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Frequently Asked Questions
TRYOUT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

What are my options if I do not make an ACHIEVE team?
Unfortunately, especially at the older age levels, ACHIEVE does not have room for all the girls who tryout.  The good news is that there are many other clubs in the area that are always looking for players. Here is a list of local volleyball clubs in the Conejo Valley and San Fernando Valley Area. Best of Luck.
Elite Volleyball Club






I cannot make a tryout date. What should I do?
Missed Tryout
If you know you cannot make a tryout or already missed a tryout, please contact Matt at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 310-383-
8317 to arrange an alternate tryout time.

I don't know what age group my daughter should tryout for. How is that determined?
Age Divisions for 2009-10 Season
18 and Under    Players who were born on or after September 1st, 1991
or
Players who were born on or after September 1st, 1990, and a high school student during some  part of the current academic year
17 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1992
16 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1993
15 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1994
14 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1995
13 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1996
12 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1997
11 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1998
10 and Under     Players who were born on or after September 1, 1999
9 and Under      Players who were born on or after September 1, 2000


Is there a fee for the tryouts? What do we need to bring?
Tryout Fees and Equipment
Each participant will pay a $25 fee for clinics/tryouts. Players who bring their clinic/tryout tee to future clinics/tryouts will only be charged $20.  Players who have committed to play for Achieve do not have to pay to attend make-up tryouts and clinics.    Each athlete is encouraged to bring non-marking rubber soled shoes, kneepads, athletic clothing (biker shorts recommended), water bottle and a towel.


When and where are the tryouts for ACHIEVE?
Tryout Times and Locations
Tryouts for the 2009-10 season will be held in October for the 12-14s divisions and November for the 15s-18s age divisions.  All tryouts and clinics will be held at Moorpark College The exact dates, times and locations for next seasons tryouts will be posted on the ACHIEVE Calendar soon.


What will I be doing at the tryouts?
Tryout Format
ACHIEVE tryouts are broken up into three phases. First, players do a series of physical tests to determine the athletic quotient of each athlete. Scores from these tests are placed into a program that; thru a series of equations, gives us the athletes' data.  ACHIEVE uses this data for tryouts and to track the progress of the athlete while in the program. Second, we run the athletes thru a series of drills for skills evaluation by the coaching staff. These drills are similar to the drills an athlete would see in practice. Third, the athletes are placed in game simulated drills to evaluate their team leadership, court awareness and overall game play.


How does ACHIEVE select players? What are you looking for in a potential player?
The ACHIEVE Player
ACHIEVE is very proud of our players and their actions/accomplishments. In building our tradition we look for three characteristics and/or qualities in a potential volleyball player.
1. Is the athlete coach-able(are they implementing suggestions)?
2. How is the athlete’s attitude (are they hustling during drills and shagging balls in between drills)?
3. Does the player have athleticism?


When will I know if I made a team? Will I know what team I made?
Selection Process
Travel-Teams will be seleced on an invitation only basis.   Players will receive an email or phone call the week after tryouts.
Tryouts are a difficult time.   Please be patient and know that if you do not make one of our travel-teams there are other clubs out there.
We encourage all players that are not placed on a team to come to our weekend clinics.
Non-Travel Teams will be open to anyone who wants to play.  It is our desire to provide an opportunity for all of our younger players to participate on one of these teams.


PROGRAM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

If I need to discuss one of the following items, whom do I talk to?
Uniforms | Dues | Apparel | Programs
Contact Matt Shubin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Contact
Matt Shubin
310-383-8317
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



What is the "Building Fund"?
Building Fund
Achieve Volleyball is excited to be able to serve the players in our region by providing the nations best club volleyball environment.   Finding quality training facilities for our players is always one of our biggest challenges.  Due to the recent changes in CIF rules allowing all high school coaches to train their players year-round, gym time is going to become even more scarce.  ACHIEVE is looking to solve this problem by partnering with local community members to build a state of the art athletics facility.  The club is currently accepting donations towards this cause.   All donations are 100% tax writeoffs. If you would like to participate in the Building Project please contact one of the Club Directors.


