Northwest Volleyball

As we get deeper and deeper into the delay, we wanted to put some important resources and updates in one place for our families and staff.

The Governor's office will update the  Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery document every Friday. They will update Page 4 of the document which will announce what Phase each Region will be in for the next week (M-Su). We will use this document to determine how we will operate the following week. Weekly updated metrics will be available HERE through the DOH.

In Phase 1:

• Practices in Small pods of 6
• Northend practices at BSC are 1 team at a time (1 team/2 courts) and include a second weekend practice.
• Eastside practices at Bellevue College can be 1 team per court because of the size of the BC gym. However coaches will keep their teams in pods of 6.
• No Spectators
• No tournaments, scrimmages, leagues

In Phase 2:

• Whole team practices, no pods
• Northend practices at BSC are 2 teams at a time (2 teams/2 courts). Two practices during the week, no weekend practices.
• Eastside practices at Bellevue College will still be 1 team per court and coaches can mix players.
• No Spectators
• No tournaments. Scrimmages and league play are permitted.
• Spectators at scrimmages or league play are determined by the event host.

As we return to play in January, we want to make sure that all participants are on the same page. We have general rules for practices that are set using information found in the USAV Return to Play guidelines as well as information made available by government entities. Aside from the general rules, we have a PDF handout for each of the venues we will use for practice. We encourage all participants to print out a copy and use as a reference. 

As part of the screening and contact tracing process, players will sign in. Coaches will use a forehead non-contact thermometer for temperature checks during sign in. All participants will be checked before entering the gym.

General Rules:

RETURN TO PLAY GUIDELINES FOR INDIVIDUALS – Adhere to the most stringent federal, state or local guidelines when participating in any activity.

A. Before Activities: 

• Be symptom free for at least 14 days prior to any activity.
• Stay home if you are sick or do not feel well.
• Be aware of and disclose any potential contacts with affected individuals. • Wash and sanitize your hands often.
• Do not touch your face, eyes or mouth with unclean hands.
• Practice social distancing regularly.
• Wear a face mask to reduce exposure to airborne particles.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow if you cough or sneeze.
• Keep a list of people you have been in contact with each day.

B. During Activities: 

• Refrain from attending any activity if displaying any COVID-19 symptoms.
• Comply with all permissible regulations approved for the venue.
• Wash and sanitize your hands often.
• Do not touch your face, eyes or mouth with unclean hands.
• Refrain from contacting other participants and attendees (high fives and huddles).
• Practice social distancing as often as possible.
• Wear a face mask while at the venue.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow if you cough or sneeze.
• Bring hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.
• Properly dispose of your personal drinking cups, bottles, or utensils used.
• Keep a list of people you were in contact with during the activity.

C. After Activities: 

• Wash and sanitize your hands often.
• Do not touch your face, eyes or mouth with unclean hands.
• Monitor your health and report any symptoms after every activity.
• Practice social distancing as often as possible.
• Wear a face mask when possible to reduce exposure to airborne particles.

(As of 1/12/21)

Message from CEO Jamie Davis

April 24, 2020 Update

Dear USA Volleyball Membership,

As parts of our nation have commenced plans for reopening, USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis and Board Chair Cecile Reynaud have established a task force to create a comprehensive roadmap to safely restart USAV’s sanctioning of activities when it is appropriate. The team is comprised of the following members:

• Jamie Davis: USAV Chief Executive Officer
• Chris Vadala: USAV Chief of Membership Services
• Stacie Kearns: USAV Chief Financial Officer
• Rachael Stafford: USAV General Counsel
• Cecile Reynaud: USAV Board Chair, Member of USAV Coaching Education CAP cadre
• Steve Bishop: USAV Board Member, President of the Florida Region of USA Volleyball, Member of the RVA insurance committee and the USAV Beach Assembly member
• Dave Peixoto: USAV Board Member, Commissioner of the New England Region Volleyball Association, Member of the RVA Assembly
• Steve Kenyon: USAV Board Member, Member of the RVA and Officials Assemblies
• Dave Gentile: USAV Board Member, Chair of the Junior Assembly

We believe that this joint staff and board task force provides for a broad representation of USAV’s membership constituency and is also comprised of members from regions with varying stages of COVID-19 severity and recovery.

