2016-2017OVR Sand VolleyballHandbook
ThefollowingOhioValleyRegion (OVR)proceduresand rulessupplement USAVolleyball rulesfortheUSA/OVRSand Volleyball season(Winter Beach Season Dec 1, 2016 – Jan 15, 2017) (Summer Beach Season May6,2017 – Aug 13,2017).
1.) Membership
Youmustbe acurrentmemberof USAVolleyball,registered inthe OhioValley Region,toorganize a junior’s clubinthe OVR. Registerforthe2017season at isnotcompleteuntilyourregistration fee,signedwaiverandrelease,and signedJuniorsClub PersonnelCode ofEthicsarereceivedand processedbytheOVRoffice.
Theclub directormusthavereceivedASEPsportsclubdirectortraining andcertification( willbeno exceptions.Registration maybeblockedif existing clubsdonot comply.Theaccreditation doesnotexpire.Club directorslackingthe accreditationmay takethe courseonlineor attendthecourseofferedbytheregion thefirstSaturdayofDecember.
2.) Background screen
It is thepolicyof theOhio ValleyRegionthat anyindividualintending tohireoruseregisteredindividuals inany sanctioned juniorsvolleyball activitieswillsubmittoa background screeningpolicyas determinedbyUSAV.Club Directors,club administrators,teamreps,coaches,chaperones, andtrainerswhointendtoregister,affiliate,and/orparticipatewithjuniorsvolleyball cluborteamin theOhio Valley Region willbescreened.Failureto do sois groundsforautomaticsuspensionofmembershipprivilegestoparticipate insanctionedjuniorseventsand/oractivities. AllregisteredindividualsofUSAVand theOhioValleyRegion havethe rightofdueprocess.TheOhioValleyRegion of USAVolleyballwillnotregister,orallowtoberegistered,anyindividualwhorefusestoconsenttoa background screenif heor sheintendstoparticipatein OhioValleyRegionsanctionedeventswithregistered juniormembers. A backgroundscreen isnot required forindividualsclassified asjuniorplayersormembersnotassociated with juniorsactivities.
3.) Practice Sites
Anemphasisis beingmadeto ensurethe qualityof practicesites.Theterrain in sand volleyballmustbecomposedo leveled sand, as flatanduniform as possible,freeof rocks,shells and
anythingelse,whichcan representrisksof cutsor injuries totheplayers. The sand depth shouldbe aminimum of12 inchesdeep.Allpolesandrefereestandsmustbepadded. Supportwiresarenotsuggestedbut if usedmustbepadded andmarked bybrightflags.Anchors foranyguylinesmustbefreeofsharpedgesand drivenflushwithor buried beneath theplaying surface.
Playersmustbepermittedtopursuevolleyballswithoutendangering themselvesorotherparticipants.
4.) Coach selection
It is a club’sresponsibilitytoattractcoachesof highmoral character,withknowledge ofthesport, andwiththe abilitytoconvey theirknowledgetotheathletestheytrain.Coachesmustbeof good characterandemotionalstability. Itis imperative tocheckthebackground of everycoachinyourprogram.
5.) Coachesmembership
Allcoachesassisting withtryoutsmustbea currentmemberofUSA Volleyball.Allcoacheswillbecurrentmembersof USAVolleyball priortothe firstpractice. All coachesmusthave attendedthe USAVIMPACTcoursepriortothefirstpractice.Impactbeachcertification is suggestedforcoachesbut will notbe mademandatoryuntil(TBD).
6.) Banned Substances
Juniorparticipantsmustbeprovided an entranceandan exitfromtheplaying facilitythatdoesnot requirethem towalk through an areawherealcohol is soldor consumed. Thisentranceandexit needs tobe madeavailableduring theentirejuniorpracticeorevent. Noalcohol ispermitted intheareawhere thejuniorevent is beingheld.Thisincludestheplaying andspectatorareaaround thecourts.
