Every year many people discover club volleyball for the first time and have many questions. While this will not answer all of them, we hope we can address many of the common questions asked each year.
We have attempted to answer most of the frequently asked questions that we have heard over the years with regard to our boys and girls club program.
We hope these questions and answers will help give you insight into the quality and depth of our program. If you have additional questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Call 815-356-0006
skyhighvb@aol.com
Q. Does my athlete have to attend all try out dates?
No. Sky High offers multiple dates per age group simply due to the fact there are athletes that will not be able to attend each date due to other conflicts. Certainly there can be an advantage for all athletes to be seen by the coaching staff as much as possible. However, only one try out date is mandatory. The final decisions are made during the FINAL try out for each age group. If you are unable to attend one or more of the try out dates in your age group, please list them on your registration form.
Q. What is the difference between Junior Olympic and Regional Teams?
Competitive level and length of season. The Jr. Olympic teams compete in more competitive events and compete through June or early July. Regional teams compete in events only in the Chicagoland area (no more than one hour away) and their season runs through late April.
Q. What level should my athlete try out for?
Athletes who wish to compete at the highest level and aspire to compete in college should try out at the Junior Olympic level. The coaching staff will advise you if they feel there is a need for the athlete to move from one level to the other (JO or Regional). The coaching staff always evaluates all athletes for both levels. We currently offer only the Junior Olympic level for the boy's program.
Q. How do the coaches evaluate the athlete’s during the try outs?
The Sky High coaching staff is looking for athleticism, good attitude in the younger age groups (14/13/12/11/10). Height and skill certainly is a plus but not required. Athletes in the older age groups (18/17/16/15) are being evaluated for their skill, athleticism, attitude and work ethic.
Q. How many athletes will the club select?
Sky High would love to take all the athletes but we are limited to space and a certain number of coaches. The number of teams per age group is based on the number of athletes attempting to try out and the talent pool available. The JO teams (18/17/16/15) usually have no more than TEN athletes per team. The JO 14/13, 12’s, 10’s and all Regional (girls only) teams typically have no more than TWELVE per team.
Q. Where do the coaches come from?
Sky High prides itself on having one of the best coaching staffs in the Chicagoland area. Many of the coaches have been associated with Sky High for a minimum of five years. Some of the coaches have competed at the collegiate level and some have or are currently coaching at the collegiate or high school level. One of Sky High’s philosophies is the fact players benefit from the strengths of different coaches. While each coach is assigned a team, players may see other coaches during a practice or tournament to help out as needed. All coaches are Impact certified by USA Volleyball and many are also ASEP and USA Cap certified.
Q. How often do teams practice?
All Regional teams and 12’s practice twice per week. The 18/17/16/15 girls JO teams practice three times per week. The 14/13 JO and all boys teams practice twice per week however, if any of these teams are attending a major National Championship at the end of their season they may be asked to go to additional practices each week or every other week in May or June.
Q. Where are the practices?
Sky High teams are practicing at the Sky High Athletic Center in Crystal Lake, Prairie Stone Sports Center in Hoffman Estates, Libertyville Sports Complex in Libertyville the NEW Barrington Fieldhouse in North Barrington and Northfield Community Center in Northfield. The boys are typically housed in Libertyville. There are girls teams at all five locations.
Q. How long is the season?
The season for all boys teams runs from October 1 through the end of February or early March. All boys teams return the first of June and finish sometime between late June or early July. All girls teams begin in late November or early December. Regional teams are done competing in mid to late April. All girls Jr. Olympic and 12/10 & Under teams will finish their season in early to mid June. If any girls team competes in the US Jr Nationals or JVDA Championships their season is extended through late June or early July.
Q. How much travel is involved?
The boys teams do not encounter much travel. For the girls it depends on the division and age level. All Regional teams will never travel more than approximately one hour from the North/NW Suburban area to compete. Although travel has been reduced dramatically over the past year the older girls Jr. Olympic teams (18/17/16/15) travel the most in the Sky High program. The reason for traveling is to compete against the some of the BEST teams Regionally and Nationally. The 14/13JO teams may have one or two weekends out of town and possibly a National Championship event at the end of the season based on their performance. The 12/10's may travel over one weekend during the season and may attend a National Championship event at the end of the season if their record proves them to be competitive. It has always been the philosophy of Sky High to enter the most competitive events available for all age groups at the Jr. Olympic level to help take each team to the next level, to give each athlete maximum exposure with the college scouts and to prepare them for the National Championship events at the end of the season. More than 98% of the female Sky High seniors over the past 18 years have received a scholarship to compete at the collegiate level.
Q. What do the fees (Dues) include?
The fees cover much of the fixed costs of playing. Court rental, equipment, coaches, the majority of the tournament entry fees, administrative costs, insurance and USA Volleyball membership. There are additional fees for uniforms and travel costs (JO teams only and occassionaly 12/10's). These costs vary depending on how much your respective team travels. Sky High works very hard to keep these costs to a minimum in an effort to make the sport available to as many athletes as possible. Sky High Volleyball is one of the least expensive “competitive” programs available in the Midwest. Sky High is regarded as one of the top programs in the country.
Q. How will I know if my athlete was selected to compete with Sky High?
After the final tryout in each age group Sky High will post a list of all athletes who have been selected to train and compete with the program. Following the final tryout, a short meeting will be conducted with all athletes and their parents. If the athlete is selected they will be asked to order and pay for their required uniform at that time which will also include a deposit to guarantee their position with the program.
Q. When do practices begin?
All boys teams begin in early October and all girls teams begin late November or early December.
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