COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2017 USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour Championships begins on Thursday in Siesta Key, Florida.
The JBT Championships is being hosted on the East Coast for the second time in its history, and first since it was hosted in Virginia in 2015. The tournament will run from July 20-25 at the renowned Siesta Beach.
Over 430 teams will play on 60 courts in a six day span at the Junior Beach Tour Championships. The event kicks off with the Boys 12U/14U and Girls 12U/16U through July 22. From July 23-25, the Boys 16U/18U and Girls 14U/18U will compete.
The largest division playing is the Girls 14U, which features 120 teams in contention. Right behind them in the depth of competition is the Girls 16U bracket, which has 114 registered teams. Many of the athletes at the JBT Championships are returning to the event as veterans of the Tour. Brothers Dan and Brett Gould, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, are making their fourth appearance at the Championships after placing second in the 14U Open in 2014, and sixth in the 2015 16U Open Division. Last season, the duo finished eighth in the 16U Bid Division and are looking to capture gold at the JBT’s highest stage, the 18U Open bracket.