Juniorparticipantsmustbeprovided a designatedbathroom that allowsthemto usetherestroom withouthavingtoenterintoan areawherealcoholis being soldor consumed. Intheeventa juniorand adultevent arebeing held atthesametime,adultparticipantscan consumealcoholin a designatedarea(deck,patioect.)That mustberopedoff and clearlyindicated thatnojuniorplayersare allowed in thatarea. Tobaccouse is prohibited unless100feetormorefromtheplaying site.
7) Club Tryouts and Affiliations
TheOVRis suggestingclubsfollowa nocuttraining teamformatforthe2017season if courtspaceis available.SeeBeach Club model attheOVRbeach link.
If tryoutsaretobeheld theclubmustsanctiontheseeventstouseUSAinsurance.Applyfor asanction at to one contactperweekendandnotto exceed2 hours.Anysecond sessionor“call back” is also limitedtoa2hoursession.No posttryoutorganizationalmeetings aretobescheduled priorto expiration oftheacceptancedeadline.
The OVRofficiallyrecognizesa player’sUSAVindoorseason tobefinished and club contractfulfilledat thecompletionof theUSAVOVRRegionalChampionships fortheir agegroup. If ateamisgoingtoparticipatein the USAVNationalchampionships,theplayerson thoseteamswillnotbeofficiallyreleasedfromtheircontractsuntilafterthattournament. A clubsdirector orcoachmayallowplayerstocompete in sandeventsorwith asand club at anytimeduring theindoorseason.Thatpolicywillbeat thediscretionof each club. A playermaybelong to anindoorcluband a differentsand club.
8.) Tryoutparticipants
Tryoutsmaybeopen to anyoneorbyinvitation.Eachclub mustact responsiblywhen trying toattractathletestotheirtryoutsor club in general. Clubsmayadvertisethrough themedia anddistributeinformation regarding theirtryoutsorclub tothecoachesofareaschools.
Membership toanindoorclub lasts until theclub team memberfinisheshisor herindoorseason.This is being defined bythe OVRastheIndoorRegionalChampionships orthe USANationalChampionshipsforthecontractedindividual’sagegroup.
Sand club membershipcanoverlap withindoorclubmembership.They are considered separatesportsbytheOVR.Duringanyseasonoverlapping, itwill beup to the discretionof theclubdirectortoallowanathleteundercontractto compete in theSportoutofseason.
It is consideredinappropriatefor anymemberof aclub (director,coach,and athlete)to attempttorecruit aplayerthathasalreadysigneda writtenagreementto participate in anotherclub inthe samesport.AgainBeach andindoor arenotconsidered thesamesportsocrosssportrecruiting in legalandethical.
Failure to complybytheseregulationswill result in sanction bytheregion.
Allclub directors andcoachesconductingtryoutsmustberegisteredmembersof USA Volleyball.If theyareregistered forthe current indoorseason,they areOKfortheupcoming/current Sandseason.TheOVRstronglyrecommendsregistering anyoneworkingat yourtryoutsorwithyourtraining teamsto coverpersonalliabilityforinjuryofan athlete.The Ohio Valley Region willagain sanction allregisteredtryoutsandprovide,onrequesttoregisteredmembers, acertificateof insurance.Theregionwill provideliabilityinsuranceforeachathleteforthelength ofthetryout.Failuretohaveyourtryoutssanctionedthroughouronlineapplication processorbysubmitting theApplication forSanctionedof Tryouts will place all responsibilityforinjuryonthe club.Sanctionedtryoutswillbepostedon theOVRwebsite(
9.) Tryoutfee
Anynon-refundabletryoutfeeshould notexceed$10dollars. Tryoutsshould beone day onlyand no more than2 hoursin length. Permissionmaybegrantedto chargemorewithdocumentationof extraordinaryexpenses.Writtendocumentationofexpenseswill havetobeprovidedwithyourapplication. Openplay and clinicswill notbe sanctioned as part ofa club’stryouts.
10.)Playerselection
Clubsmayoffercontractstoathletesatthe endoftheir tryoutsession.Clubsmaynotrequire acommitmenton site.Athletesmayaccept anofferatanytimeduring aoneyearregistrationperiod.
