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Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I disagree with this view. Metro and Paramount are not just a bigger screen TV, or a more expensive car, or a bigger house. I can buy any of those if I have enough money, or I can make poor financial decisions to buy them when I cannot afford them. That's where you are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Metro and Paramount are selective - you make it in not because you have plenty of money, but because you are talented and put in the effort. No matter how much money I have, I cannot get a spot on Metro or Paramount for my DD who is short (in volleyball standards) and doesn't work for it.

Ok, maybe the Joneses was not the best analogy. My point doesn't have to do with money (all of these clubs are too expensive). It is the idea that some parents are too competitive and not content with their DD at a mid or lower level club volleyball team and always pushing their kid to move higher and higher.

Some kids are really going for a scholarship or are naturally super competitive. In those cases, follow their lead, but otherwise its just good to play volleyball with people at the same skill level and not get all wrapped up on being on the best team like it is a status symbol or something.

I am guilty of pushing my kid. If I throw so much money at club volleyball, I want to see that my kid tries to improve her game. I know that she won't make Metro or Paramount (so I am not trying to keep up with those Joneses), but I feel that she should at least try. I want her to practice at home, go to the gym to show me that she is doing something to earn her spot on a club team. But I do understand: if you are already a Jones, of course you just throw your money and let your kid do whatever she wants.

If she having fun? Is she making friends? Is her self confidence and personal development improving? Those are the reasons to play club volleyball for most people IMHO. If the answer is no then maybe time to move to another activity

Spoken like a true Jones: I can afford to throw money at stuff. Let's see who can keep up with me.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I disagree with this view. Metro and Paramount are not just a bigger screen TV, or a more expensive car, or a bigger house. I can buy any of those if I have enough money, or I can make poor financial decisions to buy them when I cannot afford them. That's where you are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Metro and Paramount are selective - you make it in not because you have plenty of money, but because you are talented and put in the effort. No matter how much money I have, I cannot get a spot on Metro or Paramount for my DD who is short (in volleyball standards) and doesn't work for it.

Ok, maybe the Joneses was not the best analogy. My point doesn't have to do with money (all of these clubs are too expensive). It is the idea that some parents are too competitive and not content with their DD at a mid or lower level club volleyball team and always pushing their kid to move higher and higher.

Some kids are really going for a scholarship or are naturally super competitive. In those cases, follow their lead, but otherwise its just good to play volleyball with people at the same skill level and not get all wrapped up on being on the best team like it is a status symbol or something.

I am guilty of pushing my kid. If I throw so much money at club volleyball, I want to see that my kid tries to improve her game. I know that she won't make Metro or Paramount (so I am not trying to keep up with those Joneses), but I feel that she should at least try. I want her to practice at home, go to the gym to show me that she is doing something to earn her spot on a club team. But I do understand: if you are already a Jones, of course you just throw your money and let your kid do whatever she wants.

If she having fun? Is she making friends? Is her self confidence and personal development improving? Those are the reasons to play club volleyball for most people IMHO. If the answer is no then maybe time to move to another activity

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I disagree with this view. Metro and Paramount are not just a bigger screen TV, or a more expensive car, or a bigger house. I can buy any of those if I have enough money, or I can make poor financial decisions to buy them when I cannot afford them. That's where you are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Metro and Paramount are selective - you make it in not because you have plenty of money, but because you are talented and put in the effort. No matter how much money I have, I cannot get a spot on Metro or Paramount for my DD who is short (in volleyball standards) and doesn't work for it.

Ok, maybe the Joneses was not the best analogy. My point doesn't have to do with money (all of these clubs are too expensive). It is the idea that some parents are too competitive and not content with their DD at a mid or lower level club volleyball team and always pushing their kid to move higher and higher.

Some kids are really going for a scholarship or are naturally super competitive. In those cases, follow their lead, but otherwise its just good to play volleyball with people at the same skill level and not get all wrapped up on being on the best team like it is a status symbol or something.

