We normally send our teams to Winterfest and/or Spikefest and the Boston Festival, and the normal NERVA series tournaments (there are normally 5 such tournaments). All of these tournaments are in New England. We do not send teams out of region. The Open level teams will participate in the Open or USA level multi-day tournaments. The Club level teams will participate in the Club level multi-day tournaments.

The Open level teams will participate in the Open/USA level NERVA series tournaments.
The Club level teams will participate in the  Club/American NERVA series tournaments.

If the upcoming JO season for USAV, NERVA, and/or CRVBC is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then refunds will be given and be a percentage of the Team Membership Fee each player paid for this season. The percentages will be specific to how much of the costs for the season will be saved due to the cancellation of gym time, tournament entry fees, coaches' travel costs, coaches' seasonal stipends, equipment costs, and such items.

As was indicated last season (2019-2020) a JO season is front-end loaded with many of the costs. The majority of practices occur prior to March; which is when the NERVA series tournaments begin. The larger tournaments like Winterfest and Boston occur priot to March. Equipment must be purchased (i.e. Volleyballs) early in the season.
For the non-NERVA series tournaments we are required to pay for each team to participate and for coaches to attend.
For the NERVA series tournaments we only need to pay for our home gym. We do not have to pay for the teams that travel to other Club gyms.

So, as you can see the season is front-end loaded with costs. If the season is cancelled, then the refunds will be calculated as a percentage of the savings that occur.

In the case of inclement weather, the decision as to whether your team will have practice is made by your coach and also by you.  When in doubt contact your coach.

In the case of a big weather event, CRVBC as a Club may make the decision. Please check our home page for such possible situations.

Please remember that even if your team has decided to practice, the final decision is up to you.
Stay safe.

Hello In-house  players   I thought a description of how the In-house League will run would be helpful. I was at the other gym and was able to articulate what we predict will be a great part of our program.  I was not able to get to the other gym.

As you are aware, there were over 170 players competing for approximately 70 spots. It’s not that the rest of the players are not qualified to play, you are. And if we had more gym space and more coaches, it would be a no brainer. But we’re limited.  That being said, CRVBC was established for one player who didn’t make a team at 2 other clubs. We believed then and still believe now that if a player wants to play, we will do our best to provide that opportunity. So if you are like us and “just want to play” I would encourage you to take advantage of league play.

So here it is. For those of you who have played at NERVA tournaments, this might look familiar.

1. There are fixed teams. You will compete with the same players all season.
2. Each week, you will basically be playing the pool play portion of a NERVA tournament.
3. Here is a breakdown of how your practice will look:

• 2 to 2.5 hours  (we are working on gym space to get that extra ½ hour)
  • ½ hour wave drills focusing in on specific skill sets

1 ½-2 hours play (with coaching)

• League play format:
  • All 5 teams (14’s-15s) and all 3 teams (16-18s) play against each other over appx 10 weeks (up until Nerva 1) at that point we will determine if we can continue longer knowing that there are tournaments to work around.
  • Format for 14s-15s league
    • 21 point Games starting at 4 (should get 6 matches in in 2 hours)
      • Court 1:                        Court 2:                                work (split across 2 courts)
      • 1 vs 4            2 vs.5                                    3 It
      • 3 vs.1                            2 vs 4                                     5                                             
      • 3 vs. 2                            5 vs 4                                     1
      • 3 vs. 5                            2 vs 1                                     4
      • 1 vs 5                             3 vs.4                                    2
        • Total 10 sets (each team plays 4 sets)
  • Format for 16-18’s league
    • 2x21 point Games starting at 4 (should get 6 matches in in 2 hours)
      • 1v2 3works
      • 1v3 2 works
      • 2v3 1 works
        • Total 6sets (each team plays 4 sets)
• Depending on the numbers, it might be that the 17’s and 18s…and maybe some stronger 16s will be practicing on Saturday from 5:30 -7:30 opposite the Boy’s team.

This format is similar to the format you will play for most of your lives with the exception that you get coaching. When we play, we show up, warm up and play. It’s awesome! We hope to see you there!

By US Congressional mandate and trickling down through the USOC, USAV, and NERVA all players that will be 18 years old at any point during the JO Season will be required to take the SafeSport online course. If you are not yet 18 years old, then you will need to complete the parental consent form before registering.

How To Register for Training 

Parental consent is required for minor athletes to register for SafeSport training. Complete the parental consent form before registering.

1. Go to https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/
2. Log in to your USAV account
3. In the navigation menu, click on USAV Clinics and select USAV Coaching Clinics
4. Select "Core Center for SafeSport Training"
5. Complete registration
6. To access coursework, click on the "Log into USAV Academy" button

Should you need to return to your coursework at a later time, log in to your USAV account and click on the "Log into USAV Academy" button.

