PARENT INSIGHT 1
When shopping for a club, we are looking for the right fit for our daughter!
Coaching is our number 1 priority. If your daughter is a solid player, joining a top ranked club is not difficult. The challenge is finding that coach that does not have their ego tied to the team. We want someone who is a positive leader, volleyball teacher, an adult that doesn't scream negative comments to the athletes on the court, someone who respects the players and others, team builder, skilled trainer and most of all a challenging coach. Someone who can motivate your daughter to a level that is higher than their comfort zone, pushing her to achieve her best. You know it's a right fit when your daughter has a smile on the court, never complains about working hard in practices, improved skills, has gained this incredible confidence on and off the court!
To find a good fit, I suggest you ask around the volleyball community to gain insight on a club or coach. Just as you would during a job interview, get solid references.
-Anita
PARENT INSIGHT 2
From a parent of a player who played for (4) different clubs, it is nice to finally find a club that my child enjoys and works hard to make herself better.
When we began our club search, as a result of a sixth grade player not being picked for the local club team, it was an urgent search to just find a club to play. At that time, it was just a desire to keep our child in line with the other kids in her school and to give her a hope of making the 7th Grade "A" team the next school season. At that point we weren't sure if she would become a good volleyball player but she had the desire to learn. Basically, we met our goal, she was put on a team that needed a player and she made the middle school "A" team.
The next three years were pretty much the same as the prior year. All (4) years of playing club ball consisted of playing in all Silver tournaments, practicing 1-2 times a week, and no individual focus on her specifically. The price paid was exactly what we received. But at this age, we felt it met our needs. Basically, we didn't know anything different.
When our child reached 10th grade, she realized that playing volleyball at a higher level was her desire. We knew she needed help with polishing her volleyball skills, her self-confidence, and A LOT of work on attitude. By looking into a club that played at the Gold Level we knew it would be an adjustment. Going from 1-2 practices, low club fees, and practicing close to home was nothing like we were about to encounter. She practiced 3-4 times a week, paid a much higher club fee, and traveled approximately 50 minutes one way to practice. But what did we get as a result of all of this - we found a club that taught our daughter more about the game than she had learned in the last (4) years. She played at a much higher level of competition and was able to adjust to this level due to the excellent coaching. We found someone that taught our daughter about attitudes and self-confidence. We found a coach that saw an ability in a child who had basically been put to the side for other local players. We actually had other parents mentioning how much our child had improved in one year.
Our child now has a much deeper understanding of the game and has taken her game to the next level. She now understands what results are obtained by not staying focused and the importance of keeping a positive attitude. She understands what it is like to have a teammate rely on you and play off of your attitude. She understands how the extra efforts pay off when she plays today. In the end, we have a completely changed daughter in many aspects not only physically but also mentally.
My only regret in our club volleyball experience was not learning what to look for in a club before her sophomore year. I regret being satisfied with playing with the local friends for a couple of years. I regret not pushing our daughter to try for more at a younger age. I regret not researching other clubs just because the club fee was in a higher price range or because of how many openings the club had.
If our daughter had been satisfied with just playing the game at a non-competitive level, then the Silver team division would have been suffice and the extra amount of money we spent would not have been justified. If our daughter just wanted to say she played club volleyball, then the Silver teams would have been fine.
If our daughter had been satisfied with just playing the game at a non-competitive level, then the Silver team division would have been suffice and the extra amount of money we spent would not have been justified. If our daughter just wanted to say she played club volleyball, then the Silver teams would have been fine.
Basically, in the end it all boiled down to what our daugther wanted for HER game and what resources we as parents could provide to meet her wishes. Since she wanted to take her game to a competitive state and possibly play in college, we knew we needed to find a more competitive club to provide the training to get her to the next level. The individual training she received, the extra practices, the attitude reinforcements, playing Gold level competitions, extra films to review, having the opportunity to play in Nationals, and the recrutiing website was exactly what she needed.
Club volleyball is an effort on everyones part. If your child is willing to work hard, has a coach who cares about the game and the players, and parents to support the child, then it will be a WIN-WIN for all. If everyone is not putting out the required effort, then that club team or club volleyball in general is not the avenue to consider.
-Susan
I have been part of the volleyball world for the past seven years. I have experienced all levels of play throughout several clubs and recreational leagues. I can always count on each year being a new experience with new teams, coaches and teammates for my daughters. While no club is perfect I have particularly enjoyed my daughters' club play with Southwind the past three years. I have found in this club a level of consistency that I can count on year over year. I find integrity as a core value that is deeply embedded in the coaching staff and a level of brutal honesty about the talent of my girls on the court. I've experienced a level of interest in making my girls better, however, a deep understanding that it is ultimately up to them on how well they wish to play the game. The honesty, morality, integrity and fundamental play at Southwind has been a very positive experience for my family.
-Shari
PARENT INSIGHT 4
Choosing a volleyball club for your daughter can be a overwhelming tasks. When we started this journey 4 years ago, we got lucky and accidentally found a coach and club that fit our needs at the time. Our daughter improved and after 2 years was ready to bump it up a level, so the task began. We set our priorities and broke it down ruling out clubs by location, coaches and club mission statements. Once we had it narrowed down to 3 clubs we began by approaching each coach and learning about there coaching styles from them and others whom had been coached by them. We settled on Southwind because of the amount of knowledge the coaches have and the amazing amount of training we received doing a couple of their camps. The coaches we have had are obviously there because they love to help girls develop as players and people. What a difference a coach can make. My suggestion to anyone looking for a club for their daughter is to do your research, volleyball is a long season and winning isn't everything but attitude and training are.
-Julie
Thank you to the parents who have provide some insight from their own experiences. For those of you that are new to Junior Olympic volleyball check out our website page for families new to this "game of club ball".
Thank you to the parents who have provide some insight from their own experiences. For those of you that are new to Junior Olympic volleyball check out our website page for families new to this "game of club ball".
No comments:
Post a Comment