Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are you confident that playing time was driven by racism? There are parents and kids of all races who would tell you they believe this is also happening on their team: “some of our best players are on the bench, while others are exhausted from playing too much”.
But, not agreeing with the coaches decision, or believing everyone should have more playing time, that’s not the same thing, and it’s also pretty common depending on which club you are at.

I asked for recommendations and you are giving me a lecture about why it's probably not racism. Why?

NP. Ima guess it's because some white people are tired of all this race talk already.

This!

Plus no one else has experienced any racism on any volleyball team so we can't help you. VB is by far one of the most diverse sports out there besides mens basketball.

I’m a POC and my daughter has friends that are black, white, Asian and many other races. They will be trying out for U16 next year. My only advice is to go to clinics and try to get to know individual coaches. I’m sorry you experienced this what you did. We have not encountered this in volleyball BUT we have had more than one season with a terrible coach for different reasons.

It’s hard to get a spot on any team when they get older. It’s even harder to get a spot that’s a great fit, where your kid will get playing time, where they all get along and where your DD will be happy with good coaching. That’s what we all want.

Anonymous wrote:Our experience this year has been terrible. The team treats all the Asian and Black kids badly, and none plan on returning.

We would appreciate some suggestions for DMV clubs that might be better suited, especially for 15U and older teams. There are five kids total, most of whom live in Northern Virginia. Their skill levels range from average to advanced.

Where does the current team rank roughly? Top 10, 25th percentile, 50th percentile? That makes a big difference in club opportunities.

No way possible you will keep 5 players together that range from average to advance, and who would want that unless you’re playing for fun and just want to keep a group together.

As said x 2 so much diversity in this area the better question is the reverse - who to avoid for that reason (poor treatment of minorities). Takes a really honest person to share that publicly tho even if anonymous.

Start with rough estimate of ranking. Look at a few age groups to confirm that holds true then ask for feedback on the short list, look at social media for team pics, etc. Go to clinics and watch. Talk with coaches.

Still doesn’t mean you won’t get a bad apple coach or as some have implied you think you get a bad apple and it’s not really the issue.

Is this a troll post? The OP said they are looking at 15U and older teams, which is high school age. At that point, you would think they would already have some idea of the clubs in the region. Is the daughter even playing high school volleyball, or are they completely new to club volleyball?

As soon as you start talking about focusing on "developing the players" I know you are a newbie to all this. Club sports (every last one of them) do not exist to develop all players. Club sports are developing the best players (the top few players on each team) and then extracting fees from everyone else. If your kid isn't getting playing time just move them to a lower level team. Moving with 5 other players is not going to work. Just look for the best situation for your kid.

Anonymous wrote:I'm arguing with AI answers.

I don't think you are. This is just a really hard answer to offer because you aren't saying what club you need to get your kid away from.

Anonymous wrote:

NP. I would add that most of us probably have such diverse teams that OP's premise doesn't make sense. If the Black/Asian/Indian girls were benched on my DDs team, they wouldn't have enough white girls to field a team.

That sounds like what I am looking for. Can you recommend your team?

Same on my kids team - Metro

I'm arguing with AI answers.

If the concern is real, one practical approach may be to look at teams your daughter played against this season and identify which ones seemed to have the type of environment you are seeking. From there, you can research those clubs and attend summer clinics. That may give you a better feel for the coaching, team culture, level of competition, and whether your daughter’s skill level would be a good fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are you confident that playing time was driven by racism? There are parents and kids of all races who would tell you they believe this is also happening on their team: “some of our best players are on the bench, while others are exhausted from playing too much”.
But, not agreeing with the coaches decision, or believing everyone should have more playing time, that’s not the same thing, and it’s also pretty common depending on which club you are at.

I asked for recommendations and you are giving me a lecture about why it's probably not racism. Why?

NP. Ima guess it's because some white people are tired of all this race talk already.

NP indeed. Sounds like your player just isn’t that good. Blaming everything on racism may be easier on your ego, but I recommend finding a less competitive team that more closely matches your kid’s skill level.

Anonymous wrote:

NP. I would add that most of us probably have such diverse teams that OP's premise doesn't make sense. If the Black/Asian/Indian girls were benched on my DDs team, they wouldn't have enough white girls to field a team.

That sounds like what I am looking for. Can you recommend your team?

All of them.

NP. I would add that most of us probably have such diverse teams that OP's premise doesn't make sense. If the Black/Asian/Indian girls were benched on my DDs team, they wouldn't have enough white girls to field a team.

That sounds like what I am looking for. Can you recommend your team?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are you confident that playing time was driven by racism? There are parents and kids of all races who would tell you they believe this is also happening on their team: “some of our best players are on the bench, while others are exhausted from playing too much”.
But, not agreeing with the coaches decision, or believing everyone should have more playing time, that’s not the same thing, and it’s also pretty common depending on which club you are at.

I asked for recommendations and you are giving me a lecture about why it's probably not racism. Why?

NP. Ima guess it's because some white people are tired of all this race talk already.

NP. I would add that most of us probably have such diverse teams that OP's premise doesn't make sense. If the Black/Asian/Indian girls were benched on my DDs team, they wouldn't have enough white girls to field a team. Maybe OP ran into having a racist coach, but it's a pretty unusual scenario based on the volleyball teams I see. So basically my recommendation is any team that's not OPs team.

I am trying to think about it and I cannot think of one team we played this year so far that hasn't had racial diversity. A lot of the clubs I am aware of also have diversity among coaches. So in that way I can't think of any clubs at all in northern Virginia that do not value diversity.

My advice is to try clinics at different clubs over the summer. See who is in the gym, and see who the coaches are. You won't know who would be on the team until next season, but you will know if your kid feels a comfortable or not, and if they feel welcomed, and you will see and meet current players and families and get a sense from them, too.

Valuing diversity and welcoming all players is not the same as your question on development and play time. Some of the more competitive clubs will be incredibly opinionated about playing team, for better or worse. My advice is to first find a club through clinics that they feel comfortable in, then start asking questions about development and playing time. Find videos on YouTube or Hudl and see for yourself the substitution strategy, or not.

I will say that it will be hard for a group of 5 players to switch clubs together, unless it is an elite group of players. That is a really big group! I'm not sure if that is the goal the girls have or not, but each family should focus on putting their own kid in the best scenario for them.

If you are looking for specific clubs to check out, tell us where your DD is currently playing, and I think you will get more specific recommendations on clubs with potentially a different kind of culture than whoever you currently are. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are you confident that playing time was driven by racism? There are parents and kids of all races who would tell you they believe this is also happening on their team: “some of our best players are on the bench, while others are exhausted from playing too much”.
But, not agreeing with the coaches decision, or believing everyone should have more playing time, that’s not the same thing, and it’s also pretty common depending on which club you are at.

I asked for recommendations and you are giving me a lecture about why it's probably not racism. Why?

NP. Ima guess it's because some white people are tired of all this race talk already.