USA Junior Olympic (JO) Volleyball or Club Volleyball offers athletes the
opportunity to participate within various clubs after their school
volleyball season. Club
Volleyball is an avenue for girls 10 (or even younger) to 18 to play in
competitive tournaments and get advanced training. The number of girls
playing club has tripled in the last four years in the Palmetto Region
(South Carolina, plus Savannah, Athens, and Augusta, GA). In 1999, there
were over 75,000 girls that played club ball in the United States. Most JO
Club seasons run from November or December until April. A few clubs
continue training with their top teams until the National Championships,
held in June. Club volleyball provides additional training, knowledge, and
tournament play. The various club vary from club to club, but generally players will be placed on a team based on their age and
skill level. Clubs provide training and tournament play. Most tournaments offer
7 age group divisions (18's, 17's,
16's, 15's, 14's; 13's & 12's). This allows girls
to compete against each other in their same age group. Younger players may
play up in an older age group, but players are not allowed to play in a
younger age group. Each player has a different experience as a club
member. Naturally, some players are more successful than are others.
Players who put more effort into the program get more out of it.
Club programs
differ from Club to Club. We encourage you to check out
How to compare clubs.
The following are some of the benefits of
program:
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FITNESS & IMPROVEMENT
You will get better! That is a guarantee. Every time you touch the
volleyball makes you better than your competition.
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NEW FRIENDSHIPS
Bringing girls together with
similar goals from various schools makes friendships. The
relationships that have been formed through practice and team play
will be friendships that last a lifetime.
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EXPOSURE TO COLLEGE
RECRUITERS
College coaches regularly attend JO tournaments. The majority of
colleges now recruit directly from club programs. Last year over 98%
of the high school girls from Georgia and South Carolina who received
college scholarships played club. Remember, if you want to play in
college, plan to play club!
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INVESTMENT IN YOUR
ATHLETE
The training, knowledge,
self-esteem and experience your daughter will receive will be
priceless. You will not find an alternative where players can receive
equal training and experience compared to participating in a JO
program. For a college bound player, club is becoming a must. Consider
this - each year a few high school players get to compete for a state
championship. Every year, multiple Palmetto Region teams participate
in National Qualifier tournaments as well as the USA Junior Olympic
National Championships and AAU National Championships.
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TOURNAMENT PLAY
JO Tournaments are where the hard practice pays off and many favorable
memories are made. Understand that practice and training is where you
receive the most instruction and experience. Tournament play is only a
supplement to participating in Club. Club tournaments are usually far
more competitive and more physically demanding than high school
matches. |
WHY PLAY JUNIOR
OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL?
Junior Olympic (JO) volleyball programs have exploded all across the
country. Only 19 years ago, the first National tournament was held, and
only 20 teams made the trip. Today, in contrast, the National Tournament
held in 2000 hosted 576 teams, was played on over 40 courts, and lasted
10 days. So successful are JO programs that most college coaches recruit
exclusively from the JO program ranks. The fact is that if you plan to
play in college, club is a MUST!
We find that most girls have several
goals.
-Some players want to learn more about the sport, improve their
skill level, and get playing time in tournaments.
-For others, it's
simply to extend their high school season by 6 months.
-It
may be to challenge starters on their school team for playing time next
season.
- For a few, it will be the exposure needed to compete for future college
scholarship opportunities.
Today you will find that literally all
athletes who play in college participated in club volleyball during high
school. All participants enjoy competitive tournament play. Many
successful high school coaches are encouraging their athletes to play
club volleyball for the experience, instruction, and additional training
time. Also, where you find successful high school programs, you will
find players who participate in club volleyball. That is a fact!
Is JO
volleyball only for the college bound athlete? Certainly not! We are
interested in building teams in the younger age divisions, as young as
12 and under (ages 10 and 11 and younger are encouraged), athletes who
are just beginning their volleyball experience. For most players, JO
volleyball is simply another challenging experience that should lead to
a lot more fun on the court as playing skills improve. Many girls find
that club ball is “their volleyball season” due to the fact that they
experience little playing time during their high school season and find
that tournament play is very rewarding.
LOCAL CLUBS
Enter here at
CLUB DIRECTORY
for a listing of Clubs nearest you!! |
