Being a college volleyball player is a huge dream of many girls across the nation. Players and parents put in a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and well lets face it… money, over the years to prepare for the chance to play NCAA or NAIA volleyball. So when those first few letters begin rolling in your Sophomore or Junior year, parents and players become ecstatic and think “Its happening! I am being recruited.” If you are striving for this goal, don’t slow down! Going through the recruiting process teaches young athletes so many things they will carry with them the rest of their life. However, it’s important to know what a college coach is really thinking. Are they interested or are you just on their long list of girls to consider?

So how do you decode a college coach’s message? Have you had these thoughts; “How do I know if a college coach is really interested in me?” “My daughter received a letter from a college, are they recruiting her!” “What do these letters really mean?” “Can I tell my friends and family that I am being recruited?” If so, then welcome to the frustrating and confusing world of recruiting. If you are unaware of how to read between the lines of coach’s letters and emails, it can be very easy to be led down the wrong path, misunderstand what a coach is telling you, or even worse, think that a college coach is ready to offer you a scholarship when really they are not serious about you as a prospective player for their school. Understanding some things about the way the recruiting process works can be very beneficial to your success and confidence. I hope to clear some of these things up with some basic guidelines to whether or not a coach is really interested in you as a potential member of their volleyball program.

You are NOT yet being recruited if……

1. You have received a general email from the college coach with basic information about their volleyball program. When you send your initial email to college coaches to introduce yourself, they will normally respond back with a general email that they send to hundreds of girls with basic information about their program. This email will include things like what conference they are in, what they look for in players, and the type of season they had last year. This letter is the beginning phase of the recruiting process. It basically means that the coach knows who you are now. It is an important part of the process, because before the letter, coaches did not know who you were. However, it does not mean that they are “recruiting you” yet.

2. You received a recruit questionnaire from a college coach. This step is another important part of the process. Upon receiving your information from the questionnaire, the coach will determine if you meet the basic minimum guidelines they look for in players: height, vertical, speed, ranking, strength, grades, SAT score, etc. If you meet all of these requirements then they will most likely move you to the next stage, where they will evaluate you.
3. You have received a letter from the college admissions office. This letter has nothing to do with being recruited or the recruiting process. The admissions office can purchase mailing lists with your information from several sources like SAT, ACT companies who administered your test. These letters are simply marketing tools to get you interested in attending their school your freshman year.
4. A college coach watches your team compete at a tournament, but you have never had contact with them. Every now and then a college will stumble across a new player at a tournament. However, normally when a coach attends a tournament they come with a list of players they have already evaluated. Due to recruiting budgets, coaches cannot attend every tournament across the nation. So when they attend a tournament they are there with a purpose and a schedule of girls they have to watch while they are there. Now you could get lucky and make an incredible play that catches their eye while they are watching another player, either on your team or a team that you are competing against. But normally, if you are not already on their “list”, things will not progress any further than that.
5. A college coach calls your club coach to ask for some information about you. The good news is that if a college coach gets to the step of calling a coach to ask for some information about you, then they are beginning to show interest. This would mean that you are on their list of players to evaluate. There could be many reasons a coach would call your club coach. They may need your email address or phone number. They may have had another coach recommend you to them but they have not seen you perform in person. They may want to know your upcoming schedule. This phone call does mean one thing, that you are somewhere in the recruiting process for them, but not necessarily “being recruited.”
6. A college coach tells you that they will keep you in mind as they recruit. College coaches have a long list of players that they are interested in. Coaches will keep all of their prospects in mind and entertain the idea of recruiting you until they make final decisions about their top recruits. They want to keep all of their options open until they decide which girls they want to ask to come for an official visit. It’s that same story your parents told you growing up “Never close a door or burn a bridge.” Coaches play that same game when it comes to recruiting. College coaches have to try and win over their top prospects while simultaneously keeping in mind their second tier players until they make a decision. It is a good thing if you are receiving these regular, personal emails from coaches! That means you are somewhere on their list. But remember, don’t close any doors to other schools just because you are receiving emails from another! Like these coaches, you have to keep your options open. That’s why I suggest creating a list of 30-60 schools to contact on a regular basis.

Ok now for the fun part! You ARE being recruited if…….

