Milton Aces Volleyball Club: Ace's VBC Parent Manual 2009
Monday, December 1You may click here to view/print the Milton Aces Volleyball Club's Parent Manual.
Milton Aces Volleyball ClubParent Information Manual
Table of Contents Page Subject
2 Welcome to Milton Aces Volleyball
2 What is Club Volleyball?
3 Dues, Fees, and Methods of Payments
3 Parent Responsibility
4 Practices
4 Bad Weather Conditions
5 School Sport Athletes
5 Elite Level Teams
5 Team Selection
6 Player Movement or Transfers
6 Playing Time
7 Uniform Policy
7 Overnight Tournaments
7 Fundraising and Sponsors
8 Team Parent Application Form
9 How to Be a Great Fan
WELCOME TO MILTON ACES VBC
Welcome to the Milton Aces Volleyball Club, which is a local, non-profit organization. The club functions under the guidelines of Badger Region Volleyball Association. Milton Aces VBC is designed to meet the ever-changing needs of the area junior volleyball players, who want to play at a very competitive level and who maintain a high interest in volleyball.
Milton Aces recently added the support of a Volleyball Club Board to help the director with club decisions. This board is made up of volunteers and parents who have a high interest in the sport of volleyball. The club has an established website, MiltonAces.com, which is maintained throughout the year, helping to keep their members and local community informed of volleyball opportunities and activities.
Milton Aces VBC was founded in the fall of 2002 for the main purpose of promoting and developing competitive volleyball in the Milton area. This club started with two team age groups, one 14s and one 15s. In the past 5 years, the Milton Aces has grown from 20 female players and 3 coaches to over 85 participants. Many of the age groups have more than one team, offering different levels of play to a variety of talent.
The Aces VBC offers competitive levels of volleyball within each age group, beginning with 12 years and under. They play against teams that are usually in the surrounding areas, from Madison to Milwaukee, mostly within the Badger Volleyball Region Association. Teams also compete in the Rockford area and occasional tournaments in other parts of the state. The tournaments allow for players to apply their talents and skills to a competitive setting against other highly skilled teams and players.
The club has recently provided fall and spring educational clinics to the younger players in the area, 1st through 8th grade. The purpose of these clinics is to teach the competitive skills of volleyball and to further players’ interest in the sport. The past couple of years Milton Aces sponsored a 4 X 4 summer outdoor tournament for middle schoolers to high school age as part of the Milton 4th of July celebration. The club wants to continue to develop players in the area, but, more importantly, promote the sport of volleyball.
WHAT IS CLUB BALL?In general, Club Volleyball is an opportunity for athletes to extend their high school volleyball season, play at a higher level, travel to compete, make new friends, and learn new techniques on an organized level. Milton Aces volleyball, presently, has teams that compete at the following age levels: 12’s, 13’s, 14’s, 15’s, 16’s, and possibly 17’s. Players who compete in club volleyball programs can gain great benefits , enhancing their high school experience.
DUES, FEES, AND METHODS OF PAYMENTS
Once a player is accepted to the club and signs a player contract along with their parent or guardian, parents (guardians) are responsible for full payment of all club dues and fees for the entire club season. Non-participation or injuries is not an automatic excuse from paying dues. Accepting a spot with the club means acceptance of that financial responsibility to the club also. There will be two payment dates: the last Monday in November (after tryouts) and the final payment on the first Monday in January.
Failure to pay on time may result in non-participation by the athlete. If you need an alternate payment schedule, please contact Mike Peterson, Club Director. The athlete will not participate in practices or tournaments until dues are paid up to date.If a team stays overnight at any tournament, all travel, food, and lodging expenses are the responsibility of the individual and are not covered by club fees/dues.
PARENT RESPONSIBILITYBeing part of a club is a big responsibility not only for the athlete but for the parents as well. Parents are expected to pay dues and make sure the athlete is at all practices and tournaments on time. This may be accomplished by car-pooling, but ultimately the parent is responsible for the athlete’s transportation.
Milton VBC also requires that parents volunteer their time during the season, as a parent rep or toward the annual tournament that is hosted at Milton HS. The club hosts a tournament every year over a weekend, all day Saturday and Sunday. The dates may vary, but it is planned for the first weekend of February. It is the responsibility of parents to help in some way, either before the tournament, or on one of the tournament dates. There are many jobs that help the tournament run smoothly from concessions to scorekeeping. Sign-up for this will occur during the season. This is a huge fundraiser for the club that allows the fees and dues to stay low and reasonable. As parents, you are role models for your children. Good sportsmanship should always be the number one priority. All players are expected to stay at tournaments until the team’s responsibilities have been fulfilled. This includes officiating responsibilities. Any player leaving without consent of her coach will be sanctioned by reduced playing time during the next tournament.Occasionally a question or concern arises regarding policies. Please bring personal concerns to the Club Director or the parent representative that is part of the board.
