean view, watching your child play a sport she loves.  There were no arguments about the score, a reffing call, the other team's coach; it was all about the enjoyment of the sport and the experience.    

The JVA is excited to grow and develop sand volleyball as the AVCA continues to promote and grow the sport at the collegiate level.  As indoor clubs look to expand and form a sand volleyball program, existing sand programs are growing, and many sand-only clubs are forming, we need to grow together and share information.  What are the best training methods out there?  How are club directors growing their sand program?  How do you find and train your sand coaches? 

This game is on the rise and spiking a fever. Sand volleyball... what's not to love?  
For more photos of the sand championships and JVA sand updates and education, follow the JVA on FaceBook.

By Briana Schunzel
JVA Marketing & Membership Coordinator

Junior Power Rankings Have Arrived! Now What?

No more guessing. No more what-ifs. No more complicated seedings or math. Finally, a comprehensive youth volleyball ranking system that’s definitive, easy to use and nationwide reach. Below is a summary of the rankings, however the full article from the April/May issue of AVCA's Coaching Volleyball is available here. Author Dave Patschke does a great job introducing the rankings and explaining the in and outs of this game changing tool for junior volleyball.

The AES Power Rankings attempt to do for junior volleyball what the Pablo algorithm has done for college volleyball and what the Google and Facebook algorithms have done in our everyday lives: take our interests, biases and VolleyTalk debates and, using only verified metrics, put order into the chaos caused by too much data. Truthfully, if you can gather all the data, club volleyball is an ideal environment for developing a national ranking system. First, there is a relatively high number of points scored in each match (compared to football
or soccer); second, there is a high number of competitions during a club season; and third, there is a large amount of cross-regional and cross-organizational play (USAV, AAU, JVA). These factors produce reams of data that, if captured in one place, can produce a very robust and accurate ranking system.

So is a ranking system good or bad for junior volleyball?  Most youth sports organizations have a ranking system that involves only the teams that compete in their organization. This produces a whole group of #1 teams and, at the end of the season, numerous “national champions.” Volleyball is doing this also. The junior’s year ends with three championships going on at the same time: USAV’s Junior Nationals, AAU’s Junior Nationals, and The Volleyball Festival. Each of these events has multiple divisions in every age group already and more divisions are on the horizon as the events get bigger. All of this is positive, as it provides for more opportunities for players to compete and end the season in winning fashion.

What makes junior volleyball different from youth other sports that use rankings? 1) There is considerable overlap of teams from USAV, AAU and JVA playing in different events during the season, and 2) AES already contracts with almost all the major tournaments, and, therefore, has much of the data needed to build a truly national ranking system. 

Are there limitations to the rankings? The biggest pitfall for any ranking methodology is incorrect or incomplete match information. The algorithms are only as good as the data that goes into the system. That is why much care has to be taken to make sure that only quality data goes into the ranking algorithms.  The ensemble of ranking algorithms used in the aggregated rankings are in the public domain but have been customized/tweaked to account for scoring behavior specifically identified within volleyball matches. Without boring the reader with too many algorithmic details, derivatives of the following ranking/statistical methods are used by the Power Rankings: Linear, Logistic and Quantile Regression; Principal Component Analysis; Markov Chains; Gradient Boosting Models; Link Analysis; and more.

With a national junior’s ranking, tournament directors can now have the best possible seeds in a matter of minutes rather than days. Teams playing in the tournaments can know that if they use the available tools or provide accurate results from previous tournaments, they will be seeded using objective methods. In the end, results speak for themselves and the Power Rankings will translate the results into a language everyone will understand.

View the AES Junior Power Rankings here and see where your team stands.

Read full article here.

You've Been PINK'ed!

The energy was out of this world as the JVA World Challenge held Dig Pink day and the second day of competition in Louisville.  The morning started off with a 79 court Harlem Shake among over 300 teams and let's just say we "ROX-ed" it AND made history!  Thank you for all the teams that participated and shared all your team videos.  

