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Frequently
Asked Questions
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 18 year club
management veteran, 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 over 10
years, in 2005 we added teams in
Edmonds, and in the 2008 season we added affiliate teams in Kent in
association with one of our club coaches
at Kent-Meridian High School.
In 2009 we provided
playing opportunities for over
275 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 May. Our teams are
separated into two categories: National
Teams (Which will be Northwest Juniors
Elite starting with the 2009-2010
Season) & 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
2009-2010 season,
we expect to have the following team
composition: 8 NW Juniors Elite Teams (U18,
16, 15 and 14 in Edmonds and on the Eastside), and
18 Regional Teams: 9 on the Eastside
(1-U17, 2-U16, 2-U15, 2-U14, 1-U13,
1-U12)
5 in Edmonds
(1 each in the U16, 15, 14, 13, and
12's), and 4 in
Kent (1 each in the U18, 16, 15, and
14's).
NW
Juniors is a member in good standing of the
Puget Sound
Region of the
United States Volleyball
Association.
Q: What
is Northwest Juniors ELITE VBC?
A:
Northwest Juniors ELITE Volleyball
Club (NWJRS ELITE) is a sister
club of Northwest Juniors VBC, the
oldest established Volleyball
Club in the
Northwest (est. 1972). NWJRS ELITE was
formed for the 2010 season in order to
offer our members a Nationally
Competitive club
on the Eastside and
Edmonds with the same organization and
leadership afforded to NW Juniors
members, featuring full-time club
directors. The club is managed
by Northwest Volleyball, a leader in the
Volleyball community -- featuring
management by 18 year club management
veteran, Tony Miranda.
In forming a Nationally competitive
club, we are exposing our members to the
latest training methods and tools that
they need to be successful at the
college level.
NW
Juniors is a member in good standing of
the
Puget Sound Region of the
United States Volleyball Association.
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Q:
What is the NWJRS ELITE Mission
Statement?
A:
NWJRS ELITE was founded to give local
athletes who are motivated to play
volleyball at the collegiate level an
opportunity to excel, receive advanced
training, and gain exposure for their
hard work and dedication.
We do this by providing an environment
where these motivated athletes will be
exposed to high levels of training with
an emphasis on fundamentals and
sportsmanship, be given opportunities to
compete with the best teams in the
country, and offer them the tools to be
successful. Among the tools we will
provide:
-
Training in systems of play used by
the greatest teams in the world
-
Tools to promote themselves to
college recruiters
-
An understanding of the importance
of goal setting in developing the
whole athlete and belief that in
order to be successful, they must
have a roadmap to success
-
Promote leadership and teach the
importance of team unity
-
Stress the importance of personal
discipline, organizational skills,
time management, and character
building
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Q:
When
will tryouts be held?
A: The tryouts usually take place
in November/December.
Dates and times for tryouts for Eastside teams,
Edmonds teams, and
Kent Teams will be listed on
our
TRYOUT PAGE.
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Q:
What
are the tryouts like?
A: The
tryouts for the Elite Teams and the
Regional teams are slightly different,
but occur at the same time.
Tryouts for the Elite 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
2010-2011
Age Group Definitions
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 U10-11 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,
Assistant Club Director Kim Culliton at
425-497-1051 X 101 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:
All teams will have at least 12 players.
For the NW Juniors Elite program, teams
will be "Black" in Edmonds and "Gold" on
the Eastside. The
Elite 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.
For Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club
they will be designated as follows:
-
Edmonds: U18/16/14/12, #1 is "Eclipse",
#2 is "Blizzard"; U17/15/13 #1 is
"Heat", no #2
-
Eastside: U18/16/14/12, #1 is
"Storm", #2 is "Cyclone"; U17/15/13
#1 is "Thunder", #2 is "Tornado"
-
Kent: 18 Inferno, 16 Inferno, 15
Inferno, 14 Inferno
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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: We assign at least 12 players on
every team. 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
Letter of Commitment.
Incumbents are allowed to sign beginning
the first day of tryouts for that age
group. Those that did not play for
our club last season have to wait until
the Monday following the beginning of
tryouts for their age group.
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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. All teams' seasons
conclude Memorial Day Weekend, unless
they either 1) Qualify for Junior
Nationals, or 2) Opt to play in a
post-season National event.
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
Phoenix, Arizona.
Tournament
locations for National teams may also include the
optional Las Vegas
Invitational in February, and out of
town Qualifiers (Los
Angeles, Texas, Colorado, Reno, or
Minneapolis).
List of 2011 USAV
National 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: Al teams will practice 2 times per
week. Typically practices are 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. For regional teams, an
additional position tutoring package
will be available at an additional price
-- this will give players an optional
third practice in a clinic-style
atmosphere.
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Q:
Where
do
we practice?
A: All practice gym names,
addresses, and maps are located on our
PRACTICES page. For our Eastside teams, practice locations center
around the I-405
corridor from Bothell to Renton.
For our
Edmonds teams, practice are primarily at Edmonds Community College,
and 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
teams will practice at
Kent-Meridian High School as a primary
practice site.
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Q:
How
much does it cost?
A: We have finalized our
2011 costs and the costs this
season include travel costs in
the cost of participation and are
researching approximate costs for all
teams. Dues and amounts charged
will include uniforms,
practices, coaching, USAV fees,
tournament entries, and the cost for
travel tournaments. The primary
costs that are not included are airfare.
These are the costs for 2011:
-
Northwest Juniors
Elite VBC U15, U16, U17, U18
team will be $3500, and includes
travel costs to Las Vegas (18's),
Spokane, Dallas or Reno, and the
Willamette Classic. Teams play through
the Emerald City Classic in May.
-
Northwest Juniors
Elite VBC U14 team will be $3000, and includes
travel costs to Spokane, and the
Willamette Classic. The team
also has the option of adding a
mid-season qualifier at an added
expense. Teams play through
the Emerald City Classic in May.
-
Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club
(U13-U18 teams) will be $2200 and
includes travel costs to either
Yakima or Spokane. Teams play through
the Memorial Weekend Tournament in May.
-
Northwest Juniors Volleyball Club U12 teams
will be $1600 and will include
travel costs to the Yakima Jamboree.
U12 teams play through
the Regional Championship tournament
the last weekend in April.
For
additional tournaments a team chooses to
travel to, they pay the cost on an event by
event basis. They pay for
travel costs, as well as optional
tournament entry fees separately.
Most teams are offered the opportunity
to
attend travel tournaments at an
additional cost -- many of our teams
will choose to attend the Volleyball
Festival as a season-ending tournament.
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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; 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;
a post-season club awards barbecue, and donations to school programs that
allow us to use their facilities. Our
club sponsor is Adidas, and our uniform
package consists of the following:
-
NW Juniors Elite VBC: 3
Jerseys (1 long-sleeve & 2
short-sleeve), Spandex, Sweat
Jacket, Sweat bottoms, 2 practice
tee-shirts,
Adidas Black team shoes , 3 pair
of socks
-
NW Juniors VBC: 2
short-sleeve Jerseys, Spandex, Sweat
Jacket, 2 practice tee-shirts,
Adidas White Team Shoes, 3 pair
of socks
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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 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/early May. For
Nationals teams, their season can conclude
with the National Championship
tournament 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.
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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
Phoenix, Arizona. 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.
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. All players in the club
are required to secure at least one
business card sized ad ($50). All
advertising above that ad are given 100%
back to the member in the form of a
credit to their account.
We also encourage individual fundraising
activities, such as solicitation of
businesses for sponsorship, car washes,
phone book distribution, etc..
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