Hill AFB has been selected as the host site for the 2013 Armed Forces Men’s and Women’s Beach and Indoor Volleyball Championship May 2-13. More than 100 athletes, coaches and trainers representing the Air Force, Army, Navy and the Marine Corps will converge on the base to compete to claim the armed forces championship title and the bragging rights that go with it.
“This is great exposure for the entire Hill Air Force Base community, as the annual armed forces tournament captures the attention of service members all over the world,” said Col. Kraig Hanson, 75th Mission Support Group commander.
Hill has hosted Air Force men’s and women’s volleyball trial camps in previous years, but this is the first year the base will host the championship event. The annual event was most recently held at Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill. Carey Karger, Hill AFB’s fitness center director, said the base was chosen to host the tournament this year based on its excellent staff, facilities and success with hosting previous trial camps.
Both Air Force men’s and women’s trial camps will also be held at Hill AFB this year. Thirty-one athletes from across the Air Force will attend camp April 15-30 before final teams of 12 players from each gender will compete in the championship tournament against teams from the others services in May.
The Air Force men’s and women’s volleyball teams are one of a handful of athletic teams sponsored by the Air Force Sports Program, which gives active duty, National Guard and reserve Air Force members the opportunity to participate in armed forces, national and international related sports competitions. The “armed forces competitions promote goodwill among the services through sports,” Karger said.
Following the championship tournament at Hill, the best players from each of the services based on their play will be selected to the armed forces men’s and women’s volleyball team, and will advance to represent the U.S. military at the USA Volleyball Open National Championships May 24-29 in Louisville, Ky. The two teams will train May 14-23 at Hill AFB before departing for Kentucky, where they will compete against club teams from throughout the United States and compete for the National Championship. Players that excel in that tournament may be selected for the .S. National Team.
All of the Air Force teams’ expenses are covered through nonappropriated funds, or non-taxpayer dollars. The armed forces championship at Hill AFB will not be open to the general public; however, tournament news will be available on the Hill website at www.hill.af.mil.