• Water bottle
• Gym shoes
• Knee pads
• Good attitude

We issue a tryout number and a card to each of the players, then split them into groups so we can evaluate their skills in a number of areas: Serving, Passing, Attacking, and Setting.  We rate each player on each skill, then move to the second part of tryouts by grouping players with similar scores and watching how they scrimmage together.  A player might have good skills but be quiet and slow on the court, or they may have lower skill scores but be animated and encouraging, talking and guiding the team, smiling and hustling.  All during the tryouts there are numerous coaches watching each player to assess the best team placement for each.  Once the assessments and selections have been determined, the teams will be announced immediately and the players asked to bring their parents and join the coaches for a quick team welcome and overview, collection of registration info not already entered online, and collection of team fees.

Younger teams with many beginning players are assessed on coordination, hustle, attitude, smiles, coachability and natural talent.  Most will not have played any volleyball or have much experience with team positions.  The 12-1 coaches will pick the ten players they want to work with for the coming season.  The remaining players are evaluated for the 12-2 team, and if we have adequate coaches and gym time we may evaluate for a 12-3 team.

As players get older, their experience is deeper and some have specialized experience in one or more playing positions.  Each team only needs a few Outside Hitters, Middle Blockers, Setters, Right Side Hitters, and a Defensive Specialist or Libero.  The coaches will pick players they feel have the best potential for each of those positions. The players not selected for the positions on the first team will be considered for the second team, and so on.

We post a list of tryout numbers assigned to each team outside of the gym.  Players are asked to gather their belonging and parents and to meet the coach and teammates, finalize registration forms and commit to the team.  Any remaining players who are not selected for a team will have preferred registration for our Lime program, which is a no-cut program.  These players may also be callback candidates in the event that someone chooses not to commit to a team.  This can be a sobering experience for all the players as they realize they are not on the same team with their friend, did not get on the level of team they secretly hoped for, or they are a callback candidate if someone chooses not to join a team.

We try to find the right balance in completing the team selection process while respecting the tender feelings of our player candidates.  There is a rush at the start of every season to get teams finalized and uniforms ordered.  Every club needs a player's Commitment right away to adhere to the season timelines. Every player deserves to know their outcome immediately so they can plan accordingly, whether to commit to the team or to look at alternate clubs.

This is a time of raw emotions for the players - they had the courage to come and work hard for a couple of hours and try to earn a spot on a team.  They have hopes of playing with a specific friend, and all want to be on the first team rather than the second team.  Sometimes things do not work out as they hoped and they will need the support of their parents to help consider and choose their best way forward.  We respect each player's right to choose whether to play with a team or not, and of course we surely want them to play with us, but the decision to commit has to be made quickly. Often a player who is sobbing and distraught on tryout day wakes up the following day all smiles and excitement for the first practice.

After joining your coach for a welcome discussion, you will be asked to complete forms to get the team finalized and uniforms ordered.  You will need to provide payment and registration online as well as review uniform sizing.  You will tell the coach what nights work best and worst for practices. The coach will discuss the first practice dates and probably ask about scheduling a team pot-luck gathering to do some team building and kick off the season.

Over the years we have found that players focus on tryouts much better when they are not looking over to see if mom or dad are scowling or smiling at something they just did.  We prefer parents run some errands and come back when asked so you can be present as teams are announced.

Occasionally we will have an odd number of players at a particular age group and will combine ages to form a team.  JO teams compete in two year increments, 7th and 8th grades compete against each other, 9th and 10th grades compete, etc.  If we get an odd number of players in a set of grades, we may choose to select the ten best players from the candidates for the two grades.  These teams often perform very well but it is good to know ahead of time that this could happen.  Players may balk at playing with someone a grade younger, then find they are great players out on the court.  Within a few practices they are all friends and having a great time playing as a team.