By Bill Kauffman ([email protected]) | Nov. 27, 2017, 3:02 p.m. (ET)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 27, 2017) – USA Volleyball and its 40 Regional Volleyball Associations (RVAs) will jointly launch the USA National Beach Tour in 2018. The USA National Beach Tour will serve as “The officially sanctioned beach tour of USA Volleyball” and its RVAs.
The USA National Beach Tour combines the USA Junior Beach Tour (run by USA Volleyball) and the American Beach Tour (run by the RVAs) into one sanctioned tour with participation opportunities for juniors and adults alike.
The USA National Beach Tour will be composed of more than 200 events staged across the country and will culminate with the Beach Regional Qualifiers and Beach National Qualifiers, which will offer players the opportunity to earn bids to the USA Beach National Championships.
“I am looking forward to working with the 40 regions of USA Volleyball to roll out the new USA National Beach Tour, and using our resources to enhance the national championship events,” USA Volleyball Manager of Beach Events Mark Paaluhi said.
“The USA National Beach Tour is a wonderful, collaborative effort by USA Volleyball and the 40 RVAs to provide top-notch beach competition opportunities from coast-to-coast for every player’s skill level,” said USA Volleyball Board of Directors member Donna Donaghy, who also serves as commissioner of the Northern California Volleyball Association. “From sand newcomers at the grassroots level to elite players aiming for a national title, this Tour offers opportunities for all players. We see the Tour as being a major spark to growing beach volleyball even faster and developing players for the next level.”
The Junior Beach National Championships (JBNC), which will take place in July, will have three divisions for both genders: National Open (bid), Regional Open (bid) and Patriot (non-bid).
Adult Beach National Championships (ABNC), which is anticipated to take place in September, will have divisions for men, women and coed in six different skill levels: Open, AAA, AA, A, BB and B.
USA Volleyball’s Beach High Performance plans to conduct Selection Camps before select Beach National Qualifiers, which gives the chosen athletes a path towards representing Team USA in age-group FIVB Beach World Championships and other international competitions.
“The co-location of USA Volleyball’s Beach National Qualifiers and the Beach High Performance Selection Camps allows juniors athletes the opportunity to compete and qualify for USA’s Beach National Championships as well as be trained and evaluated by top USA Beach coaches within USA Volleyball’s High Performance program,” USA Volleyball Manager of Beach High Performance Megan Burgdorf said. “This combined programming provides a cost-effective way for players to be identified for National programming and to experience high-level training and elite competition against other top beach athletes from across the country.”
The official website for the USA National Beach Tour is www.NationalBeachTour.com. The site will be updated regularly as information as available.