For technical issues, while completing the course, please visit: http://help.usavolleyballacademy.org/.

Please visit the following link to find out more about SafeSport.

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/about-us/safesport

It is not mandatory to attend all tryout days.
The purpose of tryouts is to evaluate player abilities; i.e.: Attitudes, Coachability, Teamwork, Work ethic, Sportsmanship, Volleyball skills, ... The more the coaching staff gets to see you play, the better chance they have of making an accurate evaluation. It is therefore important to attend as many of the tryout days as possible.

To tryout for a Team, Shuttle Squad  or the Training Academy at CRVBC you need to do the following:

1. Register online with USA Volleyball. (click on the 'USAV REGISTRATION' menu item on our home page) Pay the USA Volleyball fee. Print your Membership card. bring it to tryouts (or you may not be able to step on the court)
2. Register online on our website (use the 'CRVBC REGISTRATION' menu item on our home page). Pay the CRVBC Tryout Fee.
3. Check out our calendar for tryout dates/times and locations
4. Come to tryouts, play hard and have fun.

NOTE: The USAV Membership fee and the CRVBC Tryout fee are separate fees and go to separate places. Once tryouts are over there are additional fees you must pay according to the program in which you will be participating. Please refer to our 'Fees' page for additional information.

CRVBC is a competitive volleyball club. That being said, we do not require any prior experience and we do our best to help everyone learn and improve. Many aspects are considered when putting together a Team or a Shuttle Squad and we do have to make cuts. Not everyone makes a Team or a Shuttle Squad. We have limits to our gym space and the number of available coaches. We have a Training Academy and an In-House League specifically designed to help players to continue to learn and have fun with the sport of volleyball.

Once you have registered with CRVBC and you have a log in,

Just log in and click on CRVBC Registration and right at the top you will see your status.

The CRVBC Training Academy is a great opportunity to learn and improve your volleyball skills using the same techniques as our national teams.  The format consists of going through skill building drills followed by playing time.  You will be coached by members of the coaching staff on a rotating basis.  2 hour practices run each week except for Easter and Tournament days.  In addition you will learn how to referee and scorekeep. Please see calendar for practice dates.

Note:  Due to the influx of players, there is the possibility that some teams may practice on Saturdays. We will know more as players register.

The In-House League will practice on for 2 hours each week (except for Easter and Tournament days) and play matches against some of the other players in the In-House League. The purpose of this team is to get these players an opportunity to continue to learn and grow in their volleyball knowledge and volleyball skills. The cost for playing in the In-House League can be found on the 'Fees' page.

This year the In-House league teams will be selected during Tryouts. We will make upto 4 teams in the In-House League. Once players are placed on an In-House team that is where they will play for the season.

To be a player on an In-House League team requires a commitment to show up every week.

In-House teams will practice for the first few weeks of the season and then begin round-robin play against the other teams in the League.

Note:  Due to the influx of players, there is the possibility that some teams may practice on Saturdays. We will know more as players register.

Your Team Membership fees include:

• One 2-2.5 hour practice per week with coaches that have worked with some of the best coaches (i.e. USA National/Olympic Team Coaches) in the country.
• Court space for these practices at local gyms
• Minimum of 5 NERVA Juniors tournaments in the spring (please see our calendar for dates)
• 2 Uniform Jerseys
• Winterfest tournament Team Entry Fee
• Mizuno Boston Volleyball Festival tournament Team Entry Fee
• If you make an Open level team, then Open level fees (qualifiers and additional tournament fees which pay for an R1 Referee) is included in your Open level Team Fee. Qualification tournament dates are listed on our Calendar.

What is not included in the Team Membership fee?
Additional/Optional tournaments. If your team is strong enough we can sign it up to attend theses additional tournament. This along with all other associated costs are the responsibility of the players/parents. I.E.: Travel, Hotel, Food. NOTE: Hotel rooms are booked in blocks per team and not done individually. Therefore, coordination with the team's coach is imperative. Rooms usually cost approximately $130/night.

For any, and all, additional tournaments all costs are the responsibility of the players/parents and as such the team members and the coach must determine if there are enough players interested in attending and paying for the tournament prior to signing up for it. If there are not enough players able to attend, then other players from the Club may be asked to go. If there is still not enough players, then the team just does not attend the tournament.

