We understand that you want to book hotels as early as possible!

Like last year;  We will post event schedules on Wednesday (maybe Tuesday night) before your event ! 

--> WHY SO LATE?

* Unlike Qualifiers or "named RMR events" (Showdown, etc), in the RMR Power Series, we keep registration open until only two weeks before each Power, to allow your Club Directors maximum flexibility, as they manage complex calendars.

* Also, we accept all teams that apply by deadline. This means that our division sizes and tournament formats  fluctuate widely.

* The division sizes need to be matched to the available facilities, so we need a couple days, after registration closes, to build the event! 

* We have to compare the lists of teams that register for a specific week to that week's current team rankings, to create seeded pools. Both of those lists change weekly, and update each Monday, so Jill stays VERY busy!

* Also:  We try to consider driving distances for the teams in each seeded pool, before placing it at a facility (maybe north, maybe south)

* We're building the event in less than two days!

We know it's important to you... and so we do our best, every week!

Thanks for your understanding!

The RMR

Today's "letter to parents" (attached to the right) touches on several topics that you’ll find important as we begin the 25-26 RMR Girls Season.

--> It also invites you to a “Parent Town Hall” Meeting, next Monday at 8pm.

Before we dive in though, I'd like to ask our “annual favor.”

Each year at the time of year, all of you begin to ask questions. Especially at the beginning of the season, and in a time when the RMR is growing and changing so rapidly, your questions are relevant and important… and we want to answer all of them! 

The issue is the volume of information flow! The RMR now boasts over 10,000 members. With that many families to serve, we need to ask you to "help us help you” by following these suggestions:

For Team and Club Questions:

* Ask your Coach about issues specific to your team (practices, playing time, travel, etc)

* Ask your Director about wider club issues (schedules, fees, recruitment)

For Region-level questions:

* Check the RMR Website (links below) for the answers to many “common questions”

* Use the contact list below you need further assistance from a specific department.

Thanks for helping us work more efficiently!

Keith Murlless, Executive Director, RMR

Useful Links

RMR Homepage

RMR Public Calendar(pdf)

Parents Information

Membership

Competition Tickets, Schedules and Results (search “RMR”)

Facilities

Officiating and Clinics

Course and Clinic Completions

How to contact the RMR:

General or initial Inquiries: office@rmrvolleyball.org

Membership and SportsEngine: membership@rmrvolleyball.org

TM2, Events and the OCS Recruitment platform: events@rmrvolleyball.org

Safesport, Ethics, Regional Management: executivedirector@rmrvolleyball.org

1. For schedule and results or to buy a Guest Pass:  Go to  TM2Sign.com, put “RMR” in the events search box.  On the next page, click on the appropriate event.  Then,

   1. Click on either “Schedule and Results” or “Get Guest Passes”

   2. If you click on “Schedule and Results,” you can search for your club/team by clicking on the 3 lines on the top right of the page (the “hamburger”) and then clicking on the 3rd option, “Search,” then put in the name of your club or team.

   3. You can also search for the name of your athlete by clicking the radio button “Rosters” and putting in the name of the athlete.

2. To see live scores, go to:  rmr.volleystation.com

Parents;

The RMR joined with many other USAV Regions across the country, last season, in implementing the PURPLE CARD policy. The program is designed to help manage spectator behavior at our events.

"Spectators" can mean visitors, players or coaches from off-duty teams, parents, siblings... anyone in the gym! The Purple Card can be displayed by a referee (including coaches who are working as referees at a given match) whenever spectator behavior becomes an issue. When the purple card comes out, the match stops and the captains and coaches consult with the referees. The spectators... everyone at the game... very quickly become aware that the officials, and by extension the RMR, believe that the temperature at the game has risen too high.

In most Regions, the teams associated with an offending spectator or group can be hit with a RED-CARD, including loss of a playing point for that team. If you go to Arizona, expect that protocol.

Here in the RMR we're trying to avoid "hating a team for what the parents may have done." But we will immediately advise our Site Directors that a spectator or group may need to "take some time off" to cool down. That means that while the team may not lose a point, the spectator(s) may be asked to leave the gym for a set, for a match, or for the day. Additionally, the RMR will be advised of the circumstances, and from there, spectators may face longer suspensions, or even loss of membership and attendance privileges altogether.

OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP IT SAFE, FRIENDLY AND FUN FOR EVERYONE. We've all seen how "other sports" have been affected negatively by fan behavior. We're proud of our fans, and with the Purple Card, hope to keep the RMR a fun place to play!

Feel free to contact me personally, with any questions or concerns that you may have about the program...

Keith Murlless, Executive Director, RMR

RMR Community;

We’re pleased to (finally) provide RMR team rankings, including all events through RMR Showdown. Like most of you, we’ve been eager to see the new rankings, and hopeful that our new algorithms are beginning to place teams into the positions that we’d expect them to be!

We are aware that the new rankings weren’t everything that we might have hoped for, at our first few outings. Our rankings partners are learning about the RMR quickly! 

Ranking systems work best when there are large amounts of data, all played in the same fashion and/or with the same participants. That’s not how RMR operates, so there’s a lot for our ranking system to consider! 

—> If a team seems out of place to you, start by taking a look at “how many RMR events they’ve played.” 

One of the biggest challenges was “converting” our CIPSR pre-season rankings, which are tied to age group, into digital rankings that the TruVolley system can digest and apply across all age groups. Next challenge: teams that play up in age group, and the teams that play within the mixed-age Qualifier Series!

We went through a similar "learning curve" and "adjustment period" five or six years ago, when we began live SOS rankings as opposed to the old “ladder advancement” system. 

And so, I hope that you’ll join us in working patiently with our new rankings partners, as things come together.

—> Before you dive in, please remember:

* RMR rankings only include results from RMR events. Your team may have done well in "other events" but that won’t be reflected in the math here. (editors’ note: we are considering including CoChallenge and CoCrossroads in the rankings next year, since those events play by USAV/RMR standards, and include most of our local teams)

* All ranking systems rely on DATA. Since many RMR teams have still only played in RMR once or maybe twice, their rankings will have a low confidence rating… meaning that we don’t trust that rank… because we don’t have enough data on that team. Play more, see your confidence rating improve, and see your ranking become more accurate!

* FINAL FINISHES in an event are different from RANKINGS. Your team might have finished “really high” last week in an event, but your ranking is based on your entire body of work this season. 

* The DIVISION that you played in last week doesn’t really matter. Which teams played (or didn’t play, or will play next week) matters more than anything else. You might have been in D-1 last week, but if teams with a higher rank than you come back to play next week, then you’ll slide down to D-2, even though you did well in D-1 last week!

* The GOOD NEWS: Your own ranking is based on your playing record. This is a Strength of Schedule system, so wins (even just one set) against opponents really helps you, no matter which division you're playing in! (with any luck this even applies to teams that “play up” on a given weekend… we’ll see how it goes!)

* The RMR Ranking System considers ALL teams, and actually places your team into a “Mixed Age” ranking format, based on your Ranking Score. This will likely assist us as we consider events like the Qualifier Series, and may also give us a clearer picture as we move to “pre-season” rankings for the next year.

* The Rankings have their own “live” website. There, you can see your teams’ ranking, the confidence rating of that rank, and a synopsis of your playing history. There’s also a graph that visibly displays your playing history and how your wins/losses affected your ranking.

—> QUESTIONS? I’m afraid that the RMR doesn’t have enough manpower to answer all the calls or emails that all of our Directors, Coaches, Players and Families come up with. Instead, we’re creating a new “Rankings Hotline” email address, to which you may address your questions. We’ll keep an eye on the hotline in-box, and post answers at the RMR website, in an FAQ format. Send your questions to “rankings@rmrvolleyball.org.” 

And look for our “Rankings FAQs to take shape soon, on the RMR Rankings Page HERE.

IN CONCLUSION: 

We anticipate that there will continue to be certain cases where the rankings aren’t perfect. We are working to improve the new process, and appreciate your patience (and your questions at the FAQ) as things progress.

Enjoy!

Keith and Jill, for the RMR

TruVolley RMR Girls Rankings as of 2.17.26

Showdown Players

Our Tournament Tee-Shirt and Hoodies are going fast!

