Volleyball club- recap and thoughts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aftermath thoughts:

1. Its basically pay to play.
2. Its better to start young to develop skills early. Start at 12 years old if your child is interested
3. Tryouts are not truly open, girls are preselected. Its a joke to have 100 girls on a court at a time for evaluation.
4. There are not enough teams in the DMV area. Specifically DC. VB needs a Rec component here.
5. Height plays a huge factor and since the average height is 5'3 or 5'4. Libero will be the toughest position to compete for.
6. Height and athletic potential outweigh playing experience. I.E. they'll take someone that is 6'2 before someone that understands rules, rotations, and fundamentals.
7. CHRVA needs revamping or create a new organization for the DMV area.
8. It's very expensive to play club.

I think that about covers it from my perspective.

Agree with all you said EXCEPT the bolded. Maybe there is a club or 2 that have pre-selected their rosters. But we have 2 DDs, this is the 2nd year for each of them playing (now playing U15 & U16), and for the 2nd year in a row they each got offers at clubs they'd never played for before, and different clubs from each other (thank goodness both of us parents can transport to different practices/tournaments if necessary). Main point being, for 2nd year in a row they each got an offer from a club that had NEVER seen them before. 4 different teams over the 2 yrs between them, and all of them saw our DD's for the 1st time at tryouts.

So everyone saying the teams are preselected, if they're preselected why are so many players who tried out for their same teams again now "team-less" because they didn't get any offers, including from their team from last year? Why are my 2 DD's getting offers from clubs who never knew they existed before tryouts this year? Maybe a team or a few preselect, or preselect a few players, but NO, most of the teams really are seeing girls for the first time at tryouts. And they've done the best they can to really notice them, and move them from court to court as they see playing they like/are looking for.

Do some good and some really good players fall through the cracks of being noticed? Absolutely, we know a couple, and that absolutely sucks. But the teams who didn't take them still took other players we know for the 1st time.

Probably varies a bit, there’s a spectrum. But it is surprising to have made enough of an impression cold at tryouts in that age group

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aftermath thoughts:

1. Its basically pay to play.
2. Its better to start young to develop skills early. Start at 12 years old if your child is interested
3. Tryouts are not truly open, girls are preselected. Its a joke to have 100 girls on a court at a time for evaluation.
4. There are not enough teams in the DMV area. Specifically DC. VB needs a Rec component here.
5. Height plays a huge factor and since the average height is 5'3 or 5'4. Libero will be the toughest position to compete for.
6. Height and athletic potential outweigh playing experience. I.E. they'll take someone that is 6'2 before someone that understands rules, rotations, and fundamentals.
7. CHRVA needs revamping or create a new organization for the DMV area.
8. It's very expensive to play club.

I think that about covers it from my perspective.

Agree with all you said EXCEPT the bolded. Maybe there is a club or 2 that have pre-selected their rosters. But we have 2 DDs, this is the 2nd year for each of them playing (now playing U15 & U16), and for the 2nd year in a row they each got offers at clubs they'd never played for before, and different clubs from each other (thank goodness both of us parents can transport to different practices/tournaments if necessary). Main point being, for 2nd year in a row they each got an offer from a club that had NEVER seen them before. 4 different teams over the 2 yrs between them, and all of them saw our DD's for the 1st time at tryouts.

So everyone saying the teams are preselected, if they're preselected why are so many players who tried out for their same teams again now "team-less" because they didn't get any offers, including from their team from last year? Why are my 2 DD's getting offers from clubs who never knew they existed before tryouts this year? Maybe a team or a few preselect, or preselect a few players, but NO, most of the teams really are seeing girls for the first time at tryouts. And they've done the best they can to really notice them, and move them from court to court as they see playing they like/are looking for.

Do some good and some really good players fall through the cracks of being noticed? Absolutely, we know a couple, and that absolutely sucks. But the teams who didn't take them still took other players we know for the 1st time.

Probably varies a bit, there’s a spectrum. But it is surprising to have made enough of an impression cold at tryouts in that age group

What positions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is mojo still holding tryouts? There is absolutely no way they need more players. There were soooo many great players at their clinics and their tryouts were full. I have a really hard time believing they still need players.