Due to the switch to the new website and registration system, this year player information will have to be reentered during the registration process. Registration is easier than last year, but you will need to reenter the basic information. So, logins/accounts are not accessible at the start of this 2019-2020 seaason and will need to be recreated, but it is easy to do by just registering on the CRVBC Registration page and entering a new Username and Password.

Shuttle Squad players practice with a team that is commensurate with their skill level. Most Shuttle Squad players tried out for a Tournament team but did not quite make the team. Coaches from all teams across the club look at these players and consider whether or not the player would enhance their practices and give the player an opportunity to continue playing and improve. Shuttle Squad players attend all team practices and are given equal coaching during practices, they just do not play in tournaments. That being said, they are given 2 uniform jerseys just in case they are needed to play at a tournament.

Training Academy players are those players that tried out, but did not make a Tournament team, or Shuttle Squad. These players get practice time together with the other Training Academy players from all age groups. They practice once a week. Like the Shuttle Squads they do not play in tournaments. Due to the influx of players, there is the possibility that some teams may practice on Saturdays. We will know more as players register.

If you have specific reasons to tryout out for one of these groups, instead of a Tournament team, you are certainly encouraged to do so. We want as many players as possible to have an opportunity to play, improve and have fun with volleyball.

An 'Open' team is nothing more than a Tournament Team that is strong enough to play in the 'Open' division in the New England Region. The 'Open' division has tournaments that include only other 'Open' division teams. This ensures that all matches are very competitive. All matches played in the 'Open' division are officiated by a paid R1. The other refereeing assignments are filled by the players of a team at the tournament that is not playing. To make an Open level team, you must tryout for the Open level. The Open level team membership fee is higher than the Club level team fee. This is due to the additional costs to attend Open level tournaments.

We understand that you may wish to have the option of paying your Team Membership fee over time; instead of in one chunk at the beginning of the season. If you wish to do this, you can now use your credit card to pay your fees in full and manage your payments by paying your credit card debt over time.

This is currently the only payment plan we have.

If you are finding yourself asking this question, then you may want to read this article.

Yes. As of the 2016-2017 JO Season we accept payment via credit cards, and other online payment methods through PayPal.

NERVA Junior Olympic tournaments are held all over new England. The dates of the tournaments can be found on our calendar page. The locations for the each tournament are not determined until about a week prior to the tournament. This is done because the Scheduler makes every attempt to ensure the level of competition is consistant within each tournament. The skill levels of the teams, within each age group, needs to be taken into consideration when placing teams into the tournaments. After each tournament the seedings are adjusted to make the next tournament even more competitive for all the teams invovled. Currently there are approximately 700 teams to juggle...hence the wait.

Each year CRVBC sets the dollar amount for tryout fees depending on the cost of the gym and the anticipated number of players that will be trying out. For processing efficiencies and to allow for the time to order Tryout T-Shirts we offer an Early-bird discount for those who get their tryout fees and required forms to the registrar a couple of weeks before the first tryout date; please see the Fees page for exact amounts and dates. The required Early-bird date is the date by which the fees are paid and the forms are mailed (postmarked) to us.

Due to COVID this season there may not be a mid-week combined open gym.

The CRVBC Junior Olympic volleyball season starts with tryouts in November for everyone.

• Travel Teams end the first Sunday in May. And there is a fun BBQ held the Sunday after Mother's Day for everyone, so you may want to include this in your schedule.
• Training Academy and In-House league sessions are shorter. This varies according to NERVA scheduling, so please look at the calendar.
• Team Practices and most Tournaments are held on Sundays.
• Open level Teams will have a second practice during the week.
• There is also a mid-week combined open gym available to all travel teams. 
• Except for a couple of holidays we practice or compete every Sunday during the timeframe listed above.

You can visit our calendar on our web page for all the Tryout, practice, tournament and other dates.

Practice times during the JO Season will be determined after tryouts and we know how many players we have on each team, and at each age and skill level. We do our best to accommodate as many schedules as possible, so if you have specific challenges in your schedule that would cause you to not be able to make practices, please let us know. We cannot promise that we will be able to accommodate everyone, but we try. We try to do the best for as many players as possible, while keeping in mind the juxtaposition (for scrimmage reasons) of the teams in the gym during specific practice time slots.

Practice sessions occur once per week are held on Saturdays or Sundays (depending on gym availability) and are 2-2.5 hours. Once practice days and times are set for a team, they should remain consistent throughout the season.
Open level teams normally have one additional mid-week practice on Thursday nights from 5:45-7:45pm.

