Message
False alarm on VAJRS ... maybe. (Or someone quickly updated their website)
Per https://www.vajuniors.com/page/show/1453430-club-information:
There's now another Black and Blue scrimmage for the 15s - 17s on March 16, with all teams slated for Bid Regionals the following weekend. It also appears that the 16s and 17s are going to Show Me instead of MEQ.
I'm pretty certain that wasn't what was posted earlier in October. Oh well. I updated the spreadsheet.
...
Are National Harbor and Capital Hill "enough" to satisfy the regional tournament requirement for Bid Regionals. I only see one other local event for the 15s (in March, no less) and one for the 18s. My kid has been on the other end of not having enough local events played to enter Bid Regionals.
Per https://www.vajuniors.com/page/show/1453430-club-information:
There's now another Black and Blue scrimmage for the 15s - 17s on March 16, with all teams slated for Bid Regionals the following weekend. It also appears that the 16s and 17s are going to Show Me instead of MEQ.
I'm pretty certain that wasn't what was posted earlier in October. Oh well. I updated the spreadsheet.
...
Are National Harbor and Capital Hill "enough" to satisfy the regional tournament requirement for Bid Regionals. I only see one other local event for the 15s (in March, no less) and one for the 18s. My kid has been on the other end of not having enough local events played to enter Bid Regionals.
Ha! Thanks. I had started a thread about the spreadsheet (https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1230731.page ... now on Page 2), but I figured it must not have garnered much interest.
Anyway, good luck to everyone trying out this weekend and next. And my apologies to all the bank accounts that are about to take a hit! LOL!
Anyway, good luck to everyone trying out this weekend and next. And my apologies to all the bank accounts that are about to take a hit! LOL!
Unless some updates have been posted since I started that spreadsheet, it seems that VAJRS is not planning on having any teams in the 15s-to-18s range attend CHRVA Bid Regionals. The 16s and 17s might be going to Indianapolis instead. It seems like it would be easier to complete for a bid (even if we're "only" talking National/American/Freedom divisions) within the region than trying to get something at a qualifier. What's the reasoning here?
Speaking of qualifiers, the posted schedules had two Paramount teams going to five qualifiers. Seems like a lot ... especially if one of those weekends is in Reno. Metro18s are also going to 5 qualifiers.
Speaking of qualifiers, the posted schedules had two Paramount teams going to five qualifiers. Seems like a lot ... especially if one of those weekends is in Reno. Metro18s are also going to 5 qualifiers.
Look at what facilities are being used by Maryland clubs versus those in Virginia. More public schools on one side of the river vs. private schools, churches, club-owned/maintained facilities. Sure, it's not that clear cut, but it can explain some instances.
In no way am I suggesting that players at Paramount (regardless of the team) are NOT deserving of the playing time they got during the season. I just wanted to inform anyone interested that some players travelled to qualifiers last season (multiple events, perhaps) and did not get on the court. So, players and families have to have realistic expectations given the expenses involved. This is a "business" decision for family ... and likely isn't unique to players considering any club that attracts players at the highest level.
Here's another story that may be worth sharing ... and one that I did NOT independently confirm. A Paramount player reached out to a college coach ahead of time to share her team's Triple Crown NIT court schedule. (The player knew that the college coach would also be at the event.) I believe (but again, I cannot confirm) that the Paramount coach was made aware that this college coach would be at the court for the opportunity to see the player in competition. The college coach showed up while Paramount was on the court, but the player was never put into the match.
...
Someone also mentioned the Paramount team that got an Open bid to USAV last season. Without going back and checking results (it looks like AES has already flushed some things), I think that team got the Open bid at a qualifier later in the season (NEQ, maybe?). That team did not make it to the Gold bracket (well, not in the top 4) at that event. However, because five of the top eight or so finishers had already earned Open bids at previous qualifiers, the bids trickled down to the three teams remaining in the top eight that didn't already have an Open bid. Since those "newly-qualified" teams were all getting Open bids, I don't even think the Silver bracket matches were even played. The Gold matches were played. Someone please correct me if my facts are wrong. Nonetheless, that Paramount team had to be good enough to even get to that point. That team just didn't get the Open bid with a top 3 finish at a qualifier.
Here's another story that may be worth sharing ... and one that I did NOT independently confirm. A Paramount player reached out to a college coach ahead of time to share her team's Triple Crown NIT court schedule. (The player knew that the college coach would also be at the event.) I believe (but again, I cannot confirm) that the Paramount coach was made aware that this college coach would be at the court for the opportunity to see the player in competition. The college coach showed up while Paramount was on the court, but the player was never put into the match.
...
