CLUB VOLLEYBALL: A PRIMER

The following guide is solely the opinion of the Garfield coaching staff--and is open to modification as new information becomes available. Anyone considering club volleyball should seek several opinions, particularly from players and their parents. Please note: Garfield Assistant Coach Jack Hamann is an (unpaid) member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Volleyball Academy (WVBA).

CLUB VOLLEYBALL

For tens of thousands of high school girls across the nation, volleyball does not end at the conclusion of the high school season. During the past decade, hundreds of private volleyball clubs have formed in every state. Club volleyball—also known as Juniors—is now a very big deal in many parts of the country, including Washington.

Tryouts for Puget Sound-area club volleyball teams begin each year in early November.

WHO SHOULD PLAY CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

Club volleyball is not for everyone. For many girls, club is an exciting, challenging way to improve skills and make new friends. For others, it can be a difficult or frustrating experience. While we recommend that everyone go through the tryout process for two or more clubs, we hope each of you makes a reasoned decision before deciding which club to play for, or even whether you should play at all.

Frankly, club works best for girls who LOVE to play volleyball. The journey from club tryouts to season-ending tournaments is often littered with detours, surprises and a few disappointments. Girls who meet the inevitable challenges head-on and learn from their experiences often end up better volleyball players. On the other hand, girls who play club because they think they HAVE to—even though they may not really WANT to—often end up unhappy. Consider this fair notice.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

The high school varsity volleyball season lasts just ten weeks (slightly longer when the team makes the playoffs). Club gives girls an opportunity to play organized volleyball from December through May (and even longer for elite teams). In most cases, the extra time gives players a chance to dramatically improve their skills. Top clubs can give players the chance to test their abilities against teams from around the nation.

Other specific benefits:

FITNESS. Many teenage athletes find it tough to keep exercising once their high school season ends. Some retreat to the couch in front of the television, others let their eating habits slip. Club players usually make a greater effort to stay in shape year round.

FRIENDSHIPS. Most girls who play club develop close bonds with girls from other high schools. Some of these friendships last for years, and can make playing high school matches against club-mates more fun (and makes the overall competition far friendlier). Elite clubs travel together, and learn a lot about responsibility and independence.

ACADEMICS. Dozens of studies have demonstrated a strong connection between athletic commitment and academic success. At Garfield, our volleyball players consistently maintain some of the highest grades in the state, and most end up at top colleges and universities. Usually, volleyball forces girls to organize their time, and avoid long stretches of procrastination. Many club teammates are also top scholars, and an obvious “good” influence.

COLLEGE. More than one thousand colleges and universities have women’s volleyball programs. Schools which offer athletic scholarships do their recruiting primarily during club season. While smaller programs consider girls who have not played club, it is pretty much a requirement for the most competitive schools at the Division I (UW, WSU, UCLA, etc.), Division II (WWU, SPU, Seattle U, etc.) and Division III (PLU, Whitman, etc.) levels.

WHAT ARE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

Some clubs are much better-run than others. Problem is, it isn’t always possible to know in advance which clubs will soar and which will sink.

Poorly-run clubs have a larger share of inexperienced or inappropriate (e.g. bad-tempered) coaches—although bad coaches can surface anywhere in any sport at any level. The best clubs have strong administrators who have experience handling money and travel schedules, and who have great skills communicating with parents. Clubs with weak administrators are often wracked with misunderstandings and dissent.

A few other specific problems:

PLAYING TIME. Unlike high school volleyball, parents spend hundreds—even thousands—of dollars for their daughter’s club experience, and nothing causes more frustration and resentment than discovering that their daughter is not getting the playing time they think she deserves. This is not unique to club or even to volleyball, but it can cause a lot of tension unless players, parents, coaches and club administrators have a reasonable understanding about the club’s philosophy in advance, and allow girls to develop their own skills for communicating—and negotiating—with their coaches. Frankly, some girls who are “superstars” at 14 are on the sidelines at 17, and vice versa.

TRANSPORTATION. Most clubs practice at least two nights a week, and there are usually an average of two weekend tournaments a month from mid-January to mid-May. For parents of girls who do not yet drive, this can be a significant commitment. Many families make the regrettable decision to choose an inferior club because it is closer to home—only to end up wondering why they spent all that money for a team of comparatively low quality. As more girls from Garfield (and other Seattle public schools) play club, there are greater opportunities for carpooling, and more chances to expand your geographic reach.

TIME CONFLICTS. Garfield offers many outstanding extracurricular activities. Conflicts with concerts, plays, field trips, etc. are absolutely inevitable, and can create a certain amount of stress. Conflicts with club volleyball can, however, provide an excellent opportunity for girls to learn to make difficult choices, negotiate compromises and juggle busy schedules with grace and humor.

WHAT KIND OF CLUBS ARE OUT THERE?

