Let us pick a volleyball club for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An observation for families of players in the 15-16 year old range that are new to club volleyball. Let me start by saying you're not too late. There are lots of girls who maybe dabbled in volleyball in rec leagues or similar settings and then play on their JV or 9th grade teams and decide volleyball is something they enjoy and want to pursue more seriously. And that's great - welcome!

My advice for your first season of club tryouts is to be realistic. While it's not too late, the top tier of club teams at 15-16s are mostly made up of girls who have been playing since they were 12 or younger. It's going to take a bit to catch up to that kind of experience. Your DD might be a standout on their JV or rec league, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are ready to play on the best teams in the region. Many of the 9th graders from the top 15s club teams in the region are starters on their HS varsity teams. This thread is great because it's not focused on the top tier of CHRVA clubs, but rather trying to help find the best fit. Find the club that fits best with your DD's skill level and works for you in terms of location and hopefully price. Good luck!

This is great advice. I was one of those clueless parents who thought that my daughter was really good at volleyball and we tried out only for top clubs (because that's where she belonged for sure). We didn't only waste time and money, the experience brought a lot of disappointment and frustration. Finally, we struggled to make a good second tier club during the make outs (this was more successful). I won't have to go through this again, but my advice to parents in this situation is to focus on mid-tier or bottom-tier clubs almost exclusively (this will come with significantly less stress and disappointment).

If you are a new to club volleyball at 15-16 you should have a one or two clubs (or one or two teams if you are trying out at clubs with multiple teams) where you have a realistic chance of making a team. Then one stretch club where they might only make the team if everything goes perfect--they perform great in pre-tryout clinics, at tryouts, other players decline offers, etc. And one safety club where they should get an offer for sure. And if there is one club that you really want, as a PP said -- tell them. It won't help you much if you never had a chance of making a team in the first place, but it will help if you are on the bubble.

And the point about don't use JV or rec league to judge your players ability is very accurate. If you are playing JV, make sure you are staying to watch the V games, especially against the better teams in the region. Focus on the players on the court that play for the clubs you are interested in. If you are in one of the club rec leagues, stay and watch the most advanced groups. You'll get a better idea of what good looks like for the clubs you are considering.

That makes 3-4 clubs, which might be quite a stretch for most players with no club experience. This is a rule of thumb that I have: if you are not tired / sweaty at the end of the tryout, you likely didn't show everything you've got. Clubs are looking for players who leave everything they have on the court, not players that save their energy for another tryout they have to go to right after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An observation for families of players in the 15-16 year old range that are new to club volleyball. Let me start by saying you're not too late. There are lots of girls who maybe dabbled in volleyball in rec leagues or similar settings and then play on their JV or 9th grade teams and decide volleyball is something they enjoy and want to pursue more seriously. And that's great - welcome!

My advice for your first season of club tryouts is to be realistic. While it's not too late, the top tier of club teams at 15-16s are mostly made up of girls who have been playing since they were 12 or younger. It's going to take a bit to catch up to that kind of experience. Your DD might be a standout on their JV or rec league, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are ready to play on the best teams in the region. Many of the 9th graders from the top 15s club teams in the region are starters on their HS varsity teams. This thread is great because it's not focused on the top tier of CHRVA clubs, but rather trying to help find the best fit. Find the club that fits best with your DD's skill level and works for you in terms of location and hopefully price. Good luck!

This is great advice. I was one of those clueless parents who thought that my daughter was really good at volleyball and we tried out only for top clubs (because that's where she belonged for sure). We didn't only waste time and money, the experience brought a lot of disappointment and frustration. Finally, we struggled to make a good second tier club during the make outs (this was more successful). I won't have to go through this again, but my advice to parents in this situation is to focus on mid-tier or bottom-tier clubs almost exclusively (this will come with significantly less stress and disappointment).