IMO it’s almost always because they shoot too high, focus on the wrong players at tryouts (think: players who are using mojo as backup but end up choosing Virginia elite or Juniors), and initially ignore the ones who are seriously interested. Their tryout sessions are so dismissive and humiliating toward the girls who aren’t the “chosen” ones that it’s a total turnoff. Those players then go on to accept other offers. And by Tuesday at least half of the top choices the mojo thought they were getting finally turn down their offer in favor of accepting at a stronger club and it leaves mojo scrambling.
Problem is, mojo really doesn’t play the game well when it comes to courting the ones who didn’t quite make the cut.
And by the time they realize they need them, they wind up reaching out to players who have already committed.
I hate to come down so hard on mojo but I’ve seen and heard it happen too many times to not call it out. Maybe they think their way is more honest and real? But if they made all the players who come to tryout dates feel valued and seen even if they don’t give them a bid, those players might feel like waiting around until Tuesday to see if an offer eventually comes. But mojo makes it super clear who they want and it’s hard to come back from that.

I hate that all that happened, but thank you for the public service announcement. My DD only tried out for 3 clubs, got offers at all 3, and we didn't really know about Mojo until we heard about them at tryouts from DD's friends from the last 2 years of playing. We wondered if we'd missed a chance at a great new team... SO GOOD TO KNOW we were better off being oblivious, and now we actually know to steer ALL the way clear of Mojo. If we see them playing at any tournaments (or go up against them), I'll keep all this history and dirty deeds in the back of my mind for sure.
+100. Very well put. My DD tried out for 6 clubs this year, and received offers from 5, including three “1s” teams for national-level clubs and two regional clubs. So she’s clearly a competitive player.

The one offer she didn’t get was from Mojo - She said the Mojo tryout was by far the most demoralizing tryout she’s ever been to, and she swore she will never go back to a clinic or tryout there again. She said they didn’t bother to test vertical or check reach. It was a free for all. During a water break she mouthed to me that the coaches hadn’t even looked at her. We actually should have left instead of wasting 1.5 hours of energy there.

Incumbent favoritism and height bias was blatantly obvious. Some of the girls were rude and refused to rotate positions with her and coaches didn’t enforce it. So I’m surprised to read that they also did some former ECP players dirty bc we saw them getting pulled over much more skilled players. Bad vibes all around.

Ironically they were still advertising needing players in DD’s age group. Biggest eye roll ever. DD laughed when I showed her the email and said she can’t wait to get kills against that team. “See ya on the court, Mojo!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aftermath thoughts:

1. Its basically pay to play.
2. Its better to start young to develop skills early. Start at 12 years old if your child is interested
3. Tryouts are not truly open, girls are preselected. Its a joke to have 100 girls on a court at a time for evaluation.
4. There are not enough teams in the DMV area. Specifically DC. VB needs a Rec component here.
5. Height plays a huge factor and since the average height is 5'3 or 5'4. Libero will be the toughest position to compete for.
6. Height and athletic potential outweigh playing experience. I.E. they'll take someone that is 6'2 before someone that understands rules, rotations, and fundamentals.
7. CHRVA needs revamping or create a new organization for the DMV area.
8. It's very expensive to play club.

I think that about covers it from my perspective.

Agree with all you said EXCEPT the bolded. Maybe there is a club or 2 that have pre-selected their rosters. But we have 2 DDs, this is the 2nd year for each of them playing (now playing U15 & U16), and for the 2nd year in a row they each got offers at clubs they'd never played for before, and different clubs from each other (thank goodness both of us parents can transport to different practices/tournaments if necessary). Main point being, for 2nd year in a row they each got an offer from a club that had NEVER seen them before. 4 different teams over the 2 yrs between them, and all of them saw our DD's for the 1st time at tryouts.

So everyone saying the teams are preselected, if they're preselected why are so many players who tried out for their same teams again now "team-less" because they didn't get any offers, including from their team from last year? Why are my 2 DD's getting offers from clubs who never knew they existed before tryouts this year? Maybe a team or a few preselect, or preselect a few players, but NO, most of the teams really are seeing girls for the first time at tryouts. And they've done the best they can to really notice them, and move them from court to court as they see playing they like/are looking for.

Do some good and some really good players fall through the cracks of being noticed? Absolutely, we know a couple, and that absolutely sucks. But the teams who didn't take them still took other players we know for the 1st time.

Probably varies a bit, there’s a spectrum. But it is surprising to have made enough of an impression cold at tryouts in that age group

Preselected doesn’t necessarily mean the same players from last year. Coaches can have eyes on players that didn’t play for them the year before

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is mojo still holding tryouts? There is absolutely no way they need more players. There were soooo many great players at their clinics and their tryouts were full. I have a really hard time believing they still need players.