Does Achieve Offer Scholarships?
Scholarships
Yes, ACHIEVE does offer a certain number of scholarships every year.  All scholarships decisions are based on families financial need and the amount of funds in the club's scholarship endowment. If you are interested in being considered for a scholarship please fill out the scholarship application and be sure to include tax returns for the previous year.


What is the difference between the travel and non-travel programs?
Travel vs. Non-Travel

Travel teams
will participate in 1-3 National Qualifiers as well as highly competitive tournaments in the area that will likely include two-day tournaments.  Travel teams will play in National Qualifiers in an attempt to qualify for the Junior Olympics.  National Qualifiers will be held in California, Nevada, Colorado and Washington State. Teams that do not qualify for the Junior Olympics will participate in another volleyball championship tournament.  Travel teams generally practice 2-3 times/week and the season lasts 6-7 months.

Non-travel teams play all of their events within a 2-2.5 hour radius of their location.  All tournaments/Matches will be only one-day events.  While still competitive, non-travel teams generally require less time commitment than a travel program.   Non-travel teams generally practice 1-2 times/week and the season lasts 6-7 months.

How many teams will you have at each age level at ACHIEVE?

AGE  # OF TEAMS
18s |  0
17s |  1
16s |  1
15s |  2
14s |  0
13s |  0

How much does ACHIEVE cost?
Cost
Cost information is disclosed at the parent information meeting held at every tryout.

When will I know who my coach is?
Assignment of Coaches
We will rarely disclose coaching information prior to our parent's meeting.  The reason is simple.  We wait to finalize our coaching staff so that we can make the perfect coaching fit based upon the composition of each team. 

We pride ourselves on being able to select the "right" coach for each team based on that team's make-up and personality.  We feel that this is the best approach and will stick to this philosophy.

Also, we want to discourage players from coming to Achieve solely for the purpose of playing for an individual coach.  We want our players to believe in our system and our entire coaching staff, as players will work with several coaches throughout the season and will have many different coaches throughout their career.

At ACHIEVE we pride ourselves in provided top-notch coaching to our younger athletes.  We believe the coaching players receive at a young age is crucial their their developing a love for the game and sound fundamentals. We make our coaching selections for our younger teams based on these principles.

All of our upper-division coaches have played or coached at the highest of levels and understand what it takes to achieve success at the next level.   These coaches have experince making the transition to the collegieate game and can help guide players though this exciting process.  Our upper-division coaches will help challenge players to maximize their gifts by provide a fun yet highly competive practice environment.

At ACHIEVE our coaches work together to provide a second to none playing environment.   All of our coaches are provided the same coaching materials and will teach the same systems and techniques.  Players who grow up in the ACHIEVE Volleyball Club will benifit from a seamless progressive volleyball curriculum.

How long is the season at ACHIEVE?
Season Length
The ACHIEVE season differs depending on the age group.  Our 10-14 year old age divisions will begin in October. The 15-18 age divisions begin their seasons in November after the High School season is over.  The 10s, 11s, and 12s are considered non-travel teams and will finish their season the last week in May.

The rest of our travel-teams seasons will wrap-up at our end of the end of the year championships in the Phoenix Festival, Summer Soiree or the Reno Junior Nationals for those teams that qualify.  The Festival and Junior Nationals are held the last week of June/first week of July

When are practices? How often do teams practice? Where do they practice?
ACHIEVE Practices
ACHIEVE Volleyball will hold all practices at Moorpark College
. Players will practice 2-3 times a week for 2hrs each session.  We will also have a mandatory conditioning and plyometric training session one day a week for one hour.  During the indoor season we will make it out to the beach to hold a beach about once a month. All beach practices are mandatory and held at Paridise Cove Beach. During the summer months beach training will be twice a week and Achieve Players will compete in competitions every other weekend.

