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Q. When are the tryouts?
A. Both our Crystal Lake and our North Shore (Libertyville) programs will have their own unique tryout. We will only host a make-up tryout IF AND ONLY IF we still have spots available in certain age groups.
The 2023-2024 tryout for North Shore (Libertyville) will be held on Sunday, August 12, 2023.
The 2023-2024 tryout for Crystal Lake will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Please consult the tryouts page for the specific times for your age group.
Q. What Programs does the Sky High Boys Program Offer, and what are the differences between the programs?
A. The Sky High Boys Program offers two main programming options: Junior Olympic (JO) and Regional (REG). The JO program is our National level program, and what is often referred to colloquially as a “travel” program. Whereas the Regional program is a local events only program. At the Boys 14u level (8th grade and younger), we only offer a JO program option.
The JO program teams practice 3 nights a week through the entire season. The only exception is if the team’s scheduled practice day immediately follows a multi-day event, the team will take that day off. The Regional program teams practice 2 nights a week, regardless of multi-day events, and will only be off for scheduled breaks.
The JO program participates in approximately 3-5 major multi-day events plus a National Championships in late June, or early July. These pre-Nationals events may include a significant amount of travel in and around the midwest (e.g. Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, etc.), and Nationals will either be held in Dallas, TX or Orlando, FL. The JO program will play in approximately 20-22 tournament days a season not including Nationals, which is 4 additional days.
The Regional program participates in tournaments beginning in October and running through February, and potentially the first weekend in March. All Regional program tournaments will be within ~ 90 minutes of driving distance from the practice facility. There are no travel events or additional ground fees for the Regional teams unless the team votes and decides to add an event, in which case we will bill only the athletes who agree to go to that event for that event.
Q. How often and where do teams practice?
A. 14 JO, and all Regional teams will practice twice per week. 15 – 18 JO teams will practice three days per week. The only exception is if the 15 – 18 JO team’s scheduled practice day immediately follows a multi-day event, the team will take that day off.
Q. How long is the season?
A. 14 JO, and all Regional teams will begin their practices the week of October 2, 2023.
The 15-18 JO will begin their practices the week of September 4, 2023.
All teams will be off the week of Thanksgiving (Nov. 20-26). All teams will be off for winter break from December 18th through January 1st . All of our teams should expect to return to practice on January 2, 2024. However, this is subject to change on a team by team basis.
14 JO teams will have either a prolonged break, or multiple breaks sometime during mid-March through mid-April.
The Regional teams will end their season no later than March 3, 2023.
All 15 - 18 JO teams will be off during the boys IHSA season (no later than March 3rd) and return in early June.
Q. How much travel is involved?
A. All 14 – 18 JO teams will attend either the Chi-Town Boys Challenge (formerly Third Coast) Nov. 11-13, 2023 or the Boys Winter Volleyball Championships (Boys Bid Event) January 13-15, 2024. Both these events will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. There will be additional Ground Fees for these events.
The 15 - 18 JO teams will also likely attend at least one of the following events: 1. The Brew City Battle in Milwaukee, WI on Jan. 27-28, 2024 ; or 2. The Dennis Lafata Gateway Festival in St. Louis February 10-12, 2024; or 3. The AAU/JVA Windy City Round-Up in McCormick Place (Chicago) on June 15-16, 2024. Again, we will have the best sense of this schedule after tryouts. There will be additional Ground Fees for these events.
All other events will be in the greater Chicagoland or greater Milwaukee area.
All 15 - 18 JO teams will attend either the AAU BOYS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS in Orlando, FL in late June of 2024, or USAV BOYS JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS in late June of 2024.
All travel (Bid Events, Dale Rohde, Nationals and any added events) will be invoiced separately from your dues. There will be additional Ground Fees for these events. There will be approximately 2 ground fee events for 14 JO, and approximately 3-4 ground fee events for 15-18 JO in 2024.
Note: These ground fees do not include the player's travel cost, as each player is responsible for his own travel, hotels, meals, and costs incidental to travel. Ground fees will be invoiced separately from your dues.
Q. How do coaches evaluate each athlete?
A. The Sky High coaching staff will be evaluating each player’s athleticism, work ethic and attitude in the youth age groups (14/13/12). Athletes in the (18/17/16/15) age groups will be evaluated for their skill and all of the above.
