NERVA Juniors BOD meetingCommissioners Report

June 2019

SafeSport 2019-2020The Center requires every NGB to implement a Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP) by June 23, 2019. This Policy addresses risk areas that present opportunities for abuse to occur.

The Policy covers six (6) areas:1. One-on-One Interactions, including meetings and individual training sessions (Observable and interruptible)2. Massages and Rubdowns/Athlete Training Modalities3. Locker Rooms & Changing Areas4. Social Media & Electronic Communication5. LocalTravel6. Team Travel

MAAPP will apply to all Applicable Adults (including adult athletes) defined as those who interact with and have direct and frequent contact with minor athletes.

SafeSport 2019-2020•Education and Training Changes

•MAAPP requires regular and consistent training for all Applicable Adults (including adult athletes) who interact with and have direct and frequent contact with minor athletes.

•All Applicable Adults will be required to complete training annually. Such training consists of “Core” SafeSport training followed by the U.S. Center for SafeSport Refresher course.

SafeSport 2019

GENERAL RULE – If you need a Background Check you need SafeSport trainingREPORTING AREA:

• Online at: http://nevolleyball.org/nerva-safesport/

• Direct at: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/about-us/safesport/make-a-report

CLUB DIRECTOR TRAINING - coming from USAV

USOC Mandate on Background Checks

• New Mandate from USOC coming September 2019

• Unknown as to particulars

• Rumored to be

• year 1 - full screening

• year 2 - review screening

• Estimated Cost $30

• Committee formed by RVA to address

NERVA insurance Sanctioning requirements

• Below is a direct quote from the USA Volleyball insurance carrier:

• “We can only cover sanctioned events and activities. If the practices are not sanctioned or if a player is not a USAV member but is participating in the practice, not only is the player not covered but the practice could not meet sanctioning requirements which require all members to be USAV Members.”

• This makes it very clear that ALL participants MUST be current USAV members in order to be sanctioned by our Region and thus covered by Integro. If one participant is not a member then the entire sanction is void and there is NO COVERAGE.

• Anyone running their own in house league or signing up members as AAU/JVA and not USAV must be aware of this situation and realize the liability of these actions.

New Membership Category -PROPOSED -

• USA Board of Directors to vote on proposal June 2019

• Tryout Membership - effective 9/1/2019

• NERVA proposal - cost $15 with upgrade of $50

• time limit - 9/1 to 2/1

• CANNOT be rostered therefore cannot play in events

SportsEngine Presentation of

USA Volleyball and NERVA new Member Management System

effective September 1, 2019

Welcome

Cailen Hofmann

NERVA Inter-Regional Events

•Registration for ALL NERVA Convention Center Events opened October 1stALL event Info on NEVolleyball.org and JVCTournaments.com

•Stay and Play requirements for 2020 will be for all teams located 60 miles or more from the playing venue and a minimum of 5 rooms per team must be booked.

•NERVA Prime - Pre-booking Loyalty program option for clubs in effect.

Wicked Good Challenge

Boys and Adult Tournament

Dec 14-15, 2019 RI Convention Center

18 courts6 MATCH GUARANTEE

FOR BOYS TEAMS

Winterfest

Jan 11 – 12, 2020 Winterfest 1 – 27 courtsJan 18 – 20, 2020 Winterfest 2 – 27 courts

2021 forward- Winterfest splits into 3 weekendsJan 9-10 Weekend #1: Boys and MAYBE one older Girls Club Division, Jan 16-18 Weekend #2: Older Girls over MLK, Jan 23-24 Weekend #3: Younger Girls weekend

NERVA QualifierRI Convention Center

Providence RI

January 31-Feb 2, 2020

(Super Bowl weekend)

SpikeFest Providence18 courts

16 Open, 17’s, 18’s

SpikeFest - Springfield12 courts

12 - 15’s, 16 club3 day event

Presidents Day WeekendFebruary 15 – 17, 2020

Contracted Pday weekend thru 2024

Mizuno BOSTON VOLLEYBALL FESTIVAL February 22-23, 2020 (18 courts) Providence (adults)

