2008 NORTHERN LIGHTS SCHEDULE

Northern Lights teams practice more, play more, travel more, and pay less than any other club in Minnesota!

Below is our travel schedule and costs for all teams. When you are spending $1000-$3000 to play volleyball, we believe you deserve to know where you are going. Our schedule is presented in a clear, non rambling, readable format showing exactly which events are being attended by each team.

18's - 16's

Event	181	182/3	171	172	173/4	161	162	163	164
Practices Per Week	2/3	2/3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
NL Power League (Mpls) Various dates	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
May Tournaments (Mpls/Roch) Various dates		X		X	X		X	X	X
Rochester Cup							X
Midwest Elite Series Various dates (MLK Day and/or Omaha)	X	X	X	X		X	X
President's Day Classic (Omaha) Feb 16-18	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
President's Day Festival (Mpls) Feb 16-17
Colorado National Qualifier Mar 8-10							X	X
Colorado National Qualifier Mar 14-16		X		X	X				?
Italy Tournament (Venice, Italy)	X
North Country Regional Qualification April 6	X	?	X	X	?	X	X	?	?
Atlanta National Qualifier Mar 21-Mar 23			X			X
Northern Lights Qualifier (Mpls) April 19-21	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
SPRI National Jr Classic (Chicago) May 24-26			X			X
USJO Nationals (Dallas) Various dates from June 26-July 5	X	?	X	X	?	X	X	?	?
AAU Nationals (Orlando) June 14-20	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

A "?" means that this event is not included in the costs shown below, however the team may still elect to attend this event if so desired.

15's - 11's

Event

151

152

153

154

141

142

143/4

131

132

133

121

122

11's

Practices Per Week

NL Power League (Mpls)
Various dates

May Tournaments (Mpls/Roch)
Various dates

Rochester Cup

Midwest Elite Series
Various dates

President's Day Classic (Omaha)
Feb 16-18

President's Day Festival (Mpls)
Feb 16-17

Colorado National Qualifier
Mar 8-10

Colorado National Qualifier
Mar 14-16

North Country Regional Qualification
April 5

Northern Lights Qualifier (Mpls)
April 19-21

Northern Lights Qualifier (Mpls)
April 25-27

USJO Nationals (Dallas)
Various dates from
June 26-July 5

AAU Nationals (Orlando)
June 10-16

A "?" means that this event is not included in the costs shown below, however the team may still elect to attend this event if so desired.

The dates shown are approximate. Exact dates for travel/competition will not be known until after the season starts and will be published to all players in the club at that time.

We are continuing our 11's level in 2008

Last year was our 3rd year with an 11's level team and it was very successful. We are going to continue to offer this age division! This team is primarily for 5th grade age players and lower . The goal for this age level is to introduce the game of volleyball to the players, and start teaching them the basic skills correctly at this young age.

This year our 12-1 team will accept any player in our 11's & 12's program who is capable of playing on that team. Final decisions on this will be made by the staff after several weeks of practice.

We are maintaining or increasing the number of teams at all age levels!

In the past few years we have added a 17-4 team, 16-4 team, 15-4 team, 14-3 team, 14-4 team & 13-3 team. These teams were highly successful and were trained and participated in the same local events as the rest of the club did. To keep the cost lower on these teams they are not traveling to as many "away" events. (A team may add travel if desired). We will once again be offering these additional teams.

If you are interested in only playing one of these lower traveling teams, please tell us at the tryouts and we will place you accordingly.

TEAM COSTS

10-25-07: In response to parents wanting a lower down payment and fees spread out over 7 months, we have modified our payment structure. The overall cost remains the same, it has just been spread out more evenly starting with the down payment.

Fundraising and grants available!

18's - 16's

	181	182/3	171	172	173/4	161	162	163	164
Deposit Paid At Tryouts	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500
Seven Monthly Payments of: (Dec - June)	$489	$416	$498	$498	$416	$498	$498	$416	$326
Total Expenses paid per player *	$3622	$3112	$3682	$3682	$3112	$3682	$3682	$3112	$2482

* Total expenses paid per player includes a $300 reduction in fees given to players who participate in club sponsored activities.

These costs include all uniforms, equipment, practice time, coaching fees, strength & conditioning training, and travel expenses (except meals) as currently budgeted.

15's - 11's

	151	152	153	154	141	142	143/4	131	132	133	121	122	11
Deposit Paid At Tryouts	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500	$500
Seven Monthly Payments of: (Dec - June)	$498	$498	$326	$326	$448	$306	$143	$306	$143	$143	$143	$143	$143
Total Expenses paid per player *	$3682	$3682	$2482	$2482	$3332	$2342	$1202	$2342	$1202	$1202	$1202	$1202	$1202

* Total expenses paid per player includes a $300 reduction in fees given to players who participate in club sponsored activities.

These costs include all uniforms, equipment, practice time, coaching fees, strength & conditioning training, and travel expenses (except meals) as currently budgeted.

