Let us pick a volleyball club for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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).

Thanks for the advice, we already participated in their tryout clinics. They were good and I hope the team practices will be equally good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

Thank you! Volleyball has become her passion and it's been very rewarding to watch her achieve her goal and we are looking forward to the next chapter. I totally agree that the drive needs to come from the player - we provided support and guidance, but left it up to her to set the tone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

Thank you! Volleyball has become her passion and it's been very rewarding to watch her achieve her goal and we are looking forward to the next chapter. I totally agree that the drive needs to come from the player - we provided support and guidance, but left it up to her to set the tone.

+1 well done. More importantly, its great you let the drive come from the player. Its still amazing to me how many parents are focused on "I have to get my players into the best club" and "I want my player to play in college", rather than "I want my player to decide if she wants to play for the best club or in college".

Its all about finding the club that fits your player the best, and then working hard and hopefully getting the opportunity to play for them. Just because a club wins or travels a lot or puts players into college programs doesn't mean they are the best fit for your player. In fact, a lot of parents force their DC to chase those programs with no understanding of what they are getting into and little to no chance of getting a spot on one of their teams. Its great to hear from families that started the other way: learn to love the game, develop the skills needed to compete and then chase a higher level club knowing that your DC really wants it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

Thank you! Volleyball has become her passion and it's been very rewarding to watch her achieve her goal and we are looking forward to the next chapter. I totally agree that the drive needs to come from the player - we provided support and guidance, but left it up to her to set the tone.

+1 well done. More importantly, its great you let the drive come from the player. Its still amazing to me how many parents are focused on "I have to get my players into the best club" and "I want my player to play in college", rather than "I want my player to decide if she wants to play for the best club or in college".

Its all about finding the club that fits your player the best, and then working hard and hopefully getting the opportunity to play for them. Just because a club wins or travels a lot or puts players into college programs doesn't mean they are the best fit for your player. In fact, a lot of parents force their DC to chase those programs with no understanding of what they are getting into and little to no chance of getting a spot on one of their teams. Its great to hear from families that started the other way: learn to love the game, develop the skills needed to compete and then chase a higher level club knowing that your DC really wants it.

I am the PP whose DD is not very driven and we are looking for a regional team this season. Even with a more significant drive, it is unlikely that she would be recruited for college because she is not tall enough. In a way we are content because playing in college may affect her academics (I heard that it is difficult to keep up with both sports and coursework). Volleyball can take you only that far, good grades will take you further (if you really deserve them). I am not saying that you can't do both, it's just harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

Thank you! Volleyball has become her passion and it's been very rewarding to watch her achieve her goal and we are looking forward to the next chapter. I totally agree that the drive needs to come from the player - we provided support and guidance, but left it up to her to set the tone.

+1 well done. More importantly, its great you let the drive come from the player. Its still amazing to me how many parents are focused on "I have to get my players into the best club" and "I want my player to play in college", rather than "I want my player to decide if she wants to play for the best club or in college".

Its all about finding the club that fits your player the best, and then working hard and hopefully getting the opportunity to play for them. Just because a club wins or travels a lot or puts players into college programs doesn't mean they are the best fit for your player. In fact, a lot of parents force their DC to chase those programs with no understanding of what they are getting into and little to no chance of getting a spot on one of their teams. Its great to hear from families that started the other way: learn to love the game, develop the skills needed to compete and then chase a higher level club knowing that your DC really wants it.

I am the PP whose DD is not very driven and we are looking for a regional team this season. Even with a more significant drive, it is unlikely that she would be recruited for college because she is not tall enough. In a way we are content because playing in college may affect her academics (I heard that it is difficult to keep up with both sports and coursework). Volleyball can take you only that far, good grades will take you further (if you really deserve them). I am not saying that you can't do both, it's just harder.

As far as regionally focused teams, where are you generally located? Might be best to narrow recommendations/experiences based on what clubs might be convenient for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No need for sympathy. I am very proud of my DD. She is a very talented player that started at a more mid-tier club many years ago and worked hard to move up to a top team. We knew what we were getting into in terms of travel and it helped her to reach her goal - she has committed to play in college.

That's an amazing accomplishment, congratulations to your daughter! In your case, that was money well spent (I guess). It makes a huge difference if they are driven and they want to excel. My DD likes the game, but she is not that driven, so we will try to stick with regional teams. She would likely not make an elite team anyway, so it is not a difficult choice.

Thank you! Volleyball has become her passion and it's been very rewarding to watch her achieve her goal and we are looking forward to the next chapter. I totally agree that the drive needs to come from the player - we provided support and guidance, but left it up to her to set the tone.

+1 well done. More importantly, its great you let the drive come from the player. Its still amazing to me how many parents are focused on "I have to get my players into the best club" and "I want my player to play in college", rather than "I want my player to decide if she wants to play for the best club or in college".

