Santa Cruz Volleyball Forum

How does one become a "rated" player? How do the ratings work? How do you know where you're at in that system? How do you work your way in / up in the ratings?

this link has all the information


http://www.cbva.com/ratingchart.pdf

So is the top level of play "open" or AAA? Why do they call it "open"? Are professional players AAA? Is this rating system used all over or just in CA?

I've taken a break from VB after playing HS and College. I'm trying to learn how this works out here in the real world. Thanks for the help!

The California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) is the original organization that was started to keep track of how players finished in the early tournaments that were started in Santa Monica in the late 1950's. It was also a way to keep from running tournaments on the same weekends on beaches of Southern California. The rating system has allowed for several different levels of players to compete without creating mismatched competiton.
The levels of play are: AAA AA A (for men, there is a B) This keeps the level of skills somewhat segregated and encourages beginning level players to compete against players of similar skills. An "Open" event is just that ...open to whom ever wants to play, regardless of their ranking or rating. Many AVP upper level players do not have a CBVA rating as they are only found playing AVP events and they are working to attain AVP points to improve their seeding in each AVP event. I doubt if Phil and Todd have their "AAA" as they have not played in a sanctioned CBVA event in years. But I can remember when Todd Rogers and Dax Holdren would come up to Santa Cruz in September to play our last "AAA" of the year. They were still up and coming players breaking into the AVP. I also saw Karch Kirly get his first AAA playing in the Santa Cruz Memorial Open (man... I'm old!)
The rating system is based on how you finish in a sanctioned CBVA event. If you win a "B" you are now an "A" player and cannot play in another "B" event as long as you maintain your "A" rating. The winner of an "unrated" or "novice" ,that is a tournament without any currently rated player is given a "B" rating in the men's event and an "A" in the women's event. The winner of an "A" is given a "AA", the winner of a "AA" is given a "AAA". You can earn other ratings by finishing in sanctioned events at 2nd through 7th place, according the the number of teams that started the event. You can refer to the CBVA website for that formula under "rating chart". A sanctioned event must have a certain number of teams along with a certain number of players who already hold the rating that the event is listed as.. Example a Men's AAA must have at least 16 teams and 8 players currently holding a "AAA" rating to earn a sanction. In that event both the first and second place teams earn "AAA" and the third and fourth place teams will get "AA" and the fifth place teams will get their "A".
Again check the website for the formulas.
The CBVA rating system is considered the "Industry Standard" as (in my own California centered egotistic way) The best players are found in California.
There are local rating systems found spread out all over the world.
As the tournament director for the CBVA in Santa Cruz for the last 20 years, I can only tell you about the ear to ear smile that comes to a player when they get their first rating. It is a validation for all of the hours of time (wasted?) ...no, I mean put into training,learning, and applying all the the skills needed to have a successful volleyball tournament. So if you want to start on that path... get a partner.. learn each other's game... and sign up for a CBVA event. The rating system is good throughout all of California.
mhullo

Hey Mark,

What is the difference between an "Open" and a "AAA" in terms of ratings?

Thanks,

Jay

"Open" isn't a rating, it just means anyone can play in the event.

But isn't an Open tournament higher than AAA?

No not really. The AAA level in the CBVA organization is a tournament that does not have a money prize that the "Open" event has. The Open event was created to give the top end players an opportunity to earn some money. The fees are $60 per team, of which a minimun of $20 is taken to create a prize pool of money that is distributed according to the number of teams that participate. The normal entry fees for a AAA are $40 a team.
"Open" means open to anyone who wants to play..
hopefully that gives some clarity
mhullo

Mark – Thanks for the explanation. ~Jay