Hannah really enjoys playing volleyball. She’s played for two years with her classmates in 7th and 8th grade and is one of the better players on her team. Unfortunately, the season is relatively short and, as far as we knew, there were few opportunities to play organized volleyball outside of school ball.
Enter club volleyball. Who knew club volleyball was such a hot topic for middle school girls these days? Wait, who knew club volleyball even existed?
In the past week we went from knowing nearly nothing about the club volley ball scene to being the new dumb parents who still know nearly nothing.
After the state high school volleyball championships, all of the clubs around the state begin try-outs (they have try-outs?) to select the best girls for their club. The really good girls will try out for multiple clubs with increasing levels of skill and competition. The clubs make offers, the girls decide which club fits their needs, and the season begins.
All of this happened in the past week and a half. We came in on the tail end of things and had to play catch-up.
Hannah participated in only one try-out with Midwest Juniors on Saturday. This club is headed by Toby Parker, the head volleyball coach at MATC in Madison. I really liked what I heard from him and his staff of players/ex-players. You’re here because you want to play volleyball. You are welcome at this club. There will be no cuts. Everyone received an offer to join.
His level of involvement also impressed me. It would have been easy to delegate this try-out to other members of his staff. But he was the one walking all the girls through the drills, showing them correct form, and explaining his philosophy. To me, it’s a no-brainer to accept.
Stay tuned. Definitely more to come as she begins playing. I’ll post the game schedule when it’s available.