From what I've seen at MOCO (our first exposure this year), we did like what we saw with the club culture and the coaches. Yet, realistically, I believe (and I'm sure others do too) that the coach for one's daughter is ultimately the primary gauge of whether one wants to stay the following year or not. This seems to be the case for almost any club. A club can have a number of great coaches and a good culture... yet, if there's that one coach who is primarily critical, discouraging, or toxic, it can ruin the whole experience. |
Thanks for the replies. |
I am bringing this back for the new volleyball families. There's already a lot of good advice on this thread, but you can ask questions about your particular circumstances. |
Rising freshman DD is planning to try out for FCPS freshman team. She’s new to VB and has done some clinics and camps, and practices a lot with dad or a friend, but never played in a rec league (she did another sport previously). She’s 5’7” and may top out at 5’8”.
I would love for her to make her freshman team, but given the number of girls interested and many of them coming from years of club, it doesn’t seem like her odds are great. She has said that she would like to do club or rec if she doesn’t make the HS team. Recommendations in or near western Fairfax County? |
Where do you live and which HS will she be trying out at? We can give you more specific advice. There are so many clubs in the area that are running summer session and I want to be helpful and not make you drive an unreasonable distance. Depending on the school, she might be okay. Some schools she could have a change. Other schools the freshman team will be competitive for even club players. Here’s a start. Mojo is in McLean https://www.mojovolleyballacademy.com/page/show/8551683-summer-programs Vienna Elite is in Chantilly https://www.viennaelite.org/page/show/8556556-hs-advanced-clinics Loudoun Elite is in Sterling https://www.loudounelitevb.com/clinicsandcamps NVVA also in Sterling https://www.nvva.com/camps |
You need to figure out how popular volleyball is at your high school. If the current team has players with no club experience, your DD could also make the team. The more club players on the roster, the fewer the chances. In some schools you make it on the team just for being taller than most girls showing up at the tryouts. In others, you need to show actual skills. Next, you need to figure out how willing is your D to put in a lot of work to learn the game. It may seem like you only have to pass the ball to the other side of the net, but you can achieve that at different levels. Even if you have a theoretical understanding of volleyball skills, you have to practice them over and over until you actually get them. Filling her summer schedule with open gyms, clinics, leagues would be helpful. Some people even hire private coaches, but this approach can get expensive. There is a lot of video content all over the net, but most of it is low quality. Anything she can do to improve her strength and agility is worth it (does she have a gym membership?). Club clinics are a cheaper alternative to private coaching (but the price will add up the more you sign up for). You might be lucky and get a good coach, but that's not a guarantee either. Except for MOJO, a PP gave you good club options (McLean is kinda eastern Fairfax and MOJO is not a club I would recommend). Another club close to western Fairfax County is Paramount, but their clinics might be focused on advanced skills. BRYC may be another good option depending on where you live in western Fairfax. |
PP here. I purposely didn’t put Paramount on here since she is a beginner. My daughter has been playing club for years and I wouldn’t recommend Mojo as a club, but she went to their clinics back when she was in rec and said they were super helpful when she was first starting out. That’s why I included them. We still don’t know where this poster lives so McLean might be convenient. |
I think the first club clinic is a transformative experience for beginner players, regardless of the club name. Probably that's what your DD experienced and she could have felt the same about a different club. The OP mentioned western Fairfax, so that's just one reason why I thought MOJO was not a good option. |
You are probably right. The Mojo clinics are the very first my DD ever attended. I never thought of it that way. |