What are the age divisions for 2012?

 

Starting in 2010, the age divisions will be the same and indoor, but beach only uses 18U, 16U, 14U, 12U.   

Do I need to find my own partner?

You do not need a partner to tryout and you do not need a partner for practices. We practice in small groups. The 692 coaches will do their best to match you with a good partner for tournaments, but in the end it is your choice and your responsibility to find a partner for yourself.

How long is the beach season?

We have three seasons, Fall, Spring, and Summer. Summer runs from early May - the third week in July. The summer ends on July 30rd because that is the date of Nationals this year and most high school programs begin their team camps in late July.

When do practices begin?

 

Our summer practice schedule begins right after tryouts. School has not ended in May, so we practice on Sunday afternoons  and after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays until school ends, then go to our regular practice schedule in June, or as soon as the first girls begin to get out of school.  

Why are the practices during the day?

Our summer practices are scheduled during the day because we very strongly feel that training in the heat is an important part of the game. The tournaments on the weekends can sometimes run 8-10 hours long and in the middle of the summer it is very difficult to make it through a tournament that long if you haven't been acclimated to the heat the way our girls have

What do the players wear?

Juniors beach players wear anything from bathing suits to shorts and a tshirt. 692 requires all of our players to wear our top during competitions, but they can wear anything they want to practice and on Friday Night Tournaments.

 

Where are the tournaments and how often do they have them?

 

Different organizations host events throughout the summer. 692 hosts will host several weekend tournaments this summer. We will also be hosting a series of Friday Night Tournaments at Yucatan throughout the summer.

 

There is a tournament offered every weekend during the beach season, which runs from May 9th until July 30rd.

Is beach as intense as indoor volleyball?

Yes! We train the girls at 692 in the same way that we train professional players and in the same way that our coaches have trained over the years. When you are at a tournament, it is up to you how seriously you want to take it, but most of our players are pretty serious about the sport.

 

Do you have practice if it's raining or has been raining hard? 

Yes! Since our players pay for the entire season and the season is so short, we don't want to miss any practices. We have found that we can still get something accomplished even if it is raining. We just ignore the rain and practice anyway. Last summer we did not have a single day of rain during one of our practices, but the year before it rained for five weeks straight at the beginning of the season and we were out there twice a week practicing and training. It was actually kind of fun.

 

 

When will the first college sand volleyball season begin?

For NCAA DI, DII and NAIA, all programs have been given the green light to begin their first season in the spring of 2012.

Can players get scholarship money?

Yes! Some schools have fully funded their allotted equivalencies and are recruiting for 2012. Some of our players have already been signed to beach scholarships, and many others have been made offers. Some schools are looking for players that they can use for indoor AND beach, but many schools are looking for only beach players.

How many scholarships will schools offer?

The number of scholarships available will very per division. For example, the NCAA DI legislation allows 6 scholarships to be added over a period of four years, starting with 2 in 2011-12 and one each year for four years thereafter. Keep in mind, this is what each DI school is “allowed” by the NCAA. Funding the scholarships is totally dependant on the university’s athletic administration.

How will the season be formatted for competition?

Each supporting university will be able to compete in a maximum of 16 sand volleyball events during the spring semester. The format for sand volleyball requires each school to field five doubles teams per competition, so there are actually 10 starters for each university. It is important to note that the numbers cited are maximums, institutions will support what they can afford in terms of scholarships, additional staff and competitions.

Where can I find a list of universities that will offer a sand program?

The American Volleyball Coaches’ Association has a list on the following link:

http://www.avca.org/includes/media/docs/Sand-Schools-1-21-11.pdf
**Read carefully through the document as some schools are not CONFIRMED to hold a program and this list may not be updated to include new schools that have programs.

Can indoor players from the university’s main volleyball team play in their sand program?

Yes indoor players can play sand but the NCAA has put rules in place that benefit schools who keep them separate.

Will schools recruit for sand only or will they look for players who can play both indoor and sand?

Each coach is different in terms of how they plan to shape and recruit for their individual programs. Some coaches want players who can play both indoor and sand. Some coaches only want sand players. It varies. Many schools have already committed to beach programs that recruit specifically beach players.

How can I get a beach volleyball scholarship?

We are developing a program to help our players get beach volleyball scholarships. They are available out there right now and we have been talking to the coaches of different programs to find out what they are looking for. We have taken recruiting trips to many of the universities to see their facilities and talk to their coaches. We are putting together a list of contacts for our players, helping them shoot videos, and taking them to the tournaments they need to go to in order to be seen by these prospective division one Universities. We are doing everything we can to make sure that we have the most comprehensive recruiting program in the country.

If you have any questions that were not answered by this FAQ, please email your question to info@692beach.com and I will post the question and answer up here. I'm sure that someone else has the same question and I would like to make this as comprehensive as possible.