Club Volleyball - rate your club pros/cons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would mention that, if your DD manages to get a 14s offer as late as this, the chances are high she is a roster filler and may spend a lot of time on the bench. IMHO, better to find a lower tier team where she would play. She has plenty of vball time ahead of her, but technical coaching and playing are the most important things at this age.

Would you recommend that when U14 mom starts calling teams to make inquiries, she ask about play time (i.e. can the clubs that are reputable but full recommend other clubs where her daughter would get both good coaching and actual playtime, and not ride the bench the whole season? A few parents are reaching out to me by text (parents I knew and ran into during tryouts) and I hadn't been advising that but thinking maybe I should if they ask me?

VAVA and STJ are still looking for U14 players. I've heard decent things about STJ, but most people I talk to say the guys who run VAVA are good guys (which can't be said for some of these other clubs). If your daughter is still looking for a team, I recommend reaching out to VAVA.

Metro South, too.

U14 mom here. What is VAVA. We don’t know all the acronyms. Yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:U14 mom, is your daughter in 8th grade?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would mention that, if your DD manages to get a 14s offer as late as this, the chances are high she is a roster filler and may spend a lot of time on the bench. IMHO, better to find a lower tier team where she would play. She has plenty of vball time ahead of her, but technical coaching and playing are the most important things at this age.

Would you recommend that when U14 mom starts calling teams to make inquiries, she ask about play time (i.e. can the clubs that are reputable but full recommend other clubs where her daughter would get both good coaching and actual playtime, and not ride the bench the whole season? A few parents are reaching out to me by text (parents I knew and ran into during tryouts) and I hadn't been advising that but thinking maybe I should if they ask me?

VAVA and STJ are still looking for U14 players. I've heard decent things about STJ, but most people I talk to say the guys who run VAVA are good guys (which can't be said for some of these other clubs). If your daughter is still looking for a team, I recommend reaching out to VAVA.

I think the main reason a lot of these clubs are still looking for players in the U14 age group (including even VAE) is because Paramount is having two 14s teams this season. I've heard a good chunk of players turned down offers from VAE, Jrs., VAVA and EC Power to accept spots on Paramount's 14-2 team.

Sounds like a rumor to me - nobody’s turning down a spot at particularly Jnrs and VAE to play for paramount’s B team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would mention that, if your DD manages to get a 14s offer as late as this, the chances are high she is a roster filler and may spend a lot of time on the bench. IMHO, better to find a lower tier team where she would play. She has plenty of vball time ahead of her, but technical coaching and playing are the most important things at this age.

Would you recommend that when U14 mom starts calling teams to make inquiries, she ask about play time (i.e. can the clubs that are reputable but full recommend other clubs where her daughter would get both good coaching and actual playtime, and not ride the bench the whole season? A few parents are reaching out to me by text (parents I knew and ran into during tryouts) and I hadn't been advising that but thinking maybe I should if they ask me?

VAVA and STJ are still looking for U14 players. I've heard decent things about STJ, but most people I talk to say the guys who run VAVA are good guys (which can't be said for some of these other clubs). If your daughter is still looking for a team, I recommend reaching out to VAVA.

I think the main reason a lot of these clubs are still looking for players in the U14 age group (including even VAE) is because Paramount is having two 14s teams this season. I've heard a good chunk of players turned down offers from VAE, Jrs., VAVA and EC Power to accept spots on Paramount's 14-2 team.

Sounds like a rumor to me - nobody’s turning down a spot at particularly Jnrs and VAE to play for paramount’s B team.

Not a rumor. My DD is a U14 player at a tier 1 club and she told me a few of her friends turned down offers from VAE and VAJrs to play for Paramount's 14-2 team. Reasoning is Paramount and Metro Travel were the only two clubs to have every team earn bids to USAV Nationals last season, so some kids would rather be on any Paramount team than VAE and VAJrs. Based on the names she knows of players who've committed to Paramount's B team, she says she thinks their roster will be stronger than VAE's and VAJrs (I guess VAJRS lost their two best players from their U13 team last season to Metro 14 Travel).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would mention that, if your DD manages to get a 14s offer as late as this, the chances are high she is a roster filler and may spend a lot of time on the bench. IMHO, better to find a lower tier team where she would play. She has plenty of vball time ahead of her, but technical coaching and playing are the most important things at this age.

