Club volleyball and the two-sport athlete

Question
QUESTION: My daughter is 13 years old and enjoys playing both volleyball and basketball.  I have been told by coaches that she has talent and she has caught the eye of the high school VB coach when she participated in several camps.

For the most part, she has played on parochial school teams to this point.

She will be entering the 8th grade in a month (August) at her parochial school.  This summer, she played in a lower intensity 搒ummer league?for a local club team.  She caught the eye of the club director and we discussed the possibility of her trying out for a spot on the club in early November.

I explained that, while my daughter, would love to play club volleyball from November through March, she was also committed to playing for her school抯 basketball team (the school basketball coach spent a lot of time coaching the girls over the spring and summer in preparation).  I suggested that my daughter could try out for a club team when she was 14.

The director answered that it would probably be too late by then. . .and left me with the impression that, unless girls immersed themselves in club volleyball in the 11 and 12 age teams. . .the window will have passed.  Subsequently, her high school playing hopes would also be damaged.

Needless to say, we were both pretty depressed by this advice.

Is it true that early involvement in club volleyball is a prerequisite for high school participation?

ANSWER: Hello Dave, and welcome to www.allexperts.com.  

Wow, have I experienced what you're talking about many times.  Let's go!

a) Will the lack of club ball hurt your daughter's chances of playing school ball?
Yes, if the school has a very good team and/or nearly all the girls play club ball from 7th or 8th grade on up.  No, if the school has a weak team, it's a very small school with very few girls trying out, or almost no one plays club thus keeping your daughter on an even playing field.

b) Can a girl play club vball and school bball?
Sure, in most clubs.  But you need to find out from the vball club coach (maybe even in writing!) whether she will be punished for missing club vball practice for school activities.  On some vball club teams, they come first.......period........except for family or personal emergencies.  But on other club teams (like mine), girls can miss practice for in-season school teams, as long as they make up that practice.  

b2) Can a girl keep her grades up and play school bball and travel vball?
Girls in my club do it all the time.  No problem.  This past season, I had two girls in our local Governors School For The Gifted and they did just fine.

c) Do you want your daughter to play two sports at once?
Almost all girls can.  My team just won the Old Dominion Region for the 2nd time in as many tries with girls who also played bball, sball, soccer and tennis.  One girl was playing on three teams at one time:  my team, school sball and travel sball!  And she was our starting OH when we won the Old Dominion Region tournament!  My stepdaughter (now D1 at Radford University) played club vball, school track and school soccer for 1 year.....yes, two school sports simultaneously + club vball.  Wow.  

d) Can your daughter play college vball or bball w/o playing more than high school?
Almost impossible.  So, if your daughter has dreams of playing ANY sport in college, 3 months of school ball and summer camps is not enough.  Period.  If she thinks it is, she doesn't realize that there are thousands of girls across the USA playing 7, 8, 9 months of their favorite sport a year from the time they're 7th grade...and your daughter will not be able to compete with them for a spot on hardly ANY college team, regardless of the size of that college.  Most girls on teams at even D3 schools played club ball when they were high school after they finished their school ball season.  

Depending on the answers you've made above, your daughter could be at a fork in the road.  Or maybe not.  Some girls at small Christian schools never reach that point where they have to give up something (or double-up on sports), but the penalty for that is they never become good enough at any of them to make a college team.  (They didn't realize this, b/c no one told them.  Then they got 17 and 18, and started to want to be recruited and no one wants them.  It's so sad.)  

Maybe the coaches are putting pressure on your daughter, wanted/asking/suggesting that she play club ball........just b/c they want a better player and they want to win more games.  I hope that's not the case, b/c that's pretty selfish.  I want my kids to play club vball if they want to play, and not play if they don't want to play.  And if 90% of my kids play club, or if 50% play club, then I can live with it.  Yet, I realize my program's success is almost always dependant upon how many kids play club.  For example:  50% playing club = no chance of winning our conference, maybe not even have a winning record.  Meanwhile, 90% playing club = we'll win our conference most years.  

So, here's the bottom line.
--> If your daughter wants to make the school bball or vball team, all she has to do is be one of the best 12 or 13 or 14 who are there.  Can she do it w/o playing more than 3 months a year?  You need to find out.
--> If your daughter wants to be a beast at ANY sport and play on beyond high school, she MUST play more than 3 months a year of that sport.  Period.

One more thing:  In my opinion, your daughter owes the bball team nothing unless she has (a) promised the team something (which isn't a very good idea) or she (b) has made the team at tryouts.  If your daughter bball tryouts are in November, and she hasn't said, "I'm playing this winter.  I promise," then she free to not tryout.  Kids do it all the time.  I only get upset at my players when then promise and don't keep it, or they make my team then quit.  grrrrrrrr.  I never trust them -- or their parents -- again.  

Thank you again for visiting us at www.allexperts.com.  Please visit me at www.coachhouser.com and check out the smiling faces!  My staff and I are in Chugiak Alaska right now directing our 8th camp of the summer.  One more to go!  

Stay in touch!
Coach Houser


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Coach ?Thank you for your quick and thoughtful response.  Your answer will help me better explain the core question that I am asking.

My daughter抯 goal is to eventually play varsity for her high school抯 volleyball team.  The school has an enrollment of 2,000+ (Fr through Sr).  They carry a varsity, JV, Soph and (2) Freshmen teams.  Varsity finishes 4th or 5th in a league of 12 teams.  College play would be nice but it is not expected.