The best way to sum up today is by sharing the many photos and videos that were captured throughout the Expo Center and that were shared on the JVA Dig In App.

Team of the Day - AVA of Texas 13 Attack

Win TEAM of the DAY for Saturday by tweeting or uploading a video of your team spelling JVA in a creative way.  See this video for an example. Winning team gets Hard Rock Cafe Gift Cards and T-shirts!

We hope by the time your JVA World Challenge experience ends, you will have had the chance to participate in a t-shirt launch.

Championship Day is tomorrow and we will crown our division winners.  We have some nice hardware for teams to take home and plenty of t-shirts to give-away to teams who share their team photo on the JVA Dig In App or through the JVA FaceBook Page or Twitter.  

Live Webcasting of the Championships Matches on Sunday

Coaches Aid is bringing LIVE internet broadcasts of each age group/division championship game at this weekend’s championship matches.  Each live broadcast is only $5 and will include commentary and on-screen score.  In addition, DVDs of the broadcast games will be available in Coaches Aid DVD store on our website, coachesaid.com.

To watch the games, go to coachesaid.com, register free as a member, and select the game you wish to view on the schedule at the bottom of the home page.  You will be directed to purchase with your credit card through Google Checkout, a secure site, and then you will be watching LIVE volleyball from Indianapolis!

The broadcast schedule is as follows:

12:00 pm: 13 Open, 14 Club Division, 14 Open Division Championships

1:00 pm:  16 Open, 15 Open, 18 Open Division Championships

2:00 pm: 17 Open, 16 Club Division Championships

3:00 pm:  10/11/12, 15 Club, 13 Club Division Championships

4:00 pm: 18 Club, 17 Club Division Championships

View more photos from the JVA World Challenge here.

Hit the Ball Running!

We played, we reffed, we danced, we played some more.  And just when you least expected it, you saw a t-shirt launched 50 feet into the air from the JVA staff!  Keep your eyes open when you enter the main doors because we will be launching a couple hundred t-shirts to players, parents and spectators.  Overall, we've had an awesome start to the 2013 JVA World Challenge Presented by Rox Volleyball!  Let's dig in-to on some of the ways we hit the ball running on day one:

Housing Raffle Winners: Conference Direct held a raffle for families who booked rooms using our housing service and here are the 3 winners of a $25 Gift Certificate to the JVA World Challenge Product Store: Jennier Brady from K2 Volleyball 14-2, Gerald Moore from Legacy VBC and Kay Gautreaux from Louisiana Volleyball - make sure to claim your prize at the tournament desk!

JVA DIG IN App Contest:

4 Clubs walk away winners of a private room for the weekend with the most downloads of the JVA Dig In App: Sports Performance, River City Juniors, Legacy Volleyball Club and Mintonette Sports VBC.  Since yesterday there have been 1600 downloads of the App and these four clubs account for over 20%!!

We will be giving out t-shirts to teams who post photos on the JVA Dig In App so download it and "Share Your Team Photo" and label your team name so we can get you those shirts!

Team Discount Program:

JVA World Challenge attendees can get great discounts to Louisville's top destinations through the Very Important Badge (V.I.B.) program. Take advantage of special offers and discounts from the city's most popular sites including retail shops, restaurants and attractions.

Present your name badge or room key at the following locations around town to receive amazing discounts and offers. For more information about the V.I.B. (Very Important Badge) program and other discount programs click here.

What's Happening on Day 2?

The Largest Harlem Shake at 7:45am
Get your costumes ready on your court tomorrow morning.  If you play in the PM wave you can come just for the dance! Each team will be on your court around the entire Expo Center and we will video everyone doing the Harlem Shake!

PCA Second-Goal Parent Workshop: “Developing Winners in Life Through Sports”
FREE for Parents!  Saturday at 1:30 and 3:30PM Room B101
Parents will 1) learn how to help their children get the most from the youth sports experience, 2) learn how to help coaches and league leaders establish and maintain a positive competitive environment inside youth sports, and 3) enjoy an interactive discussion with fellow parents and a facilitator with extensive coaching experience.


