Anonymous wrote:So what is the point of having open tryouts, except for a money grab? Why not just invite who you want from the clinics and then have call backs? It's just dishonest

Money grab might be a part of it, but open tryouts are required by USAV and CHRVA and formal written offers are not allowed prior to the open tryout period. DD is starting her 7th season of club volleyball and we’ve been through the tryout process many times with several clubs and have come to like the fall clinics model.

I certainly understand the frustration, especially if you’re new to club volleyball, but if you stop and think about it, the pre-tryout clinics that most clubs run throughout the fall are to everyone’s benefit. Imagine having to choose a team with a max of 15 players from 100 girls across several courts that you don’t know and have only seen play for 1.5-2 hours in a one time tryout in a chaotic gym? The clinics allow coaches to get to know players over the course of several sessions. If your player has a bad day or is new to volleyball but has lots of potential, coaches would probably not select them out of a single tryout but might give greater consideration if they get the chance to know them at clinics. The clinics also allow you and your player to get to know the coaches and clubs. Clubs have different philosophies and cultures and the clinics are a good way to get some sense of what playing at that club might be like.

FWIW, getting an offer from being seen only at a tryout does happen but it’s not the norm, especially for older age groups. For most kids, trying out for club volleyball really starts months before tryouts. To make a competitive team, a player needs to be seen by that club as many times as possible ahead of tryouts.

Is basketball or soccer tryouts different? Volleyball is the only sport my DD has ever tried out for.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

I don’t know about Mojo, but most clubs for the grades 14 and up have an idea of some of the girls who will be on their rosters already because they will have had them at their club the previous year(s). If they know particular girls, sometimes for years, it seems more than fair that they would want them back. Or sometimes someone blows their mind out at tryout clinics, so they know that they want them.

So what is the point of having open tryouts, except for a money grab? Why not just invite who you want from the clinics and then have call backs? It's just dishonest

How was everyone's tryouts tonight?

Anonymous wrote:We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

I don’t know about Mojo, but most clubs for the grades 14 and up have an idea of some of the girls who will be on their rosters already because they will have had them at their club the previous year(s). If they know particular girls, sometimes for years, it seems more than fair that they would want them back. Or sometimes someone blows their mind out at tryout clinics, so they know that they want them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

Also, Mojos tryout fee was pretty high compared to others. I saw the director talking to individual girls at clinics on the sideline. No doubt she was recruiting

I see that the 14s makeup and 15s-16s tryouts are in Rockville. That's a long drive to not get an offer.

Anonymous wrote:We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

Also, Mojos tryout fee was pretty high compared to others. I saw the director talking to individual girls at clinics on the sideline. No doubt she was recruiting

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have input on DMV Elite 16s?

The DMV Elite teams are Vienna Elite top teams that play in the really competitive open division. If your daughter is ready for that competition, then it's a good place to go.

I'm sorry. I meant the coaches.

He also coaches Riverside HS, which is 24-0 this season that just won the District regular and tournament. They are now playing in the regional Final to advance to state.


https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy4bck9J4X2/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have input on DMV Elite 16s?

The DMV Elite teams are Vienna Elite top teams that play in the really competitive open division. If your daughter is ready for that competition, then it's a good place to go.

I'm sorry. I meant the coaches.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have input on DMV Elite 16s?

The DMV Elite teams are Vienna Elite top teams that play in the really competitive open division. If your daughter is ready for that competition, then it's a good place to go.

Does anyone have input on DMV Elite 16s?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone gone to the invite only clinics with Renaissance?

We went to the invites for ECP and Mojo (which was a joke). But did it not get one for Renaissance. So not sure if they had any.

What happened at Mojo?

What's going on with Mojo? Why do people feel it's "a joke"?

I believe someone already commented about this in previous posts but you could clearly tell they catered to the ECP girls and had their teams already.

Anonymous wrote:We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

My DD is a solid player and she definitely got a similar vibe. DD also said one girl in her assigned group refused to swap positions with her during rotations - despite coaches instructing to do so- even though the player (an OH) was weak and could not get it over the net, so it made the entire group look weak. My DD was not pleased bc she didn’t get the chance to show her level of ability. We are not sure about trying out there anymore and will look at Vienna, VAVA and MetroSouth instead. Also considering Renaissance.

We went to a Mojo clinic and I'm not sure whether it's even worth going to their tryout.

Was it just me, or did anyone else feel like their rosters are already set? Is Mojo just a money grab?

Agree with PP -- too many players in one space & not much coaching.

Maybe MOCO, Vienna, or MVSA are better options this year?

We just signed up for Vienna tryouts for our kids.

My DD played for MOCO for several seasons and had a generally positive experience. With respect to teams having "mean girls", these are groups of mostly teenage girls and mini-cliques and "mean girl" behavior exist to some degree on almost any team, including MOCO. Hopefully coaches and other responsible adults intervene before things become harmful. As with any club, there is variability between the quality of coaching and players between age groups and teams, but overall MOCO is a solid club with competitive teams.

I'm guessing that the rise in popularity of volleyball and the fact that MOCO is one of the few clubs who practices in MD inside the Beltway and is convenient to NW DC has resulted in the number of athletes being interested in the club increasing as well. The predictable result of this is that MOCO should have more skilled players to select for their teams meaning they will be more competitive. The flip side of course is that if you're DD is new to volleyball or less skilled than her peers, the likelihood of making a team goes down. Also, like any club that's been around for awhile, there are core groups of players who've been together on a team for several seasons who understandably will make up a large portion of the players that get offers this year meaning only a few spots are truly open on many teams.

Best of luck to everyone at tryouts this weekend!