If you are a new to club volleyball at 15-16 you should have a one or two clubs (or one or two teams if you are trying out at clubs with multiple teams) where you have a realistic chance of making a team. Then one stretch club where they might only make the team if everything goes perfect--they perform great in pre-tryout clinics, at tryouts, other players decline offers, etc. And one safety club where they should get an offer for sure. And if there is one club that you really want, as a PP said -- tell them. It won't help you much if you never had a chance of making a team in the first place, but it will help if you are on the bubble.

And the point about don't use JV or rec league to judge your players ability is very accurate. If you are playing JV, make sure you are staying to watch the V games, especially against the better teams in the region. Focus on the players on the court that play for the clubs you are interested in. If you are in one of the club rec leagues, stay and watch the most advanced groups. You'll get a better idea of what good looks like for the clubs you are considering.

That makes 3-4 clubs, which might be quite a stretch for most players with no club experience. This is a rule of thumb that I have: if you are not tired / sweaty at the end of the tryout, you likely didn't show everything you've got. Clubs are looking for players who leave everything they have on the court, not players that save their energy for another tryout they have to go to right after.

Encouraging a new player to tryout for only one club so they can "leave everything they have on the court" seems like it could set them up for disappointment. A single weekend of tryouts is the system that we have. Many clubs have 2 or 3 tryouts for a team over the course of the weekend and many will add makeup tryouts early the following week if their teams aren't full. You should prioritize getting to the main tryout for the team you are most interested in, but going to multiple tryouts over the course of the weekend (or even on the same day) is going to increase the odds of making a team for a new player.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An observation for families of players in the 15-16 year old range that are new to club volleyball. Let me start by saying you're not too late. There are lots of girls who maybe dabbled in volleyball in rec leagues or similar settings and then play on their JV or 9th grade teams and decide volleyball is something they enjoy and want to pursue more seriously. And that's great - welcome!

My advice for your first season of club tryouts is to be realistic. While it's not too late, the top tier of club teams at 15-16s are mostly made up of girls who have been playing since they were 12 or younger. It's going to take a bit to catch up to that kind of experience. Your DD might be a standout on their JV or rec league, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are ready to play on the best teams in the region. Many of the 9th graders from the top 15s club teams in the region are starters on their HS varsity teams. This thread is great because it's not focused on the top tier of CHRVA clubs, but rather trying to help find the best fit. Find the club that fits best with your DD's skill level and works for you in terms of location and hopefully price. Good luck!

This is great advice. I was one of those clueless parents who thought that my daughter was really good at volleyball and we tried out only for top clubs (because that's where she belonged for sure). We didn't only waste time and money, the experience brought a lot of disappointment and frustration. Finally, we struggled to make a good second tier club during the make outs (this was more successful). I won't have to go through this again, but my advice to parents in this situation is to focus on mid-tier or bottom-tier clubs almost exclusively (this will come with significantly less stress and disappointment).

If you are a new to club volleyball at 15-16 you should have a one or two clubs (or one or two teams if you are trying out at clubs with multiple teams) where you have a realistic chance of making a team. Then one stretch club where they might only make the team if everything goes perfect--they perform great in pre-tryout clinics, at tryouts, other players decline offers, etc. And one safety club where they should get an offer for sure. And if there is one club that you really want, as a PP said -- tell them. It won't help you much if you never had a chance of making a team in the first place, but it will help if you are on the bubble.

And the point about don't use JV or rec league to judge your players ability is very accurate. If you are playing JV, make sure you are staying to watch the V games, especially against the better teams in the region. Focus on the players on the court that play for the clubs you are interested in. If you are in one of the club rec leagues, stay and watch the most advanced groups. You'll get a better idea of what good looks like for the clubs you are considering.

That makes 3-4 clubs, which might be quite a stretch for most players with no club experience. This is a rule of thumb that I have: if you are not tired / sweaty at the end of the tryout, you likely didn't show everything you've got. Clubs are looking for players who leave everything they have on the court, not players that save their energy for another tryout they have to go to right after.