Would you recommend that when U14 mom starts calling teams to make inquiries, she ask about play time (i.e. can the clubs that are reputable but full recommend other clubs where her daughter would get both good coaching and actual playtime, and not ride the bench the whole season? A few parents are reaching out to me by text (parents I knew and ran into during tryouts) and I hadn't been advising that but thinking maybe I should if they ask me?

VAVA and STJ are still looking for U14 players. I've heard decent things about STJ, but most people I talk to say the guys who run VAVA are good guys (which can't be said for some of these other clubs). If your daughter is still looking for a team, I recommend reaching out to VAVA.

Metro South, too.

U14 mom here. What is VAVA. We don’t know all the acronyms. Yet.

Virginia Volleyball Academy. They are probably a tier 2 club. Former VAJrs coaches who left and started their own club, presumably because they did not like how things were done at VAjrs. They are not a tier 1 club yet, but it wouldn't surprise me in the next 2-3 years if they are as strong as VAJrs or VAE. Metro followed by Paramount have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as far as CHRVA clubs go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would mention that, if your DD manages to get a 14s offer as late as this, the chances are high she is a roster filler and may spend a lot of time on the bench. IMHO, better to find a lower tier team where she would play. She has plenty of vball time ahead of her, but technical coaching and playing are the most important things at this age.

Would you recommend that when U14 mom starts calling teams to make inquiries, she ask about play time (i.e. can the clubs that are reputable but full recommend other clubs where her daughter would get both good coaching and actual playtime, and not ride the bench the whole season? A few parents are reaching out to me by text (parents I knew and ran into during tryouts) and I hadn't been advising that but thinking maybe I should if they ask me?

VAVA and STJ are still looking for U14 players. I've heard decent things about STJ, but most people I talk to say the guys who run VAVA are good guys (which can't be said for some of these other clubs). If your daughter is still looking for a team, I recommend reaching out to VAVA.

I think the main reason a lot of these clubs are still looking for players in the U14 age group (including even VAE) is because Paramount is having two 14s teams this season. I've heard a good chunk of players turned down offers from VAE, Jrs., VAVA and EC Power to accept spots on Paramount's 14-2 team.

+1 Heard the same thing. Metro 14 Travel taking 15 players and then Paramount forming two 14s teams has really limited the selection ability of the other Tier 1 and Tier 2 clubs. VAJrs had a strong 13s team last season but I heard it fell apart because their lone setter and best middle went to Metro.

[Anonymous]

Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

Pretty much true. Not necessarily unique to Metro but this is pretty true. The thing that I don't like about Metro is that they don't really develop their players. Yes, they have some freak athletes, but a lot the players they get are not homegrown and are poached from other clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

This is not unusual for the top clubs

[Anonymous]

V'ball dad again - Acronyms galore! Here are a few with the relevant websites plus other clubs for reference. I know I've missed some but I don't know everything! (While doing this, I again am amazed by how many clubs there are...)

VAVA = Virginia Volleyball Academy - https://vavolleyball.com/
VAE = Virginia Elite - https://www.vaelite.com/
Vienna Elite - https://www.viennaelite.org/
VA Jrs = Virginia Juniors - https://www.vajuniors.com/
ECP = East Coast Power Chesapeake - https://ecpowerchesapeake.com/dc-teams/
STJ = St. James Volleyball - https://www.thestjamesvolleyball.com/
NVVA = Northern Virginia Volleyball Association - https://www.nvva.com/clubvolleyball
Libero Virginia - https://liberovirginia.com/
No Panic Volleyball - https://www.nopanicvolleyball.com/
X-Factor Volleyball - https://www.x-factorvolleyball.com/
Paramount - https://www.paramountvbc.com/
Metro = https://www.metrovbc.com/
MoCo = Montgomery County Volleyball Club - https://www.mocovc.org/
MVSA = Montgomery Village Sports Association - https://www.mvsavbc.org/
MEVC = Maryland Exclusive Volleyball Club - https://maryland-exclusive-volleyball-club.sportngin.com/
MD Jrs = Maryland Juniors - https://www.mdjrs.org/
SRVC = South River Volleyball Club - https://www.southrivervolleyball.com/
BAVA = Bay Area Volleyball Academy - https://www.bayvolleyball.com/
CVA = Columbia Volleyball Academy - https://www.columbiavolleyballclub.org/
Liberty Elite (Hagerstown) - https://www.libertyelitevolleyball.com/
Xperience Volleyball Club - https://www.xperiencevbc.com/
MVP = Maryland Volleyball Program - https://mvpvolleyball.net/ (this is an all-boys program)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

Pretty much true. Not necessarily unique to Metro but this is pretty true. The thing that I don't like about Metro is that they don't really develop their players. Yes, they have some freak athletes, but a lot the players they get are not homegrown and are poached from other clubs.

