Register with the region and learn what age group your daughter is in.

Please use this link to find out what age group your daughter is in.  Typically if she is a freshman she will be a 15s for example, but that is not always the case. You daughter can always play with an older age group, but she cannot play with a lower age group in most cases.  For example, a 16s player can play with 18s.

This is the link for the age calculator.
http://hai3.hoavb.org/pbl/3H_UTLageJR.C.php

To register with the HOA region please use the following link.  EVERYONE HAS TO REGISTER WITH THE REGION PRIOR TO TRYOUTS. If you are joining Xplosion please select our club from the list of club choices.  If you are not sure yet then register, but do not make a club selection.

First time to register with HOA region, use this link.
https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp/memberships/join.wp?mbr_ChapterID=25962

If you have played in the HOA region before use this link.
https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp15/IntraLock/Login.asp

Club dues, gear, and tournament base schedule

Please refer to the blog post titled Three Tiers of Xplosion vbc  for more info about the different team levels at Xplosion vbc.  This will help you identify what level your daughter should try to play on.  There are a number of Q&A sessions to provide more insight to the club, where we are going, and supply you with more information about club volleyball. Come out to one and get to know us. Our tryouts are on different dates than the other clubs in Springfield.  My advice to you is to research the clubs you are considering.   What's their approach to training, are their players getting recruited to play in college, what's their approach to playing time, how much do they train, and make an informed decision on which club seems to offer what you are looking for.  Many of the people who choose Xplosion volleyball club will have attended Q&A sessions and feel confident our club will provide the competitive training their daughter needs.  For more on tryouts and to gather more information about us please read Give Five Minutes to Get a Great Club Experience in this blog.  It will help.

Outline of this document:

1. Dues

2. Gear

3. Tournaments

4. Bottom line

1. Dues

15s-18s national and regional teams
Per person dues--$1200
Per person dues with Health Trax Sports Med partnership--$1300--This includes 25 training sessions with Health Trax//Mercy Sports Med. and this is an option for you to consider.

13s-14s national and regional teams
Per person dues--$1000
Per person dues with Health Trax Sports Med partnership--$1200--This includes 25 training sessions with Health Trax//Mercy Sports Med. and this is an option for you to consider.

11s-12s national and regional teams
Per person dues--$800
Per person dues with Health Trax Sports Med partnership--$1000--This includes 25 training sessions with Health Trax//Mercy Sports Med. and this is an option for you to consider.

13s-18s training only teams
Per person dues--$800

12s and under training only teams ( ages 9-12.)
Per person dues--$600

2. Gear

13s-18s
Included in your dues are:

• Two jerseys for matches
• Three practice t-shirts that can serve as extra game jerseys
• One pair of spandex

11s-12s
Included in your dues are:

• One jersey for matches
• Three practice t-shirts that can serve as extra game jerseys
• One pair of spandex

13s-18s training only teams
Included in your dues are:

• Three practice t-shirts that can serve as extra game jerseys
• One pair of spandex

12s and under training teams
Included in your dues are:

• Three practice t-shirts that can serve as extra game jerseys
• One pair of spandex

3. Tournaments

15s-18s
Included in your dues are:
Eight total tournaments covered in your dues. 4 local and 4 away.

• A USAV National Championship Qualifier
• The HOA regional qualifier
• Two additional multiple day tournaments 
• Four local scrimmages or tournaments hosted by Xplosion vbc
• Additional tournaments can be added with the approval of your coach for the cost it takes us to send your team and coach to the tourney.

11s-14s
Included in your dues are:
Eight total tournaments covered in your dues. 4 local and 4 away.

• A USAV National Championship Qualifier or The HOA regional qualifier
• Two additional multiple day tournaments or a combination of single day tourneys. This will vary on the coaches preference to multiple or single day events and the level of the team.
• Four local scrimmages or tournaments hosted by Xplosion vbc
• Additional tournaments can be added with the approval of your coach for the cost it takes us to send your team and coach to the tourney.