I am guilty of pushing my kid. If I throw so much money at club volleyball, I want to see that my kid tries to improve her game. I know that she won't make Metro or Paramount (so I am not trying to keep up with those Joneses), but I feel that she should at least try. I want her to practice at home, go to the gym to show me that she is doing something to earn her spot on a club team. But I do understand: if you are already a Jones, of course you just throw your money and let your kid do whatever she wants.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I think part of the reason for the trend of mediocre clubs traveling more is an attempt to become more competitive. Clubs like MOCO, St James, American, MOJO, etc aspire to be nationally competitive, like Metro Travel or Paramount. The traveling to multiple qualifiers and multi day tournaments seems to me to be some kind of “fake it ‘til you make it” situation, with the rationale being that a team/player will get better by playing better competition. While that is probably true to a degree, without a history of competitive and recruiting success, these clubs are not attracting high enough caliber players to really compete at the highest level nationally. Training and experience count for a lot, but the top clubs have both good training and are able to attract taller and more athletic players with a higher ceiling.

I’ve also seen the argument that the travel is a perk for the coaches and club leadership and that might be true too.

I have my reasons not to like MOCO, but I will defend it here. You cannot place it in the "mediocre" category at this point. Once they earned some bids for the nationals, you have to give them some credit. You can talk about their bottom teams as being mediocre, but those teams don't travel as extensively as their top teams. I have a major beef with our current club, which takes us places as if we were competitive.

PP here. Maybe mediocre wasn’t the best word choice and I do give MOCO credit for continuing to improve over time, but I don’t consider them nationally competitive. Even within CHRVA, they only had 3 teams that qualified for bid regionals last season and two of those teams went 0-3 at regionals. Making bid regionals means those teams are within the top 20 or so within the region, so that is better than mediocre, but I still wouldn’t consider them among the top CHRVA clubs across the board.

To be fair, I just looked and their tournament schedule is more practical than other clubs that don’t perform as well. Generally, other than nationals (USAV or AAU) the tournaments their 1s teams attend are within driving distance (e.g., Richmond, Spooky Nook, Pittsburgh), so at least they don’t have teams flying to Orlando or Dallas to end up in flight 3 on the 3rd day of a qualifier.

So I revise my earlier list - MOCO does not belong on a list of clubs that are traveling too much only to get crushed by teams from other parts of the country.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I disagree with this view. Metro and Paramount are not just a bigger screen TV, or a more expensive car, or a bigger house. I can buy any of those if I have enough money, or I can make poor financial decisions to buy them when I cannot afford them. That's where you are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Metro and Paramount are selective - you make it in not because you have plenty of money, but because you are talented and put in the effort. No matter how much money I have, I cannot get a spot on Metro or Paramount for my DD who is short (in volleyball standards) and doesn't work for it.

Ok, maybe the Joneses was not the best analogy. My point doesn't have to do with money (all of these clubs are too expensive). It is the idea that some parents are too competitive and not content with their DD at a mid or lower level club volleyball team and always pushing their kid to move higher and higher.

Some kids are really going for a scholarship or are naturally super competitive. In those cases, follow their lead, but otherwise its just good to play volleyball with people at the same skill level and not get all wrapped up on being on the best team like it is a status symbol or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New U14 club volleyball player. Average height, average skills. Tried out for 5 mid and low level regional or second club teams according to rankings in Northern VA. Went to a few clinics beforehand, nothing major. DD was not invited to any "invite only" clinics. In the end, received two offers, one alternate offer, rejection from another on Monday, never heard back from another until after deadline with a more general notice that all teams were filled. I'm not going to get into specific clubs but just want to say there is hope for those who are told how impossible it is to make a club team.

My advice is to be realistic, don't bother trying out for national/open teams on your first try, and do your homework on each club. Try to accurately assess your DD's skills compared to other girls. Its difficult to not be biased but its so important in order to provide the direction they need navigating this crazy scene. Lower level clubs with multiple teams are a great way to go. Some clubs added third U14 teams (Mojo, X-Factor) so that probably helped the overall pool too.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my ability to target 5 realistic clubs made a big difference. DD didn't get the club we thought she would get, but we cast a wide-enough net to get another. Not wasting finite tryout time on the best or national clubs was key even though we considered "taking a shot, who knows what can happen?" at one or two of the top clubs. Would've been a waste of valuable tryout time.

