SPRING BASKETBALL IS HERE AND THE EASTER CLASSIC IS KICKING OFF THE SEASON

The Easter Bunny is coming this weekend and so is the AAU Easter Classic! More than 280 boys basketball teams will convene at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex and THREE off-sites with one goal in mind: take home the gold. Osceola Heritage Park, Orlando Sports Center and the Silver Spurs Arena will also play host to this incredible number of teams. Grade divisions ranging from 9U through 19U will be at this event, which will span across three days.

Pool play will kick off Friday at 1pm and will continue through
mid-Saturday. Bracket play will begin Saturday and the CHAMPION of each division will be crowned on Sunday. Please keep in mind, the Atlanta Braves will be having Spring Training baseball games on Thursday and Saturday. This could cause traffic back-up so please allow ample time for your team to park and get to your game.

If you are just attending the event as a parent or fan, you can purchase passes for the AAU Easter Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ticket window or at all off-site venues. Adult tickets are $17 and $12 for children per day. You can also purchase length of event passes for $34 for adults and $24 for children.

This will be our first event using our NEW schedule/results software, Tourney Text. This is a great software that we are excited to be using to help bring the schedule and results to our teams faster than ever before.

AAU medals and trophies will be awarded to first and second place teams. The top four (4) finishers in each grade division in all tournaments will receive a CONDITIONAL bid into the 2015 AAU Boys Basketball National Championships. Teams that qualify for the National Championship MUST play in their District Qualifying Tournament (DQT) to validate their bid.

Good luck to ALL of the teams that are participating! We can’t wait to see you out there!

Stay tuned to our social media pages for the latest #AAUBasketball news! LIKE us on FACEBOOK (fb.com/RealAAUBasketball), follow us on Twitter (@AAU_Basketball) and show us some love on Instagram (@AAUBasketball). Make sure you are using #AAUEasterClassic during this event so you can share your posts with us!

RECAP – 2015 AAU VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC

That's a wrap for the 2015 AAU Volleyball Classic! After 170 teams battled for the gold in their age divisions, only NINE teams were able to take home the ultimate bragging rights.

Two AAU Volleyball clubs had fantastic weekends, with Lightning Volleyball Academy taking home the gold in three of their age groups (10U, 13U, 15U) and Winter Park Volleyball Club, who grabbed four total gold medals (11U, 12U, 14U, 16U)! It was worth the trek from Kansas City for the KC Power volleyball club, who took home the gold in the 18U division after going undefeated in pool and bracket play. Florida MOJO 17 Roxy won the gold in the 17U division, also going undefeated in the whole tournament.

There was a TON of competitive volleyball at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex this weekend, which is why most of these teams made the drive to Orlando. This is a popular preparation tournament for the AAU Girls Junior Volleyball National Championships in June and we look forward to seeing some familiar faces at Nationals in a few months!

Congratulation again to those who took home gold medals and thank you to everyone who came out to participate!

For action photos from the event, CLICK HERE.

For award photos from the event, CLICK HERE.

For FULL RESULTS, CLICK HERE.

Recap video coming soon.

And of course, be sure to follow us on Facebook (fb.com/RealAAUVolleyball), follow us on Twitter (@AAUVolleyball) and show us some love on Instagram (@AAUVolleyball). You can find EXCLUSIVE behind-the-scenes photos and videos from events on our social media pages, along with much, much more!

10U Champion	Lightning Volleyball Academy 10 Elite
11U Champion	Winter Park Volleyball Club 11 Elite Black
12U Champion	Winter Park Volleyball Club 12 Elite Black
13U Champion	Lightning Volleyball Academy 13 Elite
14U Champion	Winter Park Volleyball Club 14 Elite Black
15U Champion	Lightning Volleyball Academy 15 Elite
16U Champion	Winter Park Volleyball Club 16 Elite Black
17U Champion	FL MOJO 17 Roxy
18U Champion	Kansas City Power 18-1

LONG TIME AAU VOLUNTEER PASSES

Charles Houston Pickett

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Charles Houston Pickett, 70, of Fredericksburg, who peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, March 29, 2015 at Mary Washington Hospital.

Mr. Pickett was the Virginia A.A.U. Treasurer, A.A.U. girls' basketball district sport director, A.A.U. football district sport director, and past Virginia A.A.U. Volunteer of the Year award winner.

