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DOCUMENTS:
FAQ:
NEW IN 2012 - "local team" Pricing and format for all 12's teams and some 13's
When is your season?
We select teams at the end of October/early part of November. All teams will begin practice by the first of January, however, some teams may choose to get in the gym a few times in late November/early December. This is really up to the coach. The season ends with Regionals, which are usually the middle of April.
We select teams at the end of October/early part of November. All teams will begin practice by the first of January, however, some teams may choose to get in the gym a few times in late November/early December. This is really up to the coach. The season ends with Regionals, which are usually the middle of April.
Do you Travel?
Yes, teams will travel regionally (some older age groups might travel farther, based on the need for tougher competition. This will be at the coaches discretion). A regional tournament would be one in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta. Tournaments are either 1 or 2 days (a qualifier could be as many as 3 days, most teams will only go to 1 of these, if they even go to one). 1 day tournaments are on Saturdays. 2 day tournaments are on Saturday & Sundays. At the team meetings (referenced below) teams will select, as a group, their tournament schedule with recommendations from the coaches.
Yes, teams will travel regionally (some older age groups might travel farther, based on the need for tougher competition. This will be at the coaches discretion). A regional tournament would be one in Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta. Tournaments are either 1 or 2 days (a qualifier could be as many as 3 days, most teams will only go to 1 of these, if they even go to one). 1 day tournaments are on Saturdays. 2 day tournaments are on Saturday & Sundays. At the team meetings (referenced below) teams will select, as a group, their tournament schedule with recommendations from the coaches.
How many times per week do you practice?
Each team will have 2 assigned practices per week - 1.5-2hours each practice. Sometimes we are able to get extra gym time, where we will give some of the older teams a 3rd practicing slot (this mainly happens in January before you start going to tournaments). Practices will be on any 2 days of the week between Sun-Thursday. Typically, because of gym restrictions, we are not able to keep every team on the same 2 days all season. We try our best to accomodate schedules, but can not always do so.
Each team will have 2 assigned practices per week - 1.5-2hours each practice. Sometimes we are able to get extra gym time, where we will give some of the older teams a 3rd practicing slot (this mainly happens in January before you start going to tournaments). Practices will be on any 2 days of the week between Sun-Thursday. Typically, because of gym restrictions, we are not able to keep every team on the same 2 days all season. We try our best to accomodate schedules, but can not always do so.
Anticipated practice locations: Briarwood, Oak Mtn, Helena, Gresham (may include some others).
NEW IN 2012 - "local team" Pricing and format for all 12's teams and some 13's:
These local teams will function just like all of our other BVC Club teams with a few small differences to help offer a more cost effective option for those just getting in to volleyball. All 12's and some 13's teams (13's age group will be able to indicate on pre-registration tryout forms if they want to be considered for a local team only, travel team only, or either. If a 12's age group player wants to play on a competetive travel team, they may try out for the 13's age group and indicate travel team as their preference on the tryout forms.)
Each local team will have 1 assigned coach, but will have various other "drill coaches" help at their practices during the year. Each local team will always share a court with another local team. Each local team will have 3 included tournaments in their fee: the BVC tournament (Feb.11-12) and 2 other tournaments (either a 2 day Birmingham tournament, or a 1-day Huntsville/Montgomery tournament...those dates will be determined at the team meetings in November once the region has published the tournament schedule). Each local team player will have 1 jersey.
There will be a FLAT FEE for every local team player of $880 (4 payments of $220 each in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb). This amount covers all coaching, gym, player SRVA registration, admin fees, 1 jersey, 3 tournaments, club tshirts, etc.
By trying out, am I making a commitment to play?
No, the only thing trying out will cost you is a non-refundable $30 tryout fee. Once teams are selected, you will need to notify us by a specified date whether you accept your spot or not. You are NOT obligated for any further financial commitment unless you accept your spot.
No, the only thing trying out will cost you is a non-refundable $30 tryout fee. Once teams are selected, you will need to notify us by a specified date whether you accept your spot or not. You are NOT obligated for any further financial commitment unless you accept your spot.
Are there other clubs in Birmingham?
Yes, Birmingham is a thriving volleyball community that is healthy enough to support several very good volleyball clubs. It's just like buying a car...what is "perfect" for some, may be the completely wrong choice for others. We STRONGLY encourage you to attend tryouts for all area clubs in order to find the best fit for yourself. www.srva.org is a great website that will give you information on clubs in the different areas of our region (including Birmingham).
Yes, Birmingham is a thriving volleyball community that is healthy enough to support several very good volleyball clubs. It's just like buying a car...what is "perfect" for some, may be the completely wrong choice for others. We STRONGLY encourage you to attend tryouts for all area clubs in order to find the best fit for yourself. www.srva.org is a great website that will give you information on clubs in the different areas of our region (including Birmingham).
Why BVC?
