Present:		Ron Wyzynski, Bob Price, Keith Burke (present 8/8 and 8/10), Don Burroughs (present 8/8 and 8/9),; Stephen Donahue, Art Faura (arrived 8/8 7:13 pm), Michelle Fox (present 8/8 and 8/9), Brian Hemelgarn (present 8/8 and 8/9), Al Herbert, Gary Hesse, Michelle Hills (departed 8/9 3:10 pm), Ken Leckler, Terry Miller, Nick Nystrom (arrived 8/8 8:12 pm), Loren Paulozzi, Tom Kohl, Hank Trimble, Bill Zehler (arrived 8/8 7:13 pm)
Not present:	Patty Salvatore, Emi Vishoot
Guests:	Ron Clutter (GaREAT), Adam Evans, Gretchen Niebling (Lineshot VBC)

Juniors' Volleyball

OVR Policy on Recruiting and Tryouts — Bill Zehler and Michelle Hills

• Bill Zehler and Michelle Hills developed draft policy for juniors' recruiting and tryouts. Pursuant to the board's input and anticipated input from OVR counsel, Bill expects to refine and release this policy by August 15.
• Bob Price noted that individuals offering tryouts should have to inform participants of the expected number of spots for which they are trying out.

Juniors' Volleyball: General — Bill Zehler

• Again, there were increased numbers of juniors and of juniors' clubs.
• There will be an online version of ASEP that will help clubs to become accredited that start after the December course, that are located far from Columbus, or that otherwise cannot attend the December course. The online course will be $85, which will also entitle those who take it to attend the December course to obtain OVR-specific information.
• Through USA Volleyball, there may be an opportunity to offer an online library of coaching materials.
• Bill and Michelle Hills developed and distributed a draft document, Tryout/Recruiting Rules and Regulations.
• 1120 teams registered for the Ohio Valley Region Inc.-Kaepa® USA 2009 Girls' Volleyball Championships.
• Normally 40-50 would have withdrawn; however, the waiver process reduced this number to only about 20 teams. This process worked out extremely well and reduced the number of refunds that had to be issued.
• High school graduations impacted a few teams. Bill plans to switch the weekends for 2009 to mitigate this problem.

Juniors' Tournaments — Tom Kohl

• Tom previously distributed a draft of the Juniors' Tournament Packet and related information.
• In 2008, the OVR offered 943 juniors' tournaments at 120 sites.
• The Report of Event will be streamlined through an online form.
• The seeding committee will review tournament seeding values, particularly with regard to the new 14s' divisions.
• Tom would like to evaluate all sites within the next 3 years to ensure that the OVR offers high-quality tournaments. Tom will develop a plan to bring to the October meeting. Should this be the head referees' job?
• Coaches can't be tournament director while they're coaching.
• Age-and-Under tournaments can begin after the Bid tournament, rather than after the Girls' Championships. This is to provide teams with additional opportunities to play.
• All OVR-sanctioned tournaments, including Early Bird, should have to follow OVR rules.

Boys' Volleyball — Loren Paulozzi

• A boys' club directors' meeting was held on August 3 from 11:30-3:15. The turnout was good, and the meeting was very productive. Loren circulated notes.
• The OVR boys' volleyball grant program was expanded to provide seed funding to new boys' club programs of $250 per team, up to three teams per club. This applies only to new programs, i.e. clubs that have not fielded boys' teams to date. The number of grants is constrained by the $5000 per year cap, which already includes commitments to boys' high school programs. Grant requests are subject to approval by Loren Paulozzi, OVR Boys' Program Director. To apply, clubs starting new boys' programs should contact Loren at paulozzi@ovr.org.
• Loren distributed a tentative boys' tournament schedule for 2009.
• To promote higher-level play, Loren discussed formats such as national challenges and power leagues. He has clubs and sites willing to host. The events would lead up to, and provide seeding for, the OVR Boys' Championships.
• To provide more playing opportunities for younger boys' teams, the OVR will allow 11-, 12-, 13-, and 14-and-Under boys' teams to in specially designated girls' tournaments of the next higher age. Specifically:
  • 10-and-Under boys' teams can play in 10-and-Under girls' tournaments (no change)
  • 11-and-Under boys' teams can play in 12-and-Under girls' tournaments (new for 2008-2009)
  • 12-and-Under boys' teams can play in 13-and-Under girls' tournaments (new for 2008-2009)
  • 13-and-Under boys' teams can play in 14-and-Under girls' tournaments (new for 2008-2009)
  • 14-and-Under boys' teams can play in 15-and-Under girls' tournaments (new for 2008-2009)
  Combined tournaments will use girls' net height and ball (Molten SuperTouch).
• Boys' High Performance: A video would be helpful to build interest. Don has a video from USAV; Loren and Don will look into permission to use. If we can get permission, we may or may not be able to host the video without additional cost, depending on its bandwidth requirements (which may or may not incur additional cost).

