It is the responsibility of each club to act responsibly when trying to attract athletes to their tryouts. Clubs may advertise through the media (newspapers, web pages, etc.) and distribute information regarding their tryouts to the coaches of the schools in their area. It will be considered inappropriate for any member of a club (director, coach, parent of an athlete, or athlete) to try to recruit a member of another club. Clubs may respond to anyone interested in information about their program. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in sanction by the region.

The purpose of this document is to assist athletes and their parents/guardians during the tryout process. It is the responsibility of the club to provide the athlete’s family with all information currently available about their program. It is the responsibility of each athlete and her/his family to become educated about the program they areattempting to join. It is the responsibility of both parties – club and athlete – to honor every commitment! There are several types of tryouts. Be aware of the type you are attending. Are you trying out to be accepted to a club or a team in the club? Are the tryouts open to anyone regardless of prior affiliation? Are they limited to the number of positions available on a team or just to members of certain schools? Do you have to be invited to attend? Tryouts can be limited to one 2-3 hour interval, or they can be conducted over several days. The recommended cost of tryouts for a one-day event is $10.00. Clubs can receive permission to charge more when expenses warrant the additional cost. Multi-day tryouts are usually more expensive. Open gym sessions or instructional clinics are not considered to be part of the tryout process. These events may not be required and are not sanctioned by the Ohio Valley Region. Tryouts listed on the OVR website (www.ovr.org/juniors/tryouts/) have been approved by the region. USA Volleyball’s secondary liability insurance is available for these events. Clubs that do not sanction their tryouts with the region are responsible for insuring their events. Personal injury due to accidents should be covered by your primary medical insurance. After tryouts are concluded, the club must contact the athlete within three days after the event to inform them of their status. Contact may be by e-mail, web site, phone call, or postal mail. Athletes should be informed that they are accepted, refused acceptance, or placed on a waiting list. Most clubs start offering positions to athletes immediately after their events. Large programs may need the full three days to get through the process of offering positions in their program. The athlete and their family have a period of up to ten days after the conclusion of tryouts to accept a club’s offer. Acceptance may be a verbal agreement, e-mail response, or a signed contract. Once an offer is accepted, the athlete may not try out for any other club. He/she is then bound to the terms of the club’s contract and policies.

Age Definitions

Team Age Definitions

Grade-Level Team Criteria

The Ohio Valley Region permits clubs with athletes that are in a grade of school, but do not conform to the USA Volleyball age definition for that grade, to form grade-level teams in the Regional division of competition that include these athletes. This means that athletes that are too old for their traditional age group, can play in regional level tournaments, but not national level tournaments. The rosters of National teams, including 13-and-Under and 12-and-Under teams competing in national qualifying events may not include grade-level athletes for any reason.