By Christine Jinbo

After spending two consecutive four-day stints in Anaheim, Calif., it became ever clearer that the culminating season ending event regardless of geographical distance, is an essential part of a club season.  The final competition of a season enables teams to showcase their talent, battle in a championship atmosphere and achieve team goals.

Currently, the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship (JOVC) is the only event teams must qualify to attend.  The nation's top teams attend the Open Division of the JOVC.  The tournament also hosts qualified teams in two other divisions, National and American.  There are four other season enders in which clubs may participate. 

The Southern California Volleyball Association (SCVA) hosted two season culminating events in back-to-back four-day tournaments in Anaheim, Calif.  The Boys Classic and the First Annual Summer Soiree featured competition in five age divisions, for boys and girls.

The SCVA, in conjunction with Disneyland, created the Summer Soiree for those teams who either did not qualify for USA's event or chose not to incur the expense of traveling teams, coaches and chaperones across the country or across state lines. This four-day event, in the heart of Disney, has potential to become a west coast edition of the AAU National Championships (Orlando, Fla.) and compete with The Festival for clubs and teams.

By the numbers:
Girls end of season events- 5
Boys end of season events- 3

Number of teams per event (Girls):
788 - USA Volleyball's Junior Olympic Volleyball Championship (Miami, Fla.)   
627 - Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) National Championships (Orlando, Fla.)
482 - Volleyball Festival (Phoenix, Ariz.)
383 - Junior Volleyball Directors' Association's (JVDA) JVDA Championships (Louisville, Ky.)
150 - SCVA's Summer Soiree (Anaheim, Calif.)

Number of teams per event (Boys):
260 - SCVA's Boys Classic (Anaheim, Calif.)
385 - USA Volleyball's Junior Olympic Championships (Atlanta, Ga.)
101 - 16th Annual Boys East Coast Championships (Richmond, Va.)


Total girls participating in national events: 29,160
Total boys participating in national events: 8,952

Total coaches and directors in national events: 7,290
Total coaches and directors in national events: 2,236

Total girls' teams participating in national events: 2,430
Total boys' teams participating in national events: 746