Practice locations are:
1. Concord Christian Academy, 37 Regional Drive, Concord, NH
2. Health Club of Concord, 10 Garvins Falls Road, Concord, NH

Players on the Shuttle Squad practice with the Tournament Team to which they have been assigned. Shuttle Squad members are assigned by their current volleyball skill level. In this way practices are enhanced by having additional players with similar skill levels, without regard for their Junior Olympic age. For example: A JO age 16 player with the current skill level of a 15's team may be able to practice with the 15's team and improve their game; and add additional players to the 15 team's practice. Players may also opt to tryout for a Shuttle Squad due to their desire to improve their skills without the ability, within their schedule, to attend tournaments. NOTE: Shuttle Squad players are not guaranteed any playing time in tournaments (please see our calendar for tournament dates).

There is no way to assure any player a spot on any team. We do our best to make sure there is comparable skill levels on every team. There is no way to know each player’s level until we see them at tryouts. Please understand that each team, when selected, is based on: Age, Skill level, Positions needed to create the strongest team (i.e. in baseball a team of all pitchers would probably not give the players/team the best chance for success), and other intangibles like: coachability, teamwork, sportsmanship, … 
If you have special requests, please let us know and we may be able to help with them, but we can not guarantee the requests will be satisfied.

We cannot guarantee who will be coaching what ages/levels and when the practice times will be until we know who we have for players (age and playing level). We will not be able to determine this until we see the players during tryouts. This is due, in part, to the fact that many of our coaches are High School coaches and NHIAA only allows a coach to work with, at most, 25% of their own players on a team outside of the High School season.

Please remember...

All of our coaches follow the same principles we get while attending the Gold Medal Squared coaching clinics; they have broken the game down using statistics, biomechanics, psycology and kinesiology (science) to better understand the game and how to coach, play, succeed and win at volleyball. These priciples are used by many of the top teams in the United States; including the US National Teams.

It has been brought to my attention that there is a clear misunderstanding about how the NERVA (New England Region Volleyball Association) Junior Olympic tournaments are scheduled.

Let me say right at the outset that our Region's scheduler does a fantastic job!

I will attempt to outline the process the scheduler must do, but I am sure I will not even scratch the surface as to how complex and challenging the job really is.

1. After each NERVA tournament the Region Scheduler has to wait for all tournament results to be submitted.
2. Once the results are all in, the seeding for the next tournaments must be done. After the seeding, the next NERVA tournaments can begin being scheduled.
3. The list of available tournament sites/gyms are laid out and the number of teams that each gym can handle must be taken into consideration.
4. There are differences in the qualities of each facility which must be taken into consideration including things like the following: Ceiling height, court line width, court line color contrasts, court center line, room around the courts outside the court lines (i.e. room for serving). These types of properties need to be considered when scheduling an Open level tournament all the way down to the younger age groups.
5. Considerations as to which teams will play at which locations also include driving distances.
6. There are always considerations to ensure a 'Home' team will play in their own/local gym.
7. Often there are a few teams that play outside the NERVA region and therefore the fact that they will not be in attendance at a local tournament must be taking into consideration.
8. There are over 700 teams that the scheduler has to get into the schedule each and every NERVA tournament date.
9. The scheduler has to make sure each team is playing at the appropriate age group (i.e a 15's team may be playing at the 16's age group).
10. The scheduler has to make sure each team is playing at the correct ability level (i.e. Open-Gold, Open-Silver, Open-Bronze, Open-Copper, Open-Iron, AAA, AA, A, B, C). Teams move between levels due to their own request and due to their most recent tournament results.

I hope this information will help us all (Parents, Players, Coaches, ...) to better understand and appreciate the enormous task the scheduler undertakes for each tournament.

Please be patient.

As always, if anyone would like to volunteer to help with this process, please contact our Club at info@crvbc.org and we can get you in touch with the Region Scheduler.

Here is the basic process for registration and tryouts:

1. Register with USA Volleyball and
2. Register with CRVBC on our website (crvbc.org) (there are links on our website for these).
3. Pay theTryout fee.
4. By the 2nd day of Tryouts, decide what you would like to do and indicate your decision on the CRVBC Registration page (you will need to login to your CRVBC Account):

• • Select the type of Membership you are interested in from the drop down list of 'Desired Memberships'. Make sure to click on the 'Update my Profile' button near the bottom of the page.

                 The 'Desired Membership' selected will indicate, to the coaches, as they select players for their teams, whether or not a player wishes to be placed on a Tournament, Shuttle or Training Academy team. If a player wishes to make a Tournament Team, but does not, then they may be placed on  Shuttle Squad. If they are not selected for a Shuttle Squad, then they may be placed on In-House League or the Training Academy. Due to the number of available resources (courts and coaches) not everyone will make one of these teams/groups, but we do our best.