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Frequently
Asked Question List
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a question below to see the answer, or
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Q:
What
is Northwest
Juniors Volleyball Club?
A:
Northwest
JR's Volleyball Club is the
oldest established Volleyball
Club in the
Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho).
Established in 1972, NW
Juniors offers
programs for ELITE and
beginning players. Managed by Northwest
Volleyball, Northwest Juniors is a
leader in the Volleyball community --
featuring management by the Puget Sound
Region Junior Program Director, Tony
Miranda. One of our missions is to
create and provide volleyball
playing opportunities for
players of all ages and skill levels.
Additionally, we attempt to provide
opportunities in geographic areas that
are in need of those programs. We
have been an Eastside club for almost 10
years, in 2005 we added teams in
Edmonds, and for the 2008 season we will
add affiliate teams in Kent in
association with one of our club coaches
at Kent-Meridian High School.
2007 saw growth for our club as we provided
playing opportunities for over
250 Jr. volleyball players ranging in
age from 10 to 18 years old. Tryouts are typically
in November:
for Under 14's it is typically the first weekend
in November and for
U15 and older teams it is after the State High
School Volleyball Tournament. Training camps
and club meetings usually
begin in December. Teams
compete in tournaments from January
through June. Our teams are
separated into two categories: National
Teams & Regional Teams. National
Teams are our most talented teams at
each age group and they travel
extensively throughout the season --
ending their season with either the YJOV
National Championship Tournament or
similar championship level tournament.
The balance of our teams are Regional
teams -- they range in skill level from
beginner to advanced, compete primarily
within the Puget Sound Region and are
the largest part of our club.
For the 2007-2008 season,
our club will be composed of 8 National
teams (5 on the Eastside and 3 in
Edmonds), and 21 Regional Teams (11 on
the Eastside, 6 in Edmonds, and 4 in
Kent).
NW
Juniors is a member in good standing of the
Puget Sound
Region of the
United States Volleyball
Association.
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Q:
When
will tryouts be held?
A: The tryouts usually take place
in November.
Dates and times for tryouts for Eastside teams,
Edmonds teams, and
Kent Teams are listed
on our Tryout Page (updated
for 2007-2008).
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Q:
What
are the tryouts like?
A: The
tryouts for the National Teams and the
Regional teams are slightly different.
Tryouts for the National teams are more
competitive and rigorous, as we are
trying to select the best players at
each age group. Tryouts for the
Regional teams, while still rigorous,
take a little longer -- with so many
teams to select. There
are more positions available for
Regional teams, thus more opportunities
for players to find a place within the
club. We typically do volleyball
skill-related drills to assess each
player's skill level, then begin
selecting players for teams with
multiple game-like drills. The best
way to assess playing skill is through
observing and evaluating players in a
game-playing environment. Team
selection is done by the coach that will
coach the team and players usually get
the opportunity to interact and meet the
coach that will be coaching them
that the season -- at tryouts.
Throughout
the tryout process, the NW Juniors coaching
staff performs on-court evaluations of
such things as attitude, effort, ability
to communicate, competitiveness and
desire.
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Q:
What
are the age group definitions?
A: In
a nutshell, it is based on how old your
child will be on September 1st of the
following year (the calendar year of the
club season). That is the youngest age
group players can compete in. Here
are
the USA Volleyball
age definition definitions for
2007-2008.
As a
guide, the 18-U division typically
contains high school seniors and
juniors, the 17-U division is juniors
only, the 16-U division consists of
high school sophomores and freshmen, the
15-U division consists of freshmen only,
the
14-U division is made up of 8th and 7th
grade [middle school] students, the 13-U
division consists of 7th graders only, the
12-U division contains 6th and 5th grade,
Our U101 League will consist of 4th and
5th grade students. The
exception will be those students who are
young for their grade level, and due to
their birth date, can play at a younger
division level.
For those
that are "old for their grade" or just
miss the date as defined by their age
group definitions, they must play at AGE
level, not at GRADE level. There
are very few, if any, exceptions made
for those in this category.
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Q:
Who
do I contact for questions?
A: For general questions regarding
the NW
Juniors, you
can contact Club
Director Tony
Miranda at 425-497-1051
X 102,
or via e-mail at info@volleyballnw.com
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Q: What
is club volleyball?
A: Club volleyball is an
opportunity for volleyball players of
varying abilities to continue their
development past the fall school
season. Within the Puget Sound
Region, [Puget
Sound Region website] there are many clubs each
consisting of teams of varying age
groups. All said, there are at
least 200 teams within the region.
Northwest Juniors has been the largest
club in the region for several years.
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Q:
How
are the different teams composed?
A:
On the Eastside, we
keep consistent naming within our
even-aged and odd-aged teams. For
even aged teams "STORM" designates
our #1 or National team and "CYCLONE"
designates our #2 or top Regional team. For odd aged teams "THUNDER"
designates our #1 or National team
and "TEMPEST"
designates our #2 or top Regional team. In the
case of 16-unders and 14-unders, we usually go deeper
than two teams and the names are "BLIZZARD'
, "AVALANCHE", and
"TORNADO".