Encouraging a new player to tryout for only one club so they can "leave everything they have on the court" seems like it could set them up for disappointment. A single weekend of tryouts is the system that we have. Many clubs have 2 or 3 tryouts for a team over the course of the weekend and many will add makeup tryouts early the following week if their teams aren't full. You should prioritize getting to the main tryout for the team you are most interested in, but going to multiple tryouts over the course of the weekend (or even on the same day) is going to increase the odds of making a team for a new player.

I was not suggesting trying out for only one club - but I can see how my reply could have been interpreted that way. I was trying to suggest no more than one tryout per day, especially for new players. Those with tournament experience can likely take two tryouts per day. Taking into account that most clubs offer multiple opportunities to try out (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and others offer make up tryouts at the beginning of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday), there is time to try out for multiple clubs.

[Anonymous]

We are considering MOCO for our DD this year. We went to the parent meeting over the weekend and the vibe was good. I have a couple of questions for those who have been with MOCO for a while and for those who left MOCO for different reasons. Thank you in advance for any feedback.

One thing that stood out during the parent meeting was their focus on the player attitude. He suggested that they would not offer a spot to a star player with poor attitude. And that went even further to the parents attitude. The coach made the same point several times - life is too short to spend it with people you don't like. He envisions teams that are like extended families, who come together and support the players. How much of this reflects the reality inside MOCO teams? I was thinking that the perfect family doesn't exist (not even in movies) - fights often erupt even between the most pacifists amongst us. Now add a bunch of teenage girls into the mix, and that's a recipe for drama.

It was also apparent that quite a few of the coaches are parents, who tend to move up to keep coaching their kid's teams. I understand that some parents used to play volleyball and can do a good job coaching. It makes sense to use those skills in the club where your kid is playing. If it happens to coach their team, you have a good family schedule - same practices, same travel schedule. Coaching a different team would make less sense, unless the other team has exactly the same schedule (which is rarely the case). This is a question that came to mind during the meeting, but I didn't feel comfortable asking: what is the advantage of a player whose parent coaches the team? Has anyone had the experience where the coach played favorites with their kid? I am not interested in hearing that this is often the case (I am aware), my question is specific to MOCO.

[Anonymous]

We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

Last year I decided not to pay the MOCO tryout fee because it was significantly higher than that of other clubs. This year I was looking at the bigger picture: club fees are the biggest expense, so I will consider the tryout fee as water under the bridge. As long as the MD clubs charge decent club fees, I will overlook the tryout fee. At least we don't live in VA, where most clubs jacked up the prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

Last year I decided not to pay the MOCO tryout fee because it was significantly higher than that of other clubs. This year I was looking at the bigger picture: club fees are the biggest expense, so I will consider the tryout fee as water under the bridge. As long as the MD clubs charge decent club fees, I will overlook the tryout fee. At least we don't live in VA, where most clubs jacked up the prices.

Pretty much every club on the MD side is at $50+ for tryout fees now, at least all the bigger ones. In the grand scheme, paying a bit more to try out at clubs that are $1,000-$2,000 cheaper than other options is worth it. Now we just have to hope we make a team at one of those clubs...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

Went to 4 qualifiers last season and the cheapest entry fee was $35+fees. Nationals was $50+ fees. Cap Hill was $54. The bigger JVA tournaments are $30. So $50 may have been a little hyperbolic, but way more than $5-$10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

Went to 4 qualifiers last season and the cheapest entry fee was $35+fees. Nationals was $50+ fees. Cap Hill was $54. The bigger JVA tournaments are $30. So $50 may have been a little hyperbolic, but way more than $5-$10.

It means that you are in one of those elite circles, not on the regional circuit. I don't feel sorry for you because your DD must be really good at volleyball. Alternatively, your club is too ambitious and that would be a good reason to feel sorry for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

Went to 4 qualifiers last season and the cheapest entry fee was $35+fees. Nationals was $50+ fees. Cap Hill was $54. The bigger JVA tournaments are $30. So $50 may have been a little hyperbolic, but way more than $5-$10.