11.)Registration ofteams and add-ons
Divisions offered for the 2017Girls Season will be as follows:
U12 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U12 Open (Traditional USAV Definition…Sept 1st cut-off)
U14 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U14 Open (Traditional USAV Definition…Sept 1st cut-off)
U16 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U16 Open (Traditional USAV Definition…Sept 1st cut-off)
U18 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U18 Open (Traditional USAV Definition…Sept 1st cut-off)
Divisions offered for the 2017 Boys Season will be as follows:
U12 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U14 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U16 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
U18 Club (OVR “Grade Level” Definition)
Go to link to see detailed definitions:
Thehigherskilledsandplayersshould compete in“Open” divisionwhilethebeginnerto middleranged playersshould compete play in theclub division.Players may choose which “level” (open or club) they wish to compete. They DO NOT have to compete in the same level in all tournaments. Thepurposeforthedivision split is tocreatecompetitivefuntournamentsforallofour youthmembersto enjoyno matterwhat leveltheyplay.Pointswill beawardedwithintheagegroup divisionsusing the USA Juniors Beach Tour Ranking System andbetrackedseparatelyon theOVR Beach web page.
12.Tournamententry
All OVR tournaments can/will be entered using the OVR Beach Tournament page. Club Directorsandnon-club affiliatescan contacttournament directorsatanytimeto inquire aboutand enter tournaments. Individualswhodonothaveanyclub affiliationwillhavethe responsibilityofdetermining theirown participation schedule.
In OVRSummerSand Series events, pleasekeeptheOVRpolicyinmind should youchooseto cancelfroma tournamentat a laterdate(youwill needto dosowithin 14 Daysofthat event). Ifa tournamentdirectorhasproofofyouracceptanceinto a tournament,which isconsidered to bea contractand you willbeheld responsiblefortheentry fee.Proofcan be intheformof awrittenacceptance, e-mail ora check.
(NEW for 2017)U12 or U14 Boyswillbeeligible to participate ingirlssanctionedevents iftheypartnerwith a girl. This will only be permitted in U12 or U14 Girls “Club” events.
Entryfee and entryprocedures
a.Must be a current OVR member (a valid OVR/Webpoint # will be required upon registration)
b.Payments/Fees are to be paid to the Tournament Director (via check or online payment…Tournament directors choice)
c.Tournament directors MUST DISPLAY ENTERED TEAMS (either on the OVR website OR their own website)
d.Players must choose ageand division and level their teamwillcompetein.
Do notwritechecksifthereare insufficient fundstocoverthe check.TheentryfeeforanySanctionedSand doubles tournament cannotexceed$60perteam withoutspecial permissionfromtheBeach/OutdoorDirector. TheUSA/OVRNationalqualifiereventmayhave ahigherfee.Tournamententrywillbeaccepted upto 7 DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT. Any entry after the cut-off date will be at the Tournament Director’s discretion. Becauseofcourtavailabilityregistrationisona firstcomefirstservebasis, “Paid registration” willhold yourspot. Ifyouchoosetocancel itmustbe14 Dayspriortotheeventoryou willberesponsiblefortheentryfee.Entranceintoanyothersanctionedsandtournament will bedenieduntil the pastfee iscollected.
13.) Tournament Sanction (Tournament Directors)
a.Must be a current OVR Member and have passed the Background screen (thru SSCI)
b.Complete the Application for Sanction at:
c.Send a $200 Beach Tournament Bond (check payable to Ohio Valley Region) and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the OVR Juniors’ Beach Tournament Director (Sandra Borer 1923 Laramie Dr, Powell, OH 43065). Indoor Tournament Bonds are not valid and DO NOT APPLY to beach events.If a tournament host advertises and/or accepts team entries into a tournament prior to approval of the Application for Sanction for that tournament, the Application for Sanction will be denied.
d.The OVR Juniors’ Tournament Director will contact the tournament host by e-mail upon approving a juniors’ tournament application for sanction. Once accepted, all requests for changes to sanctioned tournaments are subject to approval and will be processed as time permits.
e.Tournament Directors may NOT apply for sanction for age divisions in conflict with OVR Championships (Indoor).