Practice times on the weekend vary.   It is looking like the majority of our practices will be Tues, Thurs from 6-8pm and Saturday form 10am-12pm.  Summer beach trainings will be Tues, Thurs and scheduled around players high school indoor practices.


When are games/matches played? How often do the teams play? Where are the tournaments played?
Tournament Play

ACHIEVE Travel-Teams participate in USAV (USA Volleyball ) and SCVA (Southern California Volleyball Association ) tournaments and events.  Tournaments are held on Saturdays and/or Sundays around the southland area.  Most tournament sites are located in or around the orange county area.    All of our Travel-Teams will play in the Junior National Qualifier held in Anaheim, CA.  Some of our top teams may also travel to Colorado or Washington to qualify.  The decision to travel to an out of state qualifier will be a joint decision made by the coaching staff, players and parents.  The qualifier tournament ususally runs Thursday thru Monday.  Tournament schedules will be handed out at the Player/Parent Meeting.   Below is a link to the SCVA site with tournament info.

Note, if there seems not to be a division for your daughters age group do not worry.  For example all 13s teams play in the 14s division for SCVA.
SCVA Tournaments
http://scvavolleyball.org/girls_schedule.htm
Socal Junior National Qualifier

March 19th - March 21st - 18Open, 18Club, 17Open, 17Club, 15Open, 15Club

March 26th - 28th - 16Open, 16Club, 14Open, 14Club, 13Club, 12Club


What is ACHIEVE's policy on parent involvement? Are parents asked to volunteer their time?
Parent Responsibilities and Roles
At ACHIEVE we take pride in the relationship we have with our parents .  ACHIEVE has an open door policy with our parents and encourages parents to communicate with our staff. The open door policy does not exist during tournaments and practices; we feel a neutral time is best for staff/parent discussions.
The amazing team culture we have at ACHIEVE all starts with the parents. At ACHIEVE our parents know that they are major participants in helping create great team chemistry.  The success of our club is dependent upon our parents ability to model to their children healthy reactions to difficult situations.  The best thing a parent can do when their child is struggling is to tell their child they are proud of how hard they are working and to keep trying their best and good things will happen.   Parents have a unique vantage point to help their children put the athletic experience in perspective.   Our parents understand that volleyball is not the most important thing in life and are eager to partner with our coaches in helping their children grow as not only as players but as people.
One of the areas we ask for parents to volunteer their time is as team chaperones on overnight trips (Team chaperones will be responsible for team communication and travel duties). For more information on these duties, please refer to the player manual or call 310-383-8317.
Every year we invite 3 parents to participate on the ACHIEVE Club Council.   The goal of the ACHEIVE Club Council is to find ways to improve the club.  The Council is comprised of the Club Directors, 3 parents, 3 players and 3 coaches.   The Council meets twice a year, once preceding the start of the season and once after the season come to an end.
As a club, we are always looking for ways to make our club better.  ACHIEVE is open to any suggestions or involvement that will further the goals of the club.   Thanks for all your help and support!


Can my daughter play school sports, such as basketball or softball, and still play on a travel team? School Sports
Yes, any athlete can participate in school athletics while playing for ACHIEVE. At no time will a player be encouraged not to participate in school athletics.  The athlete will not be penalized for missing practice; however, playing time is usually determined by practice performance. At ACHIEVE we celebrate our multi-sport athletes and are extremely proud to have them in our program.


What is ACHIEVE’s philosophy on playing time?
Playing Time
At ACHIEVE we believe playing time is a privilege, it is not earned or given.  ACHIEVE dues guarantee the athlete quality coaching, practice time, uniforms, registration and training.  Playing time is determined by the coach and is based on several criteria- practice, attitude, game performance & skill.  Players are encouraged to work their hardest in practice and leave the rest up to the coach.

Please understand that everyone in our program works hard and would like more playing time.   At ACHIEVE we encourage our players to focus on what is in their control and to enjoy the process. For players to enjoy the process parents must praise their children for working hard even if they are not starting. Encourage your child to work hard and have a good attitude in all situations and she will experience success on the court and in life.