1. You receive several personal emails or handwritten notes from college coaches after they have you seen you play. If a college coach comes to watch you play at a tournament and then emails or calls you within the following week, that is a good sign. This means that they liked what they saw and they might want to see more. These emails will probably include things like asking when you play again, asking for some game footage, or asking you to come for a visit. Like I previously stated, college coaches are on a tight recruiting budget, so if they have taken the time to come watch you play specifically and are still interested, then they are serious about evaluating you as both a player and a person.

2. A college coach has called you more then once. If they are reaching out to you multiple times then they want you to know that you are on their list of recruits. The phone call also gives them a chance to get to know you off the court. They want to know your interests, what you want to major in, and other questions that will allow them to evaluate if you are good fit for their program.
3. The college coach has personally asked you to attend their summer camp. This is a fine line that you have to be careful with. Many college coaches will bring in all of their serious recruits to one specific summer camp. This gives them a chance to see how they interact with their current players who are there helping out with the camp. You will know that they are seriously interested if they tell you that they are going to bring in several other recruits to a summer camp and they want you to attend. Now, if you have not been in constant contact with these coaches and they simply send you an email with a list of their summer camps, they may just be trying to get you to come to their camp.
4. They have asked you to come on an unofficial visit. The NCAA rules state that only seniors can go on official visits. So, if a coach is interested in getting to know you off the court, and you are just a junior, they may ask you and your parents to come on an unofficial visit. They might ask you to come for the weekend (paid for by your family), eat meals with the team, watch them play, and spend some time getting to know the players and coaches. This gives them a chance to see if you fit in with their team. Remember, these coaches are making an investment in you. They want to make sure you fit in with their volleyball family! They may offer you a spot on their team at this visit or they may wait until they narrow down the prospects a little further.
5. The college coach pays for you to come on an Official visit. College coaches do not offer official visits to just anyone. If a coach invites you to come for an official visit, congrats, you have made it to the final stages of the recruiting process! When a college coach brings you in for an official visit, then they are serious about you! They have evaluated your skills and think you have what it takes to compete with their program.

So it’s reality check time. Where are you in the process? Be honest with your self! Have you spent a lot of time sending information to a school, with no response back? If so, then MOVE ON and add another school to your list. There are plenty of other schools out there with volleyball programs. Remember that one person’s opinion isn’t the end of the world! Keep your head up and keep adding schools to your list! Now if you continue to hear no over and over again from schools at a specific level, then you may need to reevaluate and think about contacting schools at a different level.

Best of luck with your recruiting process!!


Coach Emily!

Beach volleyball is NOT an easy sport to play. The atmosphere may be laid back and fun, but to play the game well, you have to WORK. It’s not easy to run and jump in the sand. You move about half as well as you can on a hard surface. Imagine wearing a weight vest for everything you do… it’s harder than that. You only have two players to cover the entire court instead of six. There is a lot more reading the game, running around and diving than there is indoor. Because there are only two players and each must touch the ball every play, you must have good all-around skills. Beach is great for teaching you to work on your weaknesses – you don’t have a choice.

Today marked the first day of our summer beach training. Basically a come-get-your-feet-wet-in-the-sand kind of day. We went over a few of the rules differences between the indoor game that everyone is now familiar with and the beach game. We talked briefly about basic doubles strategy and how the game is different from indoor. But mainly just come out and play and see if this is something you might like. I personally LOVE this game – every aspect! We’ll get down to learning the subtle skills, movements, and nuances of the strategy starting next week.

For today, we had a great turn out. Players from 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s, and 18s were all there. Even though there were players over a wide range of ages, I was really impressed with the level of play. The way we train the girls on the court really lends itself to developing well-rounded players. Everyone was able to pass, set, and hit proficiently. Everyone had the ball control and the footwork to sustain rallies and compete. We played a lot of games and most were close and very competitive. Great stuff! Most importantly, everyone there had a great time playing. At one point, one of our setters yelled out after a kill: “I’m a hitter today, baby!!!”

It was great seeing the girls use their skills, compete and have a great time today. I believe we left them wanting more! For anyone who wasn’t there today, we’re going to be doing this all summer. You’re invited! See you on the courts with sand between your toes!