Someone also mentioned the Paramount team that got an Open bid to USAV last season. Without going back and checking results (it looks like AES has already flushed some things), I think that team got the Open bid at a qualifier later in the season (NEQ, maybe?). That team did not make it to the Gold bracket (well, not in the top 4) at that event. However, because five of the top eight or so finishers had already earned Open bids at previous qualifiers, the bids trickled down to the three teams remaining in the top eight that didn't already have an Open bid. Since those "newly-qualified" teams were all getting Open bids, I don't even think the Silver bracket matches were even played. The Gold matches were played. Someone please correct me if my facts are wrong. Nonetheless, that Paramount team had to be good enough to even get to that point. That team just didn't get the Open bid with a top 3 finish at a qualifier.
I figured that it was just the coaches all voting for the best players they got to see during the season. So, pure stats never really come into the picture as a criterion. Granted, the best players should have the better/best stats, but hustle doesn't always bear itself out in numbers.
I do believe that All-Region selections start with the pool of All-District selections, so there is at least a minimum bar to meet for an All-Region selection.
I do believe that All-Region selections start with the pool of All-District selections, so there is at least a minimum bar to meet for an All-Region selection.
I'm coming off of one season at Paramount, where my kid was on one of the higher-performing teams ... playing for one of the more "excitable" coaches at the club. This was my kid's second year of club volleyball, but we had heard a wide range of things about this coach and the club. We were somewhat prepared.
I don't know if this happens with every team at high-level club, but the coach definitely had some favorite players on that team. As a result, there were some entire weekends where a handful of players did not play at all. Flying from DC to Florida, Missouri, Atlanta, etc. and staying in hotels makes for quite the family expense only to have your kid not even get on the court during a single match. While my kid wasn't a starter, she did get on the court in nearly every set the team played last season.
I will add that having a player at Paramount gave us access to better/"closer-in" hotels during some tournament weekends than what we had experienced the year prior at another club. Having only to walk two blocks to the tournament venue vs. driving 20+ minutes and having to park at a convention center can make a world of difference. Forget something in the hotel room? No problem! I'll grab it and be back in 10 minutes! You won't do that if it requires driving and there isn't anything convenient nearby ... and open on a three-day holiday weekend. (SpotHero is still a go-to resource for me when I need it!)
As I hinted, this particular coach can have an outburst at any time, but **I** never heard any cursing or constant berating of a particular player during practices or matches. If anything, the bench players or a ref might get an earful during match ... and yes, there are some refs that won't play that game. With the coach having some favorite players, there would never be anything negative directed at any of them. When a set/match got way out-of-hand (thankfully, didn't happen repeatedly), seeing the coach effectively give up and just sit on the bench isn't the kind of energy or motivation the players need at that moment. If the team isn't performing as expected during a practice, I'm sure there will be a few extra sprints thrown in.
Heading into this upcoming season, I've heard from other Paramount parents (involved with other teams). They've shared some of the things that their player's coaches have said to players during matches last season and prior. There were definitely some things that crossed the line for me. So, I'm not going to pretend that kind of thing doesn't happen at this club. I'm just thankful that I didn't observe it for myself ... and I hope that my player didn't have to directly endure anything like that.
The only observation that I can offer on the Metro/Paramount dynamic is that it seems many of the parents know each other, perhaps from years on opposing (or the same) sidelines. Things might get loud when the clubs face each other on the court, but as soon as the match is over, I'll see parents chatting it up like old friends. I've also heard a Metro coach or two get mouthy with a ref. Certainly doesn't happen at every Metro match I've seen, so it may only be one or two coaches that occasionally act out a little.
Beyond that, I can only offer a useless spreadsheet to help folks navigate tryouts over the next few weeks.
Hopefully, it will help someone get a better "lay of the land" that is CHRVA.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1230731.page
I don't know if this happens with every team at high-level club, but the coach definitely had some favorite players on that team. As a result, there were some entire weekends where a handful of players did not play at all. Flying from DC to Florida, Missouri, Atlanta, etc. and staying in hotels makes for quite the family expense only to have your kid not even get on the court during a single match. While my kid wasn't a starter, she did get on the court in nearly every set the team played last season.
I will add that having a player at Paramount gave us access to better/"closer-in" hotels during some tournament weekends than what we had experienced the year prior at another club. Having only to walk two blocks to the tournament venue vs. driving 20+ minutes and having to park at a convention center can make a world of difference. Forget something in the hotel room? No problem! I'll grab it and be back in 10 minutes! You won't do that if it requires driving and there isn't anything convenient nearby ... and open on a three-day holiday weekend. (SpotHero is still a go-to resource for me when I need it!)
