Club Volleyball FAQ

Who runs Chaska Juniors Volleyball Club?

•  We are 100% volunteer-run, with a board of directors who meet weekly to develop and organize the Academy, YDT, and Club programs.

How is Chaska Juniors Volleyball Club organized?

• We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (pending approval) run by a volunteer board of directors.

What is Club volleyball?

• Club Volleyball is a competitive program offering advanced skill training for youth players looking to elevate their game. This is not a recreational program; we offer recreational clinics and teams through our Chaska Juniors Academy and Fall YDT League.

Is your player ready to sign up for Club volleyball tryouts? 

 

Before signing up for Club season tryouts, consider if you can confidently answer “yes” to the following questions:

1. Has your player been on a formal volleyball team before, such as one of our YDT Fall League Teams?
2. Is your player eager to join a team and mature enough to handle the commitment of a multi-month season?
3.  Has your athlete attended multiple Chaska Juniors Academy clinics (formerly Chaska Mini Juniors)?
4.  Does your family’s schedule allow for a high level of commitment, including attending most practices and tournaments? Practices are typically held on weekday evenings, with occasional Sunday sessions.

"I have a daughter in 4th grade interested in the Club Development Team starting in February. Should she attend the tryout on October 27th?"

• Yes. If you have confidently answered yes to the questions above but are still unsure about committing to the season, still attend the tryout. We can assess and provide feedback for your player.
• To be placed on any team for our Club season (Development, Tournament, or Travel), the player must attend the tryout.
• If a younger player decides after the tryout that they do not want to be placed on a team, that is okay. We will use the tryout to assess skill level and assign teams based on age and skill level. Once assigned to a team, you will then register and pay the deposit for the season cost.

How Do I Decide Which Level to Register For? Development, Tournament, or Travel?

• Commitment Level: For players 13U and above, balancing club volleyball with another high-commitment winter sport can be challenging. However, we fully support multi-sport athletes and will do our best to accommodate volleyball alongside other sports. For 12U and younger athletes (our Development Teams), we offer a later season start to accommodate those also participating in house or travel basketball, or other winter sports that require significant time commitments in January and February.

• Choosing the Right Level: If you are uncertain about which level your daughter should join, consider her availability and commitment level. We will have competitive teams at each of the three levels: Development, Tournament, and Travel. These levels are not based on skill level but rather on the time commitment required for weekend tournaments. Each level will offer A, B, and C teams as needed.

• Development Level: For younger athletes (10U/12U/14U) who are also participating in basketball or other sports during January and February, the Development level is the most suitable option due to potential schedule conflicts with tournaments.

• Tournament Level: If your daughter is not playing basketball and can commit to weekend tournaments starting in January through April, the Tournament level is appropriate. However, if she participates in a spring sport with many weekend commitments (such as softball or lacrosse), this should be considered when selecting a level.

• Travel Level: If your daughter has no other winter weekend commitments and can participate in tournaments from January through May, the Travel level is the best option.

• Review Tournament Schedules: Be sure to review the weekend tournament schedules listed under each level on the Club Homepage before making your selection.

The goal of offering different levels is to ensure teams have 8–9 players with consistent availability. When several players have conflicts, it becomes challenging for teams to compete with their full roster during weekend tournaments.

What to expect at the open gyms? Will there be instruction for players and designed drills, or will players self-organize and just play games?

•  We will have Chaska Juniors Volleyball Club volunteers leading drills and giving direction to players who may be new to volleyball and need guidance. We will have three courts running with drills, and we will group players by age and skill level. It will be an opportunity to get a feel for who else your age will be trying out and gauge interest and skill level.

What to expect for Club Tryouts?

• Why do you have tryouts? We want to form teams based on athletes’ abilities. Making “equal” teams in volleyball does not always advance players and their skills as you might think. We group players by their skill level and work to improve their skills throughout the season.

Do you make cuts? Does every player make a team?

• We do not plan to make cuts. We require pre-registration for tryouts so we can estimate how many teams we can form. We aim to have 8-9 players on a team: maximum of 10. If we cannot place your player on a Travel team for any reason, they may be offered a spot on a Tournament or Development team.  We may need to make cuts if we have too many kids for a certain age group to keep team rosters at 8-9. For example if we have 20 kids at 13U we will want to have teams of 8 or 9, so we may have to place 2-4 of those kids on a 14U blended age team to keep the rosters to 8-9 players, or we may have to recommend to players a spot on a team with kids older than their age group. We expect we could have a blended team of 12U/13U/14U kids who could play as a 14U
  team in competitions.

How many teams will be formed for the 2024-2025 Club Season?

• We expect to create Development Teams at the 10U, 12U, 14U levels. 
• We expect to create Tournament Teams at the 12U, 13U and 14U levels, (potentially 16U).
• We expect to create Travel Teams at the 12U, 13U, and 15U levels, (potentially 16U).
• The number of teams will depend on tryout turnout and numbers in age groups. For example, you may be a 12U player but be placed on a 14U team depending on the number of athletes trying out. We will work to keep players in their age group as much as possible and will place athletes on teams based on skill level.

Do you create A, B, C teams?

• Yes. We place athletes on teams based on their skill level, level of play, and position. We may have only one team for an age group, or we may have multiple teams. Team placement is determined by coaches’ assessments to provide the best opportunity for your athlete to build and grow their skills and leadership. Being placed on a team that is not the “A” team is not negative. We enter teams into tournaments based on a “seeding” process, grouping kids to fit the tournament’s seeding categories. Our goal is for each team to have a positive experience, and whether they win or lose, to grow in their skills and have fun with their teammates.

My daughter is a 10U. Will you make a 10U team?

• We place players on teams based on skill level. We may create a 10U or an 11U team, depending on player numbers. A 10U player may be placed on a 12U team. We may place them on a team up a level (10U to 12U or 12U to 14U). We will not place a 10U player above the 12U team, and we will not move a 12U player above a 14U team.

Is there a fee for Club season tryouts?

• Yes. A $25 non-refundable tryout fee is required and can be paid during the pre-registration process via SportsEngine when you register for tryouts. It can also be paid in person at tryouts via cash or Venmo.

We are signed up for tryouts; what is next after tryouts?

1.  After the tryout, you will receive notice of your athlete’s team placement within 5-7 days.
2. You will then need to register via the Chaska Juniors Volleyball Club website for the assigned team and pay the season deposit.
3.  We will hold a mandatory parent meeting to discuss the schedule of practices and tournaments, volunteer requirements, and an overview for team managers.