Michael Carter

The first thing I want to do is to break down the biggest differences between club and college volleyball. After being a DI athlete for four years and then stepping back into the world of club volleyball, I quickly realized how big the gap between the two worlds really is. The differences between club and college volleyball can be seen on many levels; from the time commitment to schoolwork, from the relationship with your team to the speed of the game, these differences are drastic. However, one thing about the sport does remain the same, you are in it because you love it! There is no greater feeling in the world then seeing all of your hard work pay off in the end; that part will never change!

The first big difference between club and college volleyball is the time commitment. Club season is a six month commitment where you practice three days a week for two hours, with about eight tournaments on the weekends. On top of that you have your schoolwork and football games. Sounds hectic right? Well, guess again. Being a collegiate volleyball player at any level requires a much larger time commitment. The time commitment will differ at each level, but one thing is consistent across the board in that practices will be 5 days a week during the fall, with weight lifting, conditioning, individual training, games, and classes all mixed into your daily schedule. At higher levels you will practice and compete year round with maybe a few weeks off here and there, but you will always be training. At other levels Fall will be your busy season, with more of a relaxed schedule during the Winter, Spring, and Summer months. Some teams will allow you to participate in activities like sororities, clubs, class office positions; while others require you to keep your focus on the team and your school work. This will be something that you will want to ask coaches as you go through the recruiting process with them. So as you can see, for most players college volleyball is a job; but it’s a fun job!

While yes its time consuming, the commitment of being a collegiate athlete was one of the best experiences of my life. I want you to know about the time commitment so that you are prepared for what it takes to be successful at the next level. When talking to a previous volleyball player about the biggest difference between college and club volleyball, this is what she said, “The commitment is the biggest difference. Playing college volleyball requires many more hours of practice and training. Although you may miss out on some college activities due to practices or games, you get an experience that no one else does. The friendships formed between college teammates and the experience of playing in front of your peers makes all of the hard work and countless hours training all worth it. “

The next big difference in club volleyball and college volleyball can be summed up in two words…. Student Athlete. I just talked about the volleyball side of being a college player, but don’t forget you are going to school to get a degree! Our academic advisers and coaches often reminded us that our official title was STUDENT-athlete. Notice how the student part comes first? That’s because not only were we expected to be elite athletes, but we are also supposed to succeed in the classroom as well. So on top of the volleyball related activities as a STUDENT-athlete, you also have study halls, classes, homework, and tutors. Your college coaches will not let you slip through the cracks and begin to struggle in the classroom. If your grades are poor, the NCAA or NAIA will not allow you to compete in games. One great thing about balancing volleyball and schoolwork is that you learn how to manage your time wisely. This is a skill that you will carry with you the rest of your life.

Training at the college level is another big difference. When you accept a scholarship as a college volleyball player, you are accepting a job position. Part of this job requires you to get your body in the best possible shape. The training aspect of being a college player may be one of the most difficult things you will endure physically; but once again it’s worth it. Another college player quoted this “The training we went through as volleyball players was tough. Although the workouts are brutal, our collective suffering brought us together in a way that nothing else could. We all respect each other for the pain we endure each day. We can all laugh and not judge each other for taking the elevator instead of the stairs after a hard work out because we can feel each other’s pain. At the end of the day all of the sweat and hard work is worth it when you beat a rival in a tight game to win the conference championship.”

Ask any college freshman volleyball player and the one big difference they will tell you they noticed right away was the speed of the game. When you step on the court as a freshman you may be physically behind the players who you are competing against. These girls may be faster than you, stronger than you, and are used to the speed of the game. You will have to adapt to the faster paced offense that college players compete at! The sooner you can get up to speed, the more success you will have on the court.

One of the greatest and most rewarding differences between college and club volleyball is the team dynamics. Going away from home and beginning college can be a hard experience, especially if you are going at it alone. A great aspect of being a college volleyball player is having a ready-made family. You think you are close with your club team…… just wait! When you step foot on campus your freshman year these girls become your family. They will be the people you eat meals with, study with, practice with, sweat with, travel with and room with. You will be spending every waking hour with your teammates. This is one of the main reasons why it’s important that before you accept a spot on a team that you make sure you fit in with the players. If you don’t get along with these girls, the next four years of your life might not be what they could be. When I was at Furman, the team had chemistry both on and off the court. We did everything together! Even when we were not required to be together, we were together! It was that bond both on and off the court that helped us take our game to the next level. Babe Ruth said it best when he said “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” This all starts off the court!

