The ST James

[Anonymous]

Honestly, DD would have wanted to try out there but we cannot deal with that parking situation. It's that bad.

[Anonymous]

Re: St. James parking.

Can't people park along the street around the industrial areas? Sure, there are a few "No Parking" signs here and there, but I've parked there before and just walked a half-block or so. NBD.

Or just drop-off your kid and go back home or if that's not worth the time then drive to one of the 10 strip malls in a 5-mile radius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: St. James parking.

Can't people park along the street around the industrial areas? Sure, there are a few "No Parking" signs here and there, but I've parked there before and just walked a half-block or so. NBD.

Or just drop-off your kid and go back home or if that's not worth the time then drive to one of the 10 strip malls in a 5-mile radius.

That’s fine when it’s not busy but it’s often busy. When I was there for a tournament and all of those spots were taken. All of them in a much farther distance. The overflow lots are not that close and the streets are filled with trash. The area is desolate and creepy in the dark to walk back to the car when it’s dark and late.

[Anonymous]

I just drop mine off. For tournaments get there early

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just drop mine off. For tournaments get there early

Cool that that works for you. Sounds like it absolutely is not that simple and doesn't work that well for many others. It's just too far for us so it's easy for us to not consider it, but now I've met several families who either did have kids playing for St. J or they played tournaments there, and even though it's a reasonable distance they also said the parking was a deal breaker. And also the coaching wasn't great.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this because my daughter's trying out for St James - for U13. So, is the club not good for girls? Trying to find something close in - either within or just outside the beltway in VA and there's not too many options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because my daughter's trying out for St James - for U13. So, is the club not good for girls? Trying to find something close in - either within or just outside the beltway in VA and there's not too many options.

Nobody can tell you whether a club would be good for your DD based on age alone. A few words of where she stands skill-wise would help. Parents with limited exposure to club volleyball tend to overestimate their kids' skills (you often hear these parents say that their kids are intermediate if not advanced players based on some rec experience). Someone needs to tell them frankly that their kids are barely beginners in comparison with someone who played club for one year. U13 is still an age where players can enter a club like St. James with limited experience, but nobody can guarantee that. There are so many variable to consider that it's not even funny: height, strength, stamina, agility, and generally how they are able to handle a ball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because my daughter's trying out for St James - for U13. So, is the club not good for girls? Trying to find something close in - either within or just outside the beltway in VA and there's not too many options.

Nobody can tell you whether a club would be good for your DD based on age alone. A few words of where she stands skill-wise would help. Parents with limited exposure to club volleyball tend to overestimate their kids' skills (you often hear these parents say that their kids are intermediate if not advanced players based on some rec experience). Someone needs to tell them frankly that their kids are barely beginners in comparison with someone who played club for one year. U13 is still an age where players can enter a club like St. James with limited experience, but nobody can guarantee that. There are so many variable to consider that it's not even funny: height, strength, stamina, agility, and generally how they are able to handle a ball.

This is true. Trying out that first year I thought DD was REALLY good with her one season of rec. looking back at the videos now, she was a total beginner. We ended up at a club that was great for beginners and convenient for us and she had a great season and learned a lot. Honestly, it was her happiest year. Look for distance and driving time too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because my daughter's trying out for St James - for U13. So, is the club not good for girls? Trying to find something close in - either within or just outside the beltway in VA and there's not too many options.

Nobody can tell you whether a club would be good for your DD based on age alone. A few words of where she stands skill-wise would help. Parents with limited exposure to club volleyball tend to overestimate their kids' skills (you often hear these parents say that their kids are intermediate if not advanced players based on some rec experience). Someone needs to tell them frankly that their kids are barely beginners in comparison with someone who played club for one year. U13 is still an age where players can enter a club like St. James with limited experience, but nobody can guarantee that. There are so many variable to consider that it's not even funny: height, strength, stamina, agility, and generally how they are able to handle a ball.

This is true. Trying out that first year I thought DD was REALLY good with her one season of rec. looking back at the videos now, she was a total beginner. We ended up at a club that was great for beginners and convenient for us and she had a great season and learned a lot. Honestly, it was her happiest year. Look for distance and driving time too.

Do you mind sharing what club she ended up at?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this because my daughter's trying out for St James - for U13. So, is the club not good for girls? Trying to find something close in - either within or just outside the beltway in VA and there's not too many options.

Nobody can tell you whether a club would be good for your DD based on age alone. A few words of where she stands skill-wise would help. Parents with limited exposure to club volleyball tend to overestimate their kids' skills (you often hear these parents say that their kids are intermediate if not advanced players based on some rec experience). Someone needs to tell them frankly that their kids are barely beginners in comparison with someone who played club for one year. U13 is still an age where players can enter a club like St. James with limited experience, but nobody can guarantee that. There are so many variable to consider that it's not even funny: height, strength, stamina, agility, and generally how they are able to handle a ball.

This is true. Trying out that first year I thought DD was REALLY good with her one season of rec. looking back at the videos now, she was a total beginner. We ended up at a club that was great for beginners and convenient for us and she had a great season and learned a lot. Honestly, it was her happiest year. Look for distance and driving time too.

Do you mind sharing what club she ended up at?

That year was NVVA but it was a long time ago. I don’t know what they are like now. They were good for her as a beginning club player. I know they’ve gone through a lot of changes in recent years so you may want to ask for more recent feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Best facility in the DMV and one of the poorest vball programs. They made an effort a few years ago buying Arlington Elite. Mistake was that wasn’t a good program to start with, and lots of coaches left anyway.

Couldn't say it better myself.

[Anonymous]

Clinics are good for gameplay but besides that they won't help. Amazing facility terrible parking. Coaching is very average and it's expensive compared to other clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clinics are good for gameplay but besides that they won't help. Amazing facility terrible parking. Coaching is very average and it's expensive compared to other clubs.

DD also did privates there. Didn't help at all! She got them when she was first starting volleyball and they taught her what we later learned was incorrect technique.

[Anonymous]

Check out rankings to see where they land for multiple age groups from last year. That is a pretty good gauge of skill level. They are not a top ranking top but also aren’t usually the worst but charge a lot for what you get.