MIZUNO UNIFORMS & EQUIPMENT

Northern Lights is proud to be a Nationally Sponsored Mizuno Program. NL teams will be some of the best outfitted teams in the nation. Here's what each player will get as part of their membership in the club:

Practice Shirts (2-4 depending on your practice schedule)
Practice & Game Shorts (2-3 depending on your practice/game schedule)
Game Jerseys (2-3 depending on your team's schedule)
Complete Warm-ups
Player Gym/Travel Bag
Kneepads
Socks
Shoes
Plus we usually have a few "surprises" for the players throughout the season.

The Events We Attend

Northern Lights has been operating and attending many of these events for over 13 years. We know exactly which events are the most beneficial for your development.
Northern Lights Power League	The Northern Lights Power League is one of the original power leagues in the Nation. In Minnesota it unquestionably has the strongest competition. Last year the league added a special Elite/Open division and we have invited M1, MN Select, & SWMN Jrs to once again participate in it. If you want to play against the best in Minnesota, you play in the Northern Lights Power League. The league is played at the new Midwest Volleyball Warehouse (our practice facility and home base) which is the undisputed top volleyball facility in the Midwest if not the entire USA. Nowhere else do you have 8 courts in over 60,000 sq ft with bleachers and a mezzanine for spectators, oversized run-off area on the courts, electronic scoreboards, and a huge fully licensed concession area. Even our parking has 4 times the capacity of any other volleyball facility in the Twin Cities!
Midwest Elite Series	The Midwest Elite Series is the result of cooperation between Northern Lights, and other top clubs such as Nebraska Elite. For the past 4 years we have come together 2-4 times per year for high level competition at each others facilities. This year our #1 teams (15's-18's) will be joining the top clubs and others in Mpls, Milwaukee, and Omaha. For example in Minnesota in January we will be hosting Nebraska Elite, MAVS, Wisconsin Power, M1, & MN Select in a playday that last year proved to be the highest level of competition seen before the Qualifier season!
President's Day Classic	The President's Day Classic in Omaha established itself four years ago as the premier event on President's day in the Midwest. It is held in the new Omaha Convention Center and had teams from all over the Midwest. The best teams from Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Florida, and Colorado all attended and even more clubs are committing for 2007. Unlike the tournament being held in Minnesota on the same weekend, the Omaha event will have high level competition, have paid officials, be run over 3 days so as to not overstress the athletes, be held in one site where all the college coaches can see everyone, and give our players competition against teams they will see in the later Qualifiers.
Colorado Crossroads Qualifier, Big South Qualifier (in Atlanta), and Northern Lights Qualifier	These are three of the 9 Qualifiers in the USA. The Colorado Crossroads event is held in Denver and the Big South Qualifier is held in Atlanta. Our players will travel by air (included in your fees) to one of these events. The Northern Lights Qualifier is the event held in the Minneapolis Convention Center that we as a club also operate. As an established Club our #1 teams have always been accepted and played in the Open Divisions of these events. The competition is intense, and we've won several Qualifiers in past years. Last year we won the 18 Open and 15 Open Divisions in Denver and Minneapolis. Our 16-2 team was 3rd at both Denver and Northern Lights in the 16 Club division. Our 17-4 team was 2nd in at Denver in the 17 Select Division. Needless to say these events are loaded with college coaches, and the Northern Lights name recognition assures that our players are seen.
May Events	In May we play a series of fun competitions at our facility and in other places. It's a more relaxed time of the year after the big Qualifier season, and we have a great time at a number of these single day events. We also give our seniors a bit of time off in May as they prepare to graduate.
SPRI National Jr Classic	The National Jr Classic in Chicago was started many years ago by the Sports Performance Club. Northern Lights has been invited and attended every year. We've won the event several times and placed 2nd several times. This is probably one of the most competitive "small" events of the year. Played over 3-4 days on Memorial Day weekend our 16-1, 17-1 teams will play against the best in the nation.
AAU National Championships	The AAU National Championship is held in Orlando Florida each June. This is a great year end event for our teams that are not attending USJO Nationals, and a great warm-up event for those going to USJO's. Held at the Disney complex and the Orlando Convention Center this tournament is watched by hundreds of college coaches, and allows us to have some fun in the sun while also playing other top clubs such as Cajunland, KJVA, Sports Performance, Tampa, Front Range, and OVA. In 2007 our 15-1's won the 15's Open Division. Our 18-1's were 2nd in the 18 Open Division, our 16-2's were 2nd in the 16 Club Division, our 17-1's, 16-1's, 17-3's & 15-3's were 5th . This tournament has proven to be the most popular trip we take with our players .....maybe it's because of the luxurious housing we stay in!
USJO National Championships	The USJO Championships being held in Dallas this year are where the best play against the best! This is THE top competition of the year. If you can get there it's an accomplishment! In 2007 we qualified a record high 16 teams for the tournament. Our 18-1's & 15-'1s both finished 3rd in the prestigious Open Divisions. In 2006 Northern Lights 17-1's won the 17 Open Division, the only team from Minnesota to ever win a USJO National Championship. Northern Lights is extremely proud to have qualified more teams for this event than any other club in Minnesota in the nation last year. Are you the best? Do you want to play against the best? Come join us at the USJO Championships