So as you can see being a college volleyball player is a full time job. You have to learn how to manage your time wisely, train harder, and play faster. It’s an experience that you will take with you the rest of your life. The things that you go through and the friendships that you make are simply stepping-stones to the next phase of life after college. If you love the experience you are having as a club volleyball player, just wait until you make it to college!

Coach Emily

Six years ago, we started off with only three teams and the desire to teach the best volleyball possible to anyone who came into our gym. Looking back, our organizational structure wasn’t very sophisticated and our teams “built a lot of character” as one parent likes to say. We’ve really come a long way since that first year. We’ve made it a point to try to improve each and every year and we have. Our organization is better, our teams are more competitive, we’re developing a great coaching staff, we’ve added a successful recruiting program (thanks Emily!) and video analysis (thanks Mike!). With all of this our impact has been greater every year. Our development and progress as a club has really been an ongoing Process for us.

Just as with our process as an organization, the players go through a similar process. This season so far, we’ve had many teams win tournaments, win brackets, finish high in large tournaments, and even place 3rd and 5th in national qualifiers. There is one glaring thing that all of these teams have in common. They all have several multi-year players. We firmly believe in teaching the girls to be volleyball players. To play a style of volleyball that will allow them to compete at a very high level. The system that we have in place is very specific and very sophisticated. As such, it takes a while to learn. We could simply teach everyone different techniques and strategies to “win now,” but that would slow their progress later on. We try to pay attention to the fundamentals and the processes now, with the belief that the results will take care of themselves later on. We’re in this for the long run. I talk a lot about how the Process takes about three years for the players to become proficient and for everything to “click”.

With our Regional Championships upon us, many of our teams are concluding their club season this weekend. I’ve seen tremendous improvement across the board this year. The players and the coaches have all been working really hard. After a long season, it’s natural to want to take a step back and enjoy a little down time. And that’s OK. But if the goal is to be a better volleyball player, to make the middle school or the high school team, to speed up the Process a little, then it is important to stay in the gym and to continue playing volleyball. We have several programs, camps and clinics, and even some beach volleyball coming up in the next few months to keep the kids playing our great sport. You can find details about everything on our website. If you have questions, get in touch with us. We look forward to continuing this journey with each of you.

Good luck to everyone playing this weekend! Play hard and GO PLA!!

Sincerely,

Michael Carter
Director, ProLink VBC

At this point in the season, every team has a few tournaments under their belts. We’ve had the chance to compete in local tournaments and even travel a little. But, for anyone who has never experienced it, the Big South National Qualifier (BSQ) is in a completely different league. For one thing, it is a national qualifier. This means that teams are competing to win an ever-elusive invitation to compete at USA Nationals that takes place in July. This year it is held in Dallas, TX, but the event changes cities every year. Basically, to be assured of receiving that bid (invitation), a team must win the tournament. It’s very difficult to win any tournament, much less a national qualifier. For one thing I want to emphasize the word “national”. The BSQ will feature well over 1,000 teams from all over the country, competing on 150 courts, at two giant facilities. This can be a bit unsettling to the uninitiated. For instance, a couple of years ago we had a group of new 13s, mostly first year players, who had never competed in an event like this. They had some success at local tournaments leading up to the BSQ and were feeling pretty good about themselves. Their first match of the tournament was against a club called Mad Frog out of Texas. They got absolutely hammered in that first match, but luckily that was a very resilient group with very supportive parents. It’s very eye opening to see volleyball from other areas of the country first hand. Come to find out, that Mad Frog team had already been together for the better part of six years. Our players were really able to learn from the experience and see that they need to work really hard to be able to compete. Today, that team is steadily improving, moving up the ranks, and experiencing more and more success. They are currently a #1 seed in their pool this weekend.

Even more than the competition, the simple experience of participating in a national event like the BSQ is priceless. You will get the opportunity to really delve into a fantastic national volleyball culture that is really hard to describe. It is a great environment filled with thousands of people who all have the great sport of volleyball in common. There will be tons of vendors (bring your t-shirt money!), services, booths, and of course plenty of great volleyball play. You may have the opportunity to see the next great collegiate players and even future Olympians while they are still in high school (check out the Open courts at 17s and 18s). Take advantage of all of the opportunities that come with being a part of this great event. It will make the experience that much more memorable.