Of course, the main reason is that the kiddo gave it everything she had in terms of effort. After watching some but not all of the tryouts, I was amazed at how much she improved just during the tryouts. The tryout entry fee is easily more valuable than any individual clinic.

Tryouts are scary for young kids. I was worried about the pressure and potential disappointment. But the growth and confidence building of the process was amazing to see and, after all, that is the reason most of us are in this, right?

You do deserve a pat on your back if you figured it all out by yourself. If you learned that on this forum, we will pat ourselves on our backs, but also congratulate you for following the advice. It is hard to be realistic when you are trying to assess your own kid's skills any you know nothing about volleyball.

I literally read every DCUM volleyball post but also took all the advice with a "grain of salt." We don't have any friends with club volleyball experience and our only other resource was the high school coach who I proactively reached out to for advice on what clubs she thought made the most sense. I was very worried about not being invited to private clinics and seeing 100+ girls at tryouts. There were indeed 100 girls trying out for some of these teams but somehow it mostly works out I think. Not everyone makes the club they want, but there are clubs for pretty much everyone if you are realistic. Best DCUM posts were specifically ranking the club teams but the most difficult questions had to do with the *popularity* of certain clubs i.e. what are my *chances* to make the team? What I learned generally is its about location. Teams with locations closer to higher population and more convenient locations tend to have more girls trying out.

This is great to hear because I personally make every effort to help others new to volleyball avoid the mistakes that I made when I started. I am curious though: looking back at the advice you received here, can you think of something that was accurate, but you thought it needed a big grain of salt? Or something that you took at the face value, which turned out it needed a grain of salt?

Thank you and others and for this message board. I'm not aware of any other resource to find this information. This isn't something you can find with ChatGPT or Google.

I take criticism of individual clubs with a "grain of salt." Sometimes this can be a disgruntled parent writing multiple posts, or someone being manipulative to move others away from a particular club. I look for good reasons and a little evidence. Lot of criticism of Virginia Elite and Mojo on here that I don't think is grounded in reality for example. But to be honest the most important question for a club newbie is likely - what is the tier of club teams in my driving area where my DD has a chance? Tough to answer without an accurate assessement of your skill level and a list of clubs on respective tiers and number of teams at each level for those clubs.

Now, the worst thing on these message threads is trying to weed through those Paramount vs. Metro discussions. So annoying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I think part of the reason for the trend of mediocre clubs traveling more is an attempt to become more competitive. Clubs like MOCO, St James, American, MOJO, etc aspire to be nationally competitive, like Metro Travel or Paramount. The traveling to multiple qualifiers and multi day tournaments seems to me to be some kind of “fake it ‘til you make it” situation, with the rationale being that a team/player will get better by playing better competition. While that is probably true to a degree, without a history of competitive and recruiting success, these clubs are not attracting high enough caliber players to really compete at the highest level nationally. Training and experience count for a lot, but the top clubs have both good training and are able to attract taller and more athletic players with a higher ceiling.

I’ve also seen the argument that the travel is a perk for the coaches and club leadership and that might be true too.

I have my reasons not to like MOCO, but I will defend it here. You cannot place it in the "mediocre" category at this point. Once they earned some bids for the nationals, you have to give them some credit. You can talk about their bottom teams as being mediocre, but those teams don't travel as extensively as their top teams. I have a major beef with our current club, which takes us places as if we were competitive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I disagree with this view. Metro and Paramount are not just a bigger screen TV, or a more expensive car, or a bigger house. I can buy any of those if I have enough money, or I can make poor financial decisions to buy them when I cannot afford them. That's where you are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Metro and Paramount are selective - you make it in not because you have plenty of money, but because you are talented and put in the effort. No matter how much money I have, I cannot get a spot on Metro or Paramount for my DD who is short (in volleyball standards) and doesn't work for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New U14 club volleyball player. Average height, average skills. Tried out for 5 mid and low level regional or second club teams according to rankings in Northern VA. Went to a few clinics beforehand, nothing major. DD was not invited to any "invite only" clinics. In the end, received two offers, one alternate offer, rejection from another on Monday, never heard back from another until after deadline with a more general notice that all teams were filled. I'm not going to get into specific clubs but just want to say there is hope for those who are told how impossible it is to make a club team.