In general, clubs fall into three categories. The “elite” clubs actively recruit the region’s best athletes, and usually attend the top tournaments throughout the region. For younger girls in all categories, most tournaments are in the Seattle area, with a few overnight trips to places like Yakima, Spokane or Portland. Elite teams for older girls (10th, 11th & 12th grade) also travel to places like Las Vegas, Reno, Denver and beyond, and try to earn a spot in the “Junior Olympics”, the national championships for club volleyball. Elite teams try to attract the best coaches, often have access to more college recruiters and generally charge more for their programs than other categories of clubs (approximately $2,500-$3,500/season). A disproportionate number of all-league and all-state players are members of elite clubs. In the King/Pierce/Snohomish metropolitan area, the elite programs are generally considered to be Washington Volleyball Academy (WVBA) [located north of Lake Washington], KJ Volleyball Club [Kent], Puget Sound Volleyball Club [Fife] and Sudden Impact [Redmond].

The “midrange” clubs also like to have top players, but may not be as aggressive in their recruitment. Some of these clubs are up-and-coming, and strive to join the elite group sometime soon. Others are content to work with players who love volleyball but may not have the skills or desire to be all-league some day. Still others are simply muddle along, and may be on their way down. In our opinion, midrange clubs should make an effort to enter most of their teams in the wonderful end-of-June volleyball festival in Reno (formerly known as the Davis, CA Volleyball Festival). The Festival—with over 10,000 teenage girls participating—is billed as the largest annual sporting event in the world. Midrange clubs can be slightly less expensive ($1,200-$2,500). In our region, Cascade Volleyball Club [Ballard] is a popular choice for many Volleydogs. Other midrange clubs in our area include Wahine [Burien], Island Thunder [Mercer Island], Northshore [Everett], Spaceneedle [Shoreline] and Northwest Juniors [Bellevue].

The “wait-and-see” clubs are what that nickname implies: they are newer clubs with limited track records. In this category we'd include All Out Volleyball [North Seattle], High Velocity [Bellevue], Rain City [Bothell], and Sabotage [Kirkland]. There are several other clubs in the region, but many are formed specifically to serve one or two high schools, and some have spotty histories.

Before you consider any club, we suggest you talk with the Garfield coaches and with parents with club experience.

The most popular clubs, and particularly the elite clubs, have more applicants than they have spaces to fill. Top clubs conduct true tryouts: they evaluate prospective players and pick those they think are the best. Other clubs try to enroll as many players as they can, forming some teams which play a more competitive schedule and others whose travel is mainly local.

Many clubs charge $10-$15 per player for tryouts, ostensibly to offset the costs of paperwork and facilities rental. All clubs require the submission of some sort of application form, usually available on-line. A few elite clubs require advance registration; others allow you to sign up as late as the day of tryouts. Because tryouts are held between the end of the regular-season high school schedule (end of November) and no later than Thanksgiving Day, many clubs hold their tryouts on the same day and time. This maddening conflict requires early investigation and decision-making on your part.

Tryouts can vary, but most clubs are looking at the basics: Can you hit? Can you serve? Can you pass? Elite clubs may pay extra attention to your height, but will also notice how well you jump and how quickly you scramble. Good coaches will notice your attitude: Do you smile? Can you brush off errors and get back in the drill? Are you loud on the court? Finally, they notice your “pedigree”: Are you a high school volleyball player? Have you played club before?

FINALLY ...

Our daughter, Lauren, played club volleyball for four years (1 with Wahine and 3 with WVBA). Our club experience ran the entire spectrum from frustration to elation and everything in between. Some coaches were great, one was horrible (and was fired mid-season) and others were so-so. Now a UCLA graduate, where she was a four-year letterman in rowing, Lauren remembers her club experiences fondly. She made many friends, and continues to follow their progress. She became a much better volleyball player, and learned how to act and train like an athlete—skills she’s used in other parts of her life.

As parents, we found the entire experience to be a bit exhausting, but overall very beneficial. Lauren had to learn to deal with other authority figures, and—on WVBA—got valuable experience playing with and against some of the elite athletes in the region. Her time in club, we're fairly sure, helped her become a successful college athlete and student. We were also lucky that we really enjoyed the company of the parents on Lauren’s teams; they were a great group, and we still stay in touch with many of them to this day. As Lauren grew older, the travel to places like Denver and Reno and Louisville was incredibly fun. Many times, we used those trips as a way to take side-trips to nearby colleges as Lauren was looking at schools (we also tried to hike, camp and sightsee wherever we went). Like many Garfield parents, we had to juggle Lauren’s other commitments, including her orchestra trip to Japan and her Marine Science trip to Hawaii!

Some of our players try club for a year to see if it’s right for them. MANY players switch clubs from year-to-year, looking for a good fit with coaches and teammates. If you go with an open mind, and have realistic expectations, club volleyball can be a rewarding opportunity.