Freshman asked to tryout for varsity

Question
My 14 year old daughter has played both years on her middle school team, and three seasons of club ball.  She was asked to tryout out for the varsity volleyball team as a 9th grader this year.  She's very hesitant since the team has a superb outside hitter, an experienced setter and middle hitter...all positions she's played before.  But they have five eligible girls from the team last year who refuse to come back, indicating some issues.  The  coach retires at the end of the season, the JV coach will likely take their place next year.    I can see benefits to getting increased experience at a higher level, but, I feel she'd get more playing time if she goes with the JV or even the 9th grade team...she'd really like lots of time as a primary outside hitter, but understands versatility is important too.
Would she benefit more from varsity without the playing time, or should we stick with JV?  Thank you

Answer
Good evening and welcome to www.allexperts.com!  
This is the time of the year when my inbox at allexperts blows up with business.  :)  But, you, unlike many, are asking me thoughtful, logical, caring questions.  
I've been writing articles about volleyball and coaching for about 15 years.  
The following is an answer to an email that's very similar to what you have asked.  If I sound angry, or like I have a bad attitude, please understand that it's not directed at you in any way.  :)  But, many people are different than you.  They believe their child deserves, is entitled, etc.  
Before I paste that article here, I am also concerned that five girls aren't returning. Do you have any inkling as to why?  If they have played 4 or 5 years of club vball, then it's REALLY unusual.  Did they transfer to another school?  If not, then it becomes even MORE unusual.  Can you ask around at all?  I really don't want your daughter to stick herself into the same buzzsaw that appears chewed up those 5 girls.  
One other thing:  You say she's already played 5 seasons?  And gotten significant playing time all those 5 seasons?  Well, then, not being a star (or even not having a significant role) one or two seasons will not kill her.  Or her parents.  :)  
OK, here goes.  Once again, this is not personal.  :)  It's just a generic answer to the selfish parent that I often encounter.
Coach Houser

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A Mom Is Concerned About Her Daughter抯 Playing Time.  I Tell Her The Advantages Of Being On A Higher Caliber Team
April 27, 2005  

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Coach Houser:
Evidently the varsity coach has plans on my daughter trying out for Varsity -- I have my reservations, like no play time -- that certainly won't get her in a better position for her travel team next year.

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I teach high school math.  My kids practice their math everyday.  Do the parents want to witness them take a test?  See them take an end-of-course exam?  Demand that they compete against other kids from other schools?   揘o?to each one.   Furthermore, if the kids never participate in a math competition witnessed by their parents, does that mean all their math practice has been worthless?  No to that also.  

But yet, for many short-sighted people, if an athletic child isn抰 搊n the court,?then the time spent practicing, working, learning, conditioning, bonding, etc. has been wasted.  

This attitude is so sad.  And it makes everyone抯 job harder:  the players, the coaches and the administrators.  

Here are my thoughts on when a sophomore or freshman should be a member of my varsity team.  

When I have an outstanding athlete in my program, I want her on the varsity team asap!  I don't want her to be a beast of the JV team.  That's no challenge.  She抣l dominate while giving about 80% effort. Maybe she抣l learn to give even less!  It'll become boring to her and she could develop a 揑抦 the baddest chic around?attitude.

Readers, this is not what抯 best for the program OR what抯 best for the athlete.  I want this girl to practice with the varsity team every day.  She's better off doing that (regardless of her playing time), than being the "woman among girls" on the JV team.  

"But Coach Houser, what about playing time?"  
Your beastly daughter can get p.t. in other ways.  I抳e made this list over and over.   For example, the 2nd teamers on my travel team have played more than they did as starters during their entire JV school season.   Plus, if you want her to start for 2, 3 or 4 years on the varsity team, be happy that she抯 on that team as an 8th or 9th grader.  Do you really think your daughter is a cinch to advance from a starter on JV one year to a starter on varsity the next?  Most girls don抰 make that leap.  But many many more players advance from a 2nd string varsity player one year to a starter the rest of their career厖..while last year抯 JV抯 sit and watch her.  So, when do you want her to sit the varsity bench:  as an 8th grader? or as a 9th grader? or as an 10th grader?  The earlier the great athlete gets to varsity, the quicker she may be able to put in her 損ine time?  