IMO it’s almost always because they shoot too high, focus on the wrong players at tryouts (think: players who are using mojo as backup but end up choosing Virginia elite or Juniors), and initially ignore the ones who are seriously interested. Their tryout sessions are so dismissive and humiliating toward the girls who aren’t the “chosen” ones that it’s a total turnoff. Those players then go on to accept other offers. And by Tuesday at least half of the top choices the mojo thought they were getting finally turn down their offer in favor of accepting at a stronger club and it leaves mojo scrambling.

Problem is, mojo really doesn’t play the game well when it comes to courting the ones who didn’t quite make the cut.
And by the time they realize they need them, they wind up reaching out to players who have already committed.

I hate to come down so hard on mojo but I’ve seen and heard it happen too many times to not call it out. Maybe they think their way is more honest and real? But if they made all the players who come to tryout dates feel valued and seen even if they don’t give them a bid, those players might feel like waiting around until Tuesday to see if an offer eventually comes. But mojo makes it super clear who they want and it’s hard to come back from that.

+100. Very well put. My DD tried out for 6 clubs this year, and received offers from 5, including three “1s” teams for national-level clubs and two regional clubs. So she’s clearly a competitive player.

The one offer she didn’t get was from Mojo - She said the Mojo tryout was by far the most demoralizing tryout she’s ever been to, and she swore she will never go back to a clinic or tryout there again. She said they didn’t bother to test vertical or check reach. It was a free for all. During a water break she mouthed to me that the coaches hadn’t even looked at her. We actually should have left instead of wasting 1.5 hours of energy there.

Incumbent favoritism and height bias was blatantly obvious. Some of the girls were rude and refused to rotate positions with her and coaches didn’t enforce it. So I’m surprised to read that they also did some former ECP players dirty bc we saw them getting pulled over much more skilled players. Bad vibes all around.

Ironically they were still advertising needing players in DD’s age group. Biggest eye roll ever. DD laughed when I showed her the email and said she can’t wait to get kills against that team. “See ya on the court, Mojo!”

I hate that all that happened, but thank you for the public service announcement. My DD only tried out for 3 clubs, got offers at all 3, and we didn't really know about Mojo until we heard about them at tryouts from DD's friends from the last 2 years of playing. We wondered if we'd missed a chance at a great new team... SO GOOD TO KNOW we were better off being oblivious, and now we actually know to steer ALL the way clear of Mojo. If we see them playing at any tournaments (or go up against them), I'll keep all this history and dirty deeds in the back of my mind for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate to say it, but if more parents + girls understood what they were getting into, there would probably be far fewer at tryouts.
if you make a team: the amount of time spent at tournaments (all day!), the number of tournaments (most week ends!) the cost of hotels + travel. Costs go far beyond club fees.

THIS. It is easily $10,000+, for just all the costs of a mid-low level regional team. People have NO idea.

Wait, how in the world you you guys figure that? We are going to pay $3,000 for DD's club fees (including uniforms, coach travel, and general fees). There will be 2 overnight tournaments involving hotels (1 is "stay to play" rooms are under $200; other we do Airbnb for under $100), and sure food, gas, maybe another hotel for a 2 day tournament if we don't feel like driving an hour each way twice... but even assuming $4,000 for all of that, where in the world are you saying another $6,000 comes in? And this is for one U14 club team, and another DD in U16 (maybe $500 more expensive than U14 for us). And this is a high demand club. Where are you saying the other $6,000 is we'll have to pay?

It totally depends on the team that DD plays for. First off, some club dues go over $5k. A lot of teams for girls 13+ travel to multiple multi-day tournaments out of town, some of which require flying. Hotel+travel (gas/tolls or flights/taxis)+food for 2 can = $5k+. Basically, there is a wide range for how much club volleyball can cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a new family, first year DD is playing club. When she got an offer from her #1 choice we stopped going to other tryouts. We know 4 other families who were in the same situation with different clubs but still went to everything the rest of the weekend. Why? Is it just to see how many offers your DD gets? If you know where you are going to accept, what’s the point of this? I understand if your DD is on the fence for any reason but this entire process seemed so stressful.

