St. Louis Powerhitters VBC

We endorse the excellent advice on how to pick a club volleyball team as contained in an article written by Chris Clauss, Junior Development Coordinator, for the Region's Centerline newsletter. Entitled "A Parent's Guide to Choosing a Volleyball Club," it may be found on the "Documents" link of our website. Another excellent source of information is the Region's "Frequently Asked Questions" article, also found at our "Documents" link, which addresses many of these same issues. The information provided is presented in the spirit of providing players and parents as much information as possible so that they may make informed decisions. 

As these articles makes clear, there are several factors to be considered. in choosing a team. Among the most important are the (1) level of competition and (2) costs. We believe that the St. Louis Powerhitters compare favorably with other clubs in these matters

COMPETITION

The St. Louis Powerhitters Volleyball Club is committed to developing the premier club in the Gateway Region. We seek to play at the highest competitve level. Beginning with 11's and 12's girl's teams in 2006-07, we have sytematically and carefully added teams such that we now have a team at each age level from 11 to 18. We sponsor only one team at each age, filling a specific niche among teams in the Gateway Region.  

One measure of playing at the highest competitive level is whether or not a Club accepts "waivered" players. Teams with waivered players are ineligible to play in the Gold/Silver Division in their age bracket at the Regional Champonships, and thus are disqualified from particiapting in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships, or National Qualifiers. Waivered teams may only play in the Bronze/Copper Division in their age bracket at the Regional Championships. In addition, other USAV regions may not accept waivered teams into inter-regional tournaments. The Gateway Region rankings, found on the "juniors" page of the Region's website, contains a listing of teams that in the 2010-11 season had waivered teams. Players and parents are encouraged to review this historical information, and to inquire of teams for whom they are interested in playing during the 2011-12 season as to whether or not they accept "waivered" players. 

The St. Louis Powerhitters do not accept waivered players. 

Another measure of a Club's dedication to being a premier organization is the degree of competition in which it engages. We historically play among the most difficult schedules. According to the 2010-11 Gateway Region rankings, for non-waivered teams that played a minimum of 40 games within their own age bracket, the 14's had the most difficult schedule, the 13's had the 3rd toughest, the 15's and 16's had the fifth most difficult, and the 12's the 16th toughest. We require that our teams play in Region-sponsored Seeding Tournaments, the Gateway Girl's Festival, and the Gold/Silver Division at the Regional Championships. Following the Regional Championships, we require all teams 12 and up to play in either the USAV Junior National Championships (Nationals), the Junior Volleyball Association/Amateur Athletic Union National Championships (JVA/AAU), or the Asics National Champuonships. We do so because we believe that players will develop their volleyball skills to a greater degree if they compete against better players - to be the best, you have to play the best. We are not a "developmental" club. Approximately 90% of our players make their high school teams. Most clubs state that they want to win; we expect to win. Players and parents are encouraged to inquire of teams for whom they are interested in playing  during the 2011-12 season about the degree of competitiveness associated with that team and expectations regarding  tournament play following the Regional Championships. 

However, winning is not the only goal - Powerhitters players, parents, and coaches are also expected to exhibit the highest levels of sportsmanship and responsible behavior. We teach being humble in victory, and gracious in defeat. Volleyball, beyond the wins and losses, is also an educational experience that enhances athletic, social, and leadership skills. We provide these opportunities within a winning environment.

COSTS

The cost of club volleyball is another factor to be considered when selecting a team. Players and parents want value. Quite simply, what is the cost relative to the team's success; are they getting the quality for which they are paying? We believe that the Powerhitters provide an excellent value. 

For the 2011-12 season our Club fee is $900.00. It is an all-inclusive fee. For players 12-18 it includes entry into approximently six one day local tournaments, two local Gold/Silver seeding tournaments, the Gold/Silver Regional Championships, and either the Asics National Championships or the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships; for players age 11 it includes approximently 8-10 local tournaments (including Gold/Silver Regionals. The fee includes pylometric trainig for all players; all player, coach, and chaperone registrations, background screens, and training; coaches' stipends;  coaches' out-of-town tournament travel expenses, gym rentals, volleyball equipment and supplies, and administrative expenses (postage, office supplies, website maintenance etc.).  Also, there is no fund-raising obligation, or requirement that players or parents donate goods or services.  Additional information may be found on our "Fees & Uniforms," or "FAQ" links. 

As Chris Clauss points out in her article that the "true" cost of club volleyball may approach $5,000 per season depending upon the level of competition, the number and locations of tournaments, fundraising opportunities or expectations, coaches' salaries, gym rental fees, uniform costs, and other matters.

