2013 Northern Lights Power League

Greetings from Northern Lights Juniors! We hope that you will join us in 2013 for the 25th Northern Lights Power League!

Northern Lights will provide First Officials for all matches in the 2013 Power League. Our experiment last season with paid officials for one league date was received so well, we have decided to supply paid officials for all matches this season. Yes, this will make the cost of the league rise slightly per player, but the end result will be a much more positive experience for all league teams.

• Cost increase is only $20 per player for 5 league dates
• Paid officials will help to keep matches running on time
• Paid officials will allow coaches to assist scorers
• Paid officials give a more professional appearance
• Players learn to officiate properly by watching a trained official

NEW FOR 2013: Two Adult Rostered Contacts Required

Each team must have two contact people.  One can be the Club Director / Team Rep, and the other must be a coach.  This will ensure we have valid contacts to which we can send important information, schedule changes, etc.

Both the Club Director and Head Coach MUST HAVE a valid email address and a valid phone number.  Most communication will be done through email.  We want phone numbers in case of critical situations when we need to get a hold of somebody on your team.  Your entry will not be considered complete until we have two contacts on each roster.

5 League Dates included in cost ($670)
Optional Competition Dates ($105 Each)

Northern Lights takes pride in the fact that our Power League is one of the best leagues in the Midwest.  The extra cost for our league gives you the following:

• State-of-the-art Facility: All matches are played at the finest volleyball-only facility - Midwest Volleyball Warhouse.  Cushioned floors and safe, clear court space for players.  Plenty of room for spectators.  450+ parking spaces. 
• Superior Scheduling:  We use RealTimeResults for all schedules - updated as soon as matches are finished, throughout the facility and on the internet.
• Certified Athletic Trainers on staff during all competitions - an added level of safety and service for your teams.
• Paid Officials on all courts - professional, efficient, organized!

12's Division:  For 11 / 12 and Under Teams
14's Division:  For 13 / 14 and Under Teams
16's Division:  For 15 / 16 and Under Teams
18's Division:  For 17 / 18 and Under Teams

Divisions will be grouped such that all 12's and 16's teams will compete on one weekend, and all 14's and 18's teams will compete on the opposite weekend.

All league dates will be half-day events running on either Saturday or Sunday, morning or afternoon wave.  The four possible competition waves are:  

At this point it is not possible to determine if you will play on either Saturday or Sunday. Your actual play date will be determined by your position in the pools.

Before registering your team for the Power League you should be sure that your team would be able to attend all league dates regardless of AM or PM, Saturday or Sunday shift.

We are not able to accept any special requests for specific shifts due to the nature of the schedule. You MUST be able to field a team for either a morning or afternoon shift on either Saturday or Sunday for the date that you play. See below for cancellation policy.

This year's format is very similar to the popular format we have used the last few years. The difference is that we are allowing more teams to move up or down each date!  This will allow teams to more quickly find the level of play that best suits the team.

Examples of what is meant by "snake seeding", "power pools", and "tournament play" can be found here

Initial Seeding: For the first Power League date, teams will be seeded according to their overall power league, regional finishes last year and input from the coaches. That first round of play will then be used to "confirm" or adjust the seeding for the second playday. If your team is seeded in the bottom half it does not mean that you cannot get into the top half during the season.

Team Movement: Each week, teams will move depending on their finish. For the dates showing "2 teams move", two teams from the pool or bracket will move up and two teams will move down. This will allow teams to move from pool to pool more quickly. For the dates showing "1 team moves", only one team will move up and one team will move down. Teams will not be moved after their final play date - where they finish in their pool will determine their final finish in the league.

Snake Seed: On date 1 the pools will be snake seeded from top to bottom split into an upper division and lower division. This seeding process will spread out all of the teams based on rank. i.e.- Team ranked #1 will team #1 in pool #1, Team ranked #2 will be team #1 in pool # 2 and so on. Each team will play 3 matches. Each match will consist of two 25 point rally games and one 15 point rally game. All three games will be played regardless of the outcome of the first two games.

Power Pools: On Dates 3 and 5, the pools will be set up as power pools, i.e. - the top 4 teams will be in pool #1, teams ranked 5-8 will be in pool #2, and so on. Power pools allow teams of similar ability to compete against each other. Each team will play 3 matches. Each match will consist of two 25 point rally games and one 15 point rally game. All three games will be played regardless of the outcome of the first two games.

Tournament Play: On dates 2 and 4 teams will be set up in an eight team bracket format. This will allow a team the opportunity to move as many as 8 positions in one day. This will be done by placing two pools together, seeding them 1-8, and then playing a special tournament format which will rank all teams 1-8 and give each team 3 matches (best 2 of 3 on these dates) during their 6 hour shift. On these dates we will play with games 1 & 2 being 25 point rally games and the third game if needed to decide a match winner will be one 15 point rally game.

We will be posting the schedule for each weekend on the internet at Midwest Volleyball Warehouse's Real Time Results website at  www.gamepointrtr.com .   Schedules will generally be posted on the internet by the Wednesday preceeding your playing dates. There will be no postal mailings made.

Power Leagues will run as scheduled regardless of winter weather. It is extremely unlikely that we would ever cancel a Power League. If we were to cancel Power League due to 12+ inches of snow, we would post the information on the website in place of that day's schedule. In the unlikely event of a weather cancellation there will be no rescheduled dates and no refunds, teams will simply advance to the next date in their same respective positions.

