What is the Girls Junior National Championships? As a USA Volleyball (USAV) affiliated club program, Junior Nationals (otherwise referred to as Junior Olympics, JO’s, or GJNC), are the end-all-be-all end-of-the-year tournament we are all attempting to get to.  There are several different levels of play at the JO’s – Patriot, Freedom, American, Liberty, USA, National and Open (in order of ascending competitiveness).  The Patriot division is a “sign up to play” division, where any team that wants to come to the tournament, can simply register, and play without qualifying.  In order to participate at JO’s in any of the other divisions (Freedom, American, Liberty, USA, National, or Open), you have to be the recipient of a “bid” to one of those divisions.  

How Do You Earn a Bid to GJNC’s? There are qualifiers all over the country that take place between February and April…called so because they are where your team goes to attempt to QUALIFY for GJNC.  To earn a bid and qualify, you have to WIN (or in some cases take 2nd in) the WHOLE tournament!  The different divisions at different tournaments each have a different number of bids up for grabs.  For example, the American division for each age group typically only has 1 bid available for JO’s– which means you have to WIN the tournament to earn that American bid.  Some of the more competitive divisions (like the OPEN) offer 3 bids – so if you take 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, you’re goin’ to the big show!  Teams travel all over the country to attempt to qualify for nationals. 

Teams can also earn “at-large,” “reallocation,” “trickle-down,” and “regional” bids. 

At-Large bid: A GJNC bid awarded upon the completion of the Qualifier Season (both National and Regional) by a Committee of National Staff or its Designees based on performance during that season, in relation to other non-qualified teams in that age group.

Reallocation bid: A National, USA or American division bid to the GJNC that is unused and is returned for reallocation to a Region. Reallocation is performed by the Events Department.

Trickle Down bid: A GJNC bid awarded at a JNQ to a team finishing lower than a usual bid award position. This happens in some situations when a higher finishing team has previously accepted a GJNC bid from another NQ or a region process or a bid is declined from the National, American, or USA divisions.

Regional bid: Each region in the country gets allotted several bids that they get to hand out to top-performing teams within their region.  Typically teams in the top 12 or so may earn these regional bids.  Regional bids are typically handed out after the 4th regional tournament of the year.  Some regions (depending on their size and competitiveness are allotted more bids than others.  For example, the SCVA (our region) also hosts its own bid tournament (“Battle of the Bids”) to hand out its remaining regional bids.

What to Expect at a Junior National Qualifying Tournament  Tournament organizers use your team’s performance in the SCVA season (and in your other JNQ’s) to seed the tournament, so your seeding should be accurate. The 1st and 2nd seeds in the pool should be quite a bit more experienced than the 3rd and 4th seeds. You may get beaten badly, or you may dominate.  The 1st and 2nd place finishers from day 1 form the top half of the competition for day 2. 3rds and 4ths form the bottom half. The second day is meant to define the competition even more. 

On Day 2, if you’re in the top half, you must again finish 1st or 2nd to stay in contention for a medal. Depending on the tournament, if you take 1st or 2nd on Day 2, there may be a challenge bracket later in the evening, to determine whether your team will get into the Gold or the Silver Bracket for championship day.  

On Day 3, the competition is all single elimination, and if you lose, you will ref the next match on your court and be done.  As long as you keep winning, you keep playing until the end. These days almost always run later than anticipated. All players MUST stay until the team’s responsibilities have ended. Lastly, all teams participate in all 3 days of the tournament, regardless of their wins and losses.  

Although we love earning bids, we recognize that it’s extremely difficult to be the last team standing at the end.  We also love attending these tournaments to give the teams an opportunity to bond, grow, compete hard, and get great college recruiting exposure in the high school age groups.

Things to Remember This is a LONG, loud, crowded, physically and emotionally exhausting weekend and you need to take care of your body and your mind.  Take the time to step out of the convention center and do some deep breathing, or pop in your headphones and listen to some mellow, centering music.  Visualize.  Eat and sleep well…you’re going to be exhausted (players AND parents!).  

• Double-check for ALL of your gear (especially 2 shoes and 2 kneepads) 
• Bring extra spandex (BLACK ONLY, no logos other than the maker’s mark), sport-bras, socks, and hair bands for you and your teammates
• Dress warmly (parents too)- the convention center is FREEZING! 
• Research modes of transportation to and from the venue. 
• Stay energetic and positive for your team (and the college coaches!)

Playing Time Expectations at a JNQ Playing time will differ from team to team and even from day to day at a qualifying tournament.  As long as a team still has the opportunity to qualify for a bid, the coaches will do everything possible to win.  This may mean limited playing time as a tournament gets into the later, more competitive stages.  Coaches are still encouraged to attempt to play every player at some point in every match, however, it may not be the case in tough matches.  Coaches will always communicate every player’s role and potential for playing time before each match.  The team is encouraged to support the win, even if not everyone gets to play.  Be prepared that coaches might rest players on Day 1, in order to maintain a healthy team for the duration of the tournament.  They are not being punished- just used more efficiently for the ultimate success of the team.  Lastly, the National Qualifiers only allow 12 subs per set, as opposed to the SCVA’s 15, so subs may happen less frequently. 

Team Expectations & Travel Protocol By adhering to SoCal’s expectations for players and teams at multi-day tournaments, we honor the parent’s investment of time, money, and energy into the process.  Let’s work together to make sure the effort and the sacrifice that everyone makes is worth it.  In order for players to be confident in body and mind, they too will need to sacrifice for the betterment of the team.  

Please remember that this is a SoCal Volleyball Club trip, not a family vacation, and members’ behavior and decision-making at a tournament is a direct reflection of the club.  Please be mindful of this at all times, and prioritize the health and success of the team entity.  

Expectations:  

• No cell phones during tournament play (coaches will collect phones)
  • Players can communicate with parents through coaches 
• No phones at team events (meals or other activities) 
• Mandatory: one team bonding event each day (meal or activity) 
  • Cannot opt for family activity over team activity 
• Make healthy food choices before, during and after tournament play 
• No sugary coffee drinks before play 
• Players must be back at the hotel by 9pm, lights out by 10pm (11pm for PM pool) 
• Absolutely no separating or isolating behaviors, no dividing off into small groups.  Inclusivity is the key to team cohesiveness and success on the court.  
• No flights may be booked before 6pm on championship day