My advice is to be realistic, don't bother trying out for national/open teams on your first try, and do your homework on each club. Try to accurately assess your DD's skills compared to other girls. Its difficult to not be biased but its so important in order to provide the direction they need navigating this crazy scene. Lower level clubs with multiple teams are a great way to go. Some clubs added third U14 teams (Mojo, X-Factor) so that probably helped the overall pool too.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my ability to target 5 realistic clubs made a big difference. DD didn't get the club we thought she would get, but we cast a wide-enough net to get another. Not wasting finite tryout time on the best or national clubs was key even though we considered "taking a shot, who knows what can happen?" at one or two of the top clubs. Would've been a waste of valuable tryout time.

Of course, the main reason is that the kiddo gave it everything she had in terms of effort. After watching some but not all of the tryouts, I was amazed at how much she improved just during the tryouts. The tryout entry fee is easily more valuable than any individual clinic.

Tryouts are scary for young kids. I was worried about the pressure and potential disappointment. But the growth and confidence building of the process was amazing to see and, after all, that is the reason most of us are in this, right?

You do deserve a pat on your back if you figured it all out by yourself. If you learned that on this forum, we will pat ourselves on our backs, but also congratulate you for following the advice. It is hard to be realistic when you are trying to assess your own kid's skills any you know nothing about volleyball.

I literally read every DCUM volleyball post but also took all the advice with a "grain of salt." We don't have any friends with club volleyball experience and our only other resource was the high school coach who I proactively reached out to for advice on what clubs she thought made the most sense. I was very worried about not being invited to private clinics and seeing 100+ girls at tryouts. There were indeed 100 girls trying out for some of these teams but somehow it mostly works out I think. Not everyone makes the club they want, but there are clubs for pretty much everyone if you are realistic. Best DCUM posts were specifically ranking the club teams but the most difficult questions had to do with the *popularity* of certain clubs i.e. what are my *chances* to make the team? What I learned generally is its about location. Teams with locations closer to higher population and more convenient locations tend to have more girls trying out.

This is great to hear because I personally make every effort to help others new to volleyball avoid the mistakes that I made when I started. I am curious though: looking back at the advice you received here, can you think of something that was accurate, but you thought it needed a big grain of salt? Or something that you took at the face value, which turned out it needed a grain of salt?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New U14 club volleyball player. Average height, average skills. Tried out for 5 mid and low level regional or second club teams according to rankings in Northern VA. Went to a few clinics beforehand, nothing major. DD was not invited to any "invite only" clinics. In the end, received two offers, one alternate offer, rejection from another on Monday, never heard back from another until after deadline with a more general notice that all teams were filled. I'm not going to get into specific clubs but just want to say there is hope for those who are told how impossible it is to make a club team.

My advice is to be realistic, don't bother trying out for national/open teams on your first try, and do your homework on each club. Try to accurately assess your DD's skills compared to other girls. Its difficult to not be biased but its so important in order to provide the direction they need navigating this crazy scene. Lower level clubs with multiple teams are a great way to go. Some clubs added third U14 teams (Mojo, X-Factor) so that probably helped the overall pool too.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my ability to target 5 realistic clubs made a big difference. DD didn't get the club we thought she would get, but we cast a wide-enough net to get another. Not wasting finite tryout time on the best or national clubs was key even though we considered "taking a shot, who knows what can happen?" at one or two of the top clubs. Would've been a waste of valuable tryout time.

