Greetings from the Omaha Homeschool Warriors!
People
Directors: Mark and Maureen Mancuso - director@nhsvbt.org
Format Coordinator: Luther Larson - lutherlar@eservicescorp.com
Webmaster: Brian Larson - brian@nhsvbt.org
And of course our numerous Volunteers!
Dates
Thursday November 6th, 2008- Saturday November 8th, 2008
Location
The Courts
8930 So. 137th Circle
Omaha, NE 68137
www.the-courts.com
The Courts is a LARGE facility (7 tournament size courts and 6 practice courts) converted from an existing warehouse. It is located north of I-80 at the 144th Street exit in southwest Omaha (actually LaVista, NE).
Who May Participate
This tournament is open to girls in varsity level home-school teams. To be eligible, ALL players must be home schooled at least 50%. Any student reaching their 19th birthday prior to September 1, 2008 shall NOT be eligible. Once a student has graduated or gone through a graduation ceremony, they will no longer qualify regardless of their age.
Students who played as seniors during the 2007 season are not eligible. Once a student has been listed as a 9th grader, that student will be limited to four consecutive seasons of participation. 7th and 8th graders may be included to complete your roster. This will not count against them for their four-year limit, but they must be listed in their appropriate age bracket, i.e. 7th grade.
Registration
- Tournament -$450.00 / team (each team is guaranteed 8 games) The registration fee has increased due to increased facility rental fees for 2008.
- Optional Wednesday Practice - $25.00 / team (one hour)
Just click http://www.registration4u.com/form.aspx?fID=2246 to make online registration and payment. This form is also printable and can be mailed to the address referenced on the registration form. Registration deadline is September 15, 2008.
** Please note: the person listed on your registration form as the contact person is THE ONLY person who will receive ALL communications from us prior to the tourney. We will be communicating each step in the process toward tourney readiness with this person. If this is not satisfactory to your circumstance, let us know.
Tournament Format
The tourney will generally follow last year’s format. Pool play on Thursday and early Friday will determine placement for bracket play on Friday afternoon and Saturday. Teams will compete in one of 4 divisions: Gold, Silver, Bronze I or Bronze II. As soon as Luther knows how many teams are participating, and coaches have submitted ALL requested forms regarding their current season, he will hammer out format details. This will be available for viewing on the website (coaches page) about one week before the tourney. Luther will also be at the Coaches’ meeting on Wed., Nov 5 at 7:30p.m. He’ll go over the details and answer questions. Each team will also provide a scorekeeper and 2 line judges.
Opening/Closing Ceremonies
Volleyball action will begin Thursday AM. Our format does not allow for Opening Ceremonies. Closing Ceremonies will begin immediately following the Gold division championship game on Saturday afternoon. At this time each team is recognized. Top finishers in each division will be awarded trophies and individual medals. 2nd place finishers in each division will be awarded individual medals. 3rd place finishers in the Gold division will be awarded individual medals. MVP's from each division will also be awarded. The Sherry Dick Sportsmanship award is given to one qualifying team. Graduating seniors and All-Tournament Players will be honored and gathered for a photo.
Referees
Sue Mailhot will again be our Head Referee. She is nationally known, organizing many large tournaments throughout the country. She and Luther will work together during tournament action to keep play going on schedule. She may surprise you with a court reassignment on Saturday. Please help her out in this regard so that the tourney runs according to schedule.
Practice Schedule
Wednesday evening practice times are available. Please indicate on the registration form if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity. We will let you know by e-mail prior to the tourney when your team has been assigned to practice. If your team can practice BEFORE 6pm, please indicate this on the registration form.
Dress Code
Our goal is MODESTY:
- Shorts – no spandex allowed as outerwear; at least a 4” inseam so that undergarments or buttocks are completely covered. Soffee shorts have a 3” inseam and are not allowed.
- Tops must fit so that sports bras are not revealed. Racerbacks are allowed, but not encouraged, and midriffs should not be exposed while standing.
- All uniforms must be worn properly at all times.
Please don’t disrupt this event by making other coaches or parents uncomfortable enough to bring your team to the attention of the directorship.
Hospitality Room
Our Hospitality room will be available as in previous years; however, as a courtesy to our facility manager, we will not be providing food. We will be providing vouchers for use at the concession stand. Coaches and referees may enjoy this food upstairs as previously.
Hostesses
Each court is provided with a hostess from our program. These girls are our junior players. They will be available to help you during the tournament with warm-ups, filling water bottles, getting ice for injuries etc.
Team Buddies
We offer teams the opportunity to “hook-up” with another participating team. Let us know by email if you are interested, and we will assign your team to one from another state. You will be able to communicate with each other prior to the tourney and cheer each other on during the tourney. 16 teams enjoyed this opportunity last year.
Trading Pins
If your players are interested in trading pins, just visit sites similar to http://www.tradingpinsunlimited.com/ , order any number of pins and trade that number with other participating teams at tourney time. The cost / pin will be about $1.50 – $2.00 at most sites depending on the size of the order and the design the girls create. At tourney time pins can be clipped to hand towels for easy display and transport during trading. Participating teams may contact us, and we will relay how many teams are involved so that you don’t order an excess. Orders should be made with these companies about 3 weeks before the tournament. Let us know if you’re participating!
Souvenirs
Each year we sell T-shirts / Hoodies designed specially for the tourney. The shirt design is posted on the website before the tourney and pre-orders are encouraged. Limited quantities are available during the tourney and we will not be taking orders at that time. Pre-orders will be delivered to coaches at the Coaches’ meeting.
Grace University
This year Chris Benson would like to invite each of you to the Grace University campus for food and fun on Thursday evening, Nov. 6. This may be a great opportunity to exchange team pins or buttons and have fun getting to know each other. If this is something your team would like to participate in, contact Chris. Ask Chris about the 2008 Homeschool Scholarship Award to Grace worth $10,000 and renewable annually!
Hotels
Celebrate Travel is happy to sponsor the National Homeschool Volleyball Tournament. We can help you with your travel needs.
Hotels available:
Embassy Suites La Vista
12520 Westport Pkwy.
La Vista NE 68128
$119
Hampton Inn Suites La Vista
12331 Southport Pkwy.
La Vista NE 68128
$109
Comfort Inn Southwest
10728 L St.
Omaha NE 68127
$89.95
Hampton Inn Omaha/West Lakeside
17606 W. Arbor St.
Omaha NE 68130
$99
Holiday Inn Express
10729 J St.
Omaha NE 68127
$104
Holiday Inn Express Suites West
17677 Wright St.
Omaha NE 68130
$109
Best Western Settle Inn
650 N. 109th Ct.
Omaha NE 68154
$71.95
Settle Inn Bellevue
2105 Pratt Ave. Sarpy
Bellevue NE 68123
$89.95
Please visit Celebrate Travel's Website for more information.
Transportation
Teams flying to Omaha will land at Eppley Airfield.
Rental Car Services:
1. Budget 402-348-0455
2. Hertz 402-422-6870
3. National 402-422-6560
Sites Worth Seeing
For information and maps of the Omaha area please use:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1919
http://www.visitomaha.com/
http://www.omahachamber.org/enjoy/Attractions.aspx
Weather
Average daytime temperatures in November are in the mid 50’s; nighttime temperatures in the mid 30’s.
Admission
Admission to this tournament is FREE.
Any questions? Feel free to e-mail the tournament director: director@nhsvbt.org.