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[quote=Anonymous][quote=FPYCparent]Let's see if I can keep this short (well, I failed ... apologies in advance!)

DD1 started club/travel soccer in 3rd grade with a mid-level team here in NoVA.  She remained with the team through the fall season of 9th grade (there is no spring club season at the mid/low level as it competes with HS soccer here in VA).  DD2 is six years younger.

DD1 joined a co-ed middle school VB team in 8th grade (first full year back in the buildings aftetr COVID) as a part of an FCPS pilot. She loved it and proceeded to play two rec seasons (winter and spring, I think) that had little conflicts with club soccer.

She asked if she could try out for a HS team in 9th grade.  We discussed the matter before financially committing to club soccer (typically, a year-long commitment) and agreed that if she was going to try out for VB ... or anything else, she might as well do it in 9th grade.  In the worst case, she makes a team and doesn't like it ... allowing her to return to soccer in 10th grade.  She ends up earning a spot on the JV VB team and we managed to navigate only one or two conflicts with club soccer during the fall of her 9th grade year (she missed one or two soccer practices and no games).  To be fair, her HS hasn't been strong in VB for years ... and perhaps her years of soccer provided enough of an athletic base for her to "excel" in VB at her school as a relatively new player.

As the first HS season winds down, some of the JV parents started asking if she's been playing club VB.  Having been in club soccer for years, we were like "Wait?  Are you saying there is club VB too?"  We never knew!  Many of the HS players were playing at one nearby low-level VB club.  We met one of the coaches at a HS game and proceeded to attend a few clinics with that club.  Another club spotted her at a JV match and invited her to some clinics as well.  After a minimal amount of research, we also checked out clinics at one more club (with the middle school team coach).  Somehow, we managed to have her try out at all three clubs during the same weekend as a soccer tournament (yeah ... not doing that again).  She got offers from all three VB clubs and we let her choose which one she wanted (all three options were within our logistical and financial reach).

So, for the first six months of 2023, DD1 played at the Open level and the entire family is exposed to high-level club VB life.  DD1 is now addicted.  She has no plans to return to soccer as long as it conflicts with VB (she really wishes she could do both sports ... at a high level.  If only she didn't have to go to class and learn something not related to VB.).  She even got a name-only mention in PrepDig during the AAU Nationals in Orlando (team didn't get a USAV bid).  We got her into a few VB camps over the summer (including a full week of sleep-over camps out at JMU).  DD1 continues raising some eyebrows, but she cannot fully engage with colleges until after 10th grade.  Did I mention she tries to watch/stream every D-I college VB match she can find?  She knows many collegiate players on top 25 teams by name.  She's also making her own highlight videos and posting them on YouTube.  (I learned to record matches during the preceding club season.  Yes, I am [i]that[/i] guy!)

This year, she's on varsity at her HS (one of three sophs) and is a starter.  As of last night, the team has already won more matches that it did all of last season.  DD1 is now only looking at top-flight VB clubs and we have a spreadsheet to plot how we'll get her in front of club coaches before the tryout weekend.  She's got two invite-only clinics (one is from last year's club) coming up and is still seeking more.  Right now, we don't anticipate that she'll choose to go back to the old club ... assuming she has worthy tryout performances at "better/higher-level" clubs in November.

Meanwhile, DD2 is far more artsy that DD1, but is perfectly content with rec soccer.  She's similarly athletic as DD1, and is technically playing soccer a year up.  However, she has no desire to jump to club/travel soccer ... or volleyball.  (She's tall enough to get asked regularly if she plays VB.)

So, yes, club VB is a madhouse here in NoVA (just wait until you see tryout weekend!), but it can be done within a family of 4 (dual-income ... none from home, two kids).

And for anyone counting pennies, we've spent more on VB in one year than we did in six years of soccer.  We're well into five-figures for a single year of club VB.

Pay for each pre-tyout clinic?  Yep!
Pay for each summer camp?  Yep!
Pay for each tyouts  Yep!
Pay for CHRVA and AAU memberships?  Yep!
Pay for the uniforms that may only get used for one year?  Yep!
Pay the mid-four-figures in club fees?  Yep!
Oh, you need new shoes ... and knee pads ... and too-short shorts?  Stank Sticks?  A club-branded backback?  A ball?  Yep!
What about out-of-state travel ... including flights, vehicle rentals, meals, and hotels?  YEP![/quote]

This will help a lot of parents get a better sense of the club landscape! Thank you! I know you mentioned invite-only clinics above... I think those are one of the worst parts of club volleyball. Are most of the top clubs in our area running secret invite-only clinics? I know VaJRs does.[/quote]

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