USA Beach National Team(s)

[JB Southpaw]

There have been some questions on what support these players receive, from NORCECAs to FIVB 1-5 star tournaments.

I found on the USA Volleyball website

The handbook that goes into it.

There are 3 teams/programs that fall under the BNP (Beach National Program):

• A1 Beach National Team (BNT) – The top eight (8) ranked USAV athletes per gender according to individual FIVB Entry Points who meet the BNP minimum criteria (reference Section IV) and are ranked within the top 64 according to individual FIVB Athlete Entry Points.
• A2 Beach National Team (A2BNT) – The eight (8) highest ranked USAV Athletes per gender according to individual FIVB Entry Points after the A1 athletes who meet the BNP minimum criteria (reference Section IV) and are ranked within the top 96 according to individual FIVB Athlete Entry Points.
• Elite Development Program (EDP) – Athletes identified by the EDP coaches and the Director, Beach National Program to be part of the EDP based on objective results (FIVB, NORCECA, USA Beach Ranking, Age Group Competitions, NCAA, etc.) and performance at tryouts, camps or other observational opportunities.

So, it looks like the top 16 ranked athletes from each gender occupy the A1 &2 teams.

Athletes in the Beach National Program (BNP) are eligible for the following support from USAV/USOC:

• Direct Athlete Support (DAS) – DAS is a monthly stipend that is paid to the athletes based on their position in the Beach National Program.
• Athlete Health Insurance – There are two types of Athlete Health Insurance that are available to qualified athletes in the BNP:
     •Elite Athlete Health Insurance (EAHI) which is a health insurance policy that is available to the top BNP athletes through the USOC.
     •USAV BNP Personal Health Insurance Reimbursement Policy which reimburses qualified BNP athletes up to a certain amount of the personal monthly health insurance      premiums.
• Competition Travel Support – Athletes (CTSA) – The purpose of this support is to defray travel costs for Teams representing the United States in FIVB and NORCECA competitions.
• Coaching Honoraria (CH) – The purpose of this support is to provide coaches of teams representing the United States in FIVB and NORCECA competitions financial support for their professional services.
• Competition Travel Support – Coaches (CTSC) - The purpose of this support is to defray travel costs for coaches of teams representing the United States in NORCECA and FIVB competitions.
• Athlete Wellness Program - The purpose of this program is to offer sports medicine and other wellness-oriented services to athletes.
• Product – The official supplier and sponsor of USAV’s Beach National Program will be provided to qualified BNP athletes that choose to wear/use Mizuno. (maybe Adidas now)

• Mikasa and Molten Volleyballs – The purpose of this support is to provide qualified BNP athletes with Mikasa and Molten volleyballs free of charge for training purposes to better prepare for international competitions.
• USAV Facilities and Services – USAV provides strength and conditioning, nutrition consulting, physical therapy, sports psychology, etc. out of the Beach National Program Center in Torrance, CA, the American Sports Center in Anaheim, California (training center for USAV indoor national teams) and through the USOC.
• Athlete Injury and Pregnancy Policy – This policy was put in place to provide care for athletes that get injured or become pregnant while they are active members of the BNP.

[JB Southpaw]

I hear lots of complaints about prize money and how few $$ these players make, you can make a direct donation to the beach program if you'd like to help out.

supportvolleyball.org/home/donate-now/

[crawdaddy]

Question. Do all three of these levels receive "direct athlete support" (i.e., the stipend)? And if so, does that amount vary considerably across each of the three levels?

I'm particularly interesting what they're doing with the "Elite Development" athletes. Assume Geddy knows this stuff.

[JB Southpaw]

Jul 27, 2017 16:17:47 GMT -5 crawdaddy said:

Question. Do all three of these levels receive "direct athlete support" (i.e., the stipend)? And if so, does that amount vary considerably across each of the three levels?

I'm particularly interesting what they're doing with the "Elite Development" athletes. Assume Geddy knows this stuff.

It didn't differentiate between the 3 levels, it looked like all were eligible for these benefits.

[geddyleeridesagain]

The Elite Development program is being phased out, I believe (if it hasn't been already) in favor of a "collegiate national team." The A1 players are getting funding for travel etc, and 24/7/365 access to strength & conditioning facilities/training, medical/physcial therapy, nutritionists etc. A2 teams get access to same "in-season," but not all year. A2's aren't automatically eligible for travel/expenses funding.

Note that USAV has been making lots of policy changes, and some of the above might already be out of date.

[wang pu]

Jul 27, 2017 22:35:46 GMT -5 geddyleeridesagain said:

The Elite Development program is being phased out, I believe (if it hasn't been already) in favor of a "collegiate national team." The A1 players are getting funding for travel etc, and 24/7/365 access to strength & conditioning facilities/training, medical/physcial therapy, nutritionists etc. A2 teams get access to same "in-season," but not all year. A2's aren't automatically eligible for travel/expenses funding.

Note that USAV has been making lots of policy changes, and some of the above might already be out of date.

Do you know when are the top 8 determined, and is it set for a year or changes throughout the year?

[crawdaddy]

Jul 27, 2017 22:35:46 GMT -5 geddyleeridesagain said:

The Elite Development program is being phased out, I believe (if it hasn't been already) in favor of a "collegiate national team." The A1 players are getting funding for travel etc, and 24/7/365 access to strength & conditioning facilities/training, medical/physcial therapy, nutritionists etc. A2 teams get access to same "in-season," but not all year. A2's aren't automatically eligible for travel/expenses funding.

Note that USAV has been making lots of policy changes, and some of the above might already be out of date.

Thanks Geddy. Not sure I understand what a "collegiate national team" would mean for beach or why that is necessary or helpful. Also not sure why they'd go away from the idea of supporting players who are not yet highly-ranked (i.e., A1 or A2) but they identify as having potential. Seems to me the key to future success is ensuring players who have the potential to compete at a high level internationally are supported financially at a sufficient level to survive the initial years on tour when they aren't making much prize money.

[wang pu]

Jul 28, 2017 14:16:03 GMT -5 crawdaddy said:

Jul 27, 2017 22:35:46 GMT -5 geddyleeridesagain said:

The Elite Development program is being phased out, I believe (if it hasn't been already) in favor of a "collegiate national team." The A1 players are getting funding for travel etc, and 24/7/365 access to strength & conditioning facilities/training, medical/physcial therapy, nutritionists etc. A2 teams get access to same "in-season," but not all year. A2's aren't automatically eligible for travel/expenses funding.

Note that USAV has been making lots of policy changes, and some of the above might already be out of date.

Thanks Geddy. Not sure I understand what a "collegiate national team" would mean for beach or why that is necessary or helpful. Also not sure why they'd go away from the idea of supporting players who are not yet highly-ranked (i.e., A1 or A2) but they identify as having potential. Seems to me the key to future success is ensuring players who have the potential to compete at a high level internationally are supported financially at a sufficient level to survive the initial years on tour when they aren't making much prize money.

I agree. The financial support in the initial years is key. Otherwise, it becomes so difficult for new comers to travel, let alone make the main draw where there are points available. Unless, an established player picks up an up and comer.