13s-18s training only teams
Included in your dues are:

• Four local scrimmages or tournaments hosted by Xplosion vbc
• Additional tournaments can be added with the approval of your coach for the cost it takes us to send your team and coach to the tourney.

12s and under training teams
Included in your dues are:

• Four local scrimmages or tournaments hosted by Xplosion vbc
• Additional tournaments can be added with the approval of your coach for the cost it takes us to send your team and coach to the tourney.

4. Bottom Line

At the end of the club season when you consider how much it cost to participate in club and travel for club you have to add in something that is difficult to put a cash value on.   

• Experienced college coaches and both current and former college players as your daughter's coach.  
• Our training method where each person in the club gets to work with the director or a college coach many times during the season and/or position training.
• The potential to add a National Championship event in June that will be like no other sporting event you have ever experienced.
• Getting our girls recruited. The high school age club members can have a player profile, skills video, and link to a player profile on our website that will launch in Nov/Dec.  This is a savings of $250-$1000 for these families and will be a tremendous tool to get our players recruited to college programs.

Other notables, tentative schedule, etc...

1. Our season is from January 4th to May 1st this year. Teams who wish to participate in power league or get a jump on practices, with the approval of their coach and club director, can get an additional 4-6 practices in the month of December. This will be a special exception and not the normal.

2. Practices are typically two nights a week. 
3. We are trying to secure The Courts off Kearny St, Drury University facilities, and if we have enough players from any certain area of town we will look into getting a practice gym near that area.  For example, if the vast majority of our 10-13s are from the south side of Springfield, Ozark, and Nixa then I will try to get a gym closer to that area so those 4+ teams can practice there.
4. Position training is typically twice a month for two hours.  Depending on gym space and tournament schedule position training might be added on at the end of practices.  For example, practice might be 2:30 hours long with 30 minutes of position training a few days during a busy month.  The plan right now is to keep position training separate from practices.



Extra expenses you will have:
1. HOA dues for your daughter
2. Ref or scorekeeping clinics (which we can probably get for free)
3. Parking for big tourneys
4. Any extra tourneys your team may add after the base schedule described above
5. Your travel costs:

•  gas (carpool to save money)
• hotel (two moms to a room can be a big savings)
• food (eat the hotel breakfast if possible)

What you don't have to pay for:
1. Coaches costs are covered by the club not you.

• Like coaches hotel rooms
• Coaches practice pay
• Coaches gear
• HOA dues for Coaches and certifications

2. Facility rentals
3. No extra fees, expenses, or misc. costs.....

Payment Schedule for Club Dues and First Team Meeting

There will be a team meeting for each team between 12-1-13 and 12-7-13.  This meeting will serve many purposes.

1. A player contract between the club and the athlete will be reviewed and signed to participate in the club.  This contract will cover basic rules of conduct, being respectful, travel and tournament expectations, and is required for participation in the club.
2. A parent contract similar to the player contract will also be reviewed and completed by one of the parents per player.
3. The tournament schedule will be finalized.
4. The first payment of 1/4 of the total dues is required.

Due Payment Schedule

It can be very difficult to produce the entire club dues up front for some families.  For your convenience the dues can be broken down into four payments.  Please pay by check or cash, and we should have the option available for you to pay by credit card. Budget accordingly.  If you would like to pay in two payments please be prepared to pay for half of the club dues during the first meeting and again on February 7th, 2014.