PRACTICESAll practices will be held at Milton High School, Milton Middle School, Northside Intermediate, or Harmony Elementary. All athletes will have the opportunity to learn basic techniques for passing, setting, attacking, overhand serving, blocking, and digging skills. Basic movement and footwork patterns will also be emphasized. As the players move up in age divisions, strategies will expand and the athletes will learn more advanced offensive and defensive techniques.
Good attendance and participation in practices and tournaments is expected. Missing practices may influence a player’s playing time, but more importantly, she may lack the confidence and knowledge necessary to perform on the court which may cause a great deal of frustration for her and for her teammates. Players are responsible for planning for practice into their schedules. Milton Aces has very little gym time available to them which allows for very little flexibility; however, if there is a conflict for the majority of the team, every effort will be made to provide another opportunity to practice.
Absences from practices must be excused ahead of time. The player or parent must inform the coach if a practice must be missed. In case of injury, players are encouraged to continue to attend practices so, when once again able to participate, the player won’t be so far behind her team.
Practices will be approximately 2 hours and will include strength, agility, jump training, and volleyball skill development.
Since there is often a need to work practice times around coaches’ work schedules, the practice and tournament schedules will be finalized once coaches are selected for teams. Expect to have a firm practice and tournament schedule by mid-December . BAD WEATHER CONDITIONSIn the event that Milton schools closed due to weather conditions, all club practices for that evening will be cancelled. Please check the district’s web page or listen to WJVL-WCLO, WSJY, or TV channels 3, 15, or 27 for school cancellations. If a weekend practice or tournament is cancelled, each team’s coach or team parent will also call each player. We will post any information on the club website, MiltonAces.com, as soon as it is communicated to the webmaster. Please use your own judgment when no information is received or available.
SCHOOL SPORT ATHLETESAthletes who participate in school sports or other activities and also wish to play club volleyball have an added challenge of balancing these activities. It requires a special person to be organized and committed to these activities, but it can be done. Coaches expect that the athlete be honest and open about school sport/activity conflicts so the coaches can plan accordingly. A coach may be able to handle missing one or two athletes during a winter or spring sport season for some tournaments and practices, but will have to be informed of the conflicts at tryout time so she/he can plan to have a “balanced” team. A player involved in school sports may be asked to make-up some missed practices if it can be worked into her schedule.
ELITE LEVEL TEAMSMilton Aces may offer a higher level for certain age-groups as the need or desire arises. This will require additional commitment of practices and tournaments and additional costs. Notification of this level of opportunity will be posted on the Aces website and at the initial informational meeting in October of each club season.
TEAM SELECTIONThe Club Director, Assistant Club Director, tryout evaluators and team coaches on the selection committee will make every effort to thoroughly and fairly evaluate all players at tryouts. This is usually a very difficult decision-making time. All tryout days will be used to determine the teams and all athletes should make every effort to be present for all dates. At the end of tryouts, Initial Team Placements will be posted on the Aces website several days after the tryouts as well as being notified by phone. The athlete and her parents will then have several days to decide if they will accept the placement with the club team by contacting the coach or club director. Final Team Placements will be posted on the website as soon as they are determined. Contracts will not be required to be signed until after Final Team placements. Registration, payment of fees and uniform orders are taken at the required parents’ meeting following final team placements. This meeting will coincide with the first practice for the player.
PLAYER MOVEMENT TO OTHER TEAMS
Movement between teams and/or levels within the club may be made by the Club Director and coaches based on the following reasons:
1. Player on a top team cannot meet the expectations of that team either by attendance, work ethic, or attitude.
2. Players’ skill level has risen to the next level and space is available on a more competitive team.
3. Teams are in need of players because of injuries or commitment changes.
4. Players may benefit from additional playing time or playing at a different level.
· Note: Movement is contingent upon available space and parent consent since such movement may involve extra costs or refund. PLAYING TIMEThe goals of Milton Aces are to provide an opportunity for athletes to improve individually and as a team player, to be competitive, and to have fun. Volleyball has changed tremendously through the years, so there is a lot to learn. This is taught through practices and competitions. The tournaments will give athletes the game playing experience that is vital to the development and understanding of the game as well as to apply the skills learned in practice. Athletes and parents should see real growth as a volleyball player which may not be reflected in the team’s win/loss record.
It is the decision of the coach, with possible input from the club director, who earns a spot in the starting line-up on his/her team and how he/she develops each player into becoming an integral part of the team. Each player’s role on the team is different, but all are important. Some positions, due to the nature of volleyball, will have more playing time than others. Other factors that are taken into consideration include attendance, effort in practices and games, level of performance, and receptiveness to coaching.