- Applications for sanction of “one-court” age divisions “WILL NOT BE SANCTIONED” (unless special permission is granted by OVR Beach Director). MUST apply for “at least” a 2 court per age division tournament.
- Directors wanting to apply for sanction of a “large/Open” event (like the Columbus Open) must be able to offer “at least” 6 Courts of play per age division. (example 4 courts of 14C and 2 Courts of 14O = 6 courts of U14 age division)
- Tournaments directors wishing to run “waves of play” per age division will be subject to the following formats.
- 2 Waves of play can be run using “ANY” of the current OVR Beach Formats (5 team maximum per court)
- 3 Waves of play IS NOT PERMITTED
14.) Denial ofentry
Tournament directorsmaydenyentrywhenthetournamentis filled,orwhen aclub,team orindividualexhibits a habitofunsportsmanlikebehavioror cancellation fromevents afterthe 14 Day pretournamenttimeperiod. A teammayalsobedeniedentry iftheyowefee’sfromaprior entry cancelation.
15.) Tournamentinformation
Wednesday priortothetournamentdate,you should receivefrom the tournamentdirector:
a.Thestartingtime ofthe firstmatch(ifavailable)coachesand playersmeeting willalwaysbegin 30 min prior to start time.
b.A copyofthepoolplayformatwiththe scheduleof playing order,including the namesof participating teams(ifavailable)
c.Tournament formats: Tournament directors MUST use OVR Approved formats. ALL OVR Juniors Beach Tournament Formats are available on the OVR Beach Tournament Packet.Duetochangesbeyond atournamentdirector’scontrol(weather)it is understood thatchangesmayneed tobemadeto starting times,poolplay,havethe responsibilityofproviding information, insufficienttime,forclub director’storelaytotheir teamssothoseteamscan plan accordingly.MakeuseoftheOVRwebsitetoposttournamentinformation. If you donotreceiveyourinformation,contactthetournament directordirectly. If notsatisfied,contact Dave Chapmanat ().
16.)Teamcancellation
A teamcancelingaftertheentry deadline,14 Days priortothetournament date,willforfeititsentryfee. Ateam cancelingpriorto the deadlinewillreceive afullrefund.If ateamrequestsand receivesentryintoa tournament butdoesnotpayits entryfee,theteam willbefined theentry fee.Thetwoplayersthatmakeup thatteam willnotbeallowed into anotherevent untilthey havejointlyor separatelypaid theirfine.
17.)Tournamentcancellation
If, foranyreason,a tournamentmustbecanceled oraltered,the tournament directormustnotifytheclubs andteamsbyphoneand through the OVRsite. All collected entryfeesmustbereturnedtoclub directorsand teamswithin 72hoursof cancelation.
18.)Pool Playand TournamentFormats
TheformatforJunior Girlsand Boystournamentswillbe PoolPlayformat.
5 teamsarethemaxononecourt. 5 teampoolswillplayonegameto21; win by2 with a23pointcap.
4 teampoolswill playto 1 game to 28 witha 30 pointcap.Poolswith less than3 teamswillnot beconsidered sanctionedpools.
Allteamswill breakpooland bere-bracketedaccording totheir winlossrecord forthesingleelimination playoffs.Ties willbebroken per OVR Tie-Breaker procedures.
Thetournamentwill bere-bracketedinto a Championship Brackett and Consolation/Crossover games. Thetop3teams in a5 team poolwill goto the Championship Bracket andthe bottom2 teamswillgo to the Consolation/Crossover games. Ina 4teampool thetop 3 teamswill go to the Championship Bracket andthe bottomteamswillgo to the Consolation/Crossover games. Firstandsecondplace in the Championship Bracket willreceive anaward. Championship Bracket Finals will be match play (2 out of 3) first 2 games to 21 (23 point cap) 3rd game to 15 (No Cap). Players, coaches and spectators should post pool play, tournament playoff schedule, and order of matches at a common location at the beginning of the day for viewing. Thetournament directoror sitemanagershould regularlyupdatepoolplayresultsand tournamentschedules throughouttheday.Tournamentdirector’swishing todeviatefromthistournamentstructuremustobtainpermission fromtheOVRSand/OutdoorVolleyball Director.
