Coaches:
14-1 (National) = Jeni Case (Head coach Ursuline, U13 assistant last year)
14-2 (National or American) = Karen Hess (Varsity Asst St. Ursula, head coach 16-1 last year)

Cost: 
14-1 = $2150 ( 7 or 8 tourneys including USA or JVA Nationals )
14-2 = $1950 ( 7 or 8 tourneys including MidEast Qualifier )

Tryout update:
Elevation Volleyball has submitted it's request to run tryout the weekend of October 29th-31st for this age group.  We will add a registration form to our website once our tryouts have been sanctioned by the region.  Please check back for an update and understand that NO tryouts in the Ohio Valley Region can be held until October 29th so you are not missing anything at this point.  Elevation will be holding Open Gyms during the 2nd half of October for those who are done with their Jr. High season or awaiting their CYO season.

Note to current Elevation Parents and players looking to tryout for next year's teams:

U14 General Information

Our Elevation Volleyball Club had a great year in the U13 age group.  Based on your responses to our questionnaires, it looks like most everyone would like to return to the club for next year which is great!  That being said, we will be moving from 20 total players in the age group down to 18 (9 on each team most likely).  We have a few players who may need to switch teams based on growing skill level or position needs and we have outside players who are asking about our teams as well.  As you know, our club will not be making any official invitations in July.  I personally felt like we did not need to do this as a club since our evaluations went well and we'd really like to see the players on the court in late October going against each other to determine the spots on each team.  We were not ready to make these decisions when the July 21st invitation release deadline hit anyway.  As it is, we expect to field 2 competitive teams and I hope that you all plan to be at the evaluations when they are held.  We will be sending an email out to those players who we feel are on the bubble of this age group so they know where they stand.  On the bubble does not mean you won't make a team by any means and we want all of you at tryouts.  The simple fact is that at least 2 players will not be back due to our desired roster size and although that is a tough thing to hear now, it's better to be aware of it now than surprised later.  On the bubble also has to do with what position you play.  We will designate about 1/4 of the players as "on the bubble" but realize that some players may jump ahead or fall behind in the next 3 months which is another great reason for us to wait and see at this age.  Again, our rosters for 2011 will include a majority of players from last year with a few new players who fit with the competitive nature of this group. 

 

Question: Why not add a 3rd team?

Answer: The players on our current teams are not 3rd team players and it would be hard to have any of you commit to one.  We also don't want to be that large of a club and water down what we do.  We have a great list of coaches to be assigned but we also offer Training Teams which take up a hundreds of coaching hours each session.  Our complex strives to be a well-rounded volleyball only center and JO's are only a great piece of that puzzle.

 

Question: If I'm on the bubble shouldn't I be signing with another team now?

 

July Invitation Clarification for those that are curious: 

The "July Invite Rule" put in place this year pertains to "home clubs" only.  Home clubs had until July 21st to officially invite players back for next year if desired.  Acceptance of an offer was to be due by July 31st.  This would lock the players spot for the next year.  The July rule is best for entire teams that want to stay together and for top players who would be potentially recruited by another club and want to stay with their current club.  That helps a team build its core and takes some unknowns out of the air so the rest of you can make competent decisions.  This year we have seen clubs stretch for early commitments even from the 2nd or 3rd teams in their club.  It is an undesired consequence that many people feel pressured to accept a spot on a team that they know little about or when they wish to test the waters elsewhere.  That is not the intent of the early signing period.  The region asked that clubs making invites disclose the coach, fees, expected schedule, and certainly which team they are being invited on.  The July rule will likely be negatively received this year due to the surprise of it's arrival and the degree to which it has been used.  I expect that the rules will continue to be tweaked as the region tries to keep clubs in line as far as recruiting goes.  While things have sped up, much will be known and players should be able to navigate the waters more easily since they know their options.  The main positive will be that clubs will take a large breath  and slow down during the high school season since they have offered many of their spots to their current players already. 

 

The July Rule has nothing to do with players from other clubs.  If a player is looking to switch clubs, they are allowed (at any point during the year) to inquire about another club team but no official acceptance is possible until November.  Conversely, clubs can not seek out players and can only respond to inquiries.  If you are being emailed, approached, or otherwise "recruited" by another club representative, I'd like to know about it.  It is illegal and this new rule was put in place to try and limit the recruiting of players off of other teams by taking them "off the board" in July.  An unintended consequence of this rule seems to be the desire to fill as many teams as possible now which is why JO open gyms have suddenly popped up in July for the 1st time ever.  That will hopefully be adjusted moving forward so we don't overwork players in July.  Many rules have been debated in an effort to keep JO's separate from the high school season.  The July 'Home Club Rule" is one such rule and is certainly a work in progress.