Of course, the main reason is that the kiddo gave it everything she had in terms of effort. After watching some but not all of the tryouts, I was amazed at how much she improved just during the tryouts. The tryout entry fee is easily more valuable than any individual clinic.

Tryouts are scary for young kids. I was worried about the pressure and potential disappointment. But the growth and confidence building of the process was amazing to see and, after all, that is the reason most of us are in this, right?

You do deserve a pat on your back if you figured it all out by yourself. If you learned that on this forum, we will pat ourselves on our backs, but also congratulate you for following the advice. It is hard to be realistic when you are trying to assess your own kid's skills any you know nothing about volleyball.

I literally read every DCUM volleyball post but also took all the advice with a "grain of salt." We don't have any friends with club volleyball experience and our only other resource was the high school coach who I proactively reached out to for advice on what clubs she thought made the most sense. I was very worried about not being invited to private clinics and seeing 100+ girls at tryouts. There were indeed 100 girls trying out for some of these teams but somehow it mostly works out I think. Not everyone makes the club they want, but there are clubs for pretty much everyone if you are realistic. Best DCUM posts were specifically ranking the club teams but the most difficult questions had to do with the *popularity* of certain clubs i.e. what are my *chances* to make the team? What I learned generally is its about location. Teams with locations closer to higher population and more convenient locations tend to have more girls trying out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

I think part of the reason for the trend of mediocre clubs traveling more is an attempt to become more competitive. Clubs like MOCO, St James, American, MOJO, etc aspire to be nationally competitive, like Metro Travel or Paramount. The traveling to multiple qualifiers and multi day tournaments seems to me to be some kind of “fake it ‘til you make it” situation, with the rationale being that a team/player will get better by playing better competition. While that is probably true to a degree, without a history of competitive and recruiting success, these clubs are not attracting high enough caliber players to really compete at the highest level nationally. Training and experience count for a lot, but the top clubs have both good training and are able to attract taller and more athletic players with a higher ceiling.

I’ve also seen the argument that the travel is a perk for the coaches and club leadership and that might be true too.

Anonymous wrote:New U14 club volleyball player. Average height, average skills. Tried out for 5 mid and low level regional or second club teams according to rankings in Northern VA. Went to a few clinics beforehand, nothing major. DD was not invited to any "invite only" clinics. In the end, received two offers, one alternate offer, rejection from another on Monday, never heard back from another until after deadline with a more general notice that all teams were filled. I'm not going to get into specific clubs but just want to say there is hope for those who are told how impossible it is to make a club team.

My advice is to be realistic, don't bother trying out for national/open teams on your first try, and do your homework on each club. Try to accurately assess your DD's skills compared to other girls. Its difficult to not be biased but its so important in order to provide the direction they need navigating this crazy scene. Lower level clubs with multiple teams are a great way to go. Some clubs added third U14 teams (Mojo, X-Factor) so that probably helped the overall pool too.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my ability to target 5 realistic clubs made a big difference. DD didn't get the club we thought she would get, but we cast a wide-enough net to get another. Not wasting finite tryout time on the best or national clubs was key even though we considered "taking a shot, who knows what can happen?" at one or two of the top clubs. Would've been a waste of valuable tryout time.

Of course, the main reason is that the kiddo gave it everything she had in terms of effort. After watching some but not all of the tryouts, I was amazed at how much she improved just during the tryouts. The tryout entry fee is easily more valuable than any individual clinic.

Tryouts are scary for young kids. I was worried about the pressure and potential disappointment. But the growth and confidence building of the process was amazing to see and, after all, that is the reason most of us are in this, right?

You do deserve a pat on your back if you figured it all out by yourself. If you learned that on this forum, we will pat ourselves on our backs, but also congratulate you for following the advice. It is hard to be realistic when you are trying to assess your own kid's skills any you know nothing about volleyball.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD has a teammate from Academy on her JV team. Her mom was telling us that she likes Academy so much that she won't try out anywhere else. I didn't have the heart to tell her that this would be a big mistake. She will likely grow, but not at the same rate as the players in more competitive clubs: that's simply because her teammates will not be very competitive and that will slow her development. Volleyball-wise, we are in a very competitive high school and she will likely not make the Varsity team next year (she won't have the chance to play JV again because she will be a junior).