My DD's 2nd year trying out, she got an offer from her #1 club right away. But I'd done research (and had read a lot here on DCUM!) and wanted to her to still go to try out of a 2nd, less "famous" club but one that I heard really did play all the players and developed all players. She tried out for them 2nd, got an offer on the spot, and both she and her dad & I all agree we preferred this 2nd club. We did wait until we actually received both offers to make sure we got all our questions answered, but we went with the 2nd club.

While I doubt by the time you're trying out for 6 clubs you really need to wait to see what happens with all 6, I do think having a few to check out and ask all questions and find out practice schedules can all make what looked like a clear #1 slip to neck & neck with #2, or to just go with a club you didn't think you'd like that much until the tryout.

I don't plan for us to ever try out for 6 clubs, but I can see 3 or 4 and going through with all 3 or 4 before making a final decision among the offers received.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is mojo still holding tryouts? There is absolutely no way they need more players. There were soooo many great players at their clinics and their tryouts were full. I have a really hard time believing they still need players.

IMO it’s almost always because they shoot too high, focus on the wrong players at tryouts (think: players who are using mojo as backup but end up choosing Virginia elite or Juniors), and initially ignore the ones who are seriously interested. Their tryout sessions are so dismissive and humiliating toward the girls who aren’t the “chosen” ones that it’s a total turnoff. Those players then go on to accept other offers. And by Tuesday at least half of the top choices the mojo thought they were getting finally turn down their offer in favor of accepting at a stronger club and it leaves mojo scrambling.
Problem is, mojo really doesn’t play the game well when it comes to courting the ones who didn’t quite make the cut.
And by the time they realize they need them, they wind up reaching out to players who have already committed.
I hate to come down so hard on mojo but I’ve seen and heard it happen too many times to not call it out. Maybe they think their way is more honest and real? But if they made all the players who come to tryout dates feel valued and seen even if they don’t give them a bid, those players might feel like waiting around until Tuesday to see if an offer eventually comes. But mojo makes it super clear who they want and it’s hard to come back from that.

Absolutely. At their tryouts you could tell which court they were instersted. They left one court playing all by themselves for awhile. It was obvious they weren’t even considering that group. Made me sad for those girls

How do they assess which girls to send to that "Ignored Court" just from them checking in? Aside from obvious height preferences and maybe some other judgements about bodies they shouldn't make, how do they know which girls they want to ignore right from the start? Is there really NO ONE (including whoever is running the exercises) keeping an eye out for someone who should be moved to a more competitive court? What about girls they think look good at first and then realize are much newer/less talented players? Do they move them to the "We're not even paying attention" court?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is mojo still holding tryouts? There is absolutely no way they need more players. There were soooo many great players at their clinics and their tryouts were full. I have a really hard time believing they still need players.

IMO it’s almost always because they shoot too high, focus on the wrong players at tryouts (think: players who are using mojo as backup but end up choosing Virginia elite or Juniors), and initially ignore the ones who are seriously interested. Their tryout sessions are so dismissive and humiliating toward the girls who aren’t the “chosen” ones that it’s a total turnoff. Those players then go on to accept other offers. And by Tuesday at least half of the top choices the mojo thought they were getting finally turn down their offer in favor of accepting at a stronger club and it leaves mojo scrambling.
Problem is, mojo really doesn’t play the game well when it comes to courting the ones who didn’t quite make the cut.
And by the time they realize they need them, they wind up reaching out to players who have already committed.
I hate to come down so hard on mojo but I’ve seen and heard it happen too many times to not call it out. Maybe they think their way is more honest and real? But if they made all the players who come to tryout dates feel valued and seen even if they don’t give them a bid, those players might feel like waiting around until Tuesday to see if an offer eventually comes. But mojo makes it super clear who they want and it’s hard to come back from that.

Absolutely. At their tryouts you could tell which court they were instersted. They left one court playing all by themselves for awhile. It was obvious they weren’t even considering that group. Made me sad for those girls

How do they assess which girls to send to that "Ignored Court" just from them checking in? Aside from obvious height preferences and maybe some other judgements about bodies they shouldn't make, how do they know which girls they want to ignore right from the start? Is there really NO ONE (including whoever is running the exercises) keeping an eye out for someone who should be moved to a more competitive court? What about girls they think look good at first and then realize are much newer/less talented players? Do they move them to the "We're not even paying attention" court?

