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.