Table of Contents s221

Table of Contents

General Information 2

History 3

Purpose of Team Atlantis 4

Age Definitions 5

Club Fees 6

Practices 7

Tournaments 8

Club Policies 9

Volleyball Links 10

Program Handbook 2 www.teamatlantisvbc.com General Information

USA Volleyball (USAV) is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of volleyball in the United States and is recognized as such by the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The vision of USA Volleyball is to be acknowledged as the world leader in volleyball. The website for USA Volleyball is www.usavolleyball.org.

The Ohio Valley Region (OVR) is one of the largest regions in the United States with over 1500 teams and 16,000 members. The OVR hosts a wide variety of tournaments, clinics, camps, and other events to help develop the players and coaches in the region. The website for the OVR is www.ovr.org.

Junior Olympic (JO) volleyball has grown tremendously over the past 30 years, especially in the OVR where there are thousands of athletes registered. The following age groups are available for athletes who want to play JO: 18’s, 17’s, 16’s, 15’s, 14’s, 13’s, 12’s, & 10’s.

Juniors’ teams competing in 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 and Under age divisions are registered as either National, American, or Regional. There is no distinction for 10s and 12s. A National level team is comprised of athletes who will compete at a higher level of play than a Regional level team. To see a list of specific age definitions for the upcoming season, please refer to page 5 of this handbook.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has specific rules that coaches and athletes in JO must adhere to. One stipulation is that no more than 3 players from the same school where there is interscholastic volleyball competition may compete on the same JO team. If a school does not have interscholastic competition, for example an elementary school, then this rule does not apply. Several 10 & 12 and under teams fall under this category. Another rule is that coaches may not coach athletes who played volleyball for the same school program in which they coached during the previous season. More information regarding these rules may be found on the website www.ohsaa.org.

Program Handbook 3 www.teamatlantisvbc.com History

Team Atlantis Volleyball Club was started in 1997. From 2001 through 2013, Team Atlantis has seen 39 teams earn a birth to the Junior Olympic Girls National Championships In 2012, one team from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2011, two teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2010, four teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2009, three teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2008, four teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2007, four teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals! In 2006, three teams from Team Atlantis qualified for Nationals. The 17 Rebels qualified in the Open Division, the highest level of competition at Nationals which includes the top 28 teams in the nation. The other 2 teams to qualify were the 16 Black Sheep in the National Club Division and the 18 Elite in the American Club Division. In 2005, Team Atlantis sent a record 5 teams to Nationals! The 15 Black Sheep and 18 Elite Black were the first teams in Team Atlantis history to qualify for the Open Division at Nationals. The other three teams to qualify were: 15 Green Beans, 16 Elite Dynamites, 17 Elite. In 2004 Team Atlantis qualified four teams for the Junior Olympic Girls National Championships for the second consecutive season. These teams were the 14 Elite, 15 Elite, 16 Elite, and 17 Elite. 2004’s results were featured by 14 Elite winning the National Championship in club American. In 2003 Team Atlantis Qualified multiple teams for the first time in club history! Team Atlantis was represented by the 13 Elite, 15 Elite, 16 Elite, and 18 Elite teams! In 2002, Team Atlantis’s 16 open team, qualified for Nationals, finishing 9th out of 64 teams in the club division. In 2001, Team Atlantis sent its first team to the Junior Olympic National Tournament in Salt Lake City. The 14 Open Gators finished 11th out of 64 teams! The club's success at the National level is well documented. We have teams competing in age groups ranging from 10’s to 18’s, competing at every level. We have enjoyed a great amount of success with all of our teams in the past. We take great pride in being able to provide each player an opportunity to improve their volleyball skills, as well as, get to know other kids from other parts of the state. Our success has been due to two things; the quality coaching staff Team Atlantis consists of each year, and most importantly, the dedicated players and parents willing to sacrifice each and every day. Team Atlantis has a history of providing knowledgeable coaches ranging from varsity coaches to adult and college players, as well as, players with all-state, district, and conference honors.