Dig Pink: Support Breast Cancer Awareness and ResearchWear Pink and be ready for a fun day of more contests, promotions and give-aways.  Go to Side-Out Foundation 1,000 Strong website for more information. Click here.

The Wobble Dance-Off at the Rox Store

Which team can Wobble the best? Dance-off and see who's got what it takes.  The best

wobbling team wins Rox gear!

And as always, we will witness amazing rallies, awesome team spirit, and plenty of funny moments so keep following us on Facebook, Twitter and the JVA Dig In App.  We're here all weekend...

WE ARE JVA
Juniors Working for Juniors

What's Louisville Got to Do With It?

Welcome to the 2013 JVA World Challenge in Louisville!  You've weathered the storms and it's time for a long, fun weekend of volleyball.  Over the next 3 days, 650 teams from all over the U.S. and Canada will compete for a bid to the AAU National Championships.  The top two teams in each division will earn a bid, how awesome is that?!  The largest division is without surprise the 16 Club Division with 96 teams.  Sports Performance has the most teams participating, hauling in 36 teams from Chicago.

Fun dance contests and photo ops at the Rox Store!

Let touch on some exciting and useful information for you to know the next few days:

• Have all the answers... download the JVA Dig In App!  It's a FREE download for iPad, iPhones, iTouch and Android devices.  Add to your library of Apps because you will find this one very useful this weekend: event info, contests, Louisville sightseeing and restaurants, discounts, and much, much more.
  Did you know you can get 20% off your dining and entertainment just by showing your room key? YES!
  Did you know that the club with the most downloads of the App can get a private room at the Expo Center or a set of 12 volleyballs? YES!
• There will be plenty of give-aways and fun activities for teams to participate in and all info will be posted on the FaceBook and Twitter @jrvbassociation so like, follow, share, forward, post, snag... (insert all social media lingo here).
• The AVCA/NCSA College Recruiting Combine was held this evening.  All of the results  from the combine will be shared with participating athletes and AVCA member college coaches who request to receive them. So far, over 250 coaches have subscribed to receive all athlete information and combine results. View photos here.
• Prior to the 8am wave on Saturday we will gather everyone together for the largest volleyball Harlem Shake! Get together with your team and plan your costumes and dance moves because it's going viral!



• Saturday is Dig Pink Day in support of the Side-Out Foundation's Dig Pink initiative.  Wear your pink and help raise awareness in support of a great cause.  We will be capturing the spirit and support through video, photos and contests all day long.
  
• LIVE WEBCASTING of the Championship Matches! Tell your family and friends back home that they don't have to miss the action.
• Coaches Aid is proud to partner with the Junior Volleyball Association to bring you LIVE internet broadcasts of each age group/division championship game at this weekend’s 2013 JVA World Challenge in Louisville, KY.   Each live broadcast is only $5 and will include commentary and on-screen score.  In addition, DVDs of the broadcast games will be available in Coaches Aid DVD store on our website, coachesaid.com.To watch the games, go to coachesaid.com, register free as a member, and select the game you wish to view on the schedule at the bottom of the home page.  You will be directed to purchase with your credit card through Google Checkout, a secure site, and then you will be watching LIVE volleyball from Indianapolis!

The broadcast schedule is as follows:

12:00 pm: 13 Open, 14 Club Division, 14 Open Division Championships
1:00 pm:  16 Open, 15 Open, 18 Open Division Championships
2:00 pm: 17 Open, 16 Club Division Championships
3:00 pm:  10/11/12, 15 Club, 13 Club Division Championships
4:00 pm: 18 Club, 17 Club Division Championships
Results from the 2012 JVA World Challenge in Houston are available here.

Stay tuned to our blog for the highlights from each day and info on the next day's main events.  Thank you all for participating this year and we hope you have a wonderful experience as players, coaches, and volleyball fans.  Good luck to all teams!

