There are two types of travel a team might do during a season; 1) they might have to travel for a Power League Tournament; 2) they might be traveling for an Event Tournament. BAVC handles these two types of travel differently.
League Travel:
If you are on a power team and one of your tournaments gets assigned to a far away location, it is your choice whether you want to spend the night or get up early and make the drive. BAVC does not book hotel rooms for families for league tournaments. The NCVA does have a hotel page with discounted hotel rates to some locations that you might want to check out before you book.
Event Travel:
Almost all BAVC teams will travel to at least one far away Event Tournament. (i.e. Fiestival Fiesta Arizona, Colorado Crossroads, Windy City Qualifier Chicago, Far Westerns Reno, and West Coast Championships Las Vegas) BAVC will book hotel rooming blocks in the destination city which you may reserve at the preferred rate under your own credit card but you are not obligated to stay with the team if you have your owning lodgings available. BAVC will not arrange your air fare. You are free to use credit card miles or drive if you prefer as long as you arrive on the specified date. BAVC will never separate you from your daughter during travel tournaments.
It seems that every event tournament has it's own procedures for reserving rooms from our rooming block. I will send a detailed email with all the information you need for reserving your room, arrival and departure days and any other information you need to know about the tournament. There are some event tournaments (i.e. Cal Kickoff and President's Day) which are held at one of the local convention centers well within daily driving distance.
Effective Immediately all USA Volleyball Junior Clubs must have an Official Travel Policy. Below is BAVC's Official Travel Policy:
Travel Policy for Bay Area Volleyball Club
BAVC has some teams that travel regularly to play in tournaments, has some teams where travel is limited to a few events per season, and some teams where there is no travel other than local travel to and from our own area. BAVC prohibits all types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, threats, harassment and hazing, all as described in the USA Volleyball SafeSport Handbook. [Club] has established policies to guide our travel, minimize oneon-one interactions and reduce the risk of abuse or misconduct. Adherence to these travel guidelines will increase player safety and improve the player’s experience while keeping travel a fun and enjoyable experience.
We distinguish between travel to training, practice and local tournaments (“league travel”) and team travel involving an overnight stay (“event travel”).
League Travel occurs when BAVC does not sponsor, coordinate or arrange for travel.
• Players and/or their parents/guardian are responsible for making all arrangements for local travel. The team and its coaches, managers or administrators should avoid responsibility for arranging or coordinating local travel. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including but not limited to: a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable statelaws.
• The employees, coaches and/or volunteers of BAVC or one of its teams, who are not also acting as a parent, shall not drive alone with an unrelated minor player.
Event Travel is overnight travel that occurs when BAVC or one of its teams or designees’ sponsors, coordinates or arranges for hotels so that the team can compete locally, regionally or nationally.
• When possible, BAVC will provide reasonable advance notice before team travel. Travel notice will also include designated team hotels for overnight stays.
• Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangements with a minor player (unless the coach is the parent, guardian or sibling of the player).
• The coach or his/her designee will establish a curfew by when all players must be in their hotel rooms or in a supervised location. Regular monitoring and curfew checks are the responsibility of parents. At no time will only one adult be present in a room with minor players, regardless of gender (unless the adult is the parent, guardian or sibling of the player).
• If there are any player-only rooms arranged by the parents of thos players, the parents are responsible for asking hotels to block adult pay per view channels for player- only rooms.
• Individual meetings between a coach and a player may not occur in hotel sleeping rooms and must be held in public settings or with additional adults present, with at least one of those adults being the same gender as the player.
• Parents/Guardians who must stay in the team hotel unless they have designated another adult as Guardian for the duration of the event.
• The team will make every effort to accommodate reasonable parental requests when a child is away from home without a parent. BAVC will not however assume responsibility for the child.
• No coach or chaperone shall at any time be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while performing their coaching duties.
• In all cases involving travel, parents shall transport their minor player
Prior to any travel, coaches will endeavor to make players and parents aware of all expectations and rules. Coaches will also support chaperones and/or parents in the monitoring of the players for adherence to curfew restrictions and other travel rules.
• If disciplinary action against a player is required while the player is traveling without his/her parents, then except where immediate action is necessary, parents will be notified before any action is taken, or immediately after.
Additional Policies
The following policies are additional guidelines for developing a travel policy based on the club’s preferences and needs.
• Players are expected to remain with the team at all times during the trip. Players are not to leave the competition venue, the hotel, restaurant or any other place at which the team has gathered without the permission/knowledge of the coach or chaperone.
• When visiting public places such as shopping malls, movie theatres, etc., players will stay in groups of no less than three persons. Athletes 12 and under will be accompanied by a chaperone.
• Be quiet and respect the rights of teammates and others in the hotel; Be prompt and on time; Use appropriate behavior in public facilities, including language; Establish two different curfews – in own rooms and lights out.
Code of Conduct / Honor Code
a. Team members will display proper respect and sportsmanship toward coaches, officials, administrator, teammates, fellow competitors and the public at alltimes.
b. Team members and staff will refrain from any illegal or inappropriate behavior that would detract from a positive image of the team or be detrimental to its performance objectives.
c. The possession or use of alcohol or tobacco products by any athlete is prohibited.
d. The possession, use or sale/distribution of any controlled or illegal substance or any form of weapon is strictly forbidden.
e. Team members are reminded that when competing in tournaments, traveling on trips and attending other club-related functions, they are representing both themselves and Bay Area Volleyball Club. Athlete behavior must positively reflect the high standards of the club.
f. Players are to refrain from inappropriate physical contact at teamactivities.
g. Players are to refrain from the use of inappropriate language.
Failure to comply with the Honor Code as set forth in this document may result in disciplinary action. Such discipline may include, but may not be limitedto:
i. Dismissal from the trip and immediate return home at the athlete’s expense;
ii. Disqualification from future tournaments, either local ortraveling;
iii. Financial penalties;
iv. Dismissal from team; and/or
v. Penalties set forth in the USA Volleyball Participant Code of Conduct, which may include a lifetime ban.