Each year one of the biggest issues we face while running the Northern Lights Power League is when teams ask to miss league dates or simply do not show up for their competition. Teams frequently inform us they will be missing after the schedule for the league date has already been posted. Changing the schedule is difficult and ends up impacting all of the other teams in the pool or bracket. The coaches, players, and parents on the receiving end complain to Northern Lights to do something about it.

Because of this, we have adopted a policy for requests to miss league dates, late notification, and simply not showing up. Our policy covers all situations - with penalties - to help ensure teams give plenty of notification. Click here to view the detailed policy.

If you are missing players, you should still come to your league date. You will be allowed to play with 5, however, your matches are officially forfeits. If you show up and play, the other teams do not miss out on one of their matches.

Teams that participate in the optional dates will have added opportunity to demonstrate their level of play. This will help us more correctly seed these teams.  A minimum number of 4 teams in an age division is required for a pool. Participation in the optional competition dates is on a first come first serve basis.  Registration for these dates is separate from the Power League registration.  Registration instructions can be found below. 

Teams will be assigned officiating and scorekeeping tasks in the same manner as in a normal tournament.  You will be required to supply a second (down) official, scorekeeper, libero tracker, scoreboard operator, and two line judges.  You will also be required to supply a first (up) official in the event that one is not available. 

Note to all coaches, per North Country Region Rules:

The head coach, assistant coach or a registered adult must be the SECOND referee.  This adult must be registered with North Country Region USA Volleyball and have attended an official's clinic. 

For the 12 & Under Division, we are requesting that there be NO SECOND REFEREE.  Instead, the head coach, assistant coach, or registered adult must be at the SCORER TABLE assisting with the scorekeeping.  The 12 & Under Division officiating can be handled by the paid official. 

Legal USAV uniforms are required to play. Please check USAV Rules and Regulations. Due to the large number of people trying to get uniforms at the start of the season we will allow non matching uniforms during the first three weekends of January.

The league will be sanctioned as USA Volleyball event. All teams must be USAV registered by the first day they play.

Further information about USAV membership can be found on the North Country Region website ncrusav.org, or by calling the North Country Region office at 952-831-9150.

The Northern Lights Power League is a female player only event. Boys playing on 12's, 13's, or 14's teams are not eligible to participate in the league.

The Libero is permitted to serve in all age divisions.

Northern Lights is proud to continue its tradition of providing Sports and Orthopaedic Specialists athletic trainers at it's power league dates. The trainers will be able to provide taping services, ice, and emergency injury evaluation. This has always been great benefit to the players and one which is becoming more important as the athletes play at higher levels.

All matches will be held in the state-of-the-art Midwest Volleyball Warehouse facility!

• 8 Courts - each in 50' bays. More space than any other facility in the Midwest!
• Full Floating Sport Court floor. Built on Neo-Shok performance pads, this floor has a high degree of rebound and cushion. Players will see reduced injury from repetitive jumping and training on this floor.
• A 5000 sq ft Strength and Conditioning room.
• Separate Athletic Training room.
• 30' wide Mezzanine, the most viewing area of any facility in the Midwest.
• Large concession area with dual serving windows for faster service.
• Largest Volleyball Retail store in the Midwest.
• Easy access, Located at the intersection of County 42 & Judicial Road.
• 450+ parking spaces.

Midwest Volleyball Warehouse is designed specifically for Junior Olympic Volleyball and is a smoke and alcohol free facility.

The facility is located in Burnsville 1.3 miles west of Burnsville Center at the intersection of County Rd 42 and Judicial Road.

This year there is space for 256 teams. But don't delay getting your entry ASAP - entry is based on a first come first serve basis. Every year we turn teams away because the league fills before they get registered. Teams who were in the league previously do not have an automatic place. Get your registration in EARLY!

All entry fees are non-refundable, non-transferable. Do not enter a team unless you plan to fill that place or lose your entry fee.

All registration for the Northern Lights Power League and Optional Dates must be done on www.Signuptoplay.com.   Registering for the Power League does not automatically include you in the Optional Dates.  You must register for both if you wish to do both.

Click here for simple registration instructions.

If you have difficulties, more detailed instructions can be found on the SignUpToPlay.com website by clicking the " ? " button when registering teams.

NEW THIS YEAR:  Each team must have two contact people.  One can be the Club Director / Team Rep, and the other must be a coach.  This will ensure we have valid contacts to which we can send important information, schedule changes, etc.

Both the Club Director and Head Coach MUST HAVE a valid email address and a valid phone number.  Most communication will be done through email.  We want phone numbers in case of critical situations when we need to get a hold of somebody on your team.  Your entry will not be considered complete until we have two contacts on each roster.

Click here for instructions on how to add staff to your team roster.

After you have submitted a team on line, print out the entry form and send a check for the entry fee to Northern Lights Junior Volleyball. Please include the name of your club on your check. The address is:

Northern Lights Junior Volleyball
14050 Judicial Road
Burnsville MN 55337

We must receive your check within 5 days of you submitting a team using the on-line registration. If we do not receive your check within 5 days of your submission, your team will be deleted from the database and you will no longer be registered in the league. Please send one check for all teams in your club, not one check per team.

Please do not send us any payments until after you have registered on  Signuptoplay.com.