擝ut Coach Houser, I want my daughter to improve!? 
I抦 glad you said that!  If your family's goals are for your daughter to improve, then varsity is where she needs to be.  During a typical high school varsity season, she'll be with her teammates in the gym about 65 times (13 weeks x 5 days) and 45 of those days will be long, tough, demanding practices.  At each practice she'll have 100's of ball contacts and she抣l quickly move from drill to drill.  If she wants a sniff of the court, she'll be expected to keep up with the juniors and seniors.  On the other hand, if she's on the typical JV team, yeah she'll play a lot, she may even be the MVP; but, she'll be practicing with a group of girls who often don't know the fundamentals, aren抰 as committed, aren抰 as athletic, etc.  Some JV teams even have a number of rookies on the team who have to be taught how to do the very basics, and how to play an organized offense/defense.  Furthermore, she'll often get the inferior coach, the team will get more days off, the team will have shorter practices, etc.  Now, after all that抯 been said, do you REALLY want your daughter on the JV team?  Really?  

擝ut I want her to excel at travel ball next year!!? 
All that hard varsity practice WILL prepare her for travel.   The girls who are playing the most on my team right now (www.coachhouser.com/RoanokeJuniors2007.html) aren't the ones who played the most on their school team last fall.  The girls who are getting the most p.t. are the ones who have the most skill.  This is the case on all travel teams.  So, if club p.t. is on your mind, your daughter WILL DEFINITELY have a better chance of making a big impact on her club team if she spends the fall with the varsity girls at her high school.  

擸ou don抰 understand.  If my daughter is on the varsity bench, a college coach won抰 see her play.? 
Really, I do understand.
a) Almost no big-time college coaches attend high school matches. They attend club tournaments.
b) If your young daughter can抰 get p.t. as a freshman on her high school team, the college coach will understand.
c) Furthermore, I don抰 imagine the college coaches are going to make a special trip to your high school to see a junior or a senior, let alone someone as young as your daughter.  If a college coach happens to come to your school this season, they抮e not looking at a freshman!
d)  But if indeed a college coach is there to see your daughter specifically, then she must be a freak-of-nature athlete, and therefore, I don抰 foresee her sitting on the bench anyway.  
e) Most high school coaches don抰 coach so that someone will get 搒een?  I don抰.  In high school, 揑t抯 team first, individuals second.? If a youngster is so good that college coaches are coming to see her, keeping her on JV is ridiculous.  Furthermore, college coaches don抰 come to watch the JV抯.  If a girl was really good, the coach would have put her varsity.  
f)   If there抯 a college coach present, then he/she can see your daughter抯 potential by how she warms up before the varsity match.  I know I can.  

 擨f my daughter sits the bench, she抣l be crushed.  She抣l have no self-esteem.? 
Wrong.  Your daughter抯 self esteem this season is:
a) 20% in her control;
b) 10% in her teammates' control;
c) 30% in her coaches?control.  (This is another article!!)
d) 40% in her parents?control.

Yep. Parents have a huge impact on an athlete抯 self-esteem.  But we already knew this.  The following statements are examples of statements that parents use that crush their teen daughters?self esteem:

?  揧ou have to work harder at practice.?br> ?  揂re you fooling around at practice and being punished during the games? ?br> ?  揑f you don抰 get more playing time, then you抮e not playing next year.?br> ?  揑f you don抰 start playing more, I抦 not paying good money for you to play travel!?br> ?  揟his is so embarrassing.  No one in our family has ever sat the bench.?br> ?  揥e抮e going to change schools. We will find a coach that you can impress."

擨f my daughter is going to improve, she has to get playing time.? 
Partially correct.
If your daughter is going to improve at PLAYING 6抯, she has to get playing time?.in matches OR at practice.  Doesn抰 matter.  But if she wants to become a better PLAYER, then practice is where it's at!

Most parents who say what you just said really mean:
?  揑f you want me to stay off your back, she has to get playing time,?or;
?  擨f you want her to stay on the team, blah, blah,?or;
?  擨f you want me to not go to the superintendent, blah blah.?br>

I抦 not the last word on this topic.  I just sound like I am!  Many coaches have a very different opinion, and they feel just as strongly about their way.  I抳e heard their arguments a dozen times, and they抳e never put a dent in the beliefs that I抳e stated above.  

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If I can help you any more in any way, please contact me here or at [email protected]
Hope you guys have a great weekend.  I'm in Bristol Tennessee this week for volleyball site camp #11! Can't WAIT!
Coach Houser