High Performance — Don Burroughs

• The OVR fielded two girls' teams and one boys' team.
• The program lost money due to increased costs of air fare and camp facilities. Due to the loss, the budget process for HP needs to change. Cap some cost and have players make up any overage. We need to find a way to get more of the best players to tryout. Maybe send a boys' teams only. Offer a local camp for selected girls? Girls have really enjoyed the experience.
• Don is to develop cost effective HP program to the BoD at the October Meeting.

Issues from the Club Directors' Meeting — Bill Zehler

• Include Girls' Championship results on the final standings page.
• A revised weather cancellation will be detailed in Tom's OVR Juniors' Tournament Packet for the 2008-2009 season. Tournament directors must be advised to ensure that adequate cancellation policies are included in their facility rental contracts.
• Concessions were addressed at the CDM; see the meeting minutes.
• Online voting: the OVR counsel is checking into current Ohio statutes. In 2008, only 209 votes were cast, at an expense of over $800.
• 3/5 pay for officials: see CDM minutes.
• Faster distribution of results from OVR meetings was discussed and will be addressed to the extent possible. Synopses for recent BoD meetings are online, excepting May 2009, for which minutes have not been received from the person who took notes.
• Juniors' 12-team tournament format: the format works and provides teams finishing second place in their pools to win gold, consistent with other formats. Tournament directors can run their tournaments faster or start earlier, or they can choose not to run 3-court tournaments.
• Officials' and scorekeepers' issues: addressed at the CDM and in the CDM minutes.
• Website functions
  • Excel-based registration will be available by November 15.
  • The OVR will continue to maintain its registration system, rather than using USAV's system. At the CDM, a club director voiced dissatisfaction with using USAV's system, which they had to use to register a team in another region.
  • Reuse of previous years' data not practical due to the time this would take for this year's data. This may be considered for 2010.
  • Correct entry of coaches' names is important for accurate recognition of coaching certifications.
• Junior officials' certification
  • Brian: Should there be a requirement that each club host a junior officials' clinic? Should smaller clubs combine? We lack the staffing to certify every juniors' player: it may be necessary to limit the number of players certified to 2 per team.
  • Steve: Club directors don't enter certifications, complicating verification of teams for nationals.
  • Brian: Clinicians should be the ones to enter names. Nick: This was the decision reached with Barb several years ago. Brian: Add entry of scores by the clinician, pursuant to which players are certified?
• Notation of changes
• Club director's End User Agreement: This can be implemented. Would it be useful? Probably not.
• National teams playing in the Regional division of the Girls' Championships: This was allowed in carefully selected cases, necessary because of court constraints, and considering the absence of key players. Bill and Bob will work to avoid mixing National and Regional in the future.
• Add a third level, e.g. National, Regional, and Local?
  • The number of teams registering as National has decreased for every age group (except 13N, for which the National division is new).
  • If Regional were to be split into two levels, club directors must indicate the number of teams they anticipate so that Tom can sanction appropriate numbers of tournaments.
  • Decision: In 2009, test 3 divisions using National, American, and Regional divisions for 14-and-Under, with plans to extend this to 14U and 15U in 2010.
• Medal-round seeding for regular tournaments: discussed at the CDM; see CDM minutes.
• First date for tryouts in states other than Ohio: discussed at the CDM; see CDM minutes.
• Making attendance mandatory at club directors' meetings would not be practical.
• Bid seeding: Al: the 2008 process that incorporated coaches' votes and retaining OVR seeding for coaches who didn't vote resulted in only two teams switching places in each of three age groups. Ballots are made public. Tournament outcome was very similar to previous years', and Al received no complaints.
• Seeding points for Open vs. Club qualifiers: Bill will re-examine points allocated.
• Additional bids: this was covered at the CDM and in the CDM minutes.
• Al: The 2009 OVR Bid tournament conflicts with the Baltimore Qualifier, in which many OVR teams participate. The date of the Bid tournament reflects the only open weekend at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Should we try to reschedule the older age groups to remove this conflict? Bill: Club directors at the CDM said that they would go to the OVR event if there was a conflict, but that they would appreciate removal of the conflict.