This is not necessarily true and depends on the kid. I have a kid on a "lower" club who also loves her team. She eats, sleeps, and breathes volleyball. She played all summer, every fall clinic, private lessons, etc. that she could find, practices at home, and has improved exponentially.

Any player can advance exponentially with that commitment and resources like private coaching. But throw those resources at her when she is in on more competitive team and you will see an even steeper growth. Mine is the type that likes to play with her team, but she is doing very little outside practice. Getting her on a better team would help a lot (her team is not that good). But with her current skills, she would need a miracle to get an offer for a better team. We are in a vicious cycle: get an offer on a mediocre team, play with mediocre teammates, avoid practice outside club, improve at a relatively lower rate, then repeat.

Sounds like it’s best to follow the lead of the player. There is nothing wrong with a “mediocre” club. Too many parents on here (not necessarily you) trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just have fun playing a great sport!

There is plenty wrong with our mediocre club. We travel as if we are a higher level team and waste a lot of time and money in the process. The amount of effort that my DD puts into her "favorite" sport is too minimal to justify the amount we are paying for club volleyball.

I don't really understand your comment about keeping up with the Joneses. Aren't the Joneses the rich folks who throw money at everything (including volleyball)? If you don't want to keep up with the Joneses, you stop wasting money on volleyball. Following the lead of the player would be the equivalent of keeping up with the Joneses. The player doesn't understand the value of money that goes into volleyball (even though she knows the dollar amount). She wants to pretend that she plays competitive volleyball without having to put any effort into it. My concern is that every year she keeps being rewarded with a new season of club volleyball despite putting so little effort into it. I think she already learned that the rewards are coming her way no matter what. It's pretty sad for me to realize how much I sheltered her.

No- in this scenario the Joneses are Paramount and Metro.

New U14 club volleyball player. Average height, average skills. Tried out for 5 mid and low level regional or second club teams according to rankings in Northern VA. Went to a few clinics beforehand, nothing major. DD was not invited to any "invite only" clinics. In the end, received two offers, one alternate offer, rejection from another on Monday, never heard back from another until after deadline with a more general notice that all teams were filled. I'm not going to get into specific clubs but just want to say there is hope for those who are told how impossible it is to make a club team.

My advice is to be realistic, don't bother trying out for national/open teams on your first try, and do your homework on each club. Try to accurately assess your DD's skills compared to other girls. Its difficult to not be biased but its so important in order to provide the direction they need navigating this crazy scene. Lower level clubs with multiple teams are a great way to go. Some clubs added third U14 teams (Mojo, X-Factor) so that probably helped the overall pool too.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think my ability to target 5 realistic clubs made a big difference. DD didn't get the club we thought she would get, but we cast a wide-enough net to get another. Not wasting finite tryout time on the best or national clubs was key even though we considered "taking a shot, who knows what can happen?" at one or two of the top clubs. Would've been a waste of valuable tryout time.

Of course, the main reason is that the kiddo gave it everything she had in terms of effort. After watching some but not all of the tryouts, I was amazed at how much she improved just during the tryouts. The tryout entry fee is easily more valuable than any individual clinic.

Tryouts are scary for young kids. I was worried about the pressure and potential disappointment. But the growth and confidence building of the process was amazing to see and, after all, that is the reason most of us are in this, right?

Anonymous wrote:Just a brutal tryout weekend for 12U, a lot of movements and surprises. How about 13 and 14 ? Heard the competition was high for those age groups as well. It was our second year and first year was not that bumpy.

First year sk I have nothing to compare it to but my friends who have gone through this before said it was rough. My DD has a number of friends who are still without teams and are going to do rec and clinics. This is the U12-U14 ranges. My DD made a team thankfully. As someone noted earlier, MD jrs had over 150 at their elite tryout and over 100 at their regional. I really wish that there was something between club and rec for these kids.