Mar 6, 7, 8, 2020 (90 courts) Boston

2 weekends – Split TBD Feb 26-28 & Mar 5-7,2021 Feb 25-27 & Mar 4-6,2022 Feb 24-26 & Mar 3-5,2023

February 23-25 & Mar 1-3,2024 Feb 21-23 & TBA 2025

Feb 27-Mar 1 & Mar 6-8,2026 Feb 19-21 & Feb 26-28,2027 Mar 3-5 & Mar 10-12, 2028

Providence - RI Convention CenterFebruary 22-23, 202018 Courts Projected

Adults onlyPlayer Party - Saturday

Boston - BCECMar 6, 7, 8, 2020

90 Courts projected-Girls 14-18s divisions will be a full 3-day event starting with an 8am or 3pm wave on Friday.-Boys will be a full 3-day event - starting PM Friday-Girls 12's and 13's will begin Play on Saturday morning

USA HP National Tryouts

Sitting Volleyball Court - Adult sitting event?

April 11-12, 2020 EASTER SUNDAY - Club DivisionsApril 25 – 25, 2020 - Open Divisions(18 courts each weekend no offsite)April 10 – 12 & April 24 – 26 2020April 16 – 18 & April 23 – 25 2021April 15 – 17 & April 22 -24 2022April 7 – 9 & April 14 – 16 2023April 12 – 14 & April 19 – 21 2024April 11 – 13 & April 18 – 20 2025April 3 – 5 & April 18 – 20 2026April 9 – 11 & April 16 – 18 2027

USAV Logo ProgramNERVA will offer any club that will enter into the contract with USAV a  $2.00 per uniform rebate

as an incentive to use the logo. This rebate will be issued upon receipt of a copy of

the original invoice emailed to Dave. We hope you can take advantage of this program and to show our

pride of being part of a National program.

Clubs using logo this 2019: Avidity, Blast, Coastal, Dragons, Husky, Gators, Thunderbirds, Walpole

USAV Logo and trademarkUSAV tightening up use of their logo and trademarks.

DO NOT use USAV logo without permission or a contract. Region will supply more information on this when available.

USAV Currently working on a dual logo for Club use.

NERVA and NERVA Clubs’ Obligations under the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that places of public accommodation make reasonable modifications to their policies, practices, or procedures in order to ensure that disabled individuals receive access to the same services and opportunities that are available to nondisabled individuals, unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the public accommodation or otherwise result in an undue burden to the entity.

Are NERVA and NERVA clubs places of public accommodation under the ADA? Maybe.

• Courts have interpreted “places of public accommodation” under the ADA to include sports associations and sports teams.

• Assuming NERVA and NERVA clubs qualify as places of public accommodation, they must make reasonable modifications to their policies, practices, and procedures in order to accommodate disabled individuals.

What constitutes a “reasonable modification”?

• This varies based on: the specific disabled individual, the nature of their disability, and the type of services and opportunities that NERVA and its clubs otherwise provide to nondisabled individuals.

Reasonable Modification for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Individuals

• One of the primary issues that sports associations and teams run into in the context of the ADA is providing reasonable accommodations to deaf and hearing impaired individuals.

• A public accommodation must provide the appropriate auxiliary aid or service that ensures effective communication for deaf and hearing impaired individuals.

• The “appropriate auxiliary aid or service” will vary depending on the situation, based on:

• the method of communication used by the disabled individual;

• the nature, length, and complexity of the communication involved; and

• the context in which the communication is taking place.

• However, this likely means that NERVA and NERVA clubs should provide on-site, qualified interpreters for deaf and hearing impaired participants.

What do NERVA and NERVA clubs need to know about providing reasonable modifications for disabled individuals?

• Clubs should be proactive and identify whether any individual in its program is disabled, and would like the club to provide any accommodation for his or her disability;

• If an individual claims that he or she is disabled and requires an accommodation for his or her disability, the club is likely required to provide the requested accommodation, as long as the request is reasonable

• NERVA and NERVA clubs are responsible for providing the requested reasonable accommodation, and cannot require the disabled individual to provide their own accommodation.