19.)Coaches’meeting
Priortothestartofpoolplay,thetournament director willconductaplayersandcoachesmeeting.During thismeeting, any neededentryformsshould becollected andany memberregistrationsmustbecompleted.Duringthismeeting,the tournamentdirectorshould reviewpool play andtournament formats,aswell asanyrulechanges orclarificationsthatmaybe inquestion,should beexplained at thistime.Anyquestions fromplayersandcoachesshould beansweredas well. Allteam members,coachesandspectators andofficialsmustconductthemselves inaprofessional,sporting andethicalmanner.ANY/All COACHES must identify/check-in with the tournament director before coaching their players in a match.
20.)Eligibility
Coaches,players,andteamsmustberegistered andcurrentlyeligible forparticipation.
21.)Late Arrivals
A teamarriving lateforits first gamehasa 10minutegraceperiod after thewarm-up beforethe game isforfeited.
22.)Warm-ups
OnlyUSAVmembersmaybe in theplaying areatoassistwithwarm-ups.
Warm-up shall be NO longer than 5 minutes of shared court. Suggest each player take 5 swings/hits and 5 serves.
23.)Officials
Teams are responsible to officiate their own assignments during pool play and the single elimination playoffs. It is required to have a certified OVR beach official on site all day to roam and supervise the tournament officiating. Two officials per 4 courts. When a team has an officiating responsibility, one player will be responsible for calling the game while the other keeps score on the official score sheet. It is the responsibility of the competitors to educate themselves on the rules of Beach competition (see rules of play PDF on the OVR Beach link and official scoring sheet). If at the end of the timed warm up the player officials for the game are not present, then a point will be given to their next opponent and an additional point will continue to be given for each minute that they are late. The use of electronic communication devices (phones, tablets, etc) by an officiating team or individual during an assignment will not be tolerated. A 10-point penalty will be assessed in the next game. Note: ALL players officiating MUST have a whistle!
24.)Officialsforplayoffs
Thelowestseededteamsineach division that is notplaying thefirstround oftheplayoffswillofficiate thefirstplayoffgame.Afterthe firstroundoftheplayoffs,all thelosing teamsmust stayto officiatethe nextgameonthecourt.Thetournamentdirectormaypermitthefirstroundlosing team to leaveand havethewinning team officiatethenextgame, ifthelosing teamhas alonger trip home.This is acourtesythat is appreciatedby anyteamhaving traveled a longway tocompete.
25.)Awards
Firstplace awards arerequired fortournamentsof 8 orfewerteams.Firstand second placeawards arerequired fortournamentswith9ormoreteams.There is notaminimumormaximumcostforprizes.Awardsmustbeage- appropriate.Awardsareonlyrequired fortheChampionship Bracket.
26.)Afterthetournament
It is thetournamentdirector’sresponsibilitytoposttournament results(By the Monday AFTER)on theOVRwebsite. Club directors andcoaches cancheck thewebsiteforcorrectness.Ifthepostedtournament resultsareincorrect,contactthe tournament directorfirstthrough thee-maillinkontheresultspageor byphone. If notsatisfied,contact Dave Chapman (). Playerpointswillonlybeawarded for all eventson theOVRSummerSchedule (using the OVR Beach Ranking System).
27.)Unpaid fines,entryfees,ect.
Clubs,teamsor individualsthat haveunpaidfinesorentryfeesduethe regionortournamentdirectorwillnotbepermitted to participate in anyOVRsanctionedtournamentsor programsuntil all financial responsibilitiesareresolved. If feesare notpaid by season’send,theclub,teamorindividual willnotbepermittedtoregisterforthefollowingseason untilallfinancialresponsibilitieshavebeenresolved.
