Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?



I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

I’m a parent of a short girl and don’t understand your reasoning. Yes, they may grow but significant growth of that kind is unlikely during one season. They tryout for clubs every year so of course they evaluate the girls where they are at any given point in time. There are clubs that value height over anything and my daughter doesn’t try out at them.

Are you only referring to picking a private school?

What clubs? (Parent of a girl who will not be tall.)

Virginia Elite. They will have 2 Ds that may be shorter.

DP. We aren’t going to Metro or Paramount tryouts either. My daughter is good but there will be so many at their tryouts. Lots will be really good and they won’t be looking at the 5’3 fully grown teen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?

I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

I’m a parent of a short girl and don’t understand your reasoning. Yes, they may grow but significant growth of that kind is unlikely during one season. They tryout for clubs every year so of course they evaluate the girls where they are at any given point in time. There are clubs that value height over anything and my daughter doesn’t try out at them.

Are you only referring to picking a private school?

What clubs? (Parent of a girl who will not be tall.)

Virginia Elite. They will have 2 Ds that may be shorter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?

I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

I’m a parent of a short girl and don’t understand your reasoning. Yes, they may grow but significant growth of that kind is unlikely during one season. They tryout for clubs every year so of course they evaluate the girls where they are at any given point in time. There are clubs that value height over anything and my daughter doesn’t try out at them.

Are you only referring to picking a private school?

What clubs? (Parent of a girl who will not be tall.)

Anonymous wrote:What is the reputation of MD Juniors?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?

I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

I’m a parent of a short girl and don’t understand your reasoning. Yes, they may grow but significant growth of that kind is unlikely during one season. They tryout for clubs every year so of course they evaluate the girls where they are at any given point in time. There are clubs that value height over anything and my daughter doesn’t try out at them.

Are you only referring to picking a private school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?

I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Are you going to choose a school based on who has the best volleyball games?

I understand how tall girls are preferable because it takes less effort to get it over the net and you can control where it goes better but they shouldn’t look at height in 12 year olds. A tall 12 year old might have already got her period so her growth is almost done at 5’4”. Another 12 year old is short but hasn’t really started puberty yet so she might end up tall.

Anonymous wrote:With the high school season coming soon, anyone know what’s going on with Flint Hill? DD was looking at private school and we were informed that FH is no longer a good choice if volleyball is important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What people don’t realize is if you are super tall and athletic (that Metro 16 team has 6 or 7 players who are 6’2” or taller, and a couple who are 6’4”+), the club doesn’t even have to do anything for the recruiting. Those players could play on the worst club team in the area and they would still end up at those same schools. Those players are self-recruitable. For example, the player who committed to Baylor is 6’3” and touches 10’8”. There are probably only five athletes in the entire country with those metrics. This player could have played anywhere in the CHRVA Region and she still would have ended up at Baylor. This player also didn’t join Metro until her U15 season. Moreover, its important for parents to do their due diligence by checking who actually developed those kids when they commit, meaning did these kids who are committing play for a club since they were U13, or did they come over when they were in high school? The club that developed that player should get the credit for that player’s commitment/development. For example, the two best players on Metro’s 18s team this past season, a Georgia Tech commit and a PSU commit, were developed at other clubs and went over to Metro late. The PSU commit played for MVSA at U13-U14, and VAJRS for U15-U16. The GT commit played at Paramount from U12-U15. Who should get the credit for those players’ development?

Lots of truth here. Players with certain physical attributes and athletic ability that can't be taught are going to be recruited regardless of who they play for. The 2025 PSU commit you mentioned is pushing 6'4" and is also incredibly athletic (in addition to getting lots of attention because of her parents' athletic achievements) and would likely have been noticed regardless of what club she played for (although you missed her 12s year that she played for Metro Central).

As far as whether another club should get the "credit" for players who started at other clubs and end up at Metro either just before (or even after) they commit is kind of a flawed premise. Most volleyball players who start at age 10 or 11 will play for several clubs over the course of their club careers. If they are a CHRVA player and are exceptional or recognized as having a lot of potential, they often end up on a Metro Travel or Paramount team. Over the course of the 6+ years that many of these recruited athletes play prior to being recruited and committing, they will likely have many coaches (club, high school, private lessons, etc.). It's the combination of all this coaching and experiences that help a player develop so I don't think it's realistic for a single person or entity (other than the player themselves) to take credit for the success. There are tons of great coaches and clubs that are training good volleyball players in our region and they don't always get the recognition they deserve, either because they coach younger kids or because their club isn't as competitive and their best players go elsewhere at some point.

Of course all of these clubs are small businesses that want to use the successes of their athletes as a promotional tool, so it's not surprising to see clubs proudly announcing when one of their players commits. But I agree, it's not really accurate for Metro or Paramount to claim sole responsibility for a player's commitment. That said, for a variety of reasons the best players in CHRVA tend to end up at a handful of CHRVA clubs by about age 16 and when those players commit to play collegiately, those clubs will take credit.

The best one was when Paramount poached a player from Monument who had just committed to VA Tech, announced it as one of their commits in the website, only for the kid to be poached by metro, who in turn announced it as one of their commits (then proceeded to never play the kid). Volleyball in this area is nuts sometimes.

While I understand the frustration from a team/club that loses its better players to another club, the use of the word "poach" suggests that Paramount or Metro is doing something unethical when they recruit a player from another club. Assuming they are following the CHRVA recruiting rules. I don't really see the issue with a club trying to get a good player to join their club. And in many instances, it's the player who is looking to play on a stronger team that tries out for another club rather than the club seeking out particular players.

Also, for a player that is already committed, I have heard of situations where a college coach will tell the committed athlete to play their 17s and/or 18s year at a stronger club to get higher level experience before they come to college. While there are plenty of good coaches and teams in our region that offer good training, only a handful play in the open division at national qualifiers against the best players in the country. Getting that experience (both in tournaments and perhaps more importantly, at practice) will better prepare a player to hit the ground running in college.

Anonymous wrote:Platform is an up and coming club that shares venues with MVSA. Positive coaching and seems to have decent court IQ for CHRVA and for a smaller and newer club.