If you don’t happen to play at Island Grove, or at NORCO tomorrow, you can still get your souvenir apparel!

Visit our RMR page at ColoradoVolleyBallShop to get your hoodies and tees!

All the participating Showdown 26 teams are in the design!

 https://www.coloradovolleyballshop.com/product/2026-rmr-showdown-tournament-clothing-copy-2/

Our RMR summer recruiting plan and calendar details have been finalized...

Congratulations to our "pin-winners" in the RMR Power 1-Odd Tournament. And also to our Division Winners in the elite "Qualifier Series #1 Event!

The 25th Annual RMR Showdown is next! See you in Greeley soon! Tickets to this three-day event are now available HERE. 

To see the event schedule for any and all RMR events, search "RMR" at the TM2 homepage. Our FACILITIES page offers site addresses, directions, and the all-important "site rules." 

You can enjoy free live-scoring (from anywhere!) at rmr.volleystation.com

Remember to get your Guest Passes to the event before you travel (saves time at the door!) Look for the blue "Guess Pass" button at the top of the TM2 page for your event! 

--> Tickets for events go live at 8am Monday the week of that specific event!

For a discussion of team rankings (and why we aren't publishing those until Feb 9) please go to the 25-26 Girls Rankings Page.

Congratulations to us all!

USA Volleyball has just reported its "annual growth" numbers, and the RMR is second among all regions nationwide in percentage growth! We're up 7.9% this year, with 10,429 regular full-season members so for this season! Great job everyone!

Here's a fun article that will show you around a bit...

Generally, in the RMR, we encourage juniors clubs to send an "invitation link" to all the athletes that they sign. This so-called "public link" (because it can be sent to anyone) is a great tool for getting all the athletes in a team to the same club, all at once. By clicking the link and following the prompts, all the families in that club are brought directly to the right TYPE of membership, and it's already coded to that specific club. Jus follow the prompts to sign your various agreements (sometimes called "waivers") and to pay your USAV and RMR membership fees, and you're good for the season!

Sometimes your club director, or our RMR office, will need to send a specific person an invitation link in a quick-hurry. In this case, one specific person receives a "Direct Club Assignment Link" thorugh SportsEngine. To accept this sort of invitation: 

1. Sign in to MySE.

2. Navigate to the Home tab using the left-hand navigation.

3. On the top of the page, find Club Assignment Requests.

4. Find the desired club assignment and click View Details.

5. Read the message, and click Accept Assignment.

6. Follow the prompts to complete the club assignment.

Please use the chart below to verify what age group your player is eligible for this season! 

--> An athlete may play in an age class "older" than their own, but may not compete in age-groups younger than the one that they qualify for according to the USAV age definitions, below..

Age Definitions and policies are tied to age classes (18s, 17s, etc) based on DOBs before or after July 1st of each year.

Athletes are generally eligible as old as the 18s age-class. (this year “born on or after July 1, 2006” )

Note two “waivers” that allow participation beyond the basic rule:

Waiver #1:  Any athlete who will turn 19 (this year “born on or after 7/1/2005”) before July 1st, but are still in high school may participate as an 18s player.

Waiver #2: A female athlete who is 18 or younger but still a junior in high school may play 17s club. (this to allow greater recruiting opportunity)

Waiver #3: a male athlete who is 15 or younger and has not started 9th grade yet, may play 14s club.  

—> All waivers are automatically applied to the logic when an athlete registers with USAV.    No need to apply for a waiver.

Two “may not play” rules are worth noting:

1) If any athlete will turn 20 before July 1st, then they may not participate in USAV club.

2) Once an athlete has participated at all with any collegiate club or varsity program, they become ineligible for USAV club participation.

The Age Definition Chart below can help illustrate these concepts (do pay attention to the various footnotes). The Age Definition Discussion is also helpful for clarification. Both are included below

We publish an age-class calculator for your convenience, both below,  and at the  Director web-page. Look for the bright-teal-colored calculator, then simply enter any athlete's DOB there, to confirm their USAV playing age-class!

Good luck!

The RMR

Yes, the RMR is instituting an across-the-board Guest Pass requirement this season!