I can tell you some clubs that did this really missed a chance to get some higher caliber players with this approach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Copied from a post in another site:

“Somebody once said "Whatever your club fees are, double them for your travel expenses." For us, $3,400 fees = $6,800 travel expenses = $10,200/yr

2-3 lessons/week * 46 weeks/year @ $50/lesson = $5,750

Personal Trainer 38 weeks/year @ $35/session x 2/week = $2,660

3-4 Camps/Summer (including travel) = $3,400

Equipment, Shoes, etc. $400/year

Total: $22,410/year for national/open level team, Power5/D1 aspirations

This must be for a high level. We are paying a little over 3k. There will be 4 hotel tournaments we can drive to, 2-3 hours away. No personal training or extra lessons happening. I don’t think we will come close to 10k. It’s the first year in club so I’m naive, what equipment is needed besides shoes? The uniform was included.

So you don't know then. Actually keep track of expenses and report back in a year. My DD played a mid level ECP team last year, and I kept track of expenses (and they required pay to play hotels, even though we didn't use them every time). One weekend in particular was $1,000 with 2 nights in a hotel, tolls, gas, food, parking, tickets (for spectator), etc. I literally kept a spreadsheet. This was going to Spooky Nook and getting the AM schedule so you had to go up the night before. Just because you are driving doesn't mean it isn't $$$$$$$. Your club fees DON'T include: gas, tolls, parking (this is a bigger expenses than you think), spectator tickets (you have to pay to watch your own kid play), food for you and your kid (because you are going to be there for 6-12 HOURS, a day, and a lot of places will not allow you to bring things in, but we got pretty good at it) and you still have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (and often the team goes out to eat together), volleyball shoes, swag at some of the tournaments (like overpriced hoodies), etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just received word that NVVA is offering two U15 “club level” teams (Red and a new team White), which they claim to be part of their “Club” but the teams never leave the facility and both teams only have “tournaments” at their NVVA facility. How is that any different than a Rec league like Galaxy?

But this might fit the description of what some parents are looking for? No travel and less financial commitment with a higher level of play?

My question would be just what you get at in last point: what REALLY is the level of play? How rigorous will the coaching & practices be? And how competitive will the tournaments be if they're only at their facility? But if all those are at a good level, I can think of a several U15 age girls who we know who were left club-less that if this was an option and practices were in workable locations, they'd be all in.

So, who knows more about it that is reliable info? Yes, we could tell people to call the club, but this is where insider info is so very important about what is really likely to happen...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Copied from a post in another site:

“Somebody once said "Whatever your club fees are, double them for your travel expenses." For us, $3,400 fees = $6,800 travel expenses = $10,200/yr

2-3 lessons/week * 46 weeks/year @ $50/lesson = $5,750

Personal Trainer 38 weeks/year @ $35/session x 2/week = $2,660

3-4 Camps/Summer (including travel) = $3,400

Equipment, Shoes, etc. $400/year

Total: $22,410/year for national/open level team, Power5/D1 aspirations

This must be for a high level. We are paying a little over 3k. There will be 4 hotel tournaments we can drive to, 2-3 hours away. No personal training or extra lessons happening. I don’t think we will come close to 10k. It’s the first year in club so I’m naive, what equipment is needed besides shoes? The uniform was included.

So you don't know then. Actually keep track of expenses and report back in a year. My DD played a mid level ECP team last year, and I kept track of expenses (and they required pay to play hotels, even though we didn't use them every time). One weekend in particular was $1,000 with 2 nights in a hotel, tolls, gas, food, parking, tickets (for spectator), etc. I literally kept a spreadsheet. This was going to Spooky Nook and getting the AM schedule so you had to go up the night before. Just because you are driving doesn't mean it isn't $$$$$$$. Your club fees DON'T include: gas, tolls, parking (this is a bigger expenses than you think), spectator tickets (you have to pay to watch your own kid play), food for you and your kid (because you are going to be there for 6-12 HOURS, a day, and a lot of places will not allow you to bring things in, but we got pretty good at it) and you still have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (and often the team goes out to eat together), volleyball shoes, swag at some of the tournaments (like overpriced hoodies), etc.

