NOTE: The information below is the OVR's best information at this time, although some may be tentative. We are still very early in the process, but decided to present what we had early for the benefit of family planning. The tryout and formation of a HP team is contingent upon an adequate number of participant applications

Mission

The mission of the Ohio Valley Region High Performance Program is to provide additional development opportunities for our region's elite juniors' volleyball athletes and coaches within the USA Volleyball National Team pipeline philosophy.

Age Divisions for 2008

Players eligible for the Boys' HP Youth Team for 2008 and 2009 are those born on and after January 1, 1991.

The OVR will not organize Boys' HP Junior Team (born before 1/1/91) tryouts for 2008. A few options were considered; however, USAV is not sanctioning a Boys' Junior High Performance National Championship Tournament for 2008, and AAU championships' timing conflicts with the Ohio high school season.

Tryouts for 2008 OVR Boy's High Performance Volleyball Team

The top players in the Region will be selected to play as a team in the High Performance National Championship Tournament in Tuscon, Arizona July 23-27th, 2008. This tournament consists of the top players from other USAV regions as well as several international teams. This is also an excellent chance for players to be seen by college coaches nationwide.

Tryout Informtation

1. Boys born on and after January 1, 1991; are eligible to attend the tryout. There are no age waivers.

2. Tryout participants will be required to be current members of the OVR at the time of the tryout. If not already registered, players can register online prior to the tryout date.

3. The tryout fee is $50, payable to Ohio Valley Region. Cash will not be accepted. The fee must be paid at the tryout.

4. Players must bring a completed Medical Release regardless of whether their parents attend the tryout.

5. Players must be registered and return the completed Tryout application before February 1st, 2008. Completed applications should be e-mailed to: paulozzi@ovr.org or mailed to Loren Paulozzi, 4467 Brendan Lane, North Olmsted, OH 44070

6. Selected players will be contacted on Monday February 25th. Because of our short timeframe, selected players will have 24 hours to accept or reject the participation offer. Players not contacted on February 25th will be put on the waiting list by position and will be contacted next.

If Selected

Players who are selected to participate on the OVR HP Boys' Youth Team will be required to pay a $500 participation fee, due by June 1. This fee covers the following items:

• all personal equipment: warm-up, travel bag, jerseys, shorts, socks, knee pads, shoes (retail value over $400)
• all training camp expenses
• all travel expenses to Tuscon, Arizona
• all hotel expenses in Arizona.

The participation fee does not cover food and entertainment expenses in Arizona.

Training Camp

Training camp will be held in July, at an Ohio site to be announced. Players will check in Saturday morning and will be dismissed Wednesday evening. Boys will train mostly off-site at (TBA), for which transportation will be provided. There will typically be three 2-hour training session each day. Players will be housed in the dorm and eat in the cafeteria.

USA Volleyball High Performance National Championship

The OVR HP Boys' Youth Team will compete in the USA Volleyball High Performance National Championship in Tuscon, Arizona, July 23-27, 2008. Additional information is available at USA Volleyball.

The general tournament format is:

• 5 matches over Sunday through Tuesday (pool)
• tournament play begins Wednesday
• typically 2 matches per day will yield little free time for extended recreational activities.

Coach

TO BE DETERMINED. If interested in applying, or if you know an interested candidate, please forward resume to: Loren Paulozzi, OVR Boys' Program Director (paulozzi@ovr.org) and Don Burroughs, Director of High Performance burroughs@ovr.org).

Additional Information for OVR Club Directors and Coaches

As club director/representative, you play a very important role in spreading the word about this program and its benefits for your club's top athletes. Please make sure that the boys know about these tryouts ahead of time and plan accordingly.

The tryout is held the night before OVR Boys' Championships. If you have teams that will be competing in those tournaments, we could use their help in running the tournament. Here are things with which we need help:

• Check-In: paperwork, t-shirts
• Court Coaches: on-court drill work with athletes

Interested individuals should contact Loren Paulozzi, OVR Boys' Program Director, at paulozzi@ovr.org as soon as possible.

For Additional Information