Coach Information
WELCOME TO THE CATBOX CLASSIC - ARIZONA'S FIRST HIGH SCHOOL BEACH INVITATIONAL!
The Ironwood Ridge Beach Volleyball Program would like to welcome and thank all the participating players, coaches, parents, and friends that will have traveled to Oro Valley to enjoy a great day of beach volleyball at Nighthawk Beach and Dorado Beach! We are pleased to provide more opportunities for the sport of Beach Volleyball at the high school level as well as providing a collegiate-type event with a unique format!
CATBOX CLASSIC NAMESAKE: The “CatBox Classic” is named after one of Arizona’s top Sand Volleyball Tournaments from the 90’s. Played annually over Memorial Day Weekend at the Tucson Racquet Club, the event attracted the top doubles players in the State. Many of the Southern Arizona Beach Coaches played in the event (and the Calcutta) long before they starting coaching at their respective high schools. With the first invitational being held at the UA in 2016– home of the Wildcats – naming the event the “CatBox Classic” seemed appropriate to pay tribute to the early years!
TEAM DUAL TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION
PAIRS TOURNAMENT ORGANIZATION
This is an AIA sanctioned event. Please be advised that while this is a individual pairs competition, a school-board approved coach (AIA By-Law 17.1) must accompany all athletes during the entire tournament. Pairs are not allow to enter individually without their school coach present.
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Failure to have a school-board approved coach present will result in the pairs team(s) being disqualified from the invitational and the school will be reported to the AIA for non-compliance of AIA By-Law 17.2.
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Division of Competition (Groups)
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Open Division will is open to the top 1s or 2s pairs
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Select Division will be the 1s or 2s from schools, along with select 3s based on strength and record
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The Club Division gives an opportunity for the 3s/4s/5s to compete in a pool play and bracket play in their own division.
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Tournament Flow / Seeding
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OPEN DIVISION POWER POOLS: The top teams are placed in two pools to decide on seeding for the tournament’s play-off matches. All teams will advance to the Gold Division Bracket.
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QUALIFYING POOLS: The tournament’s field is causally seeding using school/team strength, coaches’ input, and history while distributing the pairs teams by team ranking. Taking this into consideration, the tournament is designed to give as many teams as possible an opportunity to advance.
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Round One – Seeding Sets
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The first round of play will be a round-robin where teams will play single sets for seeding into one of the tournament brackets
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Round Two –Bracket Play Playoffs
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At the conclusion of pool play, all teams will advance to play in the Tournament’s Bracket Play. Teams will have been sorted by the previous round into divisions of similar competitive skills.
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Match format (scoring)
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POOL PLAY (ROUND ONE): All games will be one set to 21 (cap at 25), with one timeout per team (no technical timeout)
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PLAY-OFFS (ROUND TWO): All games will be one set to 21 (no cap), with one technical timeout and one timeout per team.
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Match times / Warm-up Protocol
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NEXT-UP: Each match will begin immediately after the conclusion of the previous match on the first available court.
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Teams will have approximately five minutes for shared warm-up on the court once it is available.
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Players are encouraged to use the grass areas near the sand courts for stretching and ball-control exercises.
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TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
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Venue Opening Times
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The facility will open for teams to arrive beginning at 8:15 AM and the sand courts will be available for warm-up at 8:30 AM.
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Public Restrooms
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There are not any restrooms or changing facilities at the Beach Facility. Public Restrooms are available at the school’s Stadium.
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Athletic Trainer
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An Athletic Trainer will be on site during the event. Teams should bring their own tape and supplies for any taping needed prior to playing.
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Volleyballs and Ball Carts
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All beach volleyballs for matches and warm-ups (in the sand) will be provided for all teams.
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Schools should bring their own beach volleyballs for warming up in the grass prior to taking the court.
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Seating and Shade: Bring Your Own!
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There is no formal seating and limited bleachers inside the facility. Athletes and spectators are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and towels to enjoy the day in the sun.
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Teams are advised to bring their own shade. There will be a Team Area marked off for teams in the grass behind the courts.
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TEAM CAMP RESTRICTIONS: Team Camps may be set-up in designated areas for players and/or parents to gather and rest between matches.
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At the University of Arizona, Team Camps or Pop-Up Tents may be set-up on the grass fields. The North side of the beach courts is reserved for athletes, coaches, and officials only. Parents/spectators are not permitted in this area.
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At Canyon del Oro, Team Camps or Pop-Up Tents may be set-up on the grass fields.
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At Ironwood Ridge, Team Camps or Pop-Up Tents MAY NOT be set-up on the artificial turf. This area is reserved for seating and chairs/blankets only. Please use the North side of the courts or the grass fields on the South side of the courts. The West side of the beach courts is reserved for athletes, coaches, and officials only. Parents/spectators are not permitted in this area.
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SCHEDULE/RESULTS: The entire tournament schedule and live results will be available on Advanced Event Systems.
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SPECTATOR CODE OF CONDUCT: The CatBox Classic Invitational is a sanctioned event by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA). By entering the facilities for this event, all participants, coaches, and/or spectators are subject to the Terms & Agreement. In addition, all participants and spectators agree to abide by terms and the following Spectators Code of Conduct as required by the NFHS, AIA, the University of Arizona, and Amphitheater Public Schools. Spectators also understand that injury from flying objects incidental to the sport of volleyball may occur at this event and attend at their own risk. Be alert at all times, especially during active play.
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PROHIBITED ITEMS: We are striving to make our event as enjoyable and safe for all attendees and participants. Therefore, spectators and participants are prohibited from bringing the following items on the campus (this includes the parking lots) or in the playing venues at the CatBox Classic Invitational:
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Weapons of any kind
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Any tobacco products - including e-Cigarettes and vaping products
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Alcoholic beverages
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Other items as determined by the staff
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In addition, dogs are not permitted on campus at anytime
If you are asked to remove an item from the playing facility, you must do so immediately or you will be removed from the event. Please be aware that state laws for the right to carry any of the items listed above into public areas do not apply once you are admitted on campus. Prohibited items will not be stored.
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