Update on Sand Volleyball Tournaments in Triangle for 2006

[VBLIStaff]

Just wanted to give an update on planning for sand tournaments in the
Triangle next year. Vaughn, myself and Brian Magee met with the
Athletic Director for the Town of Cary last Friday to discuss
possibilities. In a nutshell, the AD seemed very open to working with
us to provide access to the facilities and making sure proceeds from
tournaments get funneled back to improvements and maintenance of the
sand volleyball facilities. Things are not in a finalized state but I
thought it would be good to let interested folks know that progress is
being made. Here's a recap on a number of topics discussed:

1) Sites - N. Cary Park is being pushed as the first choice. Green
Hope Elementary School Park is also a possibility with 4 courts that
are adequately fenced now so to better support tournament play. Green
Hope also offers the unique opportunity of possibly being a site that
can offer both sand and grass tournaments in the future.

2) Facility improvements - Better sand is being pushed as the main
facility improvement needed across the board. We are also
investigating a new adjustable court line system that will allow
switching from large court to small court dimensions a breeze. This
system is different from the more common lines that have buckles for
shortening/lengthening court lines. If the system works well, we'll
recommend that Cary purchase these systems for their courts.

3) Frequency - Once a month from April through October seems very
reachable. To minimize conflict with existing grass doubles
tournaments, the most likely scenario is the first weekend of each month.

4) The Future - Some preliminary discussions have begun about
proposing a volleyball complex at a new park being planned in
Southeastern Cary fairly close to Knight's Play Golf Course for those
of you who know where that is. Construction plans have not been drawn
up yet which means there is time to formulate proposals. This is an
excellent opportunity for the Triangle volleyball community (and even
the state volleyball community) to provide input in getting a facility
built that is designed for both competitive and recreational play and
could provide ample opportunities for leagues and large tournaments to
compliment the 6 court facilities at Jaycee Park in Raleigh. All
existing facilities in Cary, like most other cities, are designed with
recreational play in mind only. This has resulted in many courts being
built that are pretty much useless for players looking for a good
court to utilize.


I will continue to provide updates as progresses are made. If anyone
has additional thoughts, suggestions, comments, I am definitely open
to hearing them. Please respond or send an email to mjnaleva@hotmail.com


Thanks,
Mark