M ARCH 2012
Inside hp
Boys’ USAV Indoor High Performance Tryouts – Competing for the Highest Level! By Collin Powers, Indoor High Performance Dept.
What common characteristic do all collegiate and national team volleyball coaches look for in young players? The answer is “the ability to compete.” Coaches can’t fully predict which players in the coming years will demonstrate a robust work ethic and a dedication to growing into the best player they possibly can become. But they do know that a “competitive” player will tackle challenges head on and won’t back down when the going gets tough.
USAV/ NYHOFF
And on the path to greatness, the going usually gets tough. No place offers a better venue to reveal your competitive spirit than a USA Volleyball High Performance tryout. And the 2012 USAV Boys’ Indoor High Performance Tryouts have been a vibrant display of the spirit contained in our nation’s youth volleyball players. This year, over 1,150 players from across the United States battled and competed for positions in USAV Boys’ Indoor High Performance programs and maybe even the chance to represent their country on the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Indoor Team or Men’s Junior National Indoor Team. Boys’ indoor HP Tryout results postings are scheduled to be posted on the USA Volleyball website (www.usavolleyball.org) this week. Due to a full revamping of the United States Olympic Committee website (which serves as the host for the USA Volleyball website) that is scheduled for the same week, this date could be pushed back. If any such delays do occur, they will be noted on the USA Volleyball site, with a rescheduled notification date. USAV Indoor High Performance Tryouts and summer programs are formatted around four age groups: Future Select, Select, Youth and Junior. In each of these age groups, tryout participants are evaluated against all other players in their position and age group, based on skill, athleticism, volleyball IQ and future potential. Invitations to Indoor HP programs and program levels are then made based on these evaluations. In the Men’s Junior age group, the top 19 players from across the country will be invited to participate on the squad of the 2012 U.S. Men’s Junior National Indoor Training Team that will be led by head coach Pete Hanson of the Ohio State University. That squad will be trimmed to a final roster of 12 players who will compete in the 2012 NORCECA Men’s Junior Continental Championships, to be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs in late August. That tournament serves as a qualification tournament for the team’s participation in the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Junior World Championship. Coach Hanson will be assisted by coaches Jay Hosack of Penn State University and Jonah Carson of the University of the Pacific. The next group of 24 Junior age group players from tryouts will be invited to participate in the Men’s Junior A2 Indoor Program, head coached by Bill Ferguson of the University of Southern California. Those players will train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center toward the end of the training block for the U.S. Men’s Junior National Indoor Team, providing scrimmage and competition opportunities for both squads of players. Coach Ferguson will be assisted by coaches Jeremy Price of Grand Canyon University and Dave Hunt of Pepperdine University. (Continued on page 11)