Program Handbook 4 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Purpose of Team Atlantis

There is a reason for the name "Team Atlantis". At Team Atlantis, we are a TEAM. Our coaches will do their best to teach the concepts of sportsmanship, ethics, and the responsibilities of being part of a team. Each team should take great pride in being a part of Team Atlantis, and support other Team Atlantis teams.

Team Atlantis’s primary purpose is to take care of our area athletes and high school programs. It is our opinion that each athlete comes into club volleyball with different needs. Team Atlantis offers a variety of choices for the athletes.

We have different levels of teams for the athletes to try out for. We have "Regional" level teams for all age levels. At the Regional level, coaches concentrate on developing basic individual and team skills for the player. Regional teams generally travel less, and pay less money to participate.

Our "National" division teams have a different set of goals. The coaches do concentrate on polishing the individual and team skills. Our National teams also concentrate on learning advanced systems in offense, defense, and serve reception. These teams will travel greater distances, play in 2 or 3 -day tournaments, and pay a little more money. Many of our National teams try to qualify for Nationals.

Our "American" division teams are a level between Regional and National. The goals are primarily the same. The schedule will be between Regional and National.

Program Handbook 5 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Age Definitions

Below is a table of Junior Olympic Age Definitions for the 2014 season.

National division teams must use the “traditional” USAV age definitions. Regional division teams may classify themselves based on the OVR “grade-level” age definitions, subject to the following conditions:

Grade Level definition - If you are older than the “born on” date, but are in that grade. You may play within that grade in the “Regional” level, NOT the “National” level.

Age “Traditional” USAV Definition OVR “Grade-Level” Definition 18 and Teams with players who: Teams with players who are in 12th grade under  were born on or after September 1, or below during the current academic 1997, or year  are high school students in the twelfth (12th) grade or below during the current academic year and are 19 years of age or younger 17 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 11th grade under after September 1, 1998 or below during the current academic year 16 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 10th grade under after September 1, 1999 or below during the current academic year 15 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 9th grade under after September 1, 2000 or below during the current academic year 14 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 8th grade under after September 1, 2001 or below during the current academic year 13 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 7th grade under after September 1, 2002 or below during the current academic year 12 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 6th grade under after September 1, 2003 or below during the current academic year 11 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 5th grade under after September 1, 2004 or below during the current academic year 10 and Teams with players who were born on or Teams with players who are in 4th grade under after September 1, 2005 or below during the current academic year

Club Fees

Program Handbook 6 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Important Notes: - All payments are final and non-refundable! - There is a $30 fee for any returned check. - Payment plans can be worked out. Please contact Greg Snipes for details. - No payment reminders will be sent! It is the responsibility of the parent to remember to make the payment on time! Failure to do so will result in the temporary suspension of the player. Under no circumstance is a coach permitted to receive a payment. - Fees include: Uniforms, tournament entry fees, coaches pay, school donations, rental fees, and equipment. Transportation and lodging is NOT included and is the responsibility of the athlete and her family. - Make checks payable to Team Atlantis Volleyball Club. All payments MUST be mailed to: Greg Snipes, 29 Marymont Dr., Piqua, OH 45356

Fee Details ● 10, 11, 12 Teams: *If paying in 2 installments there will be a $10 fee for each. Total Cost: $400 (5 tournaments, Regional Championships are not guaranteed) Due December 1: Full amount or 1st installment of $210 Due February 1: Remaining balance of $210

● 13 - 18 Regional Teams: *If paying in 2 installments there will be a $10 fee for each. Total Cost: $600 (6 tournaments, Regional Championships are not guaranteed) Due December 1: Full amount or 1st installment of $310 Due February 1: Remaining balance of $310

● American Teams: *If paying in 2 installments there will be a $10 fee for each. Total Cost: $650 (6 tournaments, including 1 possible multi-day tournament & Regional Championships. The schedule will be finalized at a mandatory meeting on December 8.) Due December 1: Full amount or 1st installment of $335 Due February 1: Remaining balance of $335