One last note: This past weekend we had three teams make the trip to Indianapolis to compete in the Mideast Qualifier. I want to congratulate the 18s on a truly fantastic tournament. They finished 3rd out of 88 teams and just missed qualifying by one match. This is a great accomplishment, especially considering where we were just a few short years ago. Their hard work is paying off. This weekend, they are the #4 overall seed in the tournament and should have another chance to get the bid that has been a goal for so long.

Good luck to everyone at the BSQ this weekend! Take the time to enjoy the event, and GO PLA!!

Sincerely,

Michael Carter
Director, Prolink VBC

Through the course of this season a couple of things about this version of the BMS volleyball team have really stood out to me. I’m in my second season as the head coach. Usually it takes a system or a methodology a while to “take”, even several years. The system that we have in place is very specific and consistent. We work very hard to teach the athletes the same things and to do so in great detail. We also try to teach them the “why” behind everything.

Most of you know that middle school girls don’t always have the longest attention span. They tend to get off topic very easily and it’s hard to be sure exactly what they are going to do from one minute to the next. Let me just say that I have been amazed at how much skill and knowledge they have retained from one year to the next. Everyone who played last year remembered the key words, the skills, even the why behind just about everything we’ve implemented. Even bigger than that, they have been willing to share their knowledge with the newer players. There have been so many times this season when I see a girl make a mistake, before I even get a chance to interject, another teammate is telling her to “try it this way” using the same keys I would. If we can continue to foster this kind of environment, our learning curve is going to be through the roof.

Speaking of environments, volleyball is a fun sport to play. It is difficult to play well, but that is when it is most fun. These girls LOVE to play. Before the girls even change from their school clothes into their practice gear, the first thing they do when they walk in the gym is to grab a volleyball. Games of doubles and triples break out all the time. I NEVER have to tell them to go play. Sometimes I have to get them to play the right games, but they always love to play. That isn’t happening in all gyms. It seems to be the exception rather than the rule. It is very challenging to create a practice environment where the players’ love of the game can thrive and grow, and you can accomplish all of the team goals on the agenda. Don’t get me wrong; the team works very hard while we are having fun. We work on our fundamentals every day in every drill. We compete in every drill. Every drill is as game-like as we can possibly make it. But we have fun.

So, this past weekend, when we were going to get to play some of the top volleyball programs in the state, we were really going to be tested at a level we had not seen yet. We got a chance to see if all of our hard work was going to pay off. To see where we stand against some of the best competition out there. To see if our system is really working. I’m happy to say that we competed for every single point. We played very inspired volleyball like we do in practice every day. The girls were pulling for each other and worked as a single unit. We came out of the day 4-0. And the girls loved every minute of it. Go Wolves!!

Michael Carter

“1, 2, 3, FAMILY!!!” Our call that we break huddles with almost every time. I’ve heard the high school teams do this, and while I’m not sure where it originated, the middle school team has embraced it and it has been part of our culture since I’ve been there. When you stop and think about it, this is a very powerful phrase and concept to put voice to in a setting where so many people from different backgrounds are represented. It’s difficult to understand what it means to a team/community until you’ve been around it for a while. Even when you have been around, it’s nice to get a reminder every now and then.

In our practice gym, we work on serving a lot. At the middle school level, many matches are won or lost from behind the service line. I ask all the players to jump serve, even the youngest. Many people think that this is a bad idea for young players (as I write this our season record is 14-0). I will admit that jump serving is not the easiest thing to do, that it takes a lot of time and practice to simply get the mechanics right, not to mention getting the ball to go where you want it to. Everyone has gone through struggles, but the payoff is great. I’ve had players go through an entire season only getting a couple of serves in, but come back the next season and dominate from the service line.

In an early season match, one of our youngest players asked me if she could try serving in the game. Now, she had been working really hard in practice, but at this point was only having limited success. At the time she asked me, we were leading big and it was late in the set, so I decided to let her try. She subbed into the game and strode confidently back to the service line. Everyone in the entire gym seemed to be on the edge of their seats. After going through her serve routine, she threw the ball up and jump served it with as much power as her tiny frame would allow. The ball sailed over the net and landed in the middle of the opponent’s court for an ace. The girl serving was jumping up and down, the girls on the court all came in to embrace her, and even the bench was going crazy (several girls went out onto the court to give her a hug).