DETAILS

* Guest passes are $10 per person (plus $1.52 service fee) and can only be purchased online at TM2.  Online credit card purchases only. No cash purchases at the door.

*  Passes will be made available online ahead of each event, so that we don’t suffer long lines “at the door.”

* All passes include “all-venues, all-day, with in-and-out privileges” for a single person

* Passes include both a scannable code, and a photo of the guest!

* Guests 5 and under, as well as active players in uniform and all Coaches and Directors, enter free

* In an attempt to keep it all simple: No discounts, refunds or credits: 

                               “Non Refundable."

DISCUSSION

The “gate fee” concept is being implemented out of necessity…

* We’re losing Gyms!

*  Almost half of the facilities that we employed last year say they don’t want to work with us again this year.

* The reasons cited include crowding, poor spectator behavior, long days, low compensation and the TRASH that all those guests leave behind!

* The new Guest Pass Fees will allow us to both hire staff to assist at the facilities, and to offer greater compensation to our hosts.

* The passes should also help us control over-crowding!

*  Player safety is paramount!

* Volleyball has become very popular, and with that growth, comes some “less-than-desirable" attention.

* Guest passes will help “keep out” persons who are not associated with a team.

* The passes are specific to individuals. This allows the RMR to control, or track when necessary, who attends each session.

* We’ve worked really hard for years to avoid “charging gate.”

* We “get it." RMR parents are already spending a great deal on club volleyball! 

* Please understand though, that the issues discussed above are real, and the timing is critical

* In many ways, we’re “catching up” to the policies utilized by every other Tournament, Region and most public events

* We’re starting small, at $10. 

* For this first year, we decided to keep it small.

* We’re charging only $10 per day (plus sec fee) , so that families can choose just how often they want to attend. 

* And we’re offering $5 discounts for multi-day events.

Here's the letter from our Executive Director that explains a lot about why the RMR (reluctantly) took the step to start charging gate fees at RMR events. Why we did it, and where your monies will go...

All About the New Guest Pass Fees

PARENTS

Take a few minutes to watch this webcast that offers some great "Do's and DONT's" for you, as you begin the USAV registration process!

"DOs and DONTs"

Welcome to the RMR!

If you are new to the region, and perhaps to USAV, you'll be "trying out" for our Colorado or Wyoming juniors clubs. In that case, you'll need a Tryout Membership.

Tryout memberships become available in early May but don't formally take effect until June 1st, the start of our Summer Season! The membership lasts through the fall, until you find a club. Best of all, the cost of the tryout membership will be applied to the cost of your "Regular Membership!" 

--> Remember that if you were a USAV member in 24-25, you don't need a tryout membership!

Playing in the RYL? If you're a regular RMR member, than that League membership is already included for you. If you're new to club volleyball, and using the RYL to get your first try, then please join the RYL

( RYL is just $20, and can be upgraded to regular membership later!)

Ready for Regular Season? Athletes who sign with a club for the upcoming season are reminded to wait for an invitation link from their club, that will help them affiliate with that club as a regular member. Beyond the regular club membership the RMR does offer several specific special use"membership types:

FOR ATHLETES:

Most junior players will be "Regular Junior 25-26 players."

Anyone who will turn 18 before August 31st, 2026 will register as "Junior Player with SafeSport." (You can apply to have this requirement waived if your birthday comes AFTER your team expects to finish for the year)

We also offer some specific memberships:

Young adults aged 16 or 17 who will serve as assistant coaches purchase a special "Team Manager" membership.

Athletes 11 or under play under a discounted "11&U Player" membership.

Athletes 8 or younger play for free as "8 & Under Players."

New for 25: Athletes 8-14 can join our low-cost RMR Youth League (previously CYL).  We offer a discounted membership for Youth-League-Only players. And youth who will also play in regular-season clubs don't have any added membership fee... their membership is already included.  Stay tuned for more "RMR-YL" details, coming soon!

Athletes who will join beach clubs either separately, or in addition to their regular indoor full-season membership should contact RMR Membership, to apply for a special two-sport, two-club membership. (Yes, you can join one club as an indoor member, but play beach for another club!) Some beach clubs play all year long!

