WVC Holding 22nd Annual State Championships

The 2013 Wisconsin Volleyball Conference (WVC) is hosting the 22^nd annual WVC State Championships March 29-30 at UW Oshkosh’s Kolf Arena and Albee Hall. Twenty nine teams are slated to compete in three divisions: women’s varsity, men’s JV and men’s varsity.

 The tournament is free to the public and kicks off at 4:30 Friday afternoon. Both the women’s and men’s varsity divisions will compete at Kolf Arena while the men’s JV division will compete at Albee Hall.  

All championship matches will take place in Kolf Arena on Saturday, March 30. The women’s championship match is scheduled for 3 pm, followed by the men’s JV championship and 4 pm and the men’s varsity championship at 5 pm.

The WVC is a nationally renowned intercollegiate conference boasting 20 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams from state universities and private colleges across Wisconsin. As of 2013, the WVC has generated 11 national champions and 8 runners-up.

“The cool thing is that this is largely student-run.” Jason Smith, WVC Commissioner said. “We’re seeing a lot of players stepping up to lead their teams this year, and old leaders improving their programs to make this a strong, competitive conference.”

The WVC is started in 1992, and works closely with Badger Region Volleyball Association and the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation to provide a credible collegiate varsity playing experience.

This year marks the 22^nd anniversary of the WVC State Championship, and WVC Commissioner Jason Smith is excited to bring the tournament back to UW Oshkosh for the third consecutive year.

“We are really excited about this year’s state tournament.” Smith said. “It should be great. The men’s varsity division is great. Oshkosh has won the tournament the past several years and have a legitimate shot at winning a national championship. Whitewater is playing really well this year a chance, and have a chance to get to finals and maybe upset Oshkosh."

Smith also looks forward to watching the highly competitive men’s JV teams duke it out on the court.

“Our JV division is outstanding as well.” Smith said. “We have 10 teams competing this year. There are two solid Oshkosh teams and solid Marquette team. They are all really good, and there is a lot of parity in that division this year. It will make for some great competition.”  

The women’s varsity division is a fairly new edition to the WVC State Championships and has seen significant growth during its six seasons. There are currently 14 women’s teams in the WVC, and 12 are competing this weekend.

“We’re so excited with the growth we have seen on the women’s side.” Smith said. “Eau Claire and Lacrosse are definitely favorites, but it will be a great weekend of competition.”

The WVC holds an annual awards ceremony in conjunction with the State Championships where they hand out a variety of awards including men’s and women’s scholar athlete, libero of the year, MVP and sportsman of the year.

This year’s awards ceremony will be held Friday, March 29 at 7:30 pm in Kolf Arena.

“We changed it to Friday away from Saturday last year and are doing that again this year.” Smith said. "We’re taking a break for the half-hour ceremony so all players can be there. Last year, we had 600 in the gym and it was a really neat atmosphere.”

2013 Badger Region Volleyball Board of Directors Election

2013 Badger Region Volleyball Board of Directors Election

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Per Badger Region By-Laws updated Jan. 2013, "The members will be notified of the candidates running for election at least 10 days prior to the election. The notification will be made via a prominent location on the current Badger Region website and via email to all regular adult members." This email was sent March 25 to all full regular members registered in Badger Region in 2013 via Webpoint. Please see below for the biographies on all of the candidates who are running for positions.

The Badger Region By-Laws require the Secretary position to be filled by a current or previous member of the Board. Following the election, the elected Board member must vacate their current board position so as to not hold two positions. The vacated position will be appointed by the Commissioner and approved by the Board. The appointee will serve the remaining term left on the vacated position.

The Badger Region Board of Directors Election will take place April 3-5, 2013. A voting link to SurveyMonkey was sent out from BadgerRegionVolleyball@gmail.com at 4:30pm on April 3 to all current regular adult members to the email address listed in Webpoint. If you did not receive the email voting link, please check your spam folder, and then email Jen at jarmsondyer@badgervolleyball.org with your full name and the email listed in Webpoint.

Voting will close on Friday, April 5 at 5:00 p.m. The winners will be posted on the Badger Region website no later than noon on Monday, April 8.

Please contact the Badger Region office with questions. 414-443-1011.

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2013 Badger Region Volleyball Board of Directors Election Candidates
(Biographies and photos are below for each candidate)

Secretary:
BJ Bryant
BJ LeRoy

Northeast Representative:
BJ LeRoy

Southeast Representative:
Brian Gibboney
Jim Momsen

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SECRETARY

BJ Bryant

Bryant has experience in all levels of volleyball. He is the current co-director of Wisconsin Volleyball Academy (WVA) after coaching with the program for nine years and serving on the WVA Board of Directors as a voting member since 2008. He was the president of the UW-LaCrosse men’s club team for two years and also served as the coach for two seasons. Bryant has been involved as a camp and tournament coach with the highly-successful Badger Region High Performance program for four seasons, also representing the Region at the USAV National clinic and meetings in Colorado Springs. A member of Badger Region since 1991, Bryant is a USAV Regional-Certified and a PAVO state-certified official. He is a Region Impact instructor, CAP I certified and represented Badger Region at the USAV National meetings in Salt Lake City in 2012.

