Tounaments can be at any location in the greater Los Angeles area. You typically will not know exactly where you will be playing until Wednesday or Thursday prior to the tournament.
You should plan on arriving at the tournament site about 60 minutes, but no later than 45 minutes, prior to the start of play. This allows some time to find the team, unload coolers, chairs, etc. and then warm-up prior to the first game.
Tournaments consist of playing a series of matches against 3 other teams in pool. Matches are won by the first team that wins 2 out of 3 games and there are usually 3-4 matches during the day. When your team is playing, you will be able to stand and watch in the gym. Typically, there are few seats and you are not allowed to bring chairs into the gymnasiums.
In between matches members of the team may be required to serve as scorekeepers or line refs for another match. During this time between matches, spectators and team members who are not serving as scorekeepers or referees are expected leave the gym to make room for other teams and spectators.
Tournaments usually last at least 8 hours from the time of the first game until the last game and/or ref duties are fulfilled.
The SCVA has published the following gym rules that apply to everyone at the tournament (parents relatives, team supporters, coaches and players):
You should take a chair to sit on and food to snack on and to eat for lunch. Many people bring a small cooler to hold their snacks and lunches. There is usually a grocery store within a short driving distance from tournament locations so it is not a catastrophe if you forget something or choose to not bring anything.
Weather is unpredictable and variable. You should dress in layers and be prepared for cool temperatures in the mornings and wam/hot weather in the afternoons. Rain is a possibility but there is usually an overhang of some kind to huddle under to avoid getting wet.
In a recent email to club directors, the SCVA reminded tournament attendees to be wary of theft at tournaments. In 2010 a number player backpacks were stolen directly from the volleyball court (not outside the building). Some backpacks were recovered from trashcans, dumpsters or other out-of-the-way storage locations, however all of the valuables were gone from inside the backpacks.
As a general principle, you should never leave your belongings unattended. If possible, have a parent/spectator watch the team’s belongings during match play.
Traffic in the LA area is like the weather, unpredictable and variable, so allow extra time to get anywhere.
Some families leave from the Central Coast very early in the morning to arrive a the tournament site by 7:15AM. Others travel to the area of the tournament the night before and stay overnight with relatives or get a hotel room.
The first inclination relating to staying in hotels is to try and get a discounted group rate at some hotel in the area of the tournament site so that the team can stay together. In practice, however, the entire team staying at the same location is highly overrated and there is little value derived from this arrangement. Additionally the "group rate" quoted often reflects only a meager savings over the regular rate.
The best hotel prices can be obtained by using a service like Priceline and their "Name Your Own Price" feature. You can usually get 1 or more rooms within 10-15 minutes of the tournament location for about 50% of the otherwise obtainable "best rate". The drawback is that you can not specify the exact hotel or location. The 2 star and above Priceline hotels this author has stayed in have been good (I have never been brave enough to try the 1-star hotels!). 2-star Priceline hotels often will include a breakfast in the nighly rate. Paradoxically, hotels above 2 stars almost never include breakfast.
If you want more than one bed (or if you have other special requests) in your Priceline-booked hotel room, you will need to call the hotel directly and request it after you finish your Priceline transaction. Sometimes the hotel will want to charge an extra $10 to guarantee an extra bed, but in about 75% of those cases they "forget" to charge you the extra amount when the time comes.
To maximize savings on Priceline hotels you can review the information available on BiddingForTravel.com. Their Hotel FAQ is a great summary of how to use Priceline.