2005 Junior Survey Results

We would like to thank the people who took the time to respond to our survey. We appreciate your comments and suggestions and hope that you see that many of your concerns and suggestions have been addressed and implemented for this season and that we are working on some of the other issues (that take a little longer to solve) for next season.

The questions mainly were Yes/No, rank (with 1 being your first choice) or your input. Where it was ranking the lowest number (average ranking) is the first choice.

Demographics:

We had 74 people respond, with responses balanced among the divisions (Gold = 40, Silver = 19, Bronze = 7 and Copper = 2) as well as the age groups (18 = 5, 17 = 11, 16 = 20, 15 = 16, 14 = 811 13 = 5).

Tournament locations and Dates:

The questions mainly were Yes/No, rank (with 1 being your first choice) or your input. Where it was ranking the lowest number (average ranking) is the first choice.

The majority (41 yes 13 no) would play on a Sunday if we are not able to find enough facilities provided that the divisions that play on Sunday would be rotated so that a particular division would play on Sunday only once or twice during the season. If we have to play on Sunday, we will rotate the divisions that play on Sunday.
The next questions dealt with when the Regional Championships should be held.
- Gold - Early April (1.51), Late April (1.78) and Late March (2.19).
- Silver - Early April (1.31), Late April 1.92 and Late March (1.93).
- Bronze - Late March (1.39), Early April (1.42) and Late April (2.08).
- Copper - Late March (1.39), Early April (1.42) and Late April (2.08).
Region response: Regional Championships are the last region tournament of the season (excluding the Jr. Hi-neighbor and Quest For Excellence tournaments) and we will continue to have the Bronze and Copper divisions end in late March and Gold and Silver end in early April.
Should the region give a two-day tournament exclusive scheduling on a weekend or should we open it up to tournament directors who would like to hold (and teams that would like to play in) a single day event? (43 yes 22 no). Region response: the Region will consider requests from tournament directors who want to offer a single day tournament on a weekend where there is a two day tournament scheduled.

Team Movements:

How should the region decide which teams to move: Automatically - the two teams that play in the final move up and the two lowest point system rating season-to-date move down (1.35). Automatically (like last season) - the two teams that play in the final move up and the two teams that finished lowest in the tournament move down (1.64). Determined by Division Representatives (1.88). Region response: automatically move the top two finishers of the tournament up and the two lowest point system ratings season-to-date teams down.

Officiating:

Last year you asked for more officiating clinics to make it easier to get certified. The region held 86 clinics. The region sponsored 2 re-cert junior clinics, 2 full junior clinics, 5 adult re-cert clinics and 3 adult full clinics. The rest were sponsored by clubs (junior and/or adult).

The respondents felt that there were enough opportunities to get certified this year (62 yes 5 no). Region response: we will continue to offer numerous clinics.
Last season we created the online system to check your officiating status. It was nearly unanimous (64 yes 2 no) that we continue this system. Region response: we will continue using the system.

Youth and Boys Development:

On the question of what are the deterrents to younger players and boys playing USA Volleyball, there were varied responses from: finding qualified coaches who can teach fundamentals, access to gym time, too many other activities for them to do that also only are available on Saturdays, no high school opportunities for boys, younger players and boys families are not aware of the opportunity to play. Region response: opportunities/places to play continue to be a problem. The region does have a facility grant program where facilities can apply for money to assist in putting volleyball into a gym that is not set up for it, putting a second court in a gym that has one main court by setting up two cross courts, etc. We are working with YMCA's, Parks and Recreation and other facilities in offering youth volleyball leagues for 8-12 year olds.

Play Formats:

The next group of questions dealt with play format. We added the 4th division to most age groups last season (Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper). The play seemed more balanced and we had a good level of play in most divisions. We went to match play (2/3 staring at 0-0). Due to the length of the day we used a modified 5-team pool format (where only the thirdseeded team played everyone) to keep the day about the same length as before.