That is a lot of travel. Given the cost of flights, hotels, food, etc. entry fees are probably the least of your expenses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering MOCO for our DD this year. We went to the parent meeting over the weekend and the vibe was good. I have a couple of questions for those who have been with MOCO for a while and for those who left MOCO for different reasons. Thank you in advance for any feedback.

One thing that stood out during the parent meeting was their focus on the player attitude. He suggested that they would not offer a spot to a star player with poor attitude. And that went even further to the parents attitude. The coach made the same point several times - life is too short to spend it with people you don't like. He envisions teams that are like extended families, who come together and support the players. How much of this reflects the reality inside MOCO teams? I was thinking that the perfect family doesn't exist (not even in movies) - fights often erupt even between the most pacifists amongst us. Now add a bunch of teenage girls into the mix, and that's a recipe for drama.

It was also apparent that quite a few of the coaches are parents, who tend to move up to keep coaching their kid's teams. I understand that some parents used to play volleyball and can do a good job coaching. It makes sense to use those skills in the club where your kid is playing. If it happens to coach their team, you have a good family schedule - same practices, same travel schedule. Coaching a different team would make less sense, unless the other team has exactly the same schedule (which is rarely the case). This is a question that came to mind during the meeting, but I didn't feel comfortable asking: what is the advantage of a player whose parent coaches the team? Has anyone had the experience where the coach played favorites with their kid? I am not interested in hearing that this is often the case (I am aware), my question is specific to MOCO.

OP, I was also there for the parent meeting and had very similar thoughts. I really hope someone in MOCO can enlighten us on player attitude and parents as coaches. I worry about favoritism with the latter. (PS Try to register for a try out clinic with MOCO if you haven’t already).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

Went to 4 qualifiers last season and the cheapest entry fee was $35+fees. Nationals was $50+ fees. Cap Hill was $54. The bigger JVA tournaments are $30. So $50 may have been a little hyperbolic, but way more than $5-$10.

That is a lot of travel. Given the cost of flights, hotels, food, etc. entry fees are probably the least of your expenses.

I probably didn't articulate it very well, but my point was there are a lot of "small" costs in club volleyball that add up to big numbers if you think too hard about it. Tryout fees are just another drop in that seemingly bottomless bucket.

Yes, it is a lot of travel (22 hotel nights last season) and probably toward the upper extreme for CHRVA clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were also considering tryouts for MOCO but I’m sorry, $75 for the opportunity to tryout is just highway robbery.

High tryout fees and don't forget your kid needs to be coming to the pre-tryout clinics if they really want a shot at making a team.

Then once you make the team, it's $50+ to get into a convention center to watch your kid play, $80 tournament hoodies, overpriced acai bowls, and on and on.

Lots of complaining on these forums about club fees, but I think the death by a thousand cuts from everyone in the system charging $50+ at every turn is even worse.

$50 to get in the convention center happens rarely, but it does. Most tournaments will cost $5-$10. I don't want to imply that it is cheap because it all adds up (keep reading). We simply say no to most tournament merchandise because it is ridiculously expensive. There's room for only that many hoodies in the closet. The biggest expense besides the club fee is travel: you will need hotel rooms for multi-day tournaments.

Went to 4 qualifiers last season and the cheapest entry fee was $35+fees. Nationals was $50+ fees. Cap Hill was $54. The bigger JVA tournaments are $30. So $50 may have been a little hyperbolic, but way more than $5-$10.

That is a lot of travel. Given the cost of flights, hotels, food, etc. entry fees are probably the least of your expenses.

I probably didn't articulate it very well, but my point was there are a lot of "small" costs in club volleyball that add up to big numbers if you think too hard about it. Tryout fees are just another drop in that seemingly bottomless bucket.

Yes, it is a lot of travel (22 hotel nights last season) and probably toward the upper extreme for CHRVA clubs.

The question is: should we feel sorry for you, or your daughter is a very good volleyball player, who really benefits from all this travel? Given the level my daughter is at, I would not agree with this much travel because the local competition is good enough for her. I am actively trying to avoid clubs that do travel for the sake of travel - I prefer clubs that are mindful of the level their players are at and don't waste time and money.