News

Gold Crown Volleyball for Middle School Girls

The Gold Crown season is under way. Gold Crown Volleyball is for 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls. More information can be found at www.goldcrownfoundation.com  Click on Volleyball

Best of luck to all Gold Crown teams especially the teams assisted by Flatirons Volleyball Club: Monarch, Fairview and Boulder.

We hope to see all Gold Crown players at tryouts for Flatirons Volleyball Club. Please check back for tryout times and dates. The club season will start at the end of September into early October.

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Congratulations to Flatirons High School Players

Congratulations to all the Flatirons players who made high school teams! Look for Flatirons players at the following high schools: Fairview, Boulder, Monarch, Niwot, Shining Mountain, Nederland, Longmont, Centaurus, Broomfield, Evergreen, Peak To Peak, East, Northglenn, Arvada, Legacy, Holy Family, Ralston Valley and Alexander Dawson.
 
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USA Volleyball Statement in Regards to Youth Membership Protection Safeguards

In light of the recent publicity USA Swimming has received on ABC News’ “20/20” show in regards to its youth membership protection safeguards, USA Volleyball wants to proactively re-affirm to its leadership, coaches, club directors, membership and parents of junior players that we take this topic very, very seriously. We, along with USA Swimming and other National Governing Bodies who deal with a large population of junior-age athletes, have many procedures and policies in place that help protect the safety of our young players.

USA Volleyball supports a very large junior-age membership, a region organizational structure and many privately-owned clubs. For its child protection safeguards, USA Volleyball (along with other NGBs with junior membership) has a safety training program, background screening, educational programs, code of conduct and a procedure to report complaints. Yet, these strong procedures can never provide a 100 percent safety net to halt misconduct in the coach-junior athlete relationship. Even one episode of abuse – sexual, physical or mental – is too much in our eyes and the eyes of every other NGB. USA Volleyball cannot make that statement any stronger to its membership.

For the past five years at the national office level, USA Volleyball has required background screenings and immediately notified regions and clubs when individuals fail. The background screen includes criminal history, charges for sexual misconduct and illegal drug use among other disqualifiers. USA Volleyball also provides educational material on appropriate behavior through our IMPACT level coaching courses and enforces a code of conduct for those involved with minors.

What can USA Volleyball learn from the recent unfortunate incidents in the swimming community? First, we need to constantly evaluate our policies to protect the safety and well-being of our membership. Although our current policies are well-established and provide a solid foundation for protecting our youth, USA Volleyball is committed to reviewing its background screening process, and specifically the disqualifiers, on an annual basis to make changes to more effectively screen out likely offenders. All ideas that may provide additional safeguards for USA Volleyball members are welcomed and encouraged.

Moving forward, USA Volleyball will concentrate significant efforts toward providing better education and awareness to combat these societal issues. We plan to expand these topics further in IMPACT courses, which all junior coaches are required to take. Additionally, USA Volleyball will create an awareness campaign that reaches our young athletes and their parents, stressing the tell-tale signs of abuse and the importance of reporting incidents to the local police or some other appropriate authority figure. We are already testing a Parent Education program in five regions, and these topics will be prominently included. With parent input in this test program, we can craft a better message that hits home across the country.

While USA Volleyball is fully committed to allocating the necessary resources, we know we cannot do this alone. The background screenings required by USA Volleyball and other committed organizations are a good first step to diminish the likelihood of future incidents occurring. However, the background screens are not perfect as criminal charges must be filed in order to appear on the background report. Also, there are additional tools available in this process. USA Volleyball urges all our club and region leaders to assume a greater responsibility for conducting pre-employment screenings, talking to previous employers and performing reference checks prior to hiring coaches and individuals who may have contact with junior members. Clubs must be vigilant in the hiring process, as well as during the season itself to identify and eliminate potential problems.

USA Volleyball is investigating the creation of a confidential hotline system in which all complaints, whether by the victim or a third-party aware of the incident(s), can be filed such that referrals or action can be taken.

USA Volleyball continues to have the most detailed and broadest ranging safety standards of any organization serving volleyball juniors in the United States. Continuing with that commitment, USA Volleyball will devote time to this subject at its Annual Meetings in May. Please come to these meetings with an open mind to discuss this very important issue.

Doug Beal, Chief Executive Officer of USA Volleyball David Schreff, Chairman of USA Volleyball Board of Directors

Douglas P. Beal, CEO
USA Volleyball
715 South Circle Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910-2368
719-228-6800 (phone)
719-228-6899 (fax)
doug.beal@usav.org
www.usavolleyball.org

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Team Pictures
Zemi Photographic took photos on Feb. 20. Team and individual pictures are due to arrive around April 1st. If you need to place your order, go the the Zemi website and follow the instructions. www.zemiphoto.com .

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Special thanks to Coach Tom Hogan, U. of Colorado Women's Assistant Coach, for working with Flatirons athletes! Tons was learned in a most fun way . . . thanks so much!
Click the thumbnails below to see full size images



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Little Spikers League
Special thanks to Coach Bruce Randall and Willow Brook for working with our dedicated Little Spikers. The improvements were so impressive!

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Active Girls Make Better Grades
 
Girls who spend more time in vigorous physical activity may do better in school, even if they are not particularly fit, study findings hint.
Dr. Lydia Kwak, at Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden, and colleagues examined associations between light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in 232 students (52 percent girls) who were 16 years old on average and attending ninth grade in a Swedish school.
SOURCE: The Journal of Pediatrics, December 2009.

Click here to see the entire article

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Impact Sports Performance

The specialized training implemented through Impact Sports Performance is paying off! Flatirons players are increasing their vertical jumps. And the girls are playing for longer time periods without fatigue. Kudos to the girls for working hard ~ the results are evident on the court; in competitions and in practice!

Impact Sports Performance is located at 11575 Main Street, #100, Broomfield 80020.

Impact Sports Performance Training Schedule
January – April 2010

14-1: Tuesdays 5:00-6:00 pm January 5 – April 13
14-2: Thursdays 4:00-5:00 pm January 7 – April 15
15 Nat: Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 pm January 5 – April 13
15 Reg: Tuesdays 7:15 – 8:15 pm January 5 – April 13
16 Nat: Tuesdays 6:00-7:00 pm January 5 – April 13
16 Reg: Thursdays 6:00 – 7:00 pm January 5 – April 15
18 Nat: Thursdays 6:15-7:15 pm January 7 – April 15

Spring Break Week: One training session will be offered for athletes who would like to keep their edge. This session will be held on Tuesday, March 23rd from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. The regular schedule will be back on track beginning Monday, March 29th.

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Special thanks to SandShark Sports Volleyball for bringing your store to Flatirons.
SandShark Sports carries colorful spandex, wacky socks, kneepads, volleyball shoes, ankle braces, novelties, volleyball shirts, fun hair decorations and many more volleyball gifts and supplies. You can visit them at www.sandsharksports.com or at their store location at 6838 South Dallas Way, Suite C, Greenwood Village, CO 80112 (303) 759-8859.

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Leadership Skills Development

Assistant Director Chris Warner conducted Leadership Training for Flatirons athletes who wanted to learn how to be good leaders for their team and in other life circumstances. Athletes learned about the ideals of servant leadership and how to lead both by example and by words through the analysis of self and peer leadership skill evaluations.
Hearty thanks to Chris and high fives to all the participants!
For follow up questions or information, contact Chris at Christopher.warner@adams12.org

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Online Registration is now open.
Registration in USA Volleyball is required before any participation in Open Gyms or Tryouts. Click here for instructions.

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