BJ LeRoy

BJ LeRoy is active with the Region as a board member, the lead IMPACT clinician and an adult player. He has been with the board since the Region’s beginning, and is passionate about the growth of volleyball in Wisconsin. BJ ran a medium-sized junior club for 16 years and will return as a club director and coach in 2014. He is a consultant to many current clubs and coaches. He has helped increase opportunities for adults and age-waivered juniors, and is working on updating the recruiting policy to help both players and club directors. Coaches, club directors, players (adult or junior) and parents can reach BJ at 4BJLeroy@gmail.com or 920-980-4602, with coaching or playing questions, comments for the board or suggestions for region growth.

NORTHEAST REPRESENTATIVE

BJ LeRoy

(Please see Secretary, above)

SOUTHEAST REPRESENTATIVE

Brian Gibboney

Brian Gibboney has been involved in volleyball since the late 1980's and have been active in the volleyball community in Wisconsin since 2004 when he became the head men's volleyball coach at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He has also served USA Volleyball in working developmental camps and has coached High Performance program teams since 2008. While at MSOE, he received the Don Shondell Award in 2006, given by the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association for excellence in promoting and supporting collegiate volleyball in the Midwest. When asked why he wants to serve on the board, Gibboney comments: "Since moving to Milwaukee in 2004, I have been blessed with good friends both on and off the court. The longer I have in Milwaukee, the greater I appreciate the quality volleyball Wisconsin has to offer. I would like to share my experience both as a coach and a volleyball friend to strengthen the quality of volleyball experience for youth and adults alike." Gibboney currently serves as MSOE's Sports Information Director and holds the same position with the Continental Volleyball Conference. He is married to Wanda Maeso-Falero and resides in Shorewood, Wisconsin.

Jim Momsen

Volleyball is a great sport. Obviously, I’m a very passionate supporter and promoter of the game and enjoy working with all of the wonderful people involved – players, coaches, referees, and Region Staff. I thoroughly enjoy facilitating the scorekeeping and rules clinics every season for the club players and coaches, as well as training, observing, and developing the officials that I work with. As a BRVA Member who is not attached to any club, I tend to analyze proposals and issues and ask questions to decide, “What is the best thing for the members of the Badger Region, as well as the constituents that I represent in

the SE Area?” My background and expertise in Organizational Development, Communications, and Corporate Training will be beneficial in representing local board issues and concerns as well as assisting with development of grassroots training materials. I want to give as much as I can back to the game that meant so much to my father, to give “kids of all ages” (players, parents, fans, coaches, and officials) a positive environment in which to participate, and have them be lifelong fans of the game. I have been involved in volleyball as a recreational league player (in the 80s-90s), “volleyball dad” (in the 00s), an official (since 2003), an Advisory (since 2005) and Voting (since 2008) member of the Badger Region Board and a member of the local PAVO boards – NIBOWS & Wisconsin Board of Officials (since 2004). I am a USA Volleyball Robert L. Lindsay Meritorious Service Award winner, the current Badger Region Referee Chair and have my National officials rating.

Please visit the Badger Region website for more information. 

www.BadgerVolleyball.org

414-443-1011 

Badger Region Announces PVL Team

Badger Region Volleyball Association is excited to announce the formation of the Badger Blizzards to compete in the women's Premier Volleyball League (PVL), a region-based professional league sanctioned by USA Volleyball.

Rod Wilde (Madison, Wis.) will lead the team during their inaugural season. Wilde, a two-time Olympic coach, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this new team. Badger Region Commissioner Julie Voeck anticipates great things from the Badger Blizzards this season with such a renowned coach at the helm.

"Badger Region is extremely excited to be starting our first professional volleyball team," Voeck said. "We are also very pleased the team will be coached by Rod Wilde, who brings national team and Division I coaching experience to give the Blizzards a great start."

Wilde will run tryouts for the Badger Blizzards on April 5, 2013 from 7-9 pm at the Delta Center in Milwaukee. Tryouts are open to any female athlete looking to compete at an elite level post-college. Registration will open soon at this link.

 "I am very excited to be a part of the Badger Region's first PVL team." Wilde said. "We have a great nucleus of talented players who have committed to participate and will be looking to complete the roster at the tryout in April. It will be a fun event. We hope to field a team that will compete for the League championship and encourage any interested players to attend the open tryout."

