This New Year's Holiday, BIP will host four USA youth and juniors teams in
the 1st Annual BIP New Year's Bash. This "Tour" is actually a set of two
International Tournaments and will boast some great volleyball against some of the top Youth and Juniors Clubs in Europe.

Important information:

A detailed itinerary appears below, but the teams will land in Venice, Italy
and then after spending some time in this great city, will drive 90 minutes to
participate in the Volley Festival on the Adriatic Coast in Izola, Slovenia
over 3 nights. All teams will spend New Year's Eve on the Pohorje Mountain in
Maribor, Slovenia, and then we move up to the Czech Republic for the Olymp
Praha Invitational (hosted in cooperation with Olymp Praha, Slavia Praha and BIP)
from January 3-5.

Cost of the trip is $1600/person + own airfare and we are limited to four u16
and four u18 teams from the USA. This price covers ALL meals, snacks,
lodging, transporation (exluding airfare to Europe), trainings, team sightseeing,
etc. Optional skiing and ski rentals, spa treatment or massages in Maribor,
souvenirs, postcards, and phone calls are among the short list of things not
covered. There is no limit to the size of a team's delegation. Payments are due by
November 15th (due to our hotel contracts). Flights need to be into Venice,
Italy and out of Prague, Czech Republic.

Interested parties should contact Tim Kelly immediately at: bringitusa@aol.com

Day 0, December 26, 2004, Leave USA for Venice, Italy

Day 1, December 27, Arrive in Venice, Italy (Marco Polo Airport, Airport Code: VCE)

Depending on arrival times, teams will have between 0 and 5 hours in the beautiful city of Venezia. We will get you to the city center and provide a “Water Bus” pass for transportation during this free time. Lunch will be on your own with per-diem for each participant. St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge, and Peggy Guggenheim’s Museum are just a few of the great sights on and around Venice’s Grand Canal.

Evening arrival to Izola, Slovenia. There will be mandatory training times for all teams (to combat jet lag) and perhaps an optional match or two for interested teams.

Day 2, December 28, “Volley Festival” Tournament in Izola

This tournament will feature top youth and juniors teams from Slovenia and Croatia, and we are still waiting on responses from teams invited from Austria, Italy, Serbia, and Hungary. There will be at least 12 teams in the u18 division (4 American and 8 European) and at least 12 teams in the u16 division (4 American and 8 European). Exact teams and tournament format to be announced at the last minute. (European style!)

Day 3, December 29, “Volley Festival” Tournament in Izola

Izola and Koper are two beautiful cities on the Adriatic Sea on the southwestern tip of Slovenia. Izola/Koper will share responsibility for the CEV’s European Spring Cup (European National Teams) in Summer 2005, and the Italian influence of this region (only minutes from Italy) make it a great place for a volleyball tournament.

Day 4, December 30, “Volley Festival” Tournament in Izola

After the tournament (morning matches only on the last day) we will drive approximately 3 hours to the wonderful city of Maribor, Slovenia. We will be staying near/on the Pohorje Mountain, a World Cup Ski destination and the home of our New Year’s Party.

Day 5, December 31, Maribor, Slovenia

Days 5 and 6 will be non-volleyball days unless teams want to have training times. Each participant in the tour will have a one-day pass to the Habakuk Hotel Wellness Center (Pools, Saunas, Spas, etc.) and there will also be optional skiing and other winter sports. Costs for these events are not included in the tour package, but lift tickets, gondola rides, and ski rentals are a fraction of US prices in Slovenia.

For New Year’s Eve we will have a Full Delegation Dinner and Party to help ring in the New Year. The dinner and party will be at the Hotel Arena, pictured here at the actual base of Pohorje, and at the bottom of the ski stadium.

Day 6, January 1, 2005, Maribor, Slovenia

Another day of optional swimming, spas, massages, skiing, etc. Again, costs for these extra events are not covered in the tour package

Day 7, January 2, Early Departure for Prague, 7+ hours in bus

Halfway to Prague, we will stop in the “Gateway to the East”, Vienna. We will have 2 to 3 hours in the city, and lunch will be per-diem in order to maximize our time sightseeing in this grand European capital. This is hardly enough time to see the city, but it will give everyone a chance to taste the culture and history that is Vienna. Fortunately the city center is quite small and mostly accessible by foot, so we will have the opportunity to grasp the wonders of Wien.

Day 8, January 3, Olymp/Slavia Tournament in Prague

This tournament is being organized by BIP in conjunction with Olymp Praha and Slavia Praha, two of the stronger youth and juniors organizations in Europe. We will have top Czech u16 and u18 teams from these clubs, as well as top Czech clubs. We have also invited top club teams from Germany, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia and hope to have a field of 10-12 teams in each age division.

Day 9, January 4, Olymp/Slavia Tournament in Prague

The Czech Republic not only has great youth and junior volleyball, but it is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. With four nights in Prague, we will have plenty of time to visit the Old Town Square, Prague Castle, the famous Prague Clock, and also spend hours in the pedestrian zones shopping and eating in what is still a remarkably economical city.

Day 10, January 5, Olymp/Slavia Tournament in Prague

Day 11, January 6, Departure from Prague to USA

Everyone will arrive back home in the USA on the same day.