FAQs
What is club volleyball? / Why play club volleyball?
Just as you attend open gyms or camps during the summer, club volleyball is an opportunity to continue improving your skills in practices and compete in tournaments during the winter months.
Participating in club can easily add up to 50+ additional hours of on-court practice time and 30+ competitive matches during a winter season. This is not to say every successful junior high or high school player plays club or HAS to play club, but this extra season of practice time and competition experience is a definite advantage come fall school season.
Why is Cedar Falls Juniors only for athletes in the Cedar Falls School District?
Having all participants from the Cedar Falls School District allows us to get priority in gym reservation times in the CF school buildings. It also allows us to better schedule around common school activity conflicts (basketball games/practices, music concerts, dances, etc.) that can sometimes prevent athletes from participating in club volleyball.
Why are some clubs USAV some clubs AAU?
After trying both AAU and USAV formats for our teams, we decided to start our younger teams with AAU and possibly moving some high school aged teams to USAV. We've found many benefits to playing AAU:
Tournaments are cheaper
Tournaments are typically closer and run faster that USAV
Playing field is more even. AAU teams are all school based teams and not "all-star" type teams put together with the best players from several different schools
AAU uses the same rules and score sheets as school volleyball
Tournaments are more "relaxed" and the emphasis is on athletes getting game experience while continuing to develop as volleyball people/players. Winning is great at this age, but gaining experience, gaining confidence, developing a love for the game and developing better players for the future is much more important
While players will learn to scorekeep and referee, there are no mandatory, lengthy, online training or tests that players are required to complete
And one of the biggest benefits is that players can play BOTH USAV and AAU! That means athletes who want to play with any local USAV teams (Smash, Six Pack, CIA, etc) are still allowed to practice and compete with CF Juniors!
How are teams selected?
Each year's format will vary depending on available gym time, available coaching and number of participants. Club Directors will weigh season format options and see which will best help the most participants maximize their improvement.
I was selected for a team last year OR I wasn't selected for a team last year. What does that mean for this year?
Each season is handled as a completely separate event. Players who were or were not selected for a team last year come in with a clean slate and the same opportunity to make a team this year. For 10-16 year old girls, a lot can change from year to year which may affect if a player is selected to play this season. Players skill levels can change, players can change physically (taller, stronger, etc.), players decide to no longer play with us, or players who played elsewhere decide to play with us.
How many players are on a team?
If we select teams for a grade, we aim to have 9-11 girls on each team in order to have enough players to play and practice, but not so many girls that it limits participation time and coaching attention. This allows for enough girls to run productive practices and still play in tournaments in the event someone gets ill or injured during the season. Spreading season costs over more players also keep season dues more affordable. Depending on the number of players in each age group and number of coaches available, there may be exceptions to this "rule."
Who are the coaches?
Teams will be coached by hired, experienced coaches because at this level, teaching fundamental techniques becomes critical to the success of the athlete. All coaches will be overseen by Club Directors
How long is the club volleyball season?
Practices start in December and tournaments run late January to early March.
How many practices will we have a week? Where will they be held?
Depending on the season format, participants will typically have a Sunday afternoon practice and a weeknight practice if on a grade team.
Practices will be held at one of the Cedar Falls School District gyms, and we will do our best to make sure teams practice at a consistent day, time and location.
How will we know if practices is cancelled or changed?
If school is cancelled or released early due to weather, all practices that night will also be cancelled. If weather is questionable after school or weekends, the decision to cancel will be made as early as possible and announced on this site and our Facebook page.
If we are forced to adjust any practice times or locations, we will also put notice on Facebook and this site.
How many tournaments will we play in? Where will they be held?
Teams will participate in of 3-5 tournaments. The AAU tournament season length is only 7-8 weekends long so we've found that playing in up to 5 tournaments balances out a good amount of competition dates with some free weekends for families.
We aim to keep travel to a minimum so most tournaments are within 45 min of Cedar Falls. Typical tournament sites we aim for are Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dike, LaPorte City, Dubuque, Waterloo, Waverly, etc.
How much does it cost to participate for the season?
Per player cost for the season will depend on number of participants, grade level, uniforms, number of tournaments a team plays in and coaching fees. At this point we estimate around $200-$500 depending on uniform choice, # of coaches and # of tournaments for each team.
Where does this money go?
Participation fees go toward tournament entry fees, uniforms, coaches, registration fees, administration, occasional gym rental fees and equipment costs.
I got asked to play for a different club or am thinking of playing for a different club in the area, what should I do?
GO FOR IT!!! Club season for volleyball is a time to get better as individuals. When volleyball teammates play together year-round, players tend to stay in their comfort zone or role on their school team--they typically know where they stand and there may be little motivation to get better. By playing on a skill-appropriate team that may travel to bigger tournaments and play against tougher competition, players may make bigger gains in skills and confidence that they then can bring back to their school team come fall season.
Our goal as a club is not to keep all Cedar Falls girls playing together year-round but to provide an opportunity for players who otherwise wouldn't play club due to the cost or time commitment of other local clubs.
IT DOESN'T MATTER TO US WHERE GIRLS ARE PLAYING, AS LONG AS THEY'RE PLAYING!
I am interested in helping coach, whom should I contact?
Please contact us at cedarfallsjuniors@gmail.com or call anyone of our Co-Directors via information on our "contact us" page.
I am interested in becoming a sponsor, whom should I contact?
Please contact one of our club Co-Directors directly or email our club at cedarfallsjuniors@gmail.com