Club Volleyball - rate your club pros/cons
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Anonymous
Its very common for HS players to be on the same club team in the DMV. There are some club tryout where you'll see 80% of the JV and 50% of the varsity trying out for the same club. If the players and parents all like each other and understand the club coach may have a different opinion of their skills and playing ability than their HS coach, then everything usually works out. But if you have a player and/or parent that you don't fit well with, be careful -- club season is much longer than HS, and you spend way more time with the players and parents. You aren't just going to 2 JV games a week -- you are spending entire weekends (usually 8-12 of them) with the families. Also, wouldn't recommend playing for your HS coach during club -- there are too many horror stories about how playing club for their HS coach (or in their HS coaches' club) negatively impacted their HS experience, and/or situations where the HS coach clearly favors a certain set of players because they play for their club. If your DD has a potential interest in college but isn't sure, then look for the coach that understands what she could potentially accomplish and is willing to help her get there (and is still interested in her, even if she decides not to play college ball). |
Anonymous
Umm...what? Where did anyone say that? |
Anonymous
I’m sorry, and not wishing to start a firestorm but Metro and Paramount are absolutely not comparable (at the moment). Yes, the 17s beat Metro once (and lost to them other times) - the test is, if all of the paramount players were offered a spot on Metro, would they go? Yes is the answer, every single one of them. Paramount is a fantastically well coached club, and they get a lot more out of their players than any other club….but let’s look at the total picture here - they are a clear nr2 in the region but still a large gap between them and metro. |
Anonymous
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I think you're exaggerating the turnover at Paramount. Their top players do not leave, and if they had as much turnover as you are implying and are as over the top as you are implying, how do their teams have so much success? My DD has attended clinics there but we know she'd probably never make their team. While there have certainly been girls at Paramount who have quit over the years, I'd say the vast majority of the turnover is new talent replacing the bottom half of talent on the teams from the previous season. If Paramount's top talent was hemorrhaging every season, how could they possibly be at the point where all their teams earned bids to USAV Nationals the past two seasons (Metro is the only other club to do this)? How is Paramount the only club in the region besides Metro actually competing and winning at the open level? The players who quit Paramount/Metro/Jrs are usually the players who are not getting the playing time they want (for example, Jrs 17s team two years ago had 6 girls quit before Nationals, not because of intense coaching but because of the games the coach played and the empty promises left on the table). Metro will stick 15 players on all their travel teams, and there are always 4-5 players who never see the court (Metro 16s coach is the most maniacal coach in the entire region, imo). And yet, those girls scratch and claw to get on and stay on all those club's teams. But as PP said, the great thing about our region is there are options for everybody; if you don't like the intense style, there are plenty of quality options besides Metro and Paramount. If you want to play D1 AND win, though, Metro and Paramount are separating themselves from the rest at this point in time (Metro obviously the cream of the crop as of now). You can get one without the other at some of the other clubs in our area (e.g., the recruiting without the winning, like at VAE), but imo Metro and Paramount are the only two where you can get the winning and the recruiting at this moment in time. Bless your heart. Until your DD actually plays a season or two at Paramount, you have no idea what you are talking about. Metro same. Ask me how I know. |
Anonymous
Bless your heart. Until your DD actually plays a season or two at Paramount, you have no idea what you are talking about. Metro same. Ask me how I know. It actually takes a lot for any team (and I include metro in this), to attract the starters from any one of Jnrs, VAE or Paramount - aside from only a couple of cases I know of, the kids moving around are generally those that didn’t play much, so I would venture to say - none of the starters at Paramount went anywhere. The answer to your question Re bids is simple - in my opinion, the Paramount coaching staff is by far the best in the region - they get much more with less than the other clubs, and no my DD has never played at Paramount but I have seen them across the net. There was a time when Paramount took a lot of other club’s castoffs (mainly Jnrs and VAE) and moulded them into fantastic teams. Playing in open is not for the faint of heart but it is where kids get tested against the best of the best and Metro has been the standout for the last 8 years. If I am correct, Paramount only started playing in open last year and did very well. VAE usually is quite competitive in open at 17 and 18s but below that is a car crash. Jnrs play in a lesser division and that is one of the reasons for their slide in recent years - the region’s parents are becoming much more savvy on how the recruiting process works and, for the most part, playing in division 4 doesn’t do much. |
Anonymous
It actually takes a lot for any team (and I include metro in this), to attract the starters from any one of Jnrs, VAE or Paramount - aside from only a couple of cases I kenow of, the kids moving around are generally those that didn’t play much, so I would venture to say - none of the starters at Paramount went anywhere. The answer to your question Re bids is simple - in my opinion, the Paramount coaching staff is by far the best in the region - they get much more with less than the other clubs, and no my DD has never played at Paramount but I have seen them across the net. There was a time when Paramount took a lot of other club’s castoffs (mainly Jnrs and VAE) and moulded them into fantastic teams. Playing in open is not for the faint of heart but it is where kids get tested against the best of the best and Metro has been the standout for the last 8 years. If I am correct, Paramount only started playing in open last year and did very well. VAE usually is quite competitive in open at 17 and 18s but below that is a car crash. Jnrs play in a lesser division and that is one of the reasons for their slide in recent years - the region’s parents are becoming much more savvy on how the recruiting process works and, for the most part, playing in division 4 doesn’t do much. +1 excellent points. No doubt the Paramount coaching staff pushes their players, and some players aren't comfortable with that (and that's okay, as there are good options in our area). But like you said, there's no doubt that the Paramount coaching staff is among the best (if not the best) in the region. Metro from top to bottom has insane athletes (and Paramount does too, and VAE to a lesser extent), but there is no doubt when comparing the clubs in terms of how well-coached and well-trained they are,Paramount exceeds Metro and this is why Paramount has clearly solidified itself as the 2nd best club in the area and is nipping on the heels of Metro. Everybody knows how great the training is at Paramount, and while they are tough, you know your kid is going to get good. This is why Paramount's 17s and 13s teams each beat Metro last season. Paramount's U15 team earned an Open Bid to USAV Nationals two years ago, and their 16s and 17s teams this season each had multiple top 10 finishes in the Open Division of qualifiers and narrowly missed out on Open Bids. 3 seasons ago VAE's 18s team earned an Open Bid, but none of their teams have even gotten close since then. Wouldn't surprise me if all of Paramount's teams are playing in Open this season. Jrs is definitely on the decline, as you mentioned parents are getting smarter and savvier. Smart parents want their kids to be testing themselves against the best players in the country, not playing in the lower divisions of qualifiers because you're afraid of competition. Jrs has weakened VAE, but there's no doubt which club is of higher quality. |
Anonymous
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99% of your kids are not going to be playing at the next level. Most clubs will make you believe that but I think only Metro TRAVEL has the track record that puts most if not all their travel players at the next level.