● National Teams: *If paying in 2 installments there will be a $10 fee for each. Total Cost: $820 (Number of tournaments will depend on playing dates and cost of tournaments. The schedule will be finalized at a mandatory meeting on December 8.) Due December 1: Full amount or 1st installment of $420 Due February 1: Remaining balance of $420

Program Handbook 7 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Practices

It is very important that all athletes at Team Atlantis make every effort to attend practices on a regular basis. Junior Olympic (JO) volleyball is very different than high school volleyball in the fact that high school teams practice almost every day, whereas JO teams do not. Therefore, it is highly encouraged to come to practice in order to get the maximum benefit of the program.

Please remember, athletes and their families are paying for instruction, not playing time. Most of the instruction takes place in practices.

Teams generally will practice once or twice during the week depending on gym availability, etc.

The following is a list of rules for practices:

1) Team Atlantis is very fortunate to have area schools be very generous with permitting us to use gyms at no cost. This allows us to keep the club cost lower than many other programs. All coaches, athletes, and parents shall treat the facilities with respect. Team Atlantis will have zero tolerance in regards to property destruction and will ask the athlete to leave the program with no refund if the problem arises.

2) Arrive at practice at least 15 minutes early. The “PLAY LIKE A scheduled time is the start time for practice, NOT the CHAMPION … arrival time. This will allow the athlete time to get dressed for practice and get warmed up before the PRACTICE LIKE scheduled starting time. A CHAMPION.” 3) Athletes are encouraged to bring their own towels and water bottles to practice.

4) Athletes are required to help set up and put away equipment for practice. No athlete leaves the facility until equipment and trash are put away. Continued abuse of this rule will result in that team's loss of the practice facility.

5) It is the coach’s discretion as to whether or not practices are open or closed.

6) Practice is a time for coaches and players to work together to improve the individual skills of the athletes and to learn how to become cohesive as a team. It is the responsibility of the athletes to work hard at every practice and be cooperative with the other athletes on the team and the coaches. If the athlete is not conducive to the learning environment or is goofing off, the athlete may be dismissed from practice.

7) If an athlete cannot make it to a practice for any reason, it is the responsibility of the athlete to call her coach before the practice begins and state why she cannot be there.

8) If a practice is cancelled, the coach will notify everyone on the team in advance by either calling each athlete or utilizing a phone tree to get the word across faster.

Program Handbook 8 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Tournaments

All teams will play anywhere from 5-7 tournaments throughout the season depending on the age group, classification, and tournament availability. Most of these tournaments are one day tournaments within 1 or 2 hours driving distance. However, National teams will participate in some overnight tournaments and travel a little more. Directions to tournament sites can be found on the Ohio Valley Region Volleyball website www.ovr.org.

Tournaments are typically set up to be pools of 4 teams each. Each team will play every other team within their pool once. Then depending on the final records and scores, move on to a gold, silver, bronze, etc. single elimination playoff. For some of the bigger tournaments, typically for National teams (National Qualifier, Bid, etc.), the formats may be a little different with power pools, etc. Those formats will be communicated to the athletes and parents as they arise.

The following is a list of rules for tournaments:

1) Athletes and/or parents are responsible for transportation to and from tournament sites. Remember that the cost for transportation and lodging is NOT included in the annual fees and is the responsibility of the athlete and her family.

2) Arrive at the tournament site ON TIME! This is usually ½ hour before the 1st match so all athletes have the proper time to warm up, but it is the coach’s responsibility to communicate to the athletes when the arrival time is for each tournament.

3) Athletes are encouraged to bring their own towels and water bottles or sport drinks to tournaments.

4) Athletes, coaches, and parents are to act in a respectful and sportsmanlike manner AT ALL TIMES! Team Atlantis has been very fortunate to not have any significant problems with this in the past. Remember that you are representing your high school, club, and family. Any problems will be dealt with on a case by case basis and disciplinary action (i.e. loss of playing time) may result from serious offenses. No parent shall approach a coach before, during, or after a match on a tournament day in an argumentative or controversial manner. If this situation occurs, the player will be dismissed from the team and club.