At the fork in the road, it appears as if there are two choices:

Choice 1 ?My daughter plays 8th grade parochial school VB and 8th grade parochial school BB through February 2010.  During BB season, I enroll her again for a weekly VB clinic, hosted by her future High School VB coach.  It occurs over 12 Sundays in fall and winter.  She did it last year and she worked directly with the high school coach. . .giving her great face time.  

Of course, when BB season is over, it will be too late for the club season.

She would have to cobble together spring and summer opportunities; hopefully make the Freshman high school VB team in 2010, then jump to a club team in November of 2010 (as a 14 year old).  From that point forward it would be combined high school and club VB during her freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year.

Choice 2 ?Everything above. . .but surrender BB now and start playing on a VB club team at 13.

Obviously, I prefer Choice 1.  The VB club director (a truly nice lady) disagreed and said that Choice 2 was the only way. . .implication being that 14 was too late to start playing club VB.

ANSWER: Good evening!
It's super to hear from you again!

QUESTION 1:  Your option 1 appears to be that she plays one more year of bball. Option 2 appears to be that she plays no more bball.  I don't see a lot of difference here......from where I'm sitting.  Again, she owes the bball team nothing.  Furthermore, bball must not be a high priority in her/your life, since she will be playing one more year at the most.  What am I missing?

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:  What does SHE want to do?  I lot of us parents try to convince the child what we want them to do.  And sometimes (like dating that skanky boy) we're right to exert our authority.  But with sports, which are voluntary and for fun, have her tell you what she wants.  It may be to play school bball and school vball and no club ball at all.  Fine.  Then if she gets cut as a soph or jr, then so be it.  Have her read my answers to your questions.  If she chooses to not play club vball ever, then fine.  Let her make the decision.  

My wife allowed my three-sports-at-one-time stepdaughter to choose.  We could afford it.  She kept her grades up.  So she chose.  And so after the 9th grade she gave up school soccer, and played school vball in the fall, club vball, school indoor track in the winter and school outdoor track in the spring.  She did that soph, jr and sr years.   She was happy.  Grades were good.  We were happy.  Some soccer people weren't.  We didn't care.  She owed none of those teams anything until she either promised or made the team....and she made neither mistake.

We at allexperts.com are here for you and your family!
Even when we're in Alaska directing camps!  haha  Pictures are at www.coachhouser.com
Hope you have a great day!
Tom




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Coach ?Here is what you are missing. . .

If my daughter does not play basketball this upcoming season, the following positive and negative results ensue. . .

Positive ?She gains immediate inclusion into the culture of  揷lub volleyball?

Negative :
?      She surrenders a sport (basketball) that she truly loves and is passionate about.  She realizes that it is a final chapter (now overtaken by the demands of high competition volleyball). . .but wanted to relish that last season.
?  She surrenders the capstone of playing her final 8th grade season with friends that she has played with since 4th grade.
?  She disappoints her coach. . .a close family friend that has taught and coached the girls since kindergarten.  She coached the girls in grueling off season competition to prepare for the upcoming season.  She has been a mentor to my older daughter, personally training her for   My daughter is the best player on the team, and it would be quite a blow.

My daughter抯 dream was to play both volleyball and basketball in high school.  At 13, she even realizes now that this is not likely.  She knows she has more talent for volleyball, but wanted to enjoy one last season on the basketball court.

The bottom line seems to be that waiting one year. . .from age 13 to 14. . .to supplement her school volleyball with club volleyball will have long-reaching negative ramifications.

I apologize if I seem annoyed at the predicament.  There just seems to be something wrong about expecting a 13 year old girl to select one sport and sacrifice all others because of a multi-million dollar industry that has grown to support the hyper competition of affluent children.  I know, I know, if one can抰 stand the heat. . .get out of the kitchen.  However, I would bet that even you would admit to missing the days when a kid could grab a volleyball, or a basketball, or a baseball, and play as long as their love for the game continued.

Well, its not your fault.  Your generous comments have helped me arrive at a decision.

I will not ask my daughter to surrender basketball.  We will try to find a club VB team that accommodates two sports.  We know the odds are slim, and if we don抰 locate one. . .we will make due.

Thanks again.


Answer
Good morning!

I think you have reached a decision.  I hope it all works out fine.  I see no reason why you can't find a vball club team that allows girls to play other sports. No, it may not be the club that has a goal to reach Nationals, but that's fine.  

If she's truly love it and is passionate about it, why is she even consider giving it up at all?  OK, so she may have more potential in vball.  One of the high school coaches at my school asked to wrestle, but my passion was bball & my grades.  No way I was going to play it.   

I don't ball her playing club vball and giving up her passion. I recommend her answer this question:  "What do I really want to do?" and then go for it.  She may get cut from both school teams as a soph or jr or sr.  But if it meant that she was happy & not miserable, then so be it.  

My club team's parents made me miserable this past spring.  So I left them for 2 months.  Never done it before, hope to never do it again.  But I will in a minute, when the parents treat me that way again.  I encourage your daughter to avoid what she doesn't enjoy (unless it HW or vegetables haha) and dive head first into her passions.  Then let the chips fall where they may.

And remember:  Playing sports is the A1 sauce on the meal. It's not the steak, the veggies, and salad.  It's the extra.  It's the cherry on the banana split.  It's an extra *bing* to the dessert and to life.  If a child only plays 2 sports instead of 3, or 1 instead of 2, or none.   Take me for example....yeah, I told you that bball was my passion, but I was never good enough to make a team after the 7th grade.  Did I stop playing?  Nope, not until I was about 35.  Did I suffer?  A little, but then I dove into finished 2nd in my senior class, I was the debate team captain for 3 years and ranked in the top 5 of the chess team the final 3 years of my school career.  

Thanks again for the correspondence.   
It's great to hear from you.
Tom