Parents are encouraged to encourage their daughter/son to talk to the coach about concerns about playing time, skill progress, etc. Concerns by parents beyond those handled by the player and coach should be brought to the coach preferably by phone and always away from the practice or tournament site. A conference can be arranged if necessary. If satisfaction is not obtained after discussion or meeting with the coach, parents should contact the club director who will decide if further action needs to be taken.
UNIFORM POLICY
A uniform package will be offered at the beginning of each club season, separate from the club dues. For tournament competition each player will be required to wear a team jersey, black spandex, and long socks. These packages will be available for purchase after the teams are selected. Each athlete can purchase whatever he or she needs to complete their uniform each year.
The policy is to rotate the team jersey style every three years, but offer the purchase of any and all parts of the uniform. Other volleyball attire and accessories will be available for purchase at a competitive price, but will not be required.
OVERNIGHT TOURNAMENTSTeams may have some overnight tournaments. A parent representative will probably be available to call and set aside a block of rooms at the hotel at which the coaches will stay. It may be up to the parents to call and confirm their own rooms. Players are expected to stay with their parents or parents must make arrangements for their daughter’s accommodations and chaperone. Coaches will set curfew times, team meetings, team meal time, and site directions and schedules.
The following actions may result in the athlete being sent home immediately from travel tournaments and may include possible removal from the club and the Badger Region Volleyball Association:
1. alcohol, drug, or tobacco abuse
2. curfew violations
3. members of opposite gender in rooms (except for parents and siblings)
4. foul language and fighting
5. vandalism
6. unlawful conduct such as shoplifting, disorderly conduct or reckless driving
7. leaving the hotel without consent of the coach or chaperone
FUNDRAISING and SPONSORSThere will usually be opportunities for individuals to sell items and raise funds toward helping defray the individual’s cost of club dues and fees. A fundraising chair will coordinate options for players and their families. Any other club fundraisers, during the season, would help keep the cost of the club to a minimum or to purchase equipment for the facilities that the club uses. Suggestions are welcome.
Sponsorships by businesses are still needed by the club, at various levels of donation, such as, advertisement on backs of t-shirts, tournament programs and club website. These donations are used to assist the club in purchasing new equipment and help to keep the cost of club dues to an area, and state, low. (Refer to club websites for comparison.)
MILTON ACES VBC VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP
Milton VBC requires that parents volunteer their time during the season, as a team parent, on the board or toward the annual tournament that is hosted at Milton HS. The club hosts a tournament every year over a weekend, all day Saturday and Sunday. The dates may vary, but it is planned for the first weekend of February. It is the responsibility of parents to help in some way, either before the tournament, or on one of the tournament dates. There are many jobs that help the tournament run smoothly from planning to concessions to selling tickets. Sign up will be offered at the parent meeting and via our website. We are, presently, in need of a Concessions Chairperson for the tournament, contact Mike Peterson, Club Director, at 868-7230. This tournament is a huge fundraiser for the club that allows the fees and dues to stay low and reasonable.
If you cannot volunteer your time or choose not to, there is a $35 waiver that can be paid in lieu of. Procedure for this will be explained at your team’s parent meeting in Nov/Dec.A parent (or two) from each team level needs to volunteer to be a team parent(s). Team parents have a few responsibilities to help out the coach and their child’s team.
TEAM PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
· organize a calling/phone tree
· organize car-pooling
· help out on picture night
· distribute handouts to players/parents (e.g. forms, tournament information, travel information, etc.)
· assist coach as needed and/or directed
· collect order forms and/or checks for apparel
· organize team events/parties
· other duties to assist the coach in communication
If you are interested in helping out as a team parent rep, please complete the form below and turn it into YOUR TEAM’S COACH.
I am interested in serving as a team parent rep for my child’s team:
PLAYER’S NAME: _____________________________________________________
COACH(S): ____________________________________________________________
AGE DIVISION (circle): 12’s 13’s 14’s 15’s 16’s 17’s
YOUR NAME: _______________________________PHONE:__________________
E-MAIL CONTACT:____________________________________________________
HOW TO BE A GREAT FAN
Fans of the Milton Aces program should:
ü encourage good sportsmanship
ü honor and understand the commitment
ü be encouraging but not critical
ü encourage hard work
ü not coach from the sidelines
ü use only positive words and phrases to cheer during matches
ü help to create a positive sports climate
ü communicate concerns privately and directly to the coach
Parents should let their child’s coach know as soon as possible if their daughter cannot attend a tournament. Thank you for being supportive of your daughter and the team! If you have concerns, please see your coach, the parent representative to the Aces Board, or contact Mike Peterson, Club Director.