Like we said above, our club might not be the right option for everyone, so it's not about us convincing you to play for our club...it's about you making an educated decision on which club is the best fit for your daughter & your family. However, we can give you a run down of some characteristics of our club that we feel helps us be as successful as we have been. #1 OUR COACHES! We have a staff of around 30 coaches that are all WODERFUL! whether you are on the youngest, least experienced team or are on the 18 power elite team...we pair coaches with a team that we feel will be a good combination for the success of the players. EVERY BVC team has TWO COACHES - while this results in a higher price, what the player gets out of this is a much lower player:coach ratio, which in turn results in that much more individual attention. We also hire the best coaches, not only to instruct volleyball, but to be positive role models for your daughter. Our club stresses responsibility, character, leadership skills. If your daughter decides to not play volleyball collegiately, we try to make sure we've given her tools to help her succeed off the volleyball court as well. If it is her goal to play volleyball collegiately, we will help nurture that goal in any way we can; through helping make skills videos, talking to college coaches, recommending colleges for you to look at, giving an honest evaluation to help you look at the right group of colleges that fit your playing potential, academic goals, geographical desires, etc. Our club is affiliated with coaches from the local colleges - Montevallo, UAB, Bham Southern. Additionally, we all have relationships with coaches outside of the Birmingham area that we maintain to get our athletes recruited. If we DON'T have a relationship with a coach at a college you want to go to, we will form one! BVC is also a family...this is evident if you walk in to one of our gyms during practice. Our coaches all help each other and are friends outside of the gym. We all are bonded by the common goal of making a positive impact in these girls lives. We like for all of our players to get to know,not only their team coaches, but all the club coaches. Also, as your directors, Lance and I pride ourselves on knowing every girl in the club, where they play high school at, and just getting to know them and their personalities. We also make a huge effort to know all the parents as well...I'm getting better at this each year! :)
Like we said above, our club might not be the right option for everyone, so it's not about us convincing you to play for our club...it's about you making an educated decision on which club is the best fit for your daughter & your family. However, we can give you a run down of some characteristics of our club that we feel helps us be as successful as we have been. #1 OUR COACHES! We have a staff of around 30 coaches that are all WODERFUL! whether you are on the youngest, least experienced team or are on the 18 power elite team...we pair coaches with a team that we feel will be a good combination for the success of the players. EVERY BVC team has TWO COACHES - while this results in a higher price, what the player gets out of this is a much lower player:coach ratio, which in turn results in that much more individual attention. We also hire the best coaches, not only to instruct volleyball, but to be positive role models for your daughter. Our club stresses responsibility, character, leadership skills. If your daughter decides to not play volleyball collegiately, we try to make sure we've given her tools to help her succeed off the volleyball court as well. If it is her goal to play volleyball collegiately, we will help nurture that goal in any way we can; through helping make skills videos, talking to college coaches, recommending colleges for you to look at, giving an honest evaluation to help you look at the right group of colleges that fit your playing potential, academic goals, geographical desires, etc. Our club is affiliated with coaches from the local colleges - Montevallo, UAB, Bham Southern. Additionally, we all have relationships with coaches outside of the Birmingham area that we maintain to get our athletes recruited. If we DON'T have a relationship with a coach at a college you want to go to, we will form one! BVC is also a family...this is evident if you walk in to one of our gyms during practice. Our coaches all help each other and are friends outside of the gym. We all are bonded by the common goal of making a positive impact in these girls lives. We like for all of our players to get to know,not only their team coaches, but all the club coaches. Also, as your directors, Lance and I pride ourselves on knowing every girl in the club, where they play high school at, and just getting to know them and their personalities. We also make a huge effort to know all the parents as well...I'm getting better at this each year! :)
I made the team, now what?
Once teams are selected and finalized, we will have "team meetings". These meetings are REQUIRED for a parent and player to attend. You will gather as a team for the first time, meet your coaches, discuss your tournament schedule (most teams will play 7-8 tournaments), get fitted for uniforms, order any extra gear (i.e. shoes, knee pads, spandex, sweat pants, etc.). You will also make your 1st payment at this time (about 1/4 of the total cost).
Once teams are selected and finalized, we will have "team meetings". These meetings are REQUIRED for a parent and player to attend. You will gather as a team for the first time, meet your coaches, discuss your tournament schedule (most teams will play 7-8 tournaments), get fitted for uniforms, order any extra gear (i.e. shoes, knee pads, spandex, sweat pants, etc.). You will also make your 1st payment at this time (about 1/4 of the total cost).
What does it cost?
