Regional girls volleyball team Olympics-bound

SAN MARCOS — The North County USA girls Beach Volleyball Team, 18Doug, is the first Southern California team to win a bid to the Junior Olympics. They are now working to raise the money to get the team to New Orleans for the national competition.

Parents are invited to plan a date night, as the team members put their combined babysitting experience to work, hosting a Parents’ Night Out.

From 5 to 10 p.m. May 30, parents are invited to bring children, ages 4 to 14 to the SoCal Volleyball Club, 1482 La Mirada Drive, San Marcos, where the high school seniors will care for and entertain the youngsters with a movie, finger foods and lots of activities to fill the evening.

No reservations are needed, but call (760) 9781830 for information. There will be 12 girls on hand that evening, along with two or three moms.

Coach Doug Wright hand-picked each member from eight different North County high schools. The team practices at and plays for the SoCal Volleyball Club. Many of the girls play indoor volleyball, as well.

“The chemistry this team possesses is like no other team I have been on,” said Kamden Moss of Carlsbad High School. “There has been and will be no drama; everyone accepts each other for who they are. We traveled to the Far Western national qualifier and earned first place, along with this bid to the Girls Junior Nationals June 29 through July 2 in New Orleans. The tournament is pool play with four teams in a pool, and then playoffs.

“So you need to basically beat 80 teams,” Maas said. “It’s grueling.”

The drawl remains the same, even heading into his 12th year as being a Cali.

“As much as the noise as there has been on the outside, for the most part, for me, it has been go as usual,’’ Philip Rivers said.

San Diego’s favorite arm from south of the Mason Dixon line was holding court this week. The Chargers are back practicing — news flash: in San Diego! — and Rivers was back reminding us how special he is.

It was a roller-coaster offseason for Rivers, and this has nothing to do with keeping up with his wife and seven children.

There was talk of Rivers being traded to the Tennessee Titans, so the Chargers could draft his replacement, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.

None could duck the chatter of the Chargers possibly relocating to the Los Angeles area, which Rivers embraced like a checkdown option when a receiver is open deep. Rivers made it clear uprooting his family to go up north was a move in the wrong direction.

Then there was the conversation regarding Rivers’ contract. He’s entering the

When Rivers balked at the Chargers’ initial overtones, doom-and-gloom ascended on San Diego as if May Gray was on steroids. But there was a smiling, engaged Rivers outside his second favorite place — the Chargers’ locker room — swearing he’s all in for 2015.

While the Chargers’ brass tries to find Rivers weapons — and the team’s executives shoot in all directions for a new venue — Rivers has stayed the course.

For more than 10 minutes Rivers explained his thoughts, in his way, which is a mix of Mayberry and macho.

While Rivers spoke at ease, he admitted his quiet months came with plenty of reflection. Not only did the Chargers miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, but Rivers was one banged-up No. 17 with back and rib injuries.

Rivers said, finally, he’s healthy and hyped.

“It was the natural progression,’’ Rivers said, respectfully wearing a camouflage Chargers cap one day after Memorial Day.