For our
Edmonds contingent, team names will be
as follows: 18 Eclipse (National), 17
Twister, 16 Ice (National), 16 Blizzard,
15 Heat, 14 Eclipse (National), 14
Blizzard, 13 Twister, and 12
Eclipse.
The
National teams, and especially the 18
STORM, 17 THUNDER, and 16 STORM teams are
distinctively different from all the other
teams in the club, in that these
teams require additional commitments
from their players in terms of finances
and time, as these teams travel
extensively and their playing seasons
are extended through the first week of July.
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Q:
How
does a player get picked
for a
particular team?
A: Northwest
Juniors assigns players to
teams based on a combination of tryout
results and team composition needs.
The tryout results are determined from
the
volleyball game competition and also by
on-court evaluations by the coaching
staff of attitude, effort, ability to
communicate, competitiveness and desire.
The team composition needs are
determined by each individual coach's
decision as to how many players are
needed at each position (setter, middle
blocker, outside hitter, libero, etc),
with additional consideration given to such factors
as physical height,
if they are returners to the club, and where they go to school.
The goal is to assign players to teams
where they will have the best chance of
individual success and be most capable
of making a significant contribution to
the team's success, as well as to meet
the needs of the teams to allow for the
strongest possible lineup.
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Q:
How
many players are on a team?
A: The number of players on a team
ranges from 10 to 12. The exact
number is dependent upon several
factors, including team composition
needs, ability level of players and
number of athletes participating in
tryouts.
During tryouts, we would typically pick
12 players and one alternate at every
position for every
team. Once selected, players are
asked to sign a Puget Sound Region
Letter of Commitment. Once
signed, players are committed to
the club but have a 72 hour period after
signing to change their minds.
After the 72 hour period passes, they
are on the roster, and the club
registration process begins.
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Q:
How
often do we
play in tournaments?
A: Teams usually participate in
an average 2
tournament
days per month over the
course of a season
-- with February, March, and April being
the heaviest months.
The
tournaments are played on either
Saturday or Sunday, sometimes both.
Ultimately, how often you will play in
tournaments will depend upon which team
you are on.
The open
weekends remaining from the
minimally-scheduled season may be filled
with additional tournaments. A
tentative schedule will be available at
the Informational Meeting held each year
in early December, while the final schedule
will be provided in early January.
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Q:
Where
are the tournaments held?
A: Tournaments are held at a
variety of locations
throughout the Puget Sound Region.
Every team age 13 and over is afforded
at least one travel or overnight
tournament.
Many
teams will also travel to Yakima, Washington for a two-day tournament
there
and/or Spokane for a three-day
tournament.
For teams that
choose to finish
their season at the Volleyball
Festival,
there will be the additional travel to
Reno, Nevada.
Tournament
locations for the 18 Storm, 18 Eclipse,
and 17 Thunder teams will also include the Las Vegas,
Invitational in February, and two out of
town Qualifiers (Spokane and either Los
Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Reno, or
Minneapolis). For 16
Storm, 16 Ice, 15
Thunder, 14 Storm, and 14 Eclipse their schedule will most likely
include the two out of town Qualifiers.
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Q:
When
will we
get tournament information?
A: The timing for receiving
tournament information such as gym
location and start times primarily
depends upon the respective tournament
director. Due to team
cancellations, the tourney schedule is
not set until the week prior. Most
directors manage to inform the team
coach by the Wednesday immediately
preceding the weekend's tournament.
Once our club receives tournament
information, it is posted on our home
page, so players and parents are asked
to check the home page frequently for
those updates.
Specifically,
the information for Northwest
Juniors-hosted
tournaments will be posted on our
website by the Tuesday or Wednesday immediately
preceding the tourney. Larger
tournaments like qualifiers and The Yakima
Jamboree typically has information
available on their website about 1 week
prior with updates and revisions given
out to coaches at their coaches meeting
the night before the tournament.
Most qualifiers have a coaches meeting
the night before the tournament and we
find out our playing schedule at that
time.
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Q:
How
often do we
practice?
A: Teams practice 2 times per
week, typically on Sunday afternoons/evenings and
a weeknight (Monday - Friday). On occasions where a tournament is played
on a weekend, there are no Sunday
practices. Some
teams will get two practices per week
during the week (not Sundays).
Because there are so many teams in the
club, and because we compete with
basketball for gyms, we cannot guarantee
that teams will practice the same two
days each week every month -- though we
do our best to accommodate. Early
weeknight practice times are typically
reserved for the younger teams.
Our latest practice times (often 8:00 -
10:00 PM) are reserved for the older
teams (U16 and older). Additionally,
in the early and late season, NATIONAL
TEAMS typically get either a third
practice or position-specific practice
each week. Throughout the season
-- when gym time is available --
position tutoring is also offered for
the entire club.
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Q:
Where
do
we practice?
A: For our Eastside teams, practice locations center
around the I-405
corridor from Bothell to Renton.
Specifically, practices are held at any
of the following: Bellevue
Community College,
Newport High School, Tillicum Middle School,
Juanita High School,
Northshore
JHS, Canyon Park JHS, and Kenmore JHS
to
name a few.