Mr. Pickett was a graduate of C.T. Smith High School in Ladysmith, where he excelled in basketball and baseball. He worked as a Richmond police officer and later as a Virginia State Trooper. Mr. Pickett was a retired Case Manager for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He was a member and trustee of Fredericksburg Elks Lodge # 875 and attended Rehoboth United Methodist Church.

Mr. Pickett was preceded in death by his father, Houston Pickett, and his brother, David Pickett.

Survivors include his wife, Devra Pickett; one son, Kevin Pickett (Charity) of Spotsylvania; two stepdaughters, Katie Fanning (Brock) of Florida and D'Anne Major of Richmond; three grandchildren, Cadence Major, Sydney Fanning, and Brody Fanning; his mother, Laura Pickett of Woodford; his brothers, Robert Pickett of Reedville, Edward Pickett of Staunton, and William Pickett and James Pickett, both of Caroline County; his sister, Susan Printz of Caroline County; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1 at Rehoboth United Methodist Church. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

2015 AAU HOCKEY SQUIRT/PEEWEE NATIONALS – AWARDS

The 2015 AAU Squirt & PeeWee North American Championships have come to a close! There was definitely some fantastic action in every division this past weekend at Niagara University. Below are the Champions and Runners-up for each division.

Congratulations to all the teams that competed this past weekend!

Read More >>

AAU SPRING CLASSIC OPEN – BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Spring is officially here and what better way to kick of the season than with the AAU Spring Classic Open? This weekend, Southern Pacific AAU Volleyball is hosting this event as part of the Southern Pacific Event Series at the Hermosa Beach Pier in California. This event offers competition for girls 10U, 12U, 14U, 15U, 16U, and 18U and for boys 14U. Divisions that have at least 5 teams will qualify the top 2 teams to the West Coast AAU Junior Olympic Games.

For more information on these events or to view the complete AAU Beach Volleyball Schedule, visit www.aaubeach.org or CLICK HERE.

AMATEUR ATHLETIC UNION (AAU) PARTNERS WITH DAILEY TRAINING INTERNATIONAL TO FILL THE VOID OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT IN YOUTH BASKETBALL

Orlando, FL – Several respected NBA players and owners have highlighted an urgent need to increase the level of player development while decreasing the amount of competitive games played during the spring and summer. In order to fill the void in player development, AAU has partnered with Dailey Training International (DTI) to provide the answer to the lack of development among youth basketball players.

Dailey Training International is a triad sports management firm. Under its athletic, education and leadership departments, DTI orchestrates training camps, coaches clinics, combines,friendly competitions and humanitarian efforts globally, increasing athletic skills development and international exposure to players and coaches.

"The AAU Basketball Department is excited about working with such an experienced group that has a strong passion to teach the game of basketball the right way," said the AAU Director of Sports James Parker.

This partnership extends an established relationship with AAU's 2014 International Basketball Director, Eric Dailey, a ten (10) year international professional basketball player, and Global Ambassador for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Dailey will utilize his international platform to conduct true player-ranking combines in the U.S. and abroad in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and the Caribbean. Dailey Training offers a comprehensive total player development prospectus with emphasis on global citizenry and character development off the court. This unique blend of training,competition and exposure will become the fuel behind AAU's initiative to implement programming geared towards player's developing and transitioning to the next level.

Phase I of the partnership will commence with the 2015 AAU Basketball Skills Training Camp and Combine, powered by Dailey Training International, July 24 through August 1, 2015. The week long experience begins in Bradenton Beach and culminates at ESPN's Wide World of Sports at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

Read More >>

AAU PRIMARY NATIONALS REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE

Do you have an athlete 8 years old or younger? If so, get excited! The online registration for the 2015 AAU Primary National Championships is now available! This event allows athletes 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old to compete against their own individual age groups! This unique event will take place from July 9th – 11th, 2015 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports.

For more information or to register your athlete, please visit www.aauathletics.org or CLICK HERE.


ONLINE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR THE 2015 AAU CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Attention AAU Athletics Athletes, Coaches, Parents and Clubs, registration for the 2015 AAU Club Championships is now live! This event taking place from July 12th – 18th, 2015, will feature athletes and clubs from across the country, as well as, some international teams!

In addition to being the only AAU Track & Field National Championship that awards an overall Club Champion, this is also the last chance for athletes to qualify for the 2015 AAU Junior Olympic Games!