28.)Sportsmanship and vandalismofproperty
TheOhioValleyRegionofUSAVolleyball promotes ahigh standard of goodsportingconduct(sportsmanship)among it’sathletes,coaches,officialsand spectators. This includesrespectfortheplaying facilitiesthroughouttheOhioValleyRegion.We requestyourcooperation bysupportingthe participantsandofficials in a positivemanner,andbyadhering toall facilitiesregulations.Taunting,offensivecheersor gestures,profanity,racial or sexistcomments,orother intimidating words or actionsdirectedatofficials,athletes,coaches,spectatorsorteamrepresentativeswill notbetolerated.Failureto followfacilityguidelinesandrulesas setforth bythe siteand tournament directorwillbesanctionedaccordingly. Anyactions,including but notlimitedto thosementionedabove,will result inan incident reportbeing filedwith theOVRoffice,andawarning or penaltybeing issuedbythe OVRCommissioner.
Subsequent unsporting behaviorbythesameindividual at thesameeventwill result in removalfromthecompetition site.Likewise,afterbeing instructed tocorrect the problem,anycontinueddisregard forfacilityusagerulesat thesameevent,willalsoresult in removalfromthe competition site. A pattern ofunsporting or facilityneglectbehaviorwill result in a$250fine/sanction to the facility,club orteam.
Any actsofvandalism will result inan incidentreportbeing filed withtheOVRoffice, andawarning being issuedby theOVRCommissioner. Thelocalpolicewillbecontacted.All knownindividualsresponsibleforthe actsof vandalism will beexpelled fromthetournamentandcompetition siteaftertheyhavebeenreportedtothelocal policeifthepolicehavedecidednottodetain theindividuals.
29.)Food
The Ohio ValleyRegionisrestrictingthe set- up oftablesorthecookingoffood by teamsortheirsupportstaff,fans,coaches,orparentsat OhioValleySanctioned Sand Events.
Tournamentdirectorsandsitemanagers donothavethe discretion to grantspecialpermission.If aclub doesnotcomplyamicablywithasite directorsortournamentdirectorsrequest to correct aviolation ofourpolicy,anincidentreportis tobesubmitted to the OhioValleyRegionCommissioner.Violation ofthisdirective willresultina$250.00,fine and ateam/club,individualsuspension.
30.)Uniforms
TheOVRSand Volleyballrulesforuniforms:
GIRLS UNIFORMS
a.A uniformconsistsoftwocomponents-Shortsorbriefs, anda top. Aone-piecebodysuitis acceptable asa combination ofthetwocomponents.A Jersey or “Tank-Top” is required. Players may wear a hat. AnyoutergarmentI.E. sweatpants,tights,becomestheofficial uniformwhenworn.
b.The uniform bottoms must be “FULL COVERAGE” shorts, spandex, or briefs. BIKINI BOTTOMS are NOT permitted during competition.
c.Theuniform top can be a tank top or t-shirt. BIKINI TOPS are NOT acceptable during competition.
d.During competitioneachteamswill displaya 1anda2for scoreridentificationpurpose. Numbers can be displayed on a uniform and/or each players shoulder.
e.TEAM UNIFORMS ARE TO BE MATCHING
BOYS UNIFORMS
a.The uniform bottoms must be shorts or boardshorts.
b.Theuniform top can be a tank top or t-shirt
c.During competitioneachteamswill displaya 1anda2for scoreridentificationpurpose. Numbers can be displayed on a uniform and/or each players shoulder.
d.TEAM UNIFORMS ARE TO BE MATCHING
31.) Players Equipment
- ALL players MUST have a whistle
- NO loose-fitting, free-flowing jewelry will be permitted
32.) Court Equipment
The Official OVR/USA Game ball is the Molten BV5000, BV5000-3, or BV5000-SB
Any/All OVR Beach events must use this ball. Any tournament director that does not use this ball will run the risk of losing their tournament bond or lose any/all future events.