Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How is Eden Prairie Volleyball organized?
Answer: The program is coordinated by the EPVA (Eden Prairie Volleyball Association). Our club philosophy is as follows:
Our volleyball program is built on a double goal philosophy. Our mission and the mission of our coaches is to concurrently teach players the fundamental volleyball skills that allow them to win and help players learn life lessons and develop positive character traits from volleyball.
Specifically, we want our players to:
1. Be coached using the principles of positive coaching
2. Have fun playing the game
3. Feel like an important part of the team regardless of performance
4. Learn “life lessons” that have value beyond the playing field
5. Learn the skills, tactics, and strategies of the game and improve as a player
Question: How do I learn more about EP Volleyball?
Answer: Log on to our website at www.epvolleyball.com
Question: Why is the program called Junior Olympic or JO Volleyball…? What exactly does Junior Olympic mean?
Answer: Eden Prairie JO Volleyball is EP’s travel program. We are a member of the North Country Region of USA Volleyball. Our program is sanctioned by USVA (United States Volleyball Association) and is designated “Junior Olympic” by that organization. It is simply the name of the program.
Question: How do I learn more about USA Volleyball and the North Country Region?
Answer: Log on the their websites www.usavolleyball.org for USA Volleyball or www.ncrusav.org for North Country Region
Question: What team will my daughter play on and what is the time commitment?
Answer: Tryouts are held in November. To get specifics please log on to www.epvolleyball.com and click on the policies tab to learn more.
There are multiple teams:
10U (10 and under) – This team(s) is for players in 4th grade. It is shortened season (December through first week of March) with less play dates (4) and one practice per week. It is volleyball’s version of travel light.
12U (12 and under) – This team(s) is for players in 5th - 6th grade and runs from December through April with 2 practices per week and with tournament play about every other weekend.
14U (14 and under) – This team(s) is for players in 7th - 8th grade and runs from December through the second week of May with 2 practices per week and with tournament play about every other weekend.
16U (16 and under) – This team(s) is for players in 9th-10th grade and runs from December through the second week of May with 2 practices per week and with tournament play about every other weekend.
18U (18 and under) – This team is for players in 11th-12th grade and runs from December until mid March with 2 practices per week and with tournament play about every other weekend.
Question: If my daughter does not make a team what happens to my $150 deposit?
Answer: The $150 deposit checks for players not making a roster, will be shredded.
Question: Where do we practice?
Answer: Practices are held at the Eden Prairie Activity Center. There may be an occasional practice at another facility. Communication about times and locations of practice will be distributed after teams are finalized.
Question: Why do we have to practice on Wednesday when it conflicts with church activities? Why do we have to practice from so late when my daughter has school in the morning?
Answer: Our program is one of many competing for space in the city of Eden Prairie. Unfortunately, space is a limited resource. We have tried unsuccessfully to find additional space, but we have been able to secure court space on Mon, Wed, Thur, and Fri evenings. To accommodate as many teams as possible (in 2007-2008 we had 10 teams) we run two practice sessions per night. In order to have effective fundamental volleyball skill development and physical training, a minimum of 90 to 120 minutes of training is required, which forces half of our program’s practices to be held with end times of 9:45 to 10:00pm . We set our schedule first to accommodate the needs of our coaches. Next we try protecting our younger teams (10s, 12s) and placing them in the early session. Finally, we try to rotate the schedule to allow folks to share the burden of the later schedule. We have heard from our 14s and 16s players and families to stay away from Friday nights. Players have conflicts each season and are expected to work through the situation with their coaches.
Question: Where do we play?
Answer: Our teams play at multiple venues throughout the course of the season. Our 12s-14s-16s play in Power League at the Midwest Volleyball Warehouse in Burnsville, along with various other tournaments. Our 10s and 18s play at the MN Select league at the Ralia Sports Center in Maple Grove. Additionally, the 18s will play at other venues. To learn more about each of these league venues you can log on to www.midwestvolleyball.com or www.mnselect.com
Question: Are tournaments and power league the same thing?
Answer: No, they are not the same. League play is set up a 4 team pool with each team playing