The London 2012 Olympics are right around the corner and hopefuls everywhere are getting serious about training, competing and doing whatever they can to ensure they are at their best when the lights go on. There are less than 200 days remaining for athletes from every sport to prepare, qualify and set their rosters before the fireworks fly over the Opening Ceremony.
Most Olympic sports will be holding trials of some sort to determine which athletes will get the chance to represent their country this summer. In volleyball, it works a little differently, as beach and indoor players are chosen based on their performance in certain competitions along the way.
Most of the indoor players will spend the first few months of the year playing for their respective professional squads overseas. But come Springtime they will be focused like a laser at the task at hand - preparing and qualifying for the Olympic Games.
Beginning in May, the schedule is filled with training blocks, travel and high-level competition as the squads iron out any remaining issues that may be holding them back. The women's team, now ranked No. 1 in the world, qualified for London during the World Cup last November. The men's team was unable to finish in the top three at their World Cup, which means they have their work cut out for them as they enter the Spring and Summer.
The USOC has a deadline of June 18th for the final team rosters, which means USAV will have to make those decisions by then though they may not necessarily be made public at that time. USAV can file for an extension if needed which would allow them to turn in the final roster a bit later.
Let's take a look at what the coming year has in store for our indoor men's and women's volleyball teams on the Road to the Olympics.
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