Q. How many athletes will Sky High select?
A. Sky High would love to take all athletes however, we are limited to space and number of coaches. Typically we select ten to eleven athletes per team for Junior Olympic (JO) programs, and ten to twelve athletes per team for Regional (REG) programs.
Q. Where does Sky High find their coaches?
A. Sky High prides itself on having one of the best coaching staffs in the Chicagoland area. Many coaches have been associated with Sky High for several years. Some coaches have coached at the collegiate and/or high school level. Many players benefit from the strengths of different coaches. While each coach is assigned a team, players may receive feedback from other coaches during practice or tournament. All coaches are Impact certified by USA Volleyball and some are ASEP and/or CAP certified.
Q. What are the program fees (Dues) for 2023-2024?
A. The 2023-20234 Fee Schedule is as follows:
|
Installment |
JO 15s-18s |
JO 14u |
Regional 15s-18 |
Due Date |
|
Deposit |
$400.00 |
$400.00 |
$400.00 |
08/13/2023 |
|
ONE |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
09/01/2023 |
|
TWO |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
10/01/2023 |
|
THREE |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
11/01/2023 |
|
FOUR |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
12/01/2023 |
|
FIVE |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
01/01/2024 |
|
SIX |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
02/01/2024 |
|
SEVEN |
$364.00 |
$251.00 |
$266.00 |
03/01/2024 |
|
EIGHT |
— |
$251.00 |
— |
04/01/2024 |
|
TOTALS |
$2,948.00 |
$2,408.00 |
$1,996.00 |
— |
Q. What do fees (Dues) include?
A. The fees cover much of the fixed costs of playing. court rental, equipment, coaches, local tournament entry fees including Asics Nationals at Navy Pier (14/13's only) and strength and conditioning for 15 - 18 JO.
Uniform costs are additional. In an effort to make the sport available to as many athletes as possible, Sky High works very hard to keep costs to a minimum.
For a complete breakdown of the cost, please call our office at 815.356.0006.
Q. How will I know if my athlete was selected to compete with Sky High?
A. After the tryout Sky High will post results and instructions will be handed out to those players selected. The handout will instruct how to access the required paperwork at home online. A general parent meeting will be scheduled at some point prior to the start of the season, or shortly after the season begins.
Q. Is a deposit required?
A. Sky High will ask for a $35 registration fee in order to create, and/or move your SportsEngine Account into our system. This fee is non-refundable. If the athlete is chosen to a program, the athlete's parent will receive an email after tryouts with a link to a contract, and a request for payment of $400. The $400 deposit is to secure your spot on a roster. This $400 is non-refundable. Further, upon payment of the $400 and signature of the contract, each individual athlete is committing to the club for the season, and to fulfill the contractual obligations therein contained. Uniform fittings will also occur at/after tryouts.
Q. What paperwork is involved and when is it due?
A. All necessary paperwork including a contract will be included in the link you will be directed to online once the tryout is complete. You will need to complete the documents including dates, electronic signatures, etc., no later than the deadline included in your welcome email. You will receive via email a Parent/Player Handbook a couple weeks following the tryout, which will include important information you will need throughout the season.
Q. How much will the uniforms cost?
A. Each JO athlete is required to purchase three jerseys, two practice tees, one pair of shorts, a full warm-up and Molten Flistatec volleyball. There will be other accessories available for purchase such as knee pads, ultra ankles, backpacks, etc. All REGIONAL players are required to purchase two jerseys, two practice t-shirts, one pair of shorts and the Molten Flistatec volleyball.
Players are required to wear black socks, black kneepads (kneepads are required for 14u and recommended for all age groups) and predominantly black or red shoes at all practices and competitions.
Accessory items are available in our pro shop in Crystal Lake. Please note all players must wear ADIDAS brand socks, kneepads and shorts for all competitions.
Q. What if my athlete plays another sport?
A. Sky High does not want to turn away good athletes simply because they play another sport. Sky High has a fantastic multi-sport athlete policy. We ask you to turn in your practice and competition schedule to your coach, and keep the coach informed of any changes. As a courtesy, throughout your season, please remind your coach when you have a conflict. So long as these terms are met, these absences are excused.