FOR ADULTS: 

Club Parents are not required to be USAV members. Many often do join however, in order to serve as team chaperones, as site directors, or as scorekeepers or referees.

Adults intending to become professional Officials; please see our "For Officials" page. 

Adult players please go to our ADULTS page.

RMR Membership for athletes falls into two broad categories:

Most athletes are returning to the RMR from last season. They can re-use their 24-25 Membership (and their SportsEngine profile) for the new 25-26 season. Since their 24-25 membership is still "live" through August 31st, there's no need to buy a "tryout" membership, even if they are considering changing clubs.

--> BEACH players; If you were an indoor RMR player this year, your beach season is INCLUDED!

If you were not a member of USAV/RMR last year, then you DO need to purchase a Tryout membership for the Tryout season. This low-cost membership covers any tryouts that you're involved in until Sept 1. The Tryout membership IS upgradable, into your "full season" membership once you find a club and settle in.

--> BEACH players; If you didn't play indoors with us in 24-25, but you want to play beach this summer, then  please purchase our $25 "2025 Summer Beach Player" membership.

25-26 Regular Memberships will open for purchase on July 12th:

Referees, Coaches and Directors will be allowed to begin the process July 10th, so that they can get their background screening and Safesport courses started. 

Athletes can purchase their 25-26 season membership beginning July 12th. Your Club will send you and your family a specific "Invitation Link."  The link will take parents directly to the correct type of membership for their athlete. That membership will already be affiliated with your Club.. you get the right membership type, linked to the right club... all through the Invitation Link.

I mentioned above that if you are returning to USAV/RMR then you will use your existing profile at SportsEngine, to manage your membership. But If you're new to USA-Volleyball and the RMR, you'll be setting up a brand new family account at SportsEngine.

SPORTSENGINE is the fancy program that manages all of our memberships. PARENTS build "households," into which they add their daughters and sons, as RMR member-athletes. Club Directors build "Clubs," Coaches build "Teams"... and the RMR and other events use ROSTERS from these teams.... all within this one program.  SE is a  powerful tool, but it's not always easy to understand.

We've published some articles to help you get off to a great start, but here are two "pro tips" to point you in the right direction:

1) Your family only needs one account. 

     --> As the legal guardian, you as the parent, will set up the family account! THEN you add your student athletes to the family.  

     --> Athletes are not allowed to set up accounts in their own names. (because they are minors)

2) Be careful to only use "passport quality" names. The SportsEngine computer is a real stickler for correct spelling. Nicknames, or anything else other than "passport names" leads to confusion when your coach is trying to assign their players  to the team roster!

3) Choose one very solid email address for your family account. This address will be the whole key to your household. Your athletes will be able to enter their own private email addresses later in the setup.

4) We can help! We have lots more information about going USAV and the RMR at our "Membership" page. And don't forget that we have our own "membership expert" available to help you! Send any questions that you may have to membership@rmrvolleyball.org. Kirsten will get right back to you with helpful notes and online articles... all the stuff that "new members" and their families need to hear!

See you soon!

The RMR

Dear RMR Volleyball Families, 

Here's a quick note to let you know that the RMR has partnered with VKTRY Performance Insoles - The Official Insoles of USA Volleyball.  

All of our RMR coaches, athletes and their  family members receive 20% off these exciting new products!

See Testimonials HERE....  

SOLES AND HOW THEY WORK

VKTRY also provides a 90 day money back guarantee and free shipping!

Request the code from us at office@rmrvolleyball.org.

• USA Volleyball SafeSport Landing Page 
• USAV Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies Landing Page
• 2024 SafeSport Code
•     2024 Major Revision Highlights
• 2024 SafeSport Code for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements
• Safesport Team-Travel Policy

SafeSport Helpline Access

Have questions about Safesport and the types of concerns that are addressed by the Safesport program?  The HelpLine link above, or the phone number below, give you access to safeSport resources. These tools can guide you if you have a concern that may merit being reported.

 Phone: 866-200-0796 (open 24 hours

Online: safesporthelpline.org

For questions about the Safesport program and its implementation in the Rocky Mountain Region, please contact Executive Director Keith Murlless. (safesportquestions@rmrvolleyball.org)

This "safesportquestions" email address is for program inquiries; it is not the emergency reporting line To make a report, contact local authorities and Safesport directly, at the contact points posted above.