I must admit that watching one of our youngest players get her first serve over brought a little tear to my eye. Right after that serve, the opposing coach called time-out and I had to go into the huddle a little emotional. The girls of course noticed and made a big deal about it. As I am trying to play it off, what I didn’t share with them at the time was why.

As a coach, you try to teach the kids things like sportsmanship, hard work, respect, how to deal with winning and losing, support, etc., and how all of this can transcend a simple game and impact everyday life. Sometimes this is easy to do and sometimes it isn’t, but it is far more important than any single game. When that serve went over, the girls thought I was reacting to the same thing they were. I wasn’t. I knew that eventually this player would get a serve over – if not now, then soon. She will probably be a great server someday.

What I was reacting to was seeing the team’s unbridled joy and enthusiasm for an accomplishment by a teammate/family member. Every single girl was so excited for her. This is a really special thing. While I try to foster a culture like this in my gyms, I know that the groundwork was laid long before I ever got there. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, but the degree of positive support caught me off guard. It was great to see and to be a part of. I look forward to seeing what other surprises are in store from this team, community and family. Go Wolves!!

Michael Carter

In preparation for AAU Nationals, Atlanta Boom traveled to Cumming for a scrimmage against the ProLink 14 & 17 National teams.

Atl Boom traveled to Cumming to scrimmage ProLink on Monday night!

Atl Boom shares a cheer with ProLink after scrimmage. Ahhhh Boom!!

First: The 17N team has been playing some extremely high caliber volleyball lately, but we have also been working through some injuries and illness. So when we started practice tonight with only eight players, I was about to scrap our practice plan and wing it. In order for us to practice some 6 vs. 6 tonight I was going to have to find 4 players to fill in. We had two coaches willing to play and I can mix it up when I have to, but where would we find one more? It just happened that one of Coach Casey’s 13s players was hanging around after her practice.

Now in order for a younger player to work with an older group (much less five years apart, which they are) you have to have at least three things. The younger player has to be good, has to have heart, and has to be fearless. Check, check, and check. We went through a full practice with a number of small group competitions and culminating in regular game play. I am absolutely blown away at how successful this player was on our court. She didn’t shy away from the competition and was very effective playing libero with and against some of the best players in our region. Her teams actually won most of the games we played. She got a couple of key digs and handled serve receive very well.

This player is a second year player and was able to decipher exactly what was going on in practice. She knew the terminology and the adjustments to make. She was able to fit in and actually contribute. This is an extreme example of the consistency of coaching and learning that our players go through. From year to year, from the younger age groups to the older ones, from coach to coach, and from practice to practice, the details and the concepts and the learning are the same. It really pays off in so many ways.

Second: I am involved with developing the curriculum and laying the foundations for every team in our club. I am in the gym every week with six of our teams working closely with the coaches to develop practice plans and strategies and generally helping out wherever needed. But anyone who has ever coached can tell you that there is a definite difference between helping out with a team’s practice and actually running it.

Since Regionals is over, I am taking over the day-to-day operations and head coaching responsibilities of our 14National team. The upcoming birth of Coach Emily’s child precludes her from being able to attend the AAU Nationals tournament in June. To complicate things further, we’ve added three players from our regional team to the roster.

I spent Monday really observing the team and doing some video taping to evaluate where we are at and what we need to work on over the coming weeks. We can always work on fundamentals, but the main thing I came into practice last night wanting to accomplish was simply picking up our practice tempo. Playing faster both during rallies and in between rallies.

We teach every player in our club the same basic fundamentals and systems. A player should be able to go from one team’s practice to another without missing a beat. Even so, there should be some adjustment period when you are mixing in several other players. Well, something special happened last night. As the 14s adjusted to playing at the tempo expected of them, the transition of the new players became seamless and everyone’s fundamentals became sharper. We had many high quality rallies and the level of play in the gym was far beyond what I thought it would be at this point. There were great pass/set/hit/dig rallies and we were able to run our transition offense through the middles many times. This is extremely difficult to do unless you are playing very high-level ball.

Last night’s great practice is not possible without Coach Emily (14N) and Coach Erika (14R). Even though they have not worked together until tonight, they have done a remarkable job of teaching consistent fundamentals and systems. They have taught these concepts to a level of detail that these young players were able to coordinate fluidly and make adjustments on the fly with only a word or two of instruction. Really good stuff!

