1. What is club volleyball?
Club volleyball provides an opportunity for players of all abilities to continue their skill development past the fall school season. Baltimore Elite VBC is a member of the Chesapeake Region (CHRVA) and USA Volleyball is the national governing body which oversees local, regional, national, and international rules and competition. The season generally runs from mid-November through mid-May. Teams that qualify for Nationals can continue their seasons through June or July. Tryout dates are set by our region (generally early to mid November) and practices start the first week of December.
2. How many days a week do teams practice?
National teams will practice 3 days a week during non-tournament weeks, and twice a week during tournament weeks. Travel and regional teams will practice twice a week. Our teams generally have a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule from 7:00-9:00pm. We also offer weekly position training sessions on Fridays at Notre Dame Prep from 7-9pm and a schedule will be posted online and emailed to each team.
3. What practice facilities do you use?
This season we will use St. Paul's School, St. Paul's School for Girls, Roland Park Country School, Maryvale Preparatory School, Bryn Mawr School, and Notre Dame Preparatory School.
4. How many teams do you plan on having? What age groups?
Over the past 12 years, we have grown from one team to seventeen teams this past season. Our goal is to grow the game and we will try to accommodate as many teams as we have the coaches and facilities for. Our players range in age from 9-18 and we generally have 2-4 teams per age group.
5. How do tryouts work?
We will offer two tryouts for each age group. During tryouts, players will be evaluated on passing, serve receive, serving, setting, blocking, hitting, defense, competitiveness, and attitude. After the registration process is over, we create spreadsheets for each coach and use a point system to evaluate each player. We have over 30 coaches on hand at tryouts to accurately assess and evaluate each player. Once tryouts are over, the coaches will meet and teams will be "drafted" based on both skill level and positions needed. We will notify each player in writing regarding their team placement. It may take a few days to notify each player, so please be patient!
6. How many players are on each team?
Most of our teams will have 10-12 full-time players and possibly one or two taxi players.
7. What is a "taxi player?"
A taxi player is an athlete who participates with the team in all practices, but does not participate in tournaments. This is a great option for those who still want to stay active in the game, but may not have the time or resources to be a full-time player. The fee to be a taxi player is $1200 for the season. Taxi players should still attend tryouts so that they can be placed on the appropriate team based on skill level.
8. What do the fees include?
Fees include all tournament entry fees, facility rental costs, coaches' fees, equipment, and uniforms. Fees do not cover transportation, food, and hotel costs for the players. Most of the larger multi-day tournaments have a "stay to play" policy which requires us to book a certain number of hotel rooms. Luckily, this guarantees us lodging for these tournaments at a good price. Once we are accepted to these tournaments, we will coordinate with the families to make this process as easy as possible.
9. Who decides the tournament schedule for each team?
Once our teams are made, we'll email the proposed tournament schedule with our offer letter and then coaches and parents will meet the first week of practice to make sure that the proposed schedule works for everyone. We really try to make this process as collaborative as possible for each family.
10. Once I make a team, am I guaranteed a chance to play in tournaments?
Playing time is not guaranteed. It is based on skill level, participation at practice, performance, effort, commitment, and attitude. All tournament playing time is at the discretion of the coaches and will be based on the best interests of the team.
11. Are club dues refundable?
Once the season starts, club dues are NOT refundable. If a player decides to quit, the remaining club dues are due immediately. If a player sustains a season-ending injury, club dues will be pro-rated based on time played.
12. How many tournaments a month do most teams play? Where are the tournaments?
Most teams will participate in 2-3 tournaments a month starting in January. CHRVA tournaments are held at a variety of locations throughout the Chesapeake Region. The Chesapeake Region is comprised of clubs in Maryland, Delaware, and Northern Virginia. Some of the larger multi-day tournaments are located in Philadelphia, PA, Washington DC, Atlanta, GA, Williamsburg, VA, Richmond, VA, and Ocean City, MD, and our National teams schedules may require air travel.
13. How long do most tournaments last?
Tournaments generally last all day. The majority of tournaments start at 8:00am and playoffs begin after pool play is over. You should plan on being there anywhere from 7:00am-7:00pm. (Times can vary!) Multi-day tournaments generally have "pool play" and teams generally either have the AM wave or PM wave.
14. Where can we find our team information and schedule?
On our website, we will have a TEAM PAGE for each team which will list every tournament we have applied for. Once we have received word that we have been accepted into the tournament, we will send an email to the team as well as update the TEAM PAGE. Generally, CHRVA lets us know 2 weeks before the tournament if we have been accepted. For the larger, multi-day tournaments, we usually have more notice. CHRVA has age group coordinators who determine who has been accepted into each tournament based on last date played and priorities used. Clubs earn "priorities" if they host a tournament throughout the season and can use their "priority" to assure acceptance into a certain tournaments.
15. Do parents have to attend tournaments?
Parents are not required to attend tournaments, but will need to arrange transportation to and from all tournaments. We will have chaperones at the larger, multi-day tournaments if needed.
16. Does Baltimore Elite provide financial aid?
Our region mandates that club teams are not permitted to offer discounts, financial aid, or scholarships. Doing so can jeopardize a player's NCAA eligibility. Fundraising options may be available.
17. What should I bring to a tournament?
Parents:
Portable Chairs — have them in the car just in case there are not bleachers in the gyms
Snacks or lunch — most venues have concessions but you might want to have your own
Reading material — for down-time
Players:
Water — either a refillable bottle or several disposable bottles
Food – snacks and/or lunch — day can be long so you want foods that will bring you energy
Hand sanitizer for when you eat
Pillow
Blanket/sleeping bag
Pre-wrap and tape if needed
Medicine (as needed)
Other personal items (hair bands, clips, deodorant, etc.)
Homework or a book
Headphones/music
All uniform jerseys
Spare socks
Sweatshirt and sweatpants
Sandals or flip flops for between matches
Pens and a time device other than a phone if scorekeeping
Whistle if refereeing