• In the context of deaf and hearing impaired individuals, this means that the entities cannot require that the individual bring their own interpreter. Although the individual may choose to bring their own interpreter and decline the services offered by NERVA or a NERVA club.

• If NERVA and NERVA clubs have an obligation to provide a qualified interpreter, they are also responsible for the cost of providing the interpreter, and cannot require that the individual bear any costs for the provision of the accommodation.

Current USA Volleyball Policy on Transgender ParticipantsAthletes who wish to compete as a member of the gender opposite that recorded on their birth certificate must duly notify USAV of their intent, and provide appropriate medical documentation of their status to the USAV Gender Committee (GC) at least six weeks prior to the competition in which they wish to participate. Male to Female: All athletes must submit appropriate documentation upon request.Testosterone levels must not exceed the upper limit of the normal female reference range for their age group. Age 12 and Under (Prepubertal or Youth) No restriction if seeking to play on a female team. Age 13-18 (registered as a Junior, including a 19 year old still in high school) (Pubertal or Adolescent) Testosterone levels must be within normal female reference range (for the age range) for a minimum of 6 months preceding the application to participate. NERVA and NERVA Clubs’ Obligations to Transgender Participants

The laws surrounding transgender rights are relatively new and rapidly changing, with many states providing varying protections for individuals who identify as transgender.

As more states begin to adopt more comprehensive protections for transgender individuals, there is increased liability for entities that enforce policies that restrict an individual from participating in an activity or otherwise accessing an accommodation in a manner consistent with their gender identity.

Some states, particularly in New England, have inclusive laws that appear to suggest that places of public accommodation must permit individuals admission to and full enjoyment of the place of public accommodation in a manner that is consistent with each individual’s gender identity.

This presents important considerations for sports associations and sports teams when transgender individuals seek to participate on a team that conforms to their gender identity.

State anti-discrimination laws do not provide exceptions for any competition or safety concerns that result from permitting an athlete to participate on a team that conforms to their gender identity.

These laws also do not make any exceptions for policies requiring transgender individuals to be at a certain point in their gender transformation.

Therefore, there are no exceptions for policies that (1) require transgender individuals to have certain testosterone levels, or (2) require individuals to engage in hormone suppression treatment for a set period of time before permitting a transgender athlete to participate on a team that conforms with his or her gender identity.

Depending on the applicable state’s law, there may be liability for sports associations or clubs that deny a transgender athlete’s request to participate on a team that conforms to his or her gender identity, or qualify participation on certain hormone levels or hormone treatment for a particular period of time.

MOLTEN Partnership• Molten will provide free yearly:

A. 80 volleyballs B. 50 SPB mesh ball bags.C. Level 4 Pricing on all molten products

• NERVA will provide:The designation of Molten as the Official Volleyball of NERVA. The designation includes:1. The use of Molten volleyballs in the NERVA championships;2. The use of Molten volleyballs in all NERVA hosted camps and clinics; and3. All NERVA High Performance teams will practice with and travel with Molten equipment including volleyballs, ball bags and ball carts.

• The recommendation by the NERVA to its membership that Molten volleyballs be used for league play. 

ART of coaching volleyball partnership

• AGREEMENT:

• The Art of Coaching Volleyball will create premium access codes for the New England Region Volleyball Association(NERVA) that will give all NERVA coaches premium access to all videos, courses and premium benefits on The Art of Coaching Volleyball website. NERVA cost $8.50 per coach. Upon registration (monthly/biweekly) coaches will receive login info via email.

•All NERVA group members will also receive:

•10% discount on all products offered in the Art of Coaching Volleyball On-Line Store (discount excludes Pocket Radar and VERT Items).

•$50.00 discount on any Art of Coaching Volleyball clinic registration.

•ONLY 220 COACHES in 2019 used the discount

2019 USAV Junior Nationals18 USAV Nationals:SMASH 18’s - 18 Open - 37th of 48Maine Jrs 18 National - 18 Patriot - 57th of 7217-14 USAV Nationals:SMASH 17’s - 17 USAHusky 17 National - 17 AmericanCMASS 16 Phantom - 16 AmericanSMASH 14’s - 14 NationalSeacoast 14 Open - 14 American