This group will be collaborating with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, medical experts, government entities, volleyball clubs and other national governing bodies to adopt a phased reopening plan in accordance with federal, state and local guidelines and with the foremost goal of safeguarding USAV members and spectators. We will not be removing the suspension of USAV sanctioning activities until it is safe to do so.

Thank you in advance for your patience as we develop our roadmap forward.

Jamie Davis
Cecile Reynaud

April 22, 2020 Update - 3 p.m. Mountain

USA Volleyball is extending the elimination of sanctions for all USA Volleyball activities (including but not limited to events, practices, team activities, individual training sessions or anything covered by USA Volleyball insurance) through May 8, 2020.

Following several communications with the USOPC, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and our insurance providers, USA Volleyball has received permission to sanction virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings during this period of sanction suspension. Any virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings involving minors are subject to requirements of MAAPP, specifically the regulations on electronic communications and one-on-one interactions. These requirements include the following:

1. All virtual trainings/coaching/meetings must be “observable and interruptible,” able to be ended at any time, and have at least two applicable adults on each session, i.e., coach and assistant, coach and club director, etc.
2. All parents/guardians must be provided the code or link to join the virtual session.
3. All parents/guardians must sign a waiver in advance as these sessions could be viewed as individual training. A record of which clubs/coaches have been approved to conduct these sessions should be kept. USAV has created a standardized waiver form if you care to use it.
4. If a minor athlete ends up emailing a video to a coach for feedback or additional coaching, the coach needs to copy the parent/guardian and/or other applicable adult on all correspondences.

To be clear, virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings will only be considered sanctioned so long as the above requirements are followed.

USA Volleyball has been asked by local clubs whether such ban applies to club activities covered under the club’s own (non-USA Volleyball) insurance. In these situations, USA Volleyball strongly encourages all member clubs and coaches to adhere to USA Volleyball’s policies. However, should a club decide to voluntarily disregard those policies and assume all risks associated therewith, we recommend that the club adhere to CDC; local, state and federal guidelines and recommendations when deciding whether or not to host practices or individual training sessions. If a club does host practice or individual training sessions, those activities would be considered a non-sanctioned activity by USA Volleyball and thus NOT covered by USA Volleyball insurance.

The health and welfare of our membership, volleyball families and fellow citizens is our primary concern in all decisions we are making during these uncharted times.

USA Volleyball is monitoring the situation daily and will continue to provide updates on a regular basis.

April 22, 2020 Update - 8 a.m. Mountain

Dear USA Volleyball Members and Clubs,

First and foremost, I hope that you are staying safe and healthy as our nation and the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like you, we are eager to be back competing on the court and playing the game we love. That said, the safety of our members, spectators and staff is our top priority and thus we have been forced to make many decisions which have impacted the 2020 USA Volleyball tournament calendar. Regular real-time event-specific updates are available on our website.

As you are aware, a few of our qualifiers have been canceled with the majority of them being postponed. We are furthermore monitoring the feasibility of our championship events and exploring the postponement to later dates should the conditions not be safe to stage them as planned. It would be far easier for us to simply cancel all of these events, but the overwhelming feedback that we have received from you has been in favor of trying to salvage the season. You want to play and we want to provide you the competitions to do so. I am hopeful that we will be able to accomplish this common goal.

Again, safety is paramount and we are closely monitoring city, state and federal social distancing guidelines and recommendations. We are furthermore developing new processes, procedures and regulations that will be put in place to further enhance the safety of the events. Final decisions on whether to proceed will only be made once factoring in all of these factors.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this ever-changing situation.

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