In regard to costs, most clubs do not publish this information in their Club Profile or on their websites. We commend those Clubs that publish information regarding their costs and financial expectations in their Club Profiles or on their websites, encourage more Clubs to do so, and invite Clubs to provide that information to us so that it may be accurately posted here.  This is irrespective of whether or not the information from other Clubs is more or less favorable to our Club. We believe that players and parents benefit by having as much information as possible regarding this issue, and that as a result that they make better and more informed decisions. Typically, most players and parents learn for the first time what the financial expectations are at some point during the tryout process. In addition to the base fee, which often but not always includes the types of costs that Chris identifies, a club may require players to pay expenses over and above the basic fee. 

Club fee information for the 2011-12 season, as of October 10, 2011, is as follows. This is summary information only and is not intended to be all inclusive, and reflects only what a club may have published; fees may include items which are not specifically mentioned. Also, fees may vary within a club depending on the level of competion, whether or not it has local or travel teams, whether each team within the club has its own account/budget versus pooling all funds into a single club budget, and other factors. Fundraising expectaions may vary from team-to-team  within a club. Players and parents are encouraged to contact the appropriate club directors for a fuller explanation. The information below excludes fees for all boy's teams, co-ed teams, girl's 10 and under  teams, and girl's 8 and under teams, as we do not sponsor teams in those categories. Information for the 2011-12 season will be updated as it is made available.

1.  Attack: Total fees to $900 or more for activley traveling teams. Fees include uniforms, bags, and sweatshirts; player and coach USAV memberships, background screens, IMPACT certifications, tournament entry fees, gym rentals, equipment, coach and club administrative fees. Base fee of $150-300. Possble fundraising.

2. Boom: $400-500 club fee; includes tournament entry fees, USAV memberships, gym rentals, equipent, administrative and other expenses; possible fundraising. 

3. Club Washington: $450 club fee; includes USAV registrations, equipment, uniforms, tournament entry fees, and administrative expenses.  

4. Cross Fire Crush: $500-600; includes tournament entry fees, equipment, gym rentals, USAV memberships, administrative and other expenses.  

5. Parkway Lightning: $600 club fee. Includes eight local tournaments and Regionals, player and coach USAV memberships fees, gym rentals, coaches stipends, equipment. club administrative fees. Club fees does not include uniforms, which are approximently $110 (2 jerseys and shorts). Club fees do not include allocations for out-of-town tournaments; cost will vary per team and is anticipated to be approximently $150-400 per player depending on the number of tournaments, location, and duration. 

6. Rockwood Thunder: $735 club fee plus estimated uniform costs of $150. Fees cover equipment, gym rentals, player and coach USAV memberships, background screens, coaches' training, tournament entry fees, administrative costs. Fees do not include coaches' travel expenses. Fundraising possible. 

7. South County Angels: $400 club fee. Club fee includes player and coach USAV membeships, gym rentals, tournament entry fees, equipment, uniforms, and administrative fees. Fundraising possible. 

8. St. Charles Aces: $400 club fee.    

9. St. Louis CYC: Initial club fee of $350, plus estimated uniform fee of $161-184. Total expenses estimated at $500-2,500. Club fee included player, coach and team USAV registartions, background screens, tournament entry fees, gym rentals, administrative fees, equipment. Fundraisers possible. Each team is self-sufficient.   

10. St. Louis Fusion: Estimated club fees of $8001,700, including uniforms, player and coach USAV memberships, background screens. coach education, gym rentals, tournament entry fees, equipment, and administrative expenses. Coaches' travel expenses not included.  

Players and parents are encouraged to inquire of prospective teams
for whom they are interested in playing the details of what their financial expectations will be for the season - what is included in the club fee and what is not. They are encouraged to ask teams for an explanation of their costs, fund-raising obligations, or donation of goods or services. 

As one can see, as suggsted by Chris Clauss's article, a seemingly low club fee may not reflect the "true" cost of playing club volleyball once the coaches' out-of-town travel expenses (hotels, food, travel),as well as any tournament entry fees are included. Consider the typical situation for a team with a $500 basic fee, 10 players, and 2 coaches who decide to attend a multi-day National Qualifier in Denver, Indianapolis, or Minneapolis. With a $700 entry fee to be divided among the players, that adds $70 to each player's costs. Housing for 2 coaches who do not room together may add $50-$100 per player dependng upon the type of hotel selected. There may be the cost of the coaches' food. There may be the cost of the coaches' travel expenses by either car or airplane; if the latter, several cars or vans may have to be rented to transport the team from the airport to the hotel to the tournament site. As one can see, several hundred or thousands of dollars can be added to the base fee. In addition, the costs do not include the player's own travel expenses nor those of any family members accompanying them.

Some clubs advertise that a player may reduce their costs by participating in fund-raising activities (candy and pizza sales, car washes, raffles, or hosting trivia nights are representative examples), or by donating goods or services. We do not require our players or parents to do so. We believe that they do not need the additional investment of time and energy carrying out fund-raising activities. We believe that the focus should be on the development of volleyball skills.