If we have to use a five team pool.
- Play every team in the pool and play two games starting at 0-0. (2.24).
- Play every team in the pool and play two games starting at 5-5. (2.49).
- Play the modified 5 team pool format. (2.53).
  - The 5th seed playing everyone (33) was preferred over the 3rd seed playing everyone (24).
  - Pool finish should be determined by: match, then games, then points (1.11), games then points (1.43).
- Play every team in the pool and play a match (2/3 starting at 7-7). (2.73).
- Play every team in the pool and play a match (2/3 starting at 0-0). (2.82).
Should we only use 4 team pools (even if it means that we have more teams playing on Sunday and/or some teams not getting to play) and play matches (2/3 starting at 0-0)? (18 yes 45 no).
- Top two teams go to playoffs (1.49).
- Top two teams to Gold bracket playoffs and bottom two teams to Silver bracket playoffs (1.74).
- Top two teams go to playoffs, the thirds play one more match against another third and the 4ths play one more match against another 4th (2.00).
When we have a 6 team pool (played on two courts) should we play matches (2/3 starting at 0-0)? (44 yes 21 no).
When we have a 7 team pool (played on two courts) should we play matches (2/3 starting at 0-0)? (41 yes 24 no).

Region response: We will continue to play matches starting at 0-0 in all pool play formats. We will play the modified 5 team format this season but this year the 5th seed will play everyone. This should drastically cut the number of 3-1 versus 2-1 record disputes (but 3-1 is the better win percentage so advances over a 2-1 team - if a 5th seed goes 3-1, they deserve the spot!). If teams tie at 2-1, the first tie-breaker will be the head to head match play. If they did not play during the pool play, a game to 15 will determine the playoff spot.

High Performance Program:

The goal of the Carolina Region High Performance Program is to provide training and competition opportunities that help improve the level of play in the Carolina Region as well as develop the top players. To accomplish this, we offer one-day clinics to players and coaches, training weekends, camps and competition. This year we added Level II clinics for players who had been to a Level I clinic and Level III clinics for players who were invited to train at this level. We offered a training day once a month during the season (excluding November) to allow us to continue to build during the season as we play catch-up to the top regions in the country. Based on your feedback and with the growth of the talent, we took two teams in the HPC and Youth age groups to the U.S High Performance Championships this year. We have also added a beach camp (held this summer in Virginia Beach).

The majority of the respondents (31 vs. 36) have not participated in the region's high performance program. Of those who have not 6 were not interested, 6 did not know about it, 5 thought that they were not good enough and 3 said it was too expensive.
As the talent increases the vast majority (51 yes 13 no) felt that the region should add a training weekend and camp for the next 30 players in an age group. Region response: we will evaluate the talent level and where and when feasible add a second competition team in an age group. Note: The HP Championships may be changing their format/focus, so a second competition team may not fit into the new USAV structure.

Coaching Certification and Clinics:

The region hosted a CAP Level I and Level II clinics this year (October 1st and 2nd at the Sportsplex) and we held a high performance coaching clinic last April.

Most of the responses (43 yes 3 no) indicated that they would attend coaching clinics geared toward more experienced coaches. Region response: working to offer some advanced coaching clinics next fall (time frame referred by respondents). Suggested topics include: sportsmanship, the High Performance techniques, conditioning and training concepts, motivation and psychology and sports medicine. Also including an advanced section covering high performance techniques to the IMPACT gym clinic.

Outdoor:

Are there things that the region could do to support or enhance the outdoor play in the region? This year a few tournament directors offered junior divisions at their tournaments and most had a couple of nets of juniors attend. Region response: looking to work with local clubs to offer a limited schedule for juniors next summer.

Member Service and Support:

Last season we added online registration and online payment capability.

The majority of the people use the web site (yes 67, no 2).
The web site was rated Good to Excellent in overall usefulness, intuitiveness and ease of use.
The schedules, pool postings, results and officials sections were the most frequently used sections of the web site.
Suggestions to improve the web site included: update directions to facilities (including physical address), update how region teams do in qualifiers/nationals and other out of region tournaments, add search function for the site itself, keep it updated, spice it up with graphics, add "button style" links, more pictures, online tournament entry, links to other websites that help players find places to play in their area.
The regular e-mail updates were received by the majority (yes 37 no 30). Of the 30 who do not receive the updates, 25 did not know about them.

Region response: We have purchased new web development software and staff is getting training on using it. A major goal over next several months is to update the look and user-friendliness of the website. Our goal is that everyone will be able to easily find all the information they are looking for. Our new "look" may appear in stages - hopefully, by next season all major sections of the site will be incorporated. Please continue giving us your feedback on what you would like to see on the site!