Metro practices are like lord of the flies - full on intensity but next to no technical training. That causes problems at college, where coaches have to deconstruct bad habits. They also play kids in the position that suits metro and not where the kid will likely play at college. This means some of their players have to start a new position from scratch, which doesn’t always work out. There is no perfect club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: playing time. I would certainly suggest asking if there's a principle of percentage playing time, say 25% or 50%, during matches. One can get a sense of how big the roster is. If a roster is about 10 girls, I think it's safe to say there should be at least 25%. If it is a roster of 12 or more (not counting practice players who do not play during tournaments), then that may be a sign of a different story.

I could be wrong but I thought earlier posts, perhaps here or in other places, suggested that Metro may have 12 girls per team and that there may be some girls who primarily sit on the bench. If there are any Metro parents, can you confirm?

Metro Travel teams will basically all have 15 players on each team (15 is the max amount of players that USAV allows on a roster). I haven't seen a Metro travel team the last few years that had less than 14 players on it. So, yes, Metro's travel teams each tend to have about 4-5 players who rarely see play time (and some literally get zero playing time). Metro's Regional teams do not tend to have more than 10-12 players per team, and as other posters have mentioned, these are low-budget teams that are intended to pad Silvia's pockets and to subsidize her travel program. VAE never really ever puts more than 13 kids on a team, VAJrs will do what Metro does and stick 15 kids on a team, Paramount has some variability as their 17s team last season had 15 players, but none of their other teams had more than 13 players last season.

Thanks. This note about the Metro teams, particularly about regional teams that subsidize the travel ones, just doesn't seem right. I also dislike the idea of having a few players rarely see any play time or even zero time. I suppose if a club is intending to intensively focus on certain travel or elite teams, then the idea of a few extra players on the roster to sub in for specific roles seems appropriate but for this general, and perhaps stable, trend of players getting so little play time doesn't help those girls on the bench, in my opinion. This probably sounds naive on my part but I find it very unfortunate and rather inconsiderate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

Pretty much true. Not necessarily unique to Metro but this is pretty true. The thing that I don't like about Metro is that they don't really develop their players. Yes, they have some freak athletes, but a lot the players they get are not homegrown and are poached from other clubs.

PP here. I agree that it’s not unique to Metro but my DD was super disappointed when she found this out after going to a bunch of clinics way out in Rockville and I want to spare anyone the same heartache that your kid may have a decent chance on making travel, even if you’re going to the clinics.

As for not developing players another volleyball mom friend of mine said that is called “come as you are”. They’re a come as you are club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:U14 mom, is your daughter in 8th grade?

Yes.

From my understanding, you can play an age up but not down. So a 14 year old could still tryout for a 15s team this weekend?Last year my 14 daughter was on a team with a couple of (just turned) 13 year olds. I also saw an 8th grader or two at some 15 tryout clinics. Why not have her try out for 15u in a lower tier club Another option is to do winter league at one of the clubs and spring travel league (the ones you try out for in March).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Metro travel teams are already set. They've been practicing on the DL already for over a month. It's really no secret and the try outs are a formality.

Pretty much true. Not necessarily unique to Metro but this is pretty true. The thing that I don't like about Metro is that they don't really develop their players. Yes, they have some freak athletes, but a lot the players they get are not homegrown and are poached from other clubs.

Metro practices are like lord of the flies - full on intensity but next to no technical training. That causes problems at college, where coaches have to deconstruct bad habits. They also play kids in the position that suits metro and not where the kid will likely play at college. This means some of their players have to start a new position from scratch, which doesn’t always work out. There is no perfect club.

Thanks for all this info about Metro. I don't know if what you just said applies to travel and club, but either way it makes me feel that much better about declining the spot DD was offered by a Metro Club. We went with the offer that seemed the most invested in developing players, which we felt they demo-ed in their tryout exercises, more than the other 3 clubs she tried out for (including Metro).