Because of the limited number of USAV tournaments held in our area, all teams will likely participate in one or more tournaments that are outside of the Tulsa metro area.

 

Depending on the location and details of those tournament, The OC may designate a "mandated travel requirement" for these tournaments.  The mandated travel requirement simply means that overnight stay will be necessary, and players and coaches will be expected to travel to these tournaments and asked to attend team activities that are scheduled as part of tournament itinerary.  Coaches and/or a team representative will also have the opportunity to use a team itinerary for the team's out-of-town tournaments (you can click here for a sample).

 

When teams have "mandated travel requirements" for any out-of-town tournaments, there are associated costs for the travel.  They would include:

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• Team activity costs

  • Most teams will have a mandatory team activity (such as a team dinner, movie, and/or other activity) scheduled as part of the tournament weekend.  The cost for the activities are NOT included as part of the club fees.

• Parent and player lodging, fuel, food, etc.

  • These costs are NOT included in your club fees.

 

The OC understands that this policy does increase the costs of participating in our club, and we will be very mindful of the costs when selecting hotels, activities, etc. for team travel.  However, cost will NOT be the lone factor, as we will also consider proximity, safety, etc. on the itinerary selections as well.

 

The requirement allows our teams to maximize their performance and minimize the risk of unexpected problems of traveling to an out-of-town tournament.

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• Maximizing Performance:  Players traditionally play better with a good night sleep.  Historically, coaches have seen less-than-maximum performances from players at tournaments when the matches have been preceded by waking up at extraordinarily early hours and trying to play immediately after a lengthy car ride.  While tournaments must be won at the end of the day, they can often be lost at the beginning with a poor start.

• Minimizing Unexpected Issues:  The travel requirements offer better protection for teams from unexpected problems/delays (oversleeping, traffic delays, vehicle problems, last-minute illnesses, etc.), which may cause teams to have to forfeit matches at these tournaments.  USAV tournaments require a minimum number of players to both participate, as well as complete refereeing responsibilities.

 

When the teams travel, we prefer to have all team members, coaches, and parents stay at the same establishment.  Some tournament may also have a "Stay to Play" requirement, in which case the tournament requires a stay in one of their hotel groups.  In most (if not all cases), a team representative will notify all parties of the selected or required hotel.  Parents/guardians will then have the opportunity to make necessary reservations.  The team representative may also be responsible for making any other needed reservations (i.e., reservations for coaches).​​

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If you have additional questions regarding The OC Travel Policy, please contact us.