In fact, our entire coaching staff is really on the same page and has done a phenomenal job of teaching the sport. Our players and teams have been improving by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season and even from year to year. This is the direct result of a strong, dedicated and unified coaching staff. Way to go coaches! And GO PLA!!

Michael Carter

Thank You: I have to say a profound Thank You to all of our coaches. Their dedication to our kids, the teams, and the club really goes above and beyond. Many had to take off work or school on Friday and many were there from sun-up to sun-down all three days working with their own teams as well as helping with and supporting the other teams in the club. Their job is monumentally difficult trying to manage the team, each individual player, the parents, and coordinate all the behind the scenes stuff. We don’t say thanks enough, and I would just like to let them know that they are appreciated.

Personally, it was a long weekend for Reilly and me. We had to go downtown and take care of team registration and check-in on Thursday night and then be ready to go first thing Friday morning. The 17s didn’t play until the afternoon, so I was excited about the opportunity to sit with a number of teams in the morning wave. Throughout the course of the weekend, I managed to see every team play a game or a match, and in some cases, multiple matches. I have a couple of big-picture observations I would like to share.

First of all, I fully realize that in any given match that we play, at any level, I am watching a completely different game than the parents are watching. Parents watch their individual daughter more than I do, while I watch how our team or the other teams execute their systems. Parents watch ball contacts, where I watch what happens away from the ball and in between contacts. Parents may be thrilled watching the girls dive all over the floor and somehow win a rally in the end. I may not be thrilled with the same play because I know that we had three girls out of position. Parents may agonize about the ball Sally just hit out of bounds to end the game. I may love the play because the passer executed our serve receive perfectly, the set was on time and Sally had the courage to take the swing. There are many different ways to compare success and failure. The final score and points won and lost is NOT how I view our successes.

The Process: I talk about the Process a lot. It encompasses a number of different things that all players must go through before they can become truly proficient. They must learn the game, the fundamentals, the systems, their teammates, how to compete, and many more things. No player will become a great volleyball player in one season. The Process takes time, a lot of time. So when I really got to see our teams this weekend, I have to say that I am very pleased with our progress through the Process. From the 12s to the 17s, every last player, coach and team is getting better. A lot better. It doesn’t always translate into points on the scoreboard right now, but we are trying to play volleyball the right way. Does each team have things they need to work on? Sure, there will always be room for improvement, but in the long run we will be better volleyball players because of the things we are working on right now.

In our Club, we have a lot of first year players, some second year players, a few third year players and a handful of fourth year players. Different players and teams are at different points in the Process. Everyone makes progress through the course of the club season. Sometimes it isn’t easy to see because we have a tendency to compare our performance today to our performance yesterday. What we really need to compare is where we are today vs. where we were at the beginning of the season. This is much more difficult, but the improvements are dramatic. And our improvements are outpacing the competition. This is even more difficult to see, especially without several years of experience.

Success: I am a firm believer that if we are diligent in our Process, we work hard enough and we pay attention to the (not-so) little details, that the wins will take care of themselves in the end. The 17N team has no first year players, most of the team is in either year 3 or 4, and the roster has been relatively consistent from year to year. Our 14s year was a tough one. We didn’t win very much, but the girls worked hard, developed a love for the game, and the parents were very supportive. This culture has taken hold and has persevered from year to year. The 17s have steadily improved and at the Big South we were silver bracket champions in the 17 National division. This was a great accomplishment as the only teams to beat us finished top 5, and we came away with big wins over teams from Club South, Tsunami, Birmingham VBC and a couple of teams from other regions. Our dramatic championship match on Sunday resulted in a hard fought win against an A5 team. These are all teams we would not have been able to defeat just a couple of years ago. The Process is working.

During the 17s championship match on Sunday, I was glad to see a lot of players and parents from our other teams watching and cheering. This was commonplace throughout the tournament. At every match I had the chance to see throughout the weekend, there was someone from another team supporting the team that was playing. This is part of the culture that we have really tried to cultivate, and it is a great and powerful thing to have the support of the entire club in your corner. The parents have really been great supporting your daughters, the team, the coaches and the Club in general. I cannot stress enough the powerful influence parents can have on the teams, and I would like to thank you for your positive support.

As we head into the latter part of the season, I would just like to say keep up the good work! We have a great future ahead of us. Go PLA!!

Michael Carter