Its all about finding the club that fits your player the best, and then working hard and hopefully getting the opportunity to play for them. Just because a club wins or travels a lot or puts players into college programs doesn't mean they are the best fit for your player. In fact, a lot of parents force their DC to chase those programs with no understanding of what they are getting into and little to no chance of getting a spot on one of their teams. Its great to hear from families that started the other way: learn to love the game, develop the skills needed to compete and then chase a higher level club knowing that your DC really wants it.

I am the PP whose DD is not very driven and we are looking for a regional team this season. Even with a more significant drive, it is unlikely that she would be recruited for college because she is not tall enough. In a way we are content because playing in college may affect her academics (I heard that it is difficult to keep up with both sports and coursework). Volleyball can take you only that far, good grades will take you further (if you really deserve them). I am not saying that you can't do both, it's just harder.

As far as regionally focused teams, where are you generally located? Might be best to narrow recommendations/experiences based on what clubs might be convenient for you.

We already have a plan in place. We could make the top team in second-tier clubs, but we won't try out for those clubs. We are looking for the 2nd or 3rd team in a better club - there will be enough competition to challenge our DD, but no pretense that we are part of a national level team. Which translates in more local tournaments and less travel for the sake of traveling.

[Anonymous]

NP here and new to the VB scene. My head is spinning a bit trying to understand the landscape. DD is new to VB this year, played JV as a freshman on an average team, ok player. Not looking to play in college. Might be interested in playing off season to keep up skills but looking for the lowest time commitment. Maybe a bottom tier club or rec league. Are there opportunities to play on Sundays somewhere? Weekdays are pretty busy. We are ETOP DC.

[Anonymous]

correction - EOTP DC

[Anonymous]

The tryout time overlap is problematic. It might help a lot of us to know: Which clubs are doing invite-only clinics for U14 and up?

Definitely yes: Metro Travel, Mojo, Paramount, VA Juniors. (have done invite clinics for years & continue to)

Does anyone know if these clubs are doing invite clinics this year:
Columbia, MDJrs, MVSA, MOCO, Loudon Elite, VAE, others?

TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The tryout time overlap is problematic. It might help a lot of us to know: Which clubs are doing invite-only clinics for U14 and up?

Definitely yes: Metro Travel, Mojo, Paramount, VA Juniors. (have done invite clinics for years & continue to)

Does anyone know if these clubs are doing invite clinics this year:
Columbia, MDJrs, MVSA, MOCO, Loudon Elite, VAE, others?

TIA

I know this is at the lower tier, but No Panic ran some invite-only clinics, X-Factor did something at least for 15s (not sure about other age groups).

[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.

For a U15 girl who made varsity but whose skills are more aligned with JV (ha, they needed her position) what would qualify as stretch, safety etc? In Maryland. Never done club. Academy? MD Juniors? MoCo? We’ve crossed MVSA off our list because she wouldn’t make it. I want to be sure that there’s at least one she could make. I am taking these cautionary tales to heart! Thank you, seriously. And, what if we didn’t do a pre-tryout clinic- should we just forget it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The tryout time overlap is problematic. It might help a lot of us to know: Which clubs are doing invite-only clinics for U14 and up?

Definitely yes: Metro Travel, Mojo, Paramount, VA Juniors. (have done invite clinics for years & continue to)

Does anyone know if these clubs are doing invite clinics this year:
Columbia, MDJrs, MVSA, MOCO, Loudon Elite, VAE, others?

TIA

My DD is also U14. She's done many clinics at Metro, Paramount, VAE, VAJrs, and Loudoun Elite. Of that list, she is only targeting the last two for tryouts and yes, both VA Juniors and Loudoun Elite have invite clinics. VAE prides itself on not holding invite clinics as they like to say they are open to all. The last VAE U14 clinic was a joke - almost 90 mins of scrimmage where coaches weren't even giving feedback or watching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The tryout time overlap is problematic. It might help a lot of us to know: Which clubs are doing invite-only clinics for U14 and up?

Definitely yes: Metro Travel, Mojo, Paramount, VA Juniors. (have done invite clinics for years & continue to)

Does anyone know if these clubs are doing invite clinics this year:
Columbia, MDJrs, MVSA, MOCO, Loudon Elite, VAE, others?

TIA

MOCO hosted invite-only clinics, but they were very transparent about their approach (which they clarified even further during the parent meeting). Everyone was able to indicate their availability by signing up for invite-only clinics that fit their schedule. They used that information to invite no more that 26 players per session. They emphasized that parents / players should not read too much into whether they got invites to all the sessions they signed up for. They wanted to give everyone a chance to be seen and work with their coaches. Some of them were invited to multiple sessions if they had enough space. To give a chance to other players to be seen, some players were not invited to all the sessions they signed up for.