Don't expect more, manage your expectations and just enjoy your kid playing. I sure miss it. |
Anonymous
Take a look at the college commitments page at Paramount and VAE, you’ll be surprised. |
Anonymous
+1 Just taking a brief look at Paramount, they already have 8 D1 commitments on their rising 18s team, and 3 D3 commitments. It looks like they've had 30+ D1 commitments since 2018. VAE still doing a good job on the recruiting front too. Their recruiting was definitely stronger during their golden years (2008-2017) but they're still doing great. Metro 18s team will consistently have all the players committed to D1 schools, but I bet most of the players who never play on that team are walk ons at the D1 schools they are going to. |
Anonymous
Partially agree. My DD has never been able to make a Paramount team but always attends their clinics every fall for the great training from their coaching staff. Agree that Paramount has separated itself as the clear #2 in our region, and you are exactly right that Paramount is a fantastically well-coached club (probably the most well-coached club in the entire CHRVA Region). However, while it isn't quite 1A and 1B yet, Paramount is much closer to Metro than you are giving them credit for; Metro is still #1 as of now, but it is much closer imo, and it would not at all surprise me if Paramount matches and/or exceeds Metro within the next 2-3 seasons. Paramount 17s split with Metro last season in the 2 matches they played them. Besides Metro's rising 17s and 18s teams, Metro does not have the talent they have been accustomed to having in their upcoming 13s/14s/15s/16s teams. Paramount is almost equally as strong as Metro in the rising 17s and 18s age groups, but you could make a pretty strong argument that Paramount has hurt Metro with the addition of their younger age groups, as many of these younger players have chosen Paramount over Metro. So, with that combined with the training, Metro should be very nervous these next couple seasons, as their reign may be coming to an end soon. I'll be interested to see whether VAE has a resurgence to their prime years. VAVA is also a club on the rise that will very likely surpass VAJrs in the next few years. |
Anonymous
Titans are 4. Unfamiliar with Tier One. |
Anonymous
I'm also interested to see whether VAE (and to some degree VA Juniors) experience a resurgence to their prime years. There are some truly outstanding coaches at both VAE and VA Juniors. Coaching matters - Metro and Paramount are what they are by having talented coaches and players. With VAE, the substantial (2000+) team fee increases season for all HS-aged teams may have decreased interest in that club. There's a breakpoint in price for anything, VAE may have reached it. Even with the included travel costs it's hard to see why VAE fees are nearly double any other club. And they keep losing in Open. Re the VAE and to some degree VA Juniors college commitments, it's unclear how the relative wealth and privilege of so many players in those clubs drives the brand-name college outcomes. Looks a bit like the kind of college admissions of other kids who live in places like McLean and attend schools like Langley (regardless of X sport). |
Anonymous
I did, and I assume you looked at Metro and not surprised because they produce the top players. |
Anonymous
I think this was a response to “99% of your kids won’t play at college” and the inference that only metro gets good college commitments |
Anonymous
Just for the record, and from personal experience of my DD playing at VAE and one of the other top clubs. When all said and done, VAE cost me less than the other club. I also appreciated not having to travel to every tournament with my daughter, as VAE travel and stay as a team (which is why it looks more expensive). Interesting point about colleges, however plenty of kids at Metro, Jnrs and Paramount attend private schools (Flint Hill, Bishop O’Connell, Episcopal, Potomac, Holy Cross etc, etc). VAE is not the sole home of kids at top local schools. I will say, VAE does do a good job in recruiting with a particularly impressive list of D1 and high academic D3 schools. Like someone else said - the 17s and 18s do perfectly well in open tournaments and last year’s group ended up at a great list of schools, and most, if not all are playing as freshmen (which is quite rare in this region). |