The Badger Blizzards will compete in a PVL qualifier against Great Lakes Swing Away and Iowa Ice on May 18 in Chicago, Ill. Later that month, the team will represent Badger Region in the PVL division of the USA Volleyball Adult Open National Championships May 25-28 in Louisville, Ky. Additional play-dates will be determined once the roster is finalized and player schedules have been considered.

Jen Armson-Dyer, Badger Region Director of Operations, looks forward to the impact this team will have on the region.

"The formation of the Badger Blizzards is a great opportunity for the Region on many different levels," Armson-Dyer said. "It not only involves elite adult players in our region and gives them a chance to play and train, post-college, but this team will give our young players something to strive for and open their eyes to playing opportunities after they are done with their junior and collegiate careers. The formation of the Badger Blizzards takes high-level volleyball and gives our junior membership a personal connection to it."

The Badger Blizzards will be conducting clinics and holding fundraisers to offset expenses as they prepare for the 2013 PVL season. If you want the Badger Blizzards to visit your practice, or want to host a Badger Blizzard clinic for your club, contact deb@badgervolleyball.org.

Members of the Badger Blizzards will also be available to sign autographs at the second weekend of the Badger Region Championships as the tryout will occur the night before.

For more information about the PVL, click here!

Google + Hangout with Karch Kiraly

Check out this awesome opportunity brought to you by Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports. Eight lucky people will have the chance to participate in a Google+ Hangout with U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Head Coach and three-time Olympian Karch Kiraly. Click here to enter. This is every volleyball fanatic's DREAM!

Adult Sitting Clinic/Tournament at BRC

We are so excited to bring the Paralympic discipline of sitting volleyball to the Badger Region Championships March 15-17.

On Friday, March 15 from 7-9 pm we are holding a sitting volleyball clinic and tournament. Entirely for free, this awesome session will feature great cross-training techniques and interaction with members of the U.S. National Sitting Volleyball team. We have freebies for everyone in attendance, awesome custom-made "I came. I sat. I conquered." buttons and prizes for the tournament winners.


But it gets better. The first 30 coaches/parents to register will be entered to win SIGNED gear from the U.S. National Sitting Volleyball team (shown below). Click here to register. And don't wait too long! 

Didn't pre-register? No worries. You can register onsite as well. Any and all are welcome to participate in this awesome event. Spread the word, and help us promote sitting volleyball while exposing our membership to this exciting, fast-paced discipline of the sport we love.

Board of Directors, Call for Nominations

Dear Badger Region Volleyball Adult Members-

 

There will be three seats on the Badger Region Volleyball Association Board of Directors up for election: Secretary, Northeast Rep, Southeast Rep. This is a call for nominations to run in this election. Please send your name, or the name of someone interested in serving on the board, along with a short bio, to Chad Schreiber at schreibercp@gmail.com. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, March 12 at noon.

 

The term for Secretary is four years and to be eligible to run, you must be a current Badger Region Adult Member in good standing at the time of election and must have served on the Board as an elected or appointed member prior to election.

 

The term for the two area representatives is three years and to be eligible to run, you must be a current Badger Region Adult Member in good standing at the time of election and currently reside in the area of the Badger Region you will represent.

 

More information on the election will be forthcoming.

 

This notice was emailed to all current Badger Region Adult members in good standing at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5. This will be the same email list used to send out the voting link, so make sure that you received the email from BadgerRegionVolleyball@gmail.com. To update your information, please log on to Webpoint (https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org) and make sure your email information is accurate.

 

Jennifer Armson-Dyer

Director of Operations, Badger Region Volleyball Association

jarmsondyer@badgervolleyball.org

USAV Beach HP Tryout

We are excited to announce that Badger Region is hosting a USA Volleyball Beach HP tryout this year! As we strive to increase the beach opportunities we offer our membership, we felt it was important to bring in this opportunity to the region.

Jennifer Armson-Dyer, Badger Region's Director of Operations, hopes this will open the door for an increased interest in beach volleyball within Badger Region.

"We am excited to bring this tryout to Badger Region," Armson-Dyer said. "It not only provides an opportunity for our young beach enthusiasts to get on the national pipeline, but it will expose our membership to this exciting discipline of volleyball."

The tryout will be held May 17 from 2-5:30 p.m. at Center Court in Waukesha. Athletes born between 1988 and 2001 are welcome to attend.

The USA Volleyball Beach HP program hosts the following age groups in accordance with the Federation International de Volleyball: A2, Novice, Junior, Youth, Select and Future Select.

The A2 program is essentially a U26 program open to athletes born between 1988 and 1992.

The Novice program is open to athletes born in 1991 or 1992, while the Junior program hosts athletes born between 1993 and 1994.

Athletes born between 1995 and 1996 participate in the Youth program, while those born between 1997 and 1998 are in the Select program.

The youngest age division offered is the Future Select program, open to athletes born in 1999 through 2001.

For complete tryout information, or to register, visit the USA Volleyball website.