IMPACT Issues — Steve Donahue

• Bill revised the Juniors' Coaches' Code of Ethics to match the board's previous decisions. The new version will be published on the OVR website.
• Coaches must be IMPACT-certified to participate in aOVR-USA sanctioned tournaments. Interim status may be requested in an emergency situation through the appropriate program director (girls: Bill Zehler; boys: Loren Paulozzi).

Juniors' Event dates

• Winterfest: February 7-8; GCCC halls E&F
• Boys' Championships: February 28-March 1
• Bid: April 18-19; planning 52 courts; max 54 courts
• Girls' Championships: May 2-3 (site TBA), 9-10 (GCCC), 16-17 (GCCC)

Adults' Volleyball

Men's and Women's Volleyball — Michelle Fox

• Michelle is currently sanctioning 2008-2009 adults' tournaments. The Northeast Ohio/Pennsylvania tournament list is done, and she is now working on Columbus/SW Ohio. The adults' tournaments schedule will be posted by September 1.
• Do we need to allow adults to play both days of adult Regionals? Michelle would prefer they add a new player instead of allowing a player to play a second day. It did happen this past year. Michelle moved that the Regional championships as a single tournament and a player can only play on one team. Steve second. Vote: 3/8/2.
• Ken Leckler: Should higher levels of men referee themselves in pool? Michelle does not like the idea. Adam feels majority would prefer to ref themselves. Informal surveys indicate that Cleveland team prefer to ref themselves, whereas Dayton teams do not. Decision: continue as is.

Adults' Coed Volleyball — Adam Evans

• Adam received over 130 responses (in-person and online) to the survey he created to assess demand for sanctioned adults' coed volleyball. The majority wanted power coed tournaments from October through December. Adam circulated hardcopy of a presentation describing proposed rules and format.
• Adam and Brian will work out uniform requirements.
• Should all coed teams be in registered in one club to foster a friendly atmosphere?
• The board created a staff position of Adults' Coed Program Director and appointed Adam to this position.

Officiating — Brian Hemelgarn

• In the pay rate for officials, include statement of distance determining an additional allowance. The board discussed the idea of a staggered pay scale by certification level. (For example: Should a JO official receive same rate as National? Should 14 Regional below pay less than higher age divisions? How can we provide incentives to get lower certifications to upgrade? Pay Regional and above more for Regional Championships?)
• A head referee must be named for all tournament. Duties and additional pay to be announced.
• Gary Hesse, Tom Joseph, Nathan Mahaven, Tony Slone, Shera Moxley, and Jimmy McKinzey officiated at the High Performance Tournament.

Professional officials' clinics

The following clinics will be posted on the OVR website, with registration opening in September to registered officials:

• November 30, 2008: Toledo
• December 6 and 7, 2008: Westerville
• December 13 or 14: Dayton
• January 3, 2009: Ambridge, PA
• January 4, 2009: Cuyahoga Falls
• Clinic in West Virginia? Bob will check into this.

Rule changes

• Visible Libero undergarments are exempt from the usual rule.
• Players cannot play with any casts.
• During play, coaches cannot be closer than 1.75m to court. On smaller facilities, should coaches be required to remain closer to bench than they are to the court line? Stay with 1.75m rule.
• Only one assistant coach can stand at any given time.
• The Libero's jersey cannot include any color with the rest of the team (excluding collars and sleeves).
• Pay rate for best 3 of 5 set tournaments. $27.50 for 2/3 sets. $33.50 for 3/3. $41.25 for 3/5 sets.
• Pay rate for adults' tournaments: $16.50 for 2/2 21-point sets. $24.75 3/3 21-point sets.
• Should officials be sanctioned for poor uniforms? Hard to impose?
• For some time, Brian has been working on an extensive Officials' Handbook. The board accepted the Officials' Handbook as written. Additional, minor revisions will be incorporated prior to its publication on the OVR website.
• Implement "inactive" status for Provisional and Regional officials, through which inactive officials can stay in the system but not be available for assignment.

Administration and Governance

Elections

• The only person who expressed interest in the officer position of OVR Girls' Program Director was Bill Zehler, who was elected unanimously for a term of 4 years.
• The only person who expressed interest in the officer position of OVR Adults' Tournament Director was Michelle Fox, who was elected unanimously for a term of 4 years.
• The only person who expressed interest in the officer position of OVR Regional Referees' Chair was Brian Hemelgarn, who was elected unanimously for a term of 4 years.
• The new staff position of OVR Adults' Coed Program Director was created. Adam Evans was appointed to this position.