For more information on how to register for this event, please visit www.aauathletics.org or CLICK HERE.

JOIN US IN WELCOMING OUR NEW STAFF MEMBERS

Melanie Foxworth

Melanie Foxworth has joined the AAU Volleyball Department as a Sport Manager. Melanie joins Samantha Ursch and Crystal Mannino, current AAU Volleyball Sport Managers to continue to grow the sport of volleyball.

No stranger to AAU, Foxworth has worked with the Amateur Athletic Union for the past 7 years as tournament staff and Puerto Rico liaison for the AAU Junior Girls' and Boys' Volleyball National Championships. She has also worked with the AAU Junior Olympic Games, AAU Florida Volleyball Regionals and the AAU Puerto Rico Volleyball Grand Prix.

Prior to AAU, Foxworth was affiliated in various capacities with organizations such as Flagler College Athletic Department and Orlando Volleyball Academy.

Melanie holds a Master's of Business Administration from Saint Leo University with concentrations in Sport Business and Marketing. Foxworth holds a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Flagler College, where she played for the women's basketball team.

Melanie looks forward to her new role with the AAU and hopes to continue to help grow the organization.

Jeremy Brown – Baseball, Sport Coordinator

Originally from Orlando, Jeremy grew up playing AAU Sports during his childhood. He was a member of the Orlando Blast, the same team that went on to win the AAU Baseball National Champion for the 12U Division in 2002. Jeremy went on to accept a full-scholarship to play football at the University of Florida, winning the 2008 BCS National Championship. While he had the opportunity to play D1 Athletics at its highest level, his career was plagued by many injuries that ultimately ended his playing career. As a student, he doubled-majored and received his Masters of Science in Sport Management degree in December of 2014 from the University of Florida.

Jeremy credits the AAU organization for his success athletically and academically stating "The principles and lessons that I learned playing AAU gave me the confidence that I needed to accomplish many of my goals on and off the playing fields."

Jeremy is now a part of the National Staff and will be working with Baseball as the Sport Coordinator. He is extremely excited to be on board working with AAU, the place where he started playing sports and began developing experiences that will last with him a lifetime.

Reggie Williams

Reggie Williams comes to the AAU National Office with a diverse sports background and an attitude to learn, grow, and to help others. His current role as a Sports Manager is to assist with the supervision of Athletics, Football, Wrestling, and Hockey AAU programs. Reggie looks forward to bringing his previous knowledge & experience to the AAU organization so that he can assist with taking the programs to the next level.

Below are some of Reggie's previous work experiences:

USA Track & Field – Youth Program Coordinator
Disney Sports Attractions – Event Services Assistant
Disney Sports Attractions – Event Management (Graduate Internship)
Maynard Jackson High School – Assistant Athletic Director (Internship)
RDV Sportsplex – Basketball Team Member

Reggie is a proud member of the Chi Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Florida A&M University and earned a Masters of Arts degree in Sports Administration from Central Michigan University. Reggie has a great support system in his family, friends, and wife Charryse. He really enjoys life by trying new things, watching / attending sporting events and he truly believes that life is what you make it!

2015 EAST COAST 7 ON 7 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

AAU Football is proud to announce the 2015 East Cost 7 on 7 National Championship! This amazing event will be over Memorial Day weekend, May 22nd – May 25th, 2015 in North Charleston, SC. Competition will be conducted for the 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, and 17U age divisions.

For more information and to register for this fantastic event, please CLICK HERE!

REGISTER TODAY FOR THE 2015 AAU SCHOLASTIC DUALS

AAU Wrestling is pleased to announce that registration is now available for the 2015 AAU Scholastic Duals! This event is taking place from June 27th – July 2nd, 2015 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort® in Orlando, FL. Weigh-in order will be determined by order of registration, so guarantee your spot today!

For more information or to register for this event, CLICK HERE.

AAU BASEBALL ANNOUNCES BRAND NEW LOOK

AAU Baseball introduces its brand new look! Check out www.aaubaseball.org. The site has been simplified with a very clean look that is all Baseball. With just one or two clicks, coaches and parents can find everything they need. Tournaments by state are especially easy to locate, and each District Director has a customizable page for his/her district. Even more exciting is that a new mobile app is on its way and will be here in the near future. Stop by the site and check it out!