A Growing Club Meets a Growing Cause

JVA member Albuquerque Rebels has been a proud supporter of the Side-Out Foundation and Dig Pink for several years.  This club's dedication and unification towards finding a cure for breast cancer has influenced us to share its story in hopes of inspiring other clubs to join the cause.  At the upcoming JVA World Challenge, we invite participating teams to join the Side-Out Foundation's 1,000 Strong and support Dig Pink.  Even if you are not attending the midyear championship in Louisville, we hope that your club will get involved and make a difference like this one has.

By Patty Ader, Co-Director, Albuquerque Rebels

Our club began supporting the Side-OutFoundation & Dig Pink during the club season of 2007/2008 when one of my players lost her mother to breast cancer.  She was sort of lost because she did not have her mother to guide her during the very impressionable teenage years.  Her father wrote a letter to family members and we shared this letter to raise money for the Side-Out Foundation and cause.  We also had a serve-a-thon for teams to raise money for the cause, and that year our club was one of the top supporters for the Dig Pink initiative. 

Each year our club has grown and so has our support for finding a cure for breast cancer.  This year our goal was for each team to raise $500 towards the cause.  Since 2007, our players who attend Dig Pink events wear a pink set of uniforms to show support for breast cancer awareness.  The younger players go all out for these events, using pink hair spray, lipstick, shoe laces, etc.  All of our lives are touched by breast cancer in some way and our 24 teams giving back is one way that Albuquerque Rebels Volleyball Club teaches our players to be empathetic.

Personally, 1,000 Strong and supporting the Side-Out Foundation is very special to me because I lost one of my best friends at the age of 37 to breast cancer.  I think that most people know someone who is fighting this disease.  I believe that we all need to do our part in finding a cure for breast cancer because it's not a matter of if it will touch our lives but when it will touch our lives.

Other ways that our club gives back to the community is by volunteering at a local homeless shelter, working with homeless children, teaching them the sport of volleyball, and volunteering at local senior citizen homes.   These experiences have truly brought our players, families and entire club together and made us appreciate the opportunities we have to make a difference through the sport of volleyball.

Players from Albuquerque Rebels 162 Synergy share how important the cause is to them:

“I support Dig Pink because I know what it’s like to just watch my mother go through radiation and so much pain and know that I can’t do anything about it. I want to raise as much money as I can to help with more research towards this cause, I don’t want any other families going through what women who have cancer have to go through. I want to support every woman out there with cancer, because everyone needs somebody. Everybody needs to know that we’re there for them, and they don’t have to go through this alone. It’s a scary process and experience, so it means the world to me to know that not only my family and friends are there for my mom and every other women out there with cancer, even strangers are there for them.”
~Makella

“I support Dig Pink for all the women in the world. Breast cancer is not something you can get through on your own. It changes not only your life, but everyone who loves and cares about you. You can’t just take medication, go to the doctor and be done. It is a long process and you need all the support you can get. That is why all of us women need to stick together and be each other’s support system. You never know what is in your future so we need to live life to its fullest. I support breast cancer so we can find a cure and prevent more people from having to go through this.”
~Michaela

“The reason I support Dig Pink is because of the many amazing women who have breast cancer. Women don’t choose to have breast cancer or want to. They go through so much pain throughout their treatment and so do their families. Dig Pink lets people my age be able to help support the fight for breast cancer. Dig Pink provides the opportunity for me to help provide those who are looking for a cure more materials to help find the cure. I know people who have cancer both breast and non-breast cancer cancers. Breast cancer is a huge deal and to help be able to find a cure for it would just be incredible, and Dig Pink is a great way to help find a cure.”
~Alyssa

“I support Dig Pink because it’s a good cause and breast cancer is all too common an issue for women these days. My grandmother had breast cancer and I know plenty of others who have it or have had it in the past. It’s really hard on them as well as their families and loved ones. I support anything or any cause that might help these women and their families so therefore, I support dig pink.”
~Allie