Organizational Review Committee

• Gretchen Niebling distributed a document titled Recommendations by Organizational Review Committee, authored by Adam Evans, Fred Fischer, Gretchen Niebling, Ed Hine, and Paul Claridades.
• Adam Evans verbally summarized the contents of the document, followed by much discussion.
• Bob and Ron consider suggestions for change and bring a plan to the October meeting.

OVR Board Meetings

• The following OVR board meeting minutes were approved: August 10-12, 2007; October 21, 2007; January 21, 2008.
• Next board meeting: Sunday, October 19, 2009, 10:00 am, Westerville

USA Volleyball Meetings

• Bob, Ron, Loren intend to represent the OVR at the October 10-12 YJOV meeting in Colorado Springs.

Communications and Technology

• The server upgrade performed in January continues to deliver strong performance. Officers report being able to do their jobs even during peak periods of utilization. With the board's consensus in May to retain the upgrade long-term, Nick has proceeded to implement new functionality to meet the constantly espanding needs of the Region.
• Nick developed a new price structure for properties wishing to advertise on OVR tournament schedules. The new price structure offers greater flexibility and manageability, and has been well-received by potential sponsors thus far.
• The OVR home page has been restructured to ease finding information relevant to each user.
• Additional steps have been taken to protect members' privacy. For example, rosters and lists of hired officials are displayed only on a need-to-know basis, based on the user's login credentials. This is an ongoing process which is planned for completion by the time teams register for the 2008-2009 season. These steps address concerns that OVR members have expressed, and they are reasonable precautions for protecting the Region from liability problems.
• A non-inclusive list of planned changes to the OVR website for the 2008-2009 season include:
  • Implementation of content-selectable e-mail news for members and other interested parties.
  • Registration for adults' coed teams. To foster the friendly atmosphere that players want, these teams will all be part of one club for this inaugural season.
  • Modified registration for girls' teams to reflect National, American, and Regional divisions.
  • Designation of the head referee. This will be the first referee listed for each tournament.
  • Many new and expanded functions for OVR officers and staff.
  • Online juniors' Report of Event, which will be sent directly to Tom Kohl and Brian Hemelgarn.
  • Confirmation on the Juniors' Tournament Schedule that tournament directors have completed all post tournament responsibilities.
  • General membership (including officials) can only view sanctioned tournaments on the Juniors' Tournament schedule.
  • Change terminology on standings page: Team Standings to Team Seeding.
  • OVR Team Entry form: add a line for IMPACT or CAP Certification.
  • On team rosters that TDs print out, have lines for coaches to print their name and sign their name.
  • For juniors' tournaments having multiple sites, a responsible, in-person coordinator will be identified for each site.
  • Implement "inactive" status for Provisional and Regional officials.
• Photography at the 2008 Girls' Championships was inadequate. Medal photos arrived without adequate identification of the teams they representing, preventing proper recognition on the OVR website. Reported sales were unexpectedly low, resulting in very little return to the Region. Nick met with a photographer representing a different studio, with whom the Region may do business in 2009.

Other Issues

• Ron Clutter gave a presentation on GaREAT (Geneva area Recreational Educational Athletic Trust), an ambitious facility being constructed in Geneva, Ohio. OVR staff will learn more about the facility and track its construction, possibly to sanction OVR events there sometime in the future.
• Ken Leckler expressed the following concerns. Some board members wear too many hats. Should all paid staff positions be listed in bylaws? Officials are allowed to be sloppy in appearance. What is our liability with official/staff parties after our events? Why were only officials at the second weekend of the OVR Girls' Championships given a food coupon?
• Ron Wyzynski is giving up coaching due to potential conflict of interest. Vendors have provided information and clothing samples for evaluation as part of our sponsor selection process. Tom Kohl did excellent job managing juniors' events. Teams prefer to stay closer to home. Each coach at IMPACT classes will be given a rule book. The background screen fee is increasing $2.50 from USAV; however, the OVR will not increase member fees for the 2008-2009 season.
• Hank Trimble noted that the board and officers are aging, and that steps should be taken to ensure that new members are trained in key roles. Art: advisory groups could serve as a good launching point. Bob: it may be worth bringing in someone to talk about managing transitions.
• Ron distributed a package of information, event balance sheets, and updates. Rulebooks and cards will be distributed when available from USAV.