FROM: Carolina Region/USAV

RE: 2004 Junior Olympic & Junior Invitational Championships

The 2004 Junior Olympic Girls Volleyball Championships (JOV) will be in Houston, Texas from June 23-June 30 (different age groups and divisions will begin and end play at different times during this period. Check USA Volleyball's web site for specific dates for your Age division). The 2004 Junior Girl's Invitational Championships will be held in Austin, Texas from June 24-27, 2004. NEW FOR 2004: Teams may choose to go for a bid in either tournament (or both) - you do not have to enter the JOV Championships for access to the Invitational as in year's past! The Carolina Region will hold its competition for our National Bids in conjunction with the 2004 Regional Championships on April 17, 2004 (12's teams interested in attending a Championship should contact the Region Office ASAP-as soon as we see the interest we'll decide which event/process to determine our bids if more than one team is interested). Only those teams submitting the Entry Form and Entry Fee (and thus confirming they would accept the bid if they earn it) can compete for a National Bid (but all teams that have met the eligibility requirements for the Regional Championships can still play in the Regional Championships without competing for a Bid if they wish). We hope this letter will answer some of your questions on the process.

BIDS: USA Volleyball has expanded the JOV Championships this season - added a National and American Division in the Club Championships in ages 14-18 (which is where Region bids are). Keep in mind that our use of the term Open, Power, and Club in our divisions is DIFFERENT than USAV's use of the terms Open and Club. The bids for Open division are earned at National Qualifiers. The Bids for the Club division (National & American) are earned in the Regions and Qualifiers. So, our bids are in the National and American divisions of the CLUB Championships. Based on our growth in Juniors recently (thanks to a lot of you!), we actually have more than one bid in some age divisions for the JOV:
18 Club: we have 1 bid available for the National Division (1 team total from Carolina Region)
14 Club - 17 Club: we have 1 bid available in the National Division AND 1 bid available in the American Division (2 teams total)
13 Club & 12's: we have 1 bid available in the Club Championships (1 team total each age group from Carolina Region)
Junior Invitational Championships - we have 1 bid available in each age group - 13 Club through 18 Club

The Following must be met in order to compete for the National Bid in either Championship:

• Open teams must have played in FOUR Carolina Region tournaments to be eligible to enter the Regional Championships (Jr Hi Neighbor/Quest for Excellence Trn and ONE National Qualifier can count as tournaments this season). The Tournament Entry Deadline for the Regional Championships is March 27, 2004 ($125 and Tournament Entry Form due by this deadline to enter Regionals).
• All entry forms must go through the Regional Office for verification (we will forward to USAV by the National deadline). Please read through the Pre-Tournament Manual thoroughly for all procedures. Teams also going for the National Bid must submit the following to be received by the Region by Thursday, April 1, 2004 (NO EXCEPTIONS!):
  1. Go to USAV website - http://www.usavolleyball.org/Juniors/ - and download a 2004 USA Junior Olympic Girl's Championship Manual and/or a 2004 Junior Girl's Invitational Manual. If you will not be submitting rosters online (which is recommended and assumed below), you will have to send $100 to USAV to request a paper entry form (this will delay your entry process so allow time to receive and get to Region Office by our deadline!). Once you enter your coaches, chaperones, and roster online, follow instructions to print out entry form and mail to the Carolina Region with check (see #2) . We will check over all the entries and send all entries by Federal Express to USAV by their National deadline. Entry Form & Results reporting Hints - all our Open teams' Team IDs are listed at our web site (linked from Juniors Section). Your Team ID (JNC Code) is also on your pre-printed Tournament entry forms.
  2. Send Entry check payable to "USA Volleyball Championships" for $900 (if entering more than one team in your club, write a separate check for each team - they may not all earn bids). Include your team name and age division on the memo line. If your team does not earn a bid, the check will be destroyed by USA Volleyball.
  3. REMINDER - only submit an entry for a Championship if you WILL ACCEPT the bid if you earn one. Should a team/club withdraw after committing to attend, the Region may place future sanctions on the club when entering future National events.
  4. All teams that earn bids will need registered chaperones on their roster at the Championships. Your chaperone will need to download and fill out a form and mail it to USAV by May 19, 2004. To register a Chaperone with the Region, have them fill out a 2004 Carolina Region membership form and send to the Region Office with $15 (summer membership). This will need to be done shortly after you earn your bid so a USAV number and card can be issued.

PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING BIDS: The Carolina Region wants our best teams representing us at the National Championships and Invitational.

On April 17, teams need to be ready to playoff for the National Bid if we need to. We will run the Regional Championships as a regular tournament with pool play and playoffs. Here is how we will award the bids in each age group:
18's - one bid for JOV National Division - The HIGHEST finisher in the tournament that has submitted an entry for JOV will earn our BID

14's - 17's - TWO bids available - the HIGHEST Finisher in the tournament that has submitted an entry for JOV will earn our NATIONAL bid. The next highest finisher will earn the AMERICAN bid.

13's - one bid for JOV National Division - The HIGHEST finisher in the tournament that has submitted an entry for JOV will earn our BID

Invitational bids (13's-18's) - one bid each age group - The HIGHEST finisher in each age group's tournament that has submitted an entry for the Invitational will earn our BID. If a team has submitted entries for both the JOV Championships and the Invitational, the JOV bid takes precedent. If they earn a bid for JOV that is the bid they must accept (as the highest finisher in the tournament). If they do not earn a bid for the JOV then they will be in the running for the Invitational bid if they finisher higher than other teams that entered for an Invitational bid.

TIES - If there is a tie for a bid or bids (i.e. If teams that are competing for bids lose in the same round of playoffs without playing each other), then there will be a playoff among the eligible teams for the bid(s). Teams competing for a Bid in either Championship should stick around until it is determined that they are no longer in the running for a Bid. Consult the Tournament Director before you leave the site on April 17! Teams leaving the site that may have been eligible for a bid with a playoff forfeit their rights to that bid.

SUMMARY:

Please discuss this opportunity with your teams and parents NOW. If you would like to compete for our bid to the Junior Olympic Championships or Junior Invitational Championships, please submit the above required items to arrive by April 1, 2004. LATE ARRIVALS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE JUNIOR DIVISION (and usually only if don't have any other entries in that division)! Please get them in by the deadline!

For additional information on the Junior Olympic Championships, go to USA Volleyball's web site - www.usavolleyball.org and go to the "JUNIORS" section. The Pre-Tournament Entry Books for both the JO Championships and JO Invitational are now posted to the USA Volleyball web site. Teams may get a head start now filling out the paperwork and submitting their rosters online. April 19 is the National deadline (April 14 for Invitational!), however, April 1 is our REGIONAL DEADLINE! We will submit the Entry Forms and $900 entry fees for all our teams by the April 14 deadline (and we will notify them of our bid winners after the April 17 Tournament).

Teams should note that the Region has not set aside any money to help pay for the team's entry fee, and all teams should plan on raising the full costs needed to participate in the Championships or Junior Invitational. Good luck with the rest of your season, and please call if you have any questions!

If your team wants to compete for a National Bid, submit Completed Entry Form and $900 Entry Fee by April 1, 2004 to:
Carolina Region/USAV, P.O. Box 1757, Clemmons, NC 27012
US Postal Service does deliver overnight to PO Box (waive signature). Other overnight deliveries to:
3770 Clemmons Road, Suite C, Clemmons, NC 27012 (waive signature)
Reminder - teams still need to enter the Regional Championships ($125 and entry form) by March 27, 2004!