As I hinted, this particular coach can have an outburst at any time, but **I** never heard any cursing or constant berating of a particular player during practices or matches. If anything, the bench players or a ref might get an earful during match ... and yes, there are some refs that won't play that game. With the coach having some favorite players, there would never be anything negative directed at any of them. When a set/match got way out-of-hand (thankfully, didn't happen repeatedly), seeing the coach effectively give up and just sit on the bench isn't the kind of energy or motivation the players need at that moment. If the team isn't performing as expected during a practice, I'm sure there will be a few extra sprints thrown in.
Heading into this upcoming season, I've heard from other Paramount parents (involved with other teams). They've shared some of the things that their player's coaches have said to players during matches last season and prior. There were definitely some things that crossed the line for me. So, I'm not going to pretend that kind of thing doesn't happen at this club. I'm just thankful that I didn't observe it for myself ... and I hope that my player didn't have to directly endure anything like that.
The only observation that I can offer on the Metro/Paramount dynamic is that it seems many of the parents know each other, perhaps from years on opposing (or the same) sidelines. Things might get loud when the clubs face each other on the court, but as soon as the match is over, I'll see parents chatting it up like old friends. I've also heard a Metro coach or two get mouthy with a ref. Certainly doesn't happen at every Metro match I've seen, so it may only be one or two coaches that occasionally act out a little.
Beyond that, I can only offer a useless spreadsheet to help folks navigate tryouts over the next few weeks.
Hopefully, it will help someone get a better "lay of the land" that is CHRVA.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1230731.page
Does the link in the very first sentence of the first post not work for you?
Here's a 2024-2025 CHRVA Clubs spreadsheet (Google Sheets) ...
The funky web design means you have to click through from the preceding page:
https://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm (just click the Search button)
https://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm (just click the Search button)
I have a high school junior pursuing recruitment options in another sport.
Generally, NCAA Division I (and maybe Division II) schools cannot make contact with a potential recruit until June 15th at the end of the sophomore year. I don't think Division III schools have that "limitation."
We're still trying to convince our athlete that she may not be "all-world" caliber, so we are getting her to focus on potential majors (which she has done) and then start looking at schools with that major and are somewhat competitive in her sport. Also start compiling lists of reach, target, and safety schools that match the major-and-sport combination. Your athlete can start reaching out to the coaching staff at those schools, even though the staff may not be able to respond due to NCAA requirements.
We did sign on for a limited engagement with a sport-specific recruiting service ($1K-ish) ... and NOT NCSA. It's still early ... and we're now in a quiet period until February or so, the fun will only ramp up again in the late winter/spring.
Generally, NCAA Division I (and maybe Division II) schools cannot make contact with a potential recruit until June 15th at the end of the sophomore year. I don't think Division III schools have that "limitation."
We're still trying to convince our athlete that she may not be "all-world" caliber, so we are getting her to focus on potential majors (which she has done) and then start looking at schools with that major and are somewhat competitive in her sport. Also start compiling lists of reach, target, and safety schools that match the major-and-sport combination. Your athlete can start reaching out to the coaching staff at those schools, even though the staff may not be able to respond due to NCAA requirements.
We did sign on for a limited engagement with a sport-specific recruiting service ($1K-ish) ... and NOT NCSA. It's still early ... and we're now in a quiet period until February or so, the fun will only ramp up again in the late winter/spring.
Paramount (one year) parent here ... with no affiliation to Legacy.
I don't think it is appropriate to ask for justification of club fees during Legacy's Meet the Coaches meeting. I am not trying to say that PP's question is completely invalid, it just does not seem appropriate for that meeting's intended purpose. I'm going to guess that the director's contact information is posted on the their website. If you really want to know that info, PP could reach out and report back to us.
I'll admit that part of me also wonders if PP's search for the club's fee structure information is a bit disingenuous. It's a new club with three or four teams setting up shop in NoVA (probably not the cheapest place to start a club). They may ultimately field teams that are quite successful ... or the teams may fare poorly against teams inside and outside of CHRVA. (And, honestly, wins and losses shouldn't be the sole metric by which teams/coaches/clubs are judged!) Since PP's club priorities seem to lie elsewhere ... or they would have asked such questions already, is the PP asking their preferred clubs for fee structure info? If so, please share the findings with the rest of us!
Other club teams in the high-school age range are charging similar fees without a significant track record of success (see Loudoun Elite, DMV Elite, The St. James, MOJO, etc.) ... as far as I can tell. Does PP feel that those club fees are justified? I don't know how comparable Paramount's fees were when the club entered the market in 2015. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. Is anyone complaining about their fees now? In the end, the market will decide whether or not any club's fees are outrageous or just right. No one is forcing any family to become a paying customer.