Schedule

1st payment: At the team meeting 12-1-13 to 12-7-13.
2nd payment: January 7th, 2014
3rd payment: February 7th, 2014
4th payment: March 7th, 2014  (final payment)

Three Tiers of Xplsion vbc Teams

There are three tiers to club teams in Xplosion vbc. These teams reflect a willingness to travel for competitive tournaments by team members and a level of time commitment involved to participate.  The price to participate in national teams and regional teams is similar.  Price may vary depending on tourney schedule.  For example, The national teams may play in more two day tourneys thus spend more on hotel and travel expenses.  Each tier offers something different, but to join the club is to engage in competitive volleyball training.  The odds of receiving attention from a college recruiter or college coach are much higher at the top tier.  The opportunity to have more free weekends for other sports and activities are much higher for teams in the third tier.  Regardless of tier or team each person will receive quality training associated with the club.  The bulk of club volleyball training and tournaments will occur in just four months between January and the end of April.

Tier one--National teams
Tier two--Regional teams
Tier three--Training teams

One of the goals of a competitive club is to compete at the highest possible level. We recommend to each player and their parents to consider a very simple question regardless of your daughter's age.  Ask your daughter:

 "Would you be interested to play college volleyball?" 

An honest response from your daughter will give you a few options.  If she replies "yes" or "maybe" then your path is that of the most competitive team possible for as many years of club volleyball possible.  There's no guarantee that she will put herself in a position to be a college athlete, but with certainty she will not become a college athlete if she is not on the correct path.  A competitive club team is the only option if she is at all interested in having a college volleyball career and the potential scholarships that may come with the realization of that goal. The top tier is your goal in this scenario and in some cases Xplosion vbc may field multiple teams in the same age division that are considered national teams.  It really depends on the goal of the team and how many athletes we have in that age group. A national or tier one team can travel as little as four times in a season, but typically will want to travel to a few additional tournaments.  More than half of these out of town tournaments will be Saturday and Sunday tournaments where you can expect to leave Friday after school, drive, stay in a hotel, play the weekend, and be home Sunday between 2pm and 9pm.  11s to 14s national teams can expect less travel and more one day tournaments.

If your daughter's answer changes often "yes, no, maybe, and I'm not sure" then it's going to be tough for you to determine what tier is right for her. Regional or tier two teams are often unsure if they want to fully commit to a competitive schedule, but are athletes who enjoy the game and want the experience of club volleyball.  Regional teams tend to favor less travel than national teams, and want the opportunity to compete against other regional teams at their skill level. A typical regional travel schedule would include between three and four tournaments out of town in the four months of season.

If your daughter's response is "no" or "I don't think I want to play in college" then I would suggest the third tier of our program. Very young players such as girls from age eight to 12 might not have any idea of their future plans.  These girls can also fall into the training category simply for the chance to pay less money but still have the training it takes to progress in the sport.  Girls who choose this tier can enjoy the social aspects of club volleyball, skill improvement so that she can take part in middle school and high school volleyball programs, participate in athletics and a sport she likes, and in general be part of an organization that will help her maintain some level of fitness. Training or tier three teams typically will not travel outside of Springfield, but on occasion may elect to travel for one or two tournaments. 

An Overview of What is to Come

Want to see the bigger picture?  Follow this link below for a graphic that highlights a better club experience through Xplosion vbc.  Many times I hear myself discussing with parents and coaches my vision for the club.  It's something I'm passionate about and I enjoy sharing with others.  In Q&A sessions and as club season begins I will continue to elaborate on the information in this graphic.  This is a snapshot of how I see the "bigger picture," what it takes to make the club successful, and for each person involved with the club to have a wonderful experience.

Thanks,

Coach James

Blueprint to Xplosion Success (Graphic)

Give Five Minutes to Get a Great Club Experience

Parents and Players,

The five minutes it takes you to read this post will be a great investment of your time.  If you decide to attend other tryouts keep in mind the Xplosion tryouts for our older groups are last to happen this year on Nov 16&17.  This is going to be a good opportunity for our club to get the players/parents who really share in what we want to accomplish.  Most if not all the other clubs will pressure the girls who tryout to commit to them within 24 or 48 hours.  HOA our region encourages you to wait until you are sure to commit to a club, and there is not a rule through HOA that says you must commit to a club within 24 or 48 hours following tryouts.  So just keep in mind that if you tryout somewhere else there will be pressure.  At that time you will have to stand firm and tell them you are trying out at Xplosion and they will have to wait, to turn them down, or take their offer.
 