For our
Edmonds teams, practice are primarily at Edmonds Community College,
and occasionally at schools down the I-405 corridor as
far south as Northshore Junior High
(160th St. Exit) or Juanita HS (Totem
Lake Exit).
All Kent
Royals teams will practice at
Kent-Meridian High School.
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Q:
How
much does it cost?
A: There are several different fee
structures to consider, depending upon
the team. For most teams,
their fees will cover December
- June
participation with
the exception being the U12 teams,
which are finished after the Regional
Championships in late April/early May.
Typical costs can include initiation
($295 in 2007), USA Volleyball
Registration ($60), and season dues
($800 - $1700 depending on team and
payment plan).
The
National teams have entirely
different fee structures due to their
up-front commitment to extensive travel.
In 2007, travel costs for National Teams
were an additional $800 to $2000.
National team travel costs
typically cover these tournaments: Las
Vegas (U17/U18), Yakima Jamboree, Spokane
Qualifier, an out of state National
Qualifier, Emerald City Classic, and
Volleyball Festival or Nationals. Once
committed to a National team, all
members of that team pay the travel
amount associated with that team.
Whether they attend the event or not
(because of time conflicts) all National
Team members are responsible for paying
their portion of the team's travel. Additionally, by
committing to enroll on a National team,
players (and their parents) are showing a
commitment to making these travel
tournaments a priority on their schedule (to include our end of
season event). We feel the travel
schedule is provided early enough for
National team players to fully commit to
all travel for their team. The success of our teams
at these events depends greatly on 100%
attendance and participation by all team
members.
For
Regional teams, they pay the cost of the
out of region tournaments on an event by
event basis. They pay for
travel costs, as well as optional
tournament entry fees separately.
Regional teams also have the option of
attending other travel tournaments at an
additional cost -- a few of our Regional
Teams choose to attend the Volleyball
Festival as a season-ending tournament.
Specific
fee amounts will be available at the
parents informational meeting held
during tryouts.
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Q:
What
are the fees used for?
A: Fees cover a variety of costs
associated with participation in club
volleyball, namely: tournament entry
(minimum of $115
per tourney); equipment
such as uniforms, warm-ups, gym
equipment,
gym rentals, volleyballs and medical supplies;
coaches
salaries, monthly expenses such as phone, postage,
printing and materials; USA
Volleyball National
Office per athlete expenses such as
insurance; Region team
membership; Northwest
Juniors-hosted tournament costs; awards; concessions; officials;
custodial / rentals;
and donations to school programs that
allow us to use their facilities.
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Q:
What
do the fees not
cover?
A: Players and their parents will
need to consider costs that are not
included in their fee payment, namely:
travel costs (gas) for local tournaments,
airfare for National Qualifier tournaments; food and drink
while traveling; lodging for overnight
stays in additional to club-sponsored
travel tournaments, if desired; personal playing
equipment such as shoes, kneepads,
volleyballs, and
ankle support braces. Because of
our association with sponsors,
however, we are typically able to offer many of
these items a great discount to our
members.
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Q:
How
long does the season last?
A: The typical season begins with
try-outs in November, followed by
team registration and a club-wide meeting, and the initial practices/training
camp in mid
to late December.
For
U12 teams it
typically concludes with the Regional
Tournament in late April. For
Nationals teams, their season concludes
with Nationals in Dallas, Texas and/or
any other late season championship event
(like Volleyball Festival). For
Regional teams their season concludes
with the Memorial Day Weekend Classic,
unless they choose to attend Volleyball Festival
-- in that case, they will be given
additional practices leading up that
tournament and their season will
conclude in late June/early July.
Dates for the 2008 Junior National
Championships are June 26 - July 5, with
teams competing in a four-day event
during that time period; dates for
Volleyball Festival are June 28 - July
4.
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Q:
What
is The Volleyball Festival?
A: The Volleyball Festival is not
only the largest volleyball tournament
in the world, but it's also the largest
annual sporting event. Over 900
teams from across the entire USA, and
some foreign countries, participate in
the 4 age divisions; the tournament will be held in
RENO, NEVADA. A minimum of 13
matches are guaranteed for each team,
and the tournament format ensures that
teams will compete against other teams
of similar ability. The Festival
is usually held in late June/early
July, with
competition lasting for an entire week.
Teams travel by car or plane to the Reno
area
for the tournament.
During the tournament, athletes are
housed in hotels
in the Reno/Sparks
area.
You can
find out more about the Volleyball
Festival by visiting their website volleyball-festival.com.
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Q:
Are
there fundraisers
offered by the club?
A: NW
Juniors produces
for a Club Yearbook and club members
secure advertisers for that
yearbook. Players are given 80% of
all ad revenue into their accounts, with
the other 20% going towards production
costs for the yearbook. We
also encourage individual fundraising
activities, such as solicitation of
businesses for sponsorship, car washes,
phone book distribution, etc..
Assistance by Northwest Juniors in the
form of working scholarships will
be provided upon written request, and is based
on need. No working scholarships
are awarded before February 15th.
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