So true! It really adds up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Copied from a post in another site:

“Somebody once said "Whatever your club fees are, double them for your travel expenses." For us, $3,400 fees = $6,800 travel expenses = $10,200/yr

2-3 lessons/week * 46 weeks/year @ $50/lesson = $5,750

Personal Trainer 38 weeks/year @ $35/session x 2/week = $2,660

3-4 Camps/Summer (including travel) = $3,400

Equipment, Shoes, etc. $400/year

Total: $22,410/year for national/open level team, Power5/D1 aspirations

I'm the PP you're replying to, and the quote I was answering just said $10,000 for a regional club season. There's stuff on your copied list that we've never done/paid for: personal trainer; 3-4 camps (our girls have done 3 per summer max (usually 2) and total cost of 3 never exceeded $2,000). We don't track gas for the car but I'm positive it doesn't take our total from maybe max $6,000 up to $10,000/year!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Copied from a post in another site:

“Somebody once said "Whatever your club fees are, double them for your travel expenses." For us, $3,400 fees = $6,800 travel expenses = $10,200/yr

2-3 lessons/week * 46 weeks/year @ $50/lesson = $5,750

Personal Trainer 38 weeks/year @ $35/session x 2/week = $2,660

3-4 Camps/Summer (including travel) = $3,400

Equipment, Shoes, etc. $400/year

Total: $22,410/year for national/open level team, Power5/D1 aspirations

This must be for a high level. We are paying a little over 3k. There will be 4 hotel tournaments we can drive to, 2-3 hours away. No personal training or extra lessons happening. I don’t think we will come close to 10k. It’s the first year in club so I’m naive, what equipment is needed besides shoes? The uniform was included.

Exactly what I think. That is for Travel, and we are super clear we are not a travel family. Can't afford the money or the time. But one of these posts said that $10k/season applies to regional clubs, and except for maybe a couple super expensive Virginia ones, that just doesn't seem true at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aftermath thoughts:

1. Its basically pay to play.
2. Its better to start young to develop skills early. Start at 12 years old if your child is interested
3. Tryouts are not truly open, girls are preselected. Its a joke to have 100 girls on a court at a time for evaluation.
4. There are not enough teams in the DMV area. Specifically DC. VB needs a Rec component here.
5. Height plays a huge factor and since the average height is 5'3 or 5'4. Libero will be the toughest position to compete for.
6. Height and athletic potential outweigh playing experience. I.E. they'll take someone that is 6'2 before someone that understands rules, rotations, and fundamentals.
7. CHRVA needs revamping or create a new organization for the DMV area.
8. It's very expensive to play club.

I think that about covers it from my perspective.

Agree with all you said EXCEPT the bolded. Maybe there is a club or 2 that have pre-selected their rosters. But we have 2 DDs, this is the 2nd year for each of them playing (now playing U15 & U16), and for the 2nd year in a row they each got offers at clubs they'd never played for before, and different clubs from each other (thank goodness both of us parents can transport to different practices/tournaments if necessary). Main point being, for 2nd year in a row they each got an offer from a club that had NEVER seen them before. 4 different teams over the 2 yrs between them, and all of them saw our DD's for the 1st time at tryouts.

So everyone saying the teams are preselected, if they're preselected why are so many players who tried out for their same teams again now "team-less" because they didn't get any offers, including from their team from last year? Why are my 2 DD's getting offers from clubs who never knew they existed before tryouts this year? Maybe a team or a few preselect, or preselect a few players, but NO, most of the teams really are seeing girls for the first time at tryouts. And they've done the best they can to really notice them, and move them from court to court as they see playing they like/are looking for.

Do some good and some really good players fall through the cracks of being noticed? Absolutely, we know a couple, and that absolutely sucks. But the teams who didn't take them still took other players we know for the 1st time.

Probably varies a bit, there’s a spectrum. But it is surprising to have made enough of an impression cold at tryouts in that age group

Preselected doesn’t necessarily mean the same players from last year. Coaches can have eyes on players that didn’t play for them the year before

Well we can each only speak from our own and our friends' DDs experiences, and a bunch of us have girls who did NOT do clinics and find it hard to believe coaches were watching our girls from afar last year but didn't talk to us. To "preselect" you obviously have to have a conversation on the sidelines to at least make sure your preselected chosen ones are AWARE that they're preselected, to dissuade them from trying out everywhere else and getting picked by a possibly better team. So in our experiences, and these are popular teams, there were many girls made offers who didn't do clinics (many others who did though), and who didn't play for the club ever before those tryouts.

Main point being, in our short experience so far (but also according to many vet VB parents we've met): there is enough movement & fluidity that going to tryouts for say 3+ teams that you really hope to get a spot on (with maybe one "safety team" so you don't end up clubless) is worth it, even at most demanding ages. Just avoid the clearly, infamously pre-rostered clubs (like apparently Mojo although their pre-selected players seem to not all have pre-selected them )