How are teams selected?
Athletes are placed on teams based on performance at tryouts. All athletes must attend tryouts to be placed on a team. Teams will consist of no more than 10 players. Teams will be determined by age AND skill level. Players may be asked to play on a higher-age division team if the coaching staff thinks they are capable. An athlete may not play down on a lower age team regardless of skill level.
Do we make cuts?
We try to place as many athletes as possible, but we are always limited by the number of courts and the number of coaches we have as we try to put no more than 10 athletes per team.
At the 13U/14U level – We use a combination of athletic testing and skill evaluation to determine the best fit for each team. Position choice is taken into consideration, but we do move athletes to what we believe is the best fit. At the 15U-18U level – We use a combination of athletic testing and skill evaluation to determine the best fit for each team. Position choice of the athlete is strongly taken into consideration, but we do move athletes to what we believe is the best fit. Position placement does influence our ability to make teams (we can’t have a team of all setters).
What age division should my daughter try out for?
Current age DOES NOT always coincide with USA age divisions. The USA Volleyball Junior Player Age Definitions for the 2022-2023 season are as follows:
18U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2002
17U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2003
16U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2004
15U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2005
14U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2006
13U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2007
12U – Athletes born on or after JULY 1, 2008
Does my daughter need to attend all practices?
YES! Attendance at all practices and tournaments is expected. In order to be fair to all team members, missing practice for ANY reason will affect a player’s playing time. Communication is also key. It is expected that you contact your coach to let them know if you are going to be missing any team activities.
What if my daughter plays another sport?
We always advocate for athletes to play multiple sports and encourage commitment to their respective school teams in-season. We try to work around school team schedules but sometimes it is not guaranteed. It is important to evaluate the commitment level that you and your athlete have for Flight before committing to a season.
Playing Time
Club teams are NOT pay-to-play. All players are given an equal chance to participate and learn at practices. At the beginning of each session, the player expectations are explained to the teams. However, a certain amount of playing time is not guaranteed to each athlete during tournaments. All players will play during competitions, but the time is at the discretion of the coach. If a parent has a question related to playtime it should be asked in private with the coach at least 24 hours after competition.
Where do we sign up for Tryouts?