Reply to Transition from club in 10th grade to other non-travel vball option?

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[quote=Anonymous]The choice she (and you) really comes down to two questions:

1) Is playing varsity volleyball in HS really important to her? 
2) If not, if she stops playing volleyball will it be a net positive for her in terms of time, personal development, school, college preparation and mental health?

Based on the information you shared it sounds like she wants the HS team but wants to move away from the club side.  If the HS team has future college players who are competing at a national level making the team could be very hard without keeping up with the talent level. Only you know your specific HS situation, but for most good teams unless you are incredibly athletic it is nearly impossible to keep up with other players who are putting in the time and effort to play a sport that they want to play. Player development really happens in club and losing hundreds of hours of coaching, practices and tournaments is very difficult to overcome.

If there really is a very good low-travel team she can make in your region then that might be the one option she has to keep her HS goal alive while reducing the time commitment. As a PP covered here in the DC area its a very viable option.  But leaving club altogether likely isn't.  The defining characteristic between a JV player at a very good HS program and a varsity player is often the amount of effort they put into the sport outside of HS.  And as you mentioned the coach expects "aggressive improvement", which definitely requires putting in the time and the appropriate level of play.

A lot of players who get to this point are really facing their real first "end of" decision. They've been playing volleyball a while, they've built a friend group and a routine around participation in club. When you ask them the direct question "is it time to move on to something else" they really aren't answering just the athletic question, they are answering the much larger question of "what does it mean if volleyball this isn't in my life any more?" While its a tough conversation it is a great life lesson.

Like most big decisions it helps to plan ahead. If she really wants to play HS varsity, then have a realistic conversation with her about what she thinks it will take to make the team and get meaningful playing time.  If she is OK leaving the sport, have a plan on what will fill the gap.  Then compare the two plans and see which one she feels is best for her.[/quote]

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