5) Remember to bring ALL proper attire to the tournaments. Don’t forget uniforms, kneepads, shoes, braces, etc. It would be a shame to sit out an entire tournament because of a forgotten uniform!

6) If an athlete cannot be at a tournament, the coach must know ASAP!

7) All athletes are required to be scorekeepers and/or officials at the tournaments. No one is allowed to leave the tournament until all officiating duties have been completed or special permission to leave early has been granted by the coach.

8) The team camp area is to be cleaned up entirely before anyone leaves the tournament site.

Program Handbook 9 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Club Policies

The following guidelines must be read and adhered to by all players, parents, and coaches who are affiliated with Team Atlantis Volleyball Club.

1) Playing time in tournaments is NOT guaranteed to athletes. Athletes are paying for instruction, not playing time. Areas that will affect an athlete’s playing time are as follows: attitude, skill, practice attendance, position, and status of payment. If a player has not paid their fees with in the 10-day grace period, that player will be suspended until the payment is in the hands of the directors. The final decision on playing time is the coach's and will not be questioned.

2) Practice attendance is very important for athletes to get the maximum benefit of the program, however it is not required. All high school activities come first for all Team Atlantis athletes. Coaches will not question this at any time! Although, continuing to miss practices will hurt the athlete. One, she will miss out on the repetitions necessary to improve her skills. Practices are where skills are learned and polished. Two, it is not fair to the athlete that attends all practices to sit out, while an athlete not attending practices gets to play. Team Atlantis is very flexible for all Regional teams when it comes to missing practices. However, for National level teams, the athlete was given a choice to make the time commitment. Practices are as mandatory as possible. Missing practices will result in loss of playing time, loss of skill development, and eventually dismissal from the team if persistent absenteeism develops.

Since there is no written attendance policy, the final decision for playing time and penalties are that of the coach. The decisions will not be questioned. If at any time the athlete's parent verbally attacks the coach, the athlete will be immediately dismissed from the club by a club director and will receive no refund.

3) Grievances shall be handled in the following manner. If an athlete has a problem with playing time, playing position, etc., the athlete shall talk to her coach about it first. Most of the time, this approach alleviates the situation without the parents or club directors getting involved. It is highly recommended that the communication lines remain open between the athlete and coach. If there is still a problem after the athlete talks to her coach, the parents may schedule a time to meet with the coach to discuss the situation. Finally, if the parents feel there is still no resolution to the problem, they may schedule a time to meet with one or both of the club directors. Team Atlantis wants to make this an enjoyable experience for the athletes and parents, so it is encouraged to discuss concerns in a respectable manner whenever the need arises.

4) The use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco products is strictly prohibited for athletes of Team Atlantis. If an athlete is caught using one of these substances at a Team Atlantis function, the athlete will be immediately dismissed from the club.

Program Handbook 10 www.teamatlantisvbc.com Volleyball Links

Volleyball Organizations

Ohio Valley Region www.ovr.org USA Volleyball www.usavolleyball.org Ohio High School Athletic Association www.ohsaa.org Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association www.ohsvca.org American Volleyball Coaches Association www.avca.org

Colleges

NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) www.ncaa.org NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) www.naia.org NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) www.njcaa.org

Volleyball.Com www.volleyball.com Volleyball Seek www.volleyballseek.com Volleyball Hall of Fame www.volleyhall.org Volleyball World Wide www.volleyball.org Volleyball Magazine www.volleyballmag.com Student Sports Magazine www.studentsports.com JJHuddle High School Sports www.jjhuddle.com News About Ohio High School Volleyball www.ohiohsvb.com Capitol Sports Center (home of Mideast Qualifier) www.capitolsportscenter.com

Program Handbook 11 www.teamatlantisvbc.com