Coach’s Note
VVA Families —
Congrats to so many on an successful weekend of volleyball. I know there are always so many highs and lows as we had over 150 athletes competing this weekend! A couple notes I wanted to make as we keep learning and growing this season…
1. Congrats to our 18s team on finishing 2nd place at a major tournament in Dallas, TX this weekend. They qualified for their National Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
2. As seasons go it becomes a challenge to stay true to our values and hold to the VVA WAY. Wins, losses, playing time, refs, facilities, etc. all start to deter from staying committed to how we want to do club volleyball. For us we want to teach skills at the highest level, create a competitive environment in training and matches, and teach character values that lead to success in all parts of life. To help keep our focus there, it’s helpful to have the parents, coaches, and players all on the same page. Here are two situations that occur fairly regularly that I want to remind us of how to proceed…
Playing time:
1. Have the player talk with the coach first after practice or after the tournament. Always in public.
2. If it doesn’t get resolved, have the player and parent talk with the coach after the tournament or after a practice.
3. If that doesn’t work, involve me (Jonathan) or Kelsee to work to find a solution. You can always email or call us as well about how we ask our coaches to decide playing time throughout the year based upon the team they are on. It’s also on our website on the Teams tab.
Parents can always talk with the team parent on the team about it or talk with Jessica Visser who can help provide some other insight as a parent in the club. I know we’ve talked about it on the YouTube link, and will probably readdress it here soon again. Please avoid group gossip or getting heated with coaches at a tournament or practice about it. Whether it’s playing time, coaching style, strategy, etc. I know our coaches are all experienced and intelligent. They know what they are doing and they have succeeded many many times at it! Please respect them and respectfully engage in dialogue when appropriate. Coaches are allys in this process of helping your daughter succeed in the sport.
“Trash Talking”:
This one pains me. Trash talking – aka verbal harassment that is somehow okay because it’s sport. Why do sports need to me so mean? Why can’t we just play the game and let the best team win?
1. Parents never yell at a player doing lines. They are young and have no interest in trying to maliciously affect the outcome of the game. They are more likely thinking about their social media, not how to make a bad call to make your team lose. Same goes for these referees. They are just trying to do their job and it is a thankless job that is in scarcity. If we didn’t have referees, we wouldn’t have games to be played. It’s actually a major issue in our sport because no one wants to do that job and get yelled at all day by parents and coaches and players. Pull for your daughter and her team. Get to know all the players on the team and pull for their success and encourage them to do their best.
2. If a parent of another team yells at your daughter doing lines, please let the VVA coach know immediately. The VVA coach knows to talk with the referee to address it with the parent. If they won’t address it with the parent, then the coach or the referee will involve the tournament director who will address it with the parent at fault. It is not acceptable behavior to bully or scream at another person for doing their job. Would you want someone heckling you for typing at a computer? I have talked about it with our VVA coaches to stay near the court when we are reffing to ensure things are done properly and respectfully.
3. It is common culture to have cheers or do things to make fun of other teams. Either about performance or looks or something else. If we win, say nothing, if we lose say less. There is no need to engage if other teams are saying things. It only escalates the situation. We have this HEART acronym – Have Empathy and Respect Teammates. This goes for our own teammates as well as other teams we play against. Respect our opponent. Be grateful that we get to play against someone else and have an opportunity to feel the joy of victory or learn how to be better at a sport we love. Competitive greatness is about being resilient, being confident, making others around you better – not about how much one talks through the net or what is said after the game. I’d love for our club to be one that lets our play do all the talking.
Again, congrats on a great weekend. We had multiple teams make it to the top 4 of their divisions at the different tournaments throughout the weekend. Look forward to the continued progress on and off the court as a club.
Jonathan