I don't think it is appropriate to ask for justification of club fees during Legacy's Meet the Coaches meeting. I am not trying to say that PP's question is completely invalid, it just does not seem appropriate for that meeting's intended purpose. I'm going to guess that the director's contact information is posted on the their website. If you really want to know that info, PP could reach out and report back to us.
I'll admit that part of me also wonders if PP's search for the club's fee structure information is a bit disingenuous. It's a new club with three or four teams setting up shop in NoVA (probably not the cheapest place to start a club). They may ultimately field teams that are quite successful ... or the teams may fare poorly against teams inside and outside of CHRVA. (And, honestly, wins and losses shouldn't be the sole metric by which teams/coaches/clubs are judged!) Since PP's club priorities seem to lie elsewhere ... or they would have asked such questions already, is the PP asking their preferred clubs for fee structure info? If so, please share the findings with the rest of us!
Other club teams in the high-school age range are charging similar fees without a significant track record of success (see Loudoun Elite, DMV Elite, The St. James, MOJO, etc.) ... as far as I can tell. Does PP feel that those club fees are justified? I don't know how comparable Paramount's fees were when the club entered the market in 2015. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. Is anyone complaining about their fees now? In the end, the market will decide whether or not any club's fees are outrageous or just right. No one is forcing any family to become a paying customer.
Is MVSA exclusively a volleyball operation? Does the organization get any funding from Montgomery Village government or business sponsors?
Anyway, I just searched ProPublica for non-profit organizations with the search term "Volleyball" and narrowed the search to Virginia, Maryland, and DC. The site came back with 62 organizations:
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/search?sort=-recent_annual_revenue&state%5B%5D=VA&state%5B%5D=MD&state%5B%5D=DC&q=Volleyball&submit=Apply
Focusing on 2022-2023 revenue, here are the top entities:
Richmond Volleyball Club
$3,856,776
Maryland Juniors Volleyball Club Inc
$3,043,768
Northern Virginia Volleyball Association
$2,243,005
Tidewater Volleyball Association
$2,132,023
Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association
$1,075,979
Virginia Elite Volleyball Club Inc
$953,382
...
Frederick Volleyball Club Juniors Inc — Favor
$603,648
...
Bay Area Volleyball Of Md Inc
$495,479
...
Columbia Volleyball Club Inc
$448,464
...
I'm not an expert in deciphering the documents, but I'll let you folks glean what you can.
Anyway, I just searched ProPublica for non-profit organizations with the search term "Volleyball" and narrowed the search to Virginia, Maryland, and DC. The site came back with 62 organizations:
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/search?sort=-recent_annual_revenue&state%5B%5D=VA&state%5B%5D=MD&state%5B%5D=DC&q=Volleyball&submit=Apply
Focusing on 2022-2023 revenue, here are the top entities:
Richmond Volleyball Club
$3,856,776
Maryland Juniors Volleyball Club Inc
$3,043,768
Northern Virginia Volleyball Association
$2,243,005
Tidewater Volleyball Association
$2,132,023
Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association
$1,075,979
Virginia Elite Volleyball Club Inc
$953,382
...
Frederick Volleyball Club Juniors Inc — Favor
$603,648
...
Bay Area Volleyball Of Md Inc
$495,479
...
Columbia Volleyball Club Inc
$448,464
...
I'm not an expert in deciphering the documents, but I'll let you folks glean what you can.
What about employee benefits for full-time staff and insurance for the entire organization? I don't know how many clubs have non-profit status, but I'd assume that those that don't have that status likely have taxes to pay as well ... just like any other business.
It looks like boys tryouts started last weekend and end today.
https://www.chrva.org/page/show/3927272-chrva-boys-volleyball
If I had seen noticed the tryout dates earlier, I would have tried to incorporate some of that info.
Here is the full list of CHRVA clubs. I have no idea if roster slots on any boys teams are still open:
https://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm (just click the Search button)
https://www.chrva.org/page/show/3927272-chrva-boys-volleyball
If I had seen noticed the tryout dates earlier, I would have tried to incorporate some of that info.
Here is the full list of CHRVA clubs. I have no idea if roster slots on any boys teams are still open:
https://www.chrvajuniors.org/juniors/contacts_clubs/clubs_search.cfm (just click the Search button)
Has MVSA posted the events where its teams will compete? I cannot find this info on their website.
I think I've got information on a few clubs at every age group on the spreadsheet. I'm going back now to fill in clubs that weren't in the initial set. Feel free to add more as info becomes available.
I think I've got information on a few clubs at every age group on the spreadsheet. I'm going back now to fill in clubs that weren't in the initial set. Feel free to add more as info becomes available.