As a club director I am not looking to fill the club with only the elite players. I especially don't want players and parents who shop their kids each year to a different club, looking for the most elite coach, and checking out which players show up to tryouts.  My approach to building the foundation for club success is to engage the players, parents, and coaches who share a similar vision as I do and see the opportunity to share in something better.  I know I will lose some girls/parents to the pressure by other club directors at their tryouts.  I know I will lose some girls b/c a club offers them a 1s team and they take it b/c it’s a 1s team.  I'm ok with that.  In a year or two the girls who are onboard with Xplosion will get college prep training, be recruited from our website, sign college commitments, and truly enjoy their time in the club.  Our 2s and even some 3s teams will be strong b/c of our training and the people who humble themselves to be on one of those team will have bought into our plan and see that it can be successful even if they are not on a 1s team.  Xplosion players will become elite players b/c of their commitment to the club and my (our) commitment to give them our very best.  I don't think other clubs can touch the experience myself, Kelly (SBU), and Ashleigh (Drury) can bring to the table as coaches.
 

    I will continue to invest in the Xplosion faithful players until they have graduated high school and if they choose so to play college vb. Club should be about way more than volleyball and playing on a 1s teams.  I am making plans to bring in as many players as I can who share our vision.  Some of our 2s teams may be really talented, and even some of our training teams who don't travel much might be stronger than other clubs 2s and 3s teams.  The girls who train with us and work hard at practice should see great improvement.  I say this b/c I am planning on having a strong 14-16s group and our 2s teams can be national teams as well.  
 

The club is recruiting specific players to our 181 and 171 teams.  If any other players in this age range want to play for the club and we can field a third national team in this age range we will do so.  Both of these teams still need players and I think we may have to fill a few girls from our tryouts for these teams. If your daughter is interested in one of these teams please plan on attending tryouts b/c all of the girls in this age range can benefit greatly from joining the club and the recruiting resources/network that we will have available this year.
 

With that said I am recruiting players of all ages, for all of our other teams, to join the club and be part of a new beginning for Xplosion vbc.  It’s a wide open tryout for the rest of the teams. I think parents should discuss with their daughter what she wants to accomplish.  An opportunity to play in college....maybe that she has to be on a 1s team....perhaps she just likes the social aspects of club....etc... If a parent discovers their daughter wants to be in a college prep or competitive type of club then the next step is to make sure she will get good training.  I am going to take the lead training in the gym I am in for about half of the practice and in various position training sessions twice a month. Parents I encourage you to attend tryouts and you will see what I am talking about. My training style is up-tempo, competitive, and challenging very similar to the type of training I would use to prepare a college program for success.  Adaptations will be made for younger teams, but the goal of this style is to instill a sense of competitiveness and athleticism in the girls so they can be successful in match play. This training approach will allow me to work with each player in the club at some point.  In some circumstances I will encourage Kelly or Ashleigh to take a lead training role for an amount of practice time so the kids benefit from their experience too.  This really changes the dynamics of "who is my daughter’s club coach" b/c your daughter’s training in part is from college level coaches and part from your club team coach.  If the girls get high level training it will transfer into games, and that is the goal of a lead training coach system. 
 

    I hope this letter is reassuring to many of you.  I can understand the challenge of leaving another club to join Xplosion vbc.  If I had a daughter playing club vb and I wasn't sure about Xplosion I would go to the meetings of all the clubs prior to tryouts and see if you agree with the direction the club is going, their approach to training, your gut feeling or intuition, and how many kids they are getting recruited to college each year. If you come to one of my meetings and leave excited about what Xplosion is to become then I would commit to the club and rest assured your daughter will get good training from myself and our staff.

Thanks,

Coach James