Directors

Please read the "Summer Memberships" article published above. Then, note that there are two METHODS for your players to purchase the Summer Camps and Clinics membership:

1) You send them a public club assignment link and they select "summer" when it asks how long they'll be participating. This will prompt them to purchase the 24-25 RMR Limited Summer Camps/Clinics membership. This method will automatically affiliate the membership with your club, so you'll be able to see them in your directory.

2) You can send them this link https://memberships.sportsengine.com/buy/11ef4ea3-e24f-48e8-af28-762cd491ac0d , but this will not affiliate the membership with your club.

This year we've asked  the RMR clubs to wait until Sept 6th to begin their 14 & Under Tryouts. This is designed to both "let kids be kids" during the summer, and to help make our programming available to young athletes who may just be  learning about volleyball, at their local middle school. (and yes, we'll be offering a parent survey to ask whether you enjoyed the process)

There are pros and cons to any change of course.

One issue that has arisen under this plan is that, "as in the olden days" the memberships for returning 24-25 USAV players will have expired on August 31s... just before we get to those 14&U tryouts.

So... the short-answer is "yes, you'll need to purchase a TRYOUT membership (HERE) before you come to 14&U Tryouts."

Those tryout memberships are available for purchase now (you don't have to wait til Sept 1st). Better yet, the dollars you spend there WILL be applied to your Regular Player Membership when you do join a club!

Summer is upon us! Many RMR members will attend various skills clinics and open gyms, and eventually TRYOUTS in the coming months. Remember that if you are a returning athletes (regular season member for 24-25) then your membership and insurance are "good through August 31st!" No need to buy a summer or tryout membership!

If you are new to USAV and RMR, then you WILL need to purchase a membership of some sort. Currently, we have our "24-25 Limited Summer Camps and Clinics" membership available (HERE).  Only purchase this membership  if you don't already have a  24-25  regular membership, but do want to attend camps and clinics. The Summer membership DOES cover you at our July 12-on Tryouts as well, but it is NOT "upgradable" to the 25-26 membership, so only buy this one if you're going to attend camps/clinics before July 12th.

On July 12th we start the  formal Tryout season. Memberships for Tryouts (only) will open July 1. That membership IS upgradable to the 25-26 season (so all your money goes toward your new club season)  but it does NOT cover summer camps/clinics. 

BEACH-ONLY players fall into two categories. LOCAL-only players may purchase the "Summer" membership discussed above. Beach-only players who will participate in any national-level event (BRQ, BNQ, NBTChamps, or any events after Sept 1st) should purchase our  "24-25 RMR Junior Beach" membership. Reminder: if you're a full regular season member (traditional indoor membership) then you don't need a beach membership; it's included. This paragraph speaks to players who ONLY play beach!

Many questions have arisen about Girls' Initial Seeding.  We discussed this topic at length at our Parent Town Hall Zoom Meeting last night (12/8/25). In short, it will be a while before "seeding" or "ranking" is posted to our RMR website.

Friendship I (12/14/25) and Friendship II (1/4/26) are played unseeded.  We use "competition near your home" as the greatest factor to determine venues and pools for these early events.  With that in mind, rankings aren't really needed until January.  

We at the RMR spent most of the Thanksgiving week writing to Club Directors to let them know that their rosters were not complete.  That information is only just now available to us.  

With the Seeding Committee's help, we will develop a draft initial ranking.  That draft is then sent back to the Club Directors for their review and comment.  Finally, the official pre-season rankings are confirmed.

As you can see, there are many steps that take a lot of time.

We would expect initial rankings to be offered later in December, well in time for January competition..

We honestly don't hold a lot of stock in Initial Seedings.  It's a loose model based on the results of last year's teams.  It's merely a starting point, not an absolute determination of 2025-26 team strength.

We're aware of some social media misinformation indicating that formal rankings have already been offered by the RMR.  This is not the case.

If you have additional questions about seeding/ranking, please direct them to your Coach and/or Club Director.

Thank you.

The RMR