“The Side-Out Foundation is wonderful. You can donate money to help with research. Another thing you can use Dig Pink for is education. The website has a numerous amount of links to help inform the patient, care giver or maybe even someone who just wants to support breast cancer research.”
~Rachel

“I support dig pink because so many girls are fighting to cure something that is so hard to cure. By us supporting it every little thing helps. I know that if I was ever to suffer from breast cancer I would want all the support I could get. It does mean a lot to me to raise money and dedicate games/tournaments to breast cancer.”
~Jaselynn

“I support Dig Pink because it is helping people and a cause. I know many people who support Dig Pink because it is for breast cancer awareness and is helping people’s lives.”
~Gabby

For club teams that raise $2,200 or more, The Side-Out Foundation and Junior Volleyball Association are donating one club director annual JVA membership. That means coaches can have access to all that the JVA has to offer at no cost for 1 year!  Learn more here.

1,000 Strong

The JVA is a proud supporter and partner of the Side-Out Foundation's newest initiative 1,000 Strong. As part of the Dig Pink Tour, the 2nd day of the 2013 JVA World Challenge will once again be Dig Pink Day and participating teams are raising money to support SOF's 1,000 Strong campaign. JVA member Texas Image has 3 teams in the top 15 in the country, and our spotlight shines on Texas Image 15 June. This team has joined together not only on the volleyball court but as a family, and is the #2 team in SOF's 1,000 Strong campaign, raising enough money for a JVA membership for their coach, June Stiles.  But more importantly, the 1,000 Strong initiative has brought this team together in a very special way.

Rachel and her mom Karen

After learning of a mom's diagnosis of breast cancer at the beginning of the season, Texas Image 15 Mizuno June chose to dedicate the season to her success and victory over this brutal enemy! The team's plan was to wear pink on Sundays in honor of Karen Kubis. Shortly after practices began, Coach June presented the team with a challenge to raise funds for the Dig Pink Foundation. The team was ALL IN with a goal of raising at least $100 per player.

Texas Image 15 June players Tupelo, Skylar, and Rachel gave their thoughts on their team's involvement:
 
Tupelo:  "Being able to help so many people through this cause is so incredible to me, especially watching Rachel's mom fight breast cancer. It gives me motivation to raise more! This is a great cause that I hope to see more people join!"

Rachel:  "I'm really excited about supporting the Dig Pink Foundation this year. Texas Image has never done anything like this and I'm happy to support such a good cause. This organization means a lot to me because my mom recently finished chemo for breast cancer. She's been so strong this whole time and I want to show how much she means to me by participating in Dig Pink. I love you, Mom, and keep fighting!"

Skylar:  "It makes me feel good to know I'm helping someone else. The thought of raising even $100 per player to go to help find a cure for breast cancer amazes me. I'm glad more and more people are getting involved to help find a cure!"

Texas Image coaches are very supportive of each other, and there are additional teams that are raising funds for Dig Pink.  The club has a contest among its teams: the top fundraiser for the club receives a prize, as well as the top fundraising team.  Coach June has some incentives built in to encourage fundraising, but those incentives also have quietly built teamwork and pride in her team. Having a goal, as a team, that actually isn't related to a tournament, allows every player to feel included and important, which, again, spills over to volleyball competition, and our team communicates and supports each other on the court.

Coach June: "It has always been important to me to support a cause that affects so many of us in so many ways. The ability to support and to give back through this sport that we enjoy so much makes it that much more meaningful. I've been working with the Side-Out Foundation and the Dig Pink Tour for 4 years now but this year has really taken on another level for me as it hits so close to home. I'm so honored to work with a club that was eager to jump on board and coach a team of young ladies who understand the importance and want to make a difference."

Texas Image 15 June is showing their teamwork off the court through 1,000 Strong, and it has only brought them more success on the court as well.  Keep it up girls!

If you would like to participate in 1,000 Strong - click here to get started.