JUNIOR NEWS!

Badger Region Junior Chair Board Position is Open
Click here for a job description.   Please contact the region office if you are interested.

Junior Club Directors Meeting
This meeting is scheduled for Sunday, October 16th.  Please check back here for more detailed information. THIS MEETING IS MANDATORY FOR ALL CLUB DIRECTORS.

Tryout & Committment Dates
Junior Clubs are currently in the process of planning for the upcoming season which begins in mid-November.  The first date of tryouts for Junior Girls 12-and-under through 18-and-under as well as Boys 12-and-under through 14-and-under is November 12th with the committment date of November 22nd.

The first date of tryouts for Junior Boys 15-and-under through 18-and-under is November 19th and the committment date is November 29th.

Parents and Players, Know Your Rights
The Badger Region's Junior Club Directors developed a Tryout Policy many years ago that gives young players an opportunity to try a number of clubs and find out what their choices are before making a decision.   A club or anyone associated with a club may not ask you to sign up, accept an invitation or accept an offer until 11/12 for girls and boys under 14 or 11/19 for boys 15-18.  Committments made prior to 11/13 are not binding since they are a violation of region policy.  Once you are given an offer, you have until the committment date to make your final decision.  See the full Tryout Policy for more information. Any committments made on or after the above dates ARE binding.  That is very important because once you (player or parents) make a committment, either verbally or in writing to a club, that committment is binding until the end of the season. Please do your homework.  Attend information meetings, read brochures, ask questions. Download the full tryout policy.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, you may contact Jenny Hahn, Director of Operations, at jennyhahn@wi.rr.com or 414-443-1011 or Nancy Paulson, Junior Development Chair, at paulsonn@wi.rr.com 262-681-0341

Badger Region Adds Youth Instructional Membership Category
The purpose of the Youth Instructional membership category is to introduce volleyball to youth (12 and under) and to provide instruction and in the technical skills of the game. Further, it is attract new players to the game and to introduce them to the programs of Badger Region and USA Volleyball. The emphasis is to be on instruction and development.

Criteria for Youth Instructional Membership
Members must be registered with USAV/Badger Region
  - Complete the Individual Membership form
  - Complete the Medical History and Release Form
  - Pay membership fee of $20

Club Directors must register the "Youth Instructional Group" on SignupToPlay and submit registration to the region office following the procedures to register a team.*

Key Points
- There is no team fee for a Youth Instructional Group
- Membership is restricted to 12 and under, per the USAV Age Definitions
- Membership is open to groups made up of males, females or coed.
- ndividuals registered under this category are not eligible to compete in USAV sanctioned competitions.
- Groups are eligible to participate in scrimmages. All participants in the scrimmage must be members of USAV. No scores are recorded and participation is maximized for all participants.
- Each member will receive the Region Rally Report newsletter as a benefit of their registration.
- All adult coaches involved with the Youth Instructional Group(s) must be regular members of Badger Region, Impact Certified and have a cleared a background screening.
- Older regular junior players are allowed to assist in the instructional programs under the supervision of the adult coach.

An individual player or group of players must upgrade their membership if they choose to participate in sanctioned competition.

*for this 2004-2005 season, individuals will be registered as "juniors". A new category will be added to STP and the member form for the 2005-2006 season.

Tryout Registration Information for Sign Up to Play for Juniors
Please do not register for any tryout or fill out any forms prior to October 1st.  Up until 10/1/05, the forms are for the current year and will not for the upcoming year.

Junior athletes can register for tryouts this fall through our online registration program, Signup To Play (STP). To get the instructions to register for Badger Region/USAV and your tryouts click here.

Players will need to send the following for each club they are trying out for: 
  - Badger Region / USAV Membership Form (you will print this out from your STP registration page.  Don't forget...BOTH Player AND Parent need to sign both pages.
  - Tryout Form (you will print this out from your tryout registration page).
  - USAV Medical Form   (click here to download form - you will need Adobe Acrobat).  Print out form, fill it out and sign it. 
  - Tryout Fee

DO NOT send any forms or fees to the Badger Region Office.

Why Play Beach Volleyball?
The beach game is GREAT for improving your indoor skills/game.  Whatever the player weaknesses, they get to work on them a ton.  Unlike the six-person game, players touch the ball every rally, and with just two players to cover the court, players learn to read and anticipate much better.  Dealing with the sun and wind helps them to become more adaptable.  Player height is less important outdoors - - ball control and skill are most important.  It is a great way to improve players’ jumps.  Communicating effectively is essential to the sport, and the game helps teammates to grow stronger together.

USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Age Definitions
The age definitions below are available for download also on the Forms page.

For use during the 2005-2006 Season
For eligibility purposes, a player who has just completed a grade in the Spring of 2005 will be considered in that grade just completed. Players need not be currently enrolled in high school except as noted below.

18 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1987 or Players who were born on or after September 1, 1986 and a high school student during some part of the current academic year.

17 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1988

16 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1989

15 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1990

14 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1991

13 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1992

12 and Under Division:
Players who were born on or after September 1, 1993

Boys 14 and Under Division:
Regionally waived boys teams in the 14 and under age group will be allowed to participate at the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships using the following age/grade definition:

Players who were born on or after September 1, 1991
or Players who were born on or after September 1, 1990 (15 years or younger) who shall neither have completed nor are in a grade higher than the eighth grade (8th) grade during the current academic year. (This exception is based on the net height difference of 7’4 1/8" to 7’ 11 5/8" between the 14 and Under Division to the 15 and Under Division.)

Note: These age definitions are used by domestic club programs and are NOT the same as the age definitions for the International and Domestic High Performance programs for 2006.

The Age Definition Policy was most recently revised by the USA Volleyball Board of Directors on January 19, 2002.

Girls Rankings
Girls Rankings (pdf)
Updated for March

Tournament Report Form (xls) rev031605
(to download to your computer, right click the link and select "save to target")

Tournament Report Form (pdf) rev031605

2005 Volleyball
Camp Listing