The fee for club volleyball can vary greatly based on your daughters age group and team level. Every team has a basic "base fee" which includes gym rental, jerseys, coaching costs, insurance, USAV membership, equipment, admin fees, etc. On top of the base fee, each team adds to it, their "tournament fee". This fee varies based on how many, which tournaments your team decides to go to. The tournament fee is the tournament entry, coaches travel & expenses added up and divided by the girls on the team. When it's all said and done, the average cost per player for base fee + tournament fee is around $1,300-$1,800. The amount can be lower for younger teams that don't travel as much, or could be a bit higher for an older, very advanced team that does a lot of travelling. Please note, this does not include the players travel and lodging to/from tournaments. And this is a ROUGH ESTIMATE...it could vary based on the schedule of the team. I have had teams have pricing higher than that because they were extremely competetive and travelled accordingly.
The fee for club volleyball can vary greatly based on your daughters age group and team level. Every team has a basic "base fee" which includes gym rental, jerseys, coaching costs, insurance, USAV membership, equipment, admin fees, etc. On top of the base fee, each team adds to it, their "tournament fee". This fee varies based on how many, which tournaments your team decides to go to. The tournament fee is the tournament entry, coaches travel & expenses added up and divided by the girls on the team. When it's all said and done, the average cost per player for base fee + tournament fee is around $1,300-$1,800. The amount can be lower for younger teams that don't travel as much, or could be a bit higher for an older, very advanced team that does a lot of travelling. Please note, this does not include the players travel and lodging to/from tournaments. And this is a ROUGH ESTIMATE...it could vary based on the schedule of the team. I have had teams have pricing higher than that because they were extremely competetive and travelled accordingly.
How many teams do you have?
In 2011 we had 15 teams. We stay around that number each year for several reasons. #1 Coaching - We will not put a team together if we do not have 2 coaches that we feel are exceptional. #2 Gym space - we constantly struggle to maintain practice space for our teams, so we don't overload our selves with teams so we can make sure we have enough space for the teams we do have to practice. We don't go in to tryouts with a "set" number of teams that we will take in each age group; it just depends on the number of players we have in those age groups, etc.
In 2011 we had 15 teams. We stay around that number each year for several reasons. #1 Coaching - We will not put a team together if we do not have 2 coaches that we feel are exceptional. #2 Gym space - we constantly struggle to maintain practice space for our teams, so we don't overload our selves with teams so we can make sure we have enough space for the teams we do have to practice. We don't go in to tryouts with a "set" number of teams that we will take in each age group; it just depends on the number of players we have in those age groups, etc.
Are you allowed to play other sports during club volleyball?
This is a tricky question. While we do not prohibit you from doing so, we ask that when you make the decision to play club volleyball to keep in mind that you are making a commitment not only to yourself, but to your team. If you are, for example, the only setter on your club team but can't make 3 tournaments and you have to miss a lot of the practices because of another sport, you might want to reconsider playing club ball. We ask that you THINK ABOUT THIS prior to commiting to a club team. Once you make the commitment to play, you will be charged for the entire season regardless if you decide later on that you've taken on too much or not. Also, take academics in to consideration. Don't over-extend yourself and let your academics slip as a result. PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE talk about this as a family prior to commiting to a club team. It has been our experience in the past that middle school and JV basketball do not overlap too much to have a great impact on being able to play club. However, school softball and soccer typically overlap quite a bit with a club volleyball schedule (please keep in mind, that every school is different, so this might not always apply to your situation. We have had kids do both before).
This is a tricky question. While we do not prohibit you from doing so, we ask that when you make the decision to play club volleyball to keep in mind that you are making a commitment not only to yourself, but to your team. If you are, for example, the only setter on your club team but can't make 3 tournaments and you have to miss a lot of the practices because of another sport, you might want to reconsider playing club ball. We ask that you THINK ABOUT THIS prior to commiting to a club team. Once you make the commitment to play, you will be charged for the entire season regardless if you decide later on that you've taken on too much or not. Also, take academics in to consideration. Don't over-extend yourself and let your academics slip as a result. PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE talk about this as a family prior to commiting to a club team. It has been our experience in the past that middle school and JV basketball do not overlap too much to have a great impact on being able to play club. However, school softball and soccer typically overlap quite a bit with a club volleyball schedule (please keep in mind, that every school is different, so this might not always apply to your situation. We have had kids do both before).
Do you offer fundraising?
Yes, each year BVC puts out a program. We offer the players the opportunity to sell ads in the program - 100% of what they sell is applied directly to their bill. We also host a tournament in February every year. We are always in need of parents to help with various jobs for the tournament. We offer money to be taken off your bill in exchange for your help with the tournament. Info. on fundraising is discussed at the team meetings in November.
Yes, each year BVC puts out a program. We offer the players the opportunity to sell ads in the program - 100% of what they sell is applied directly to their bill. We also host a tournament in February every year. We are always in need of parents to help with various jobs for the tournament. We offer money to be taken off your bill in exchange for your help with the tournament. Info. on fundraising is discussed at the team meetings in November.
My daughter is not old enough/not ready to commit to a "travel" team, are there other options for her to be involved?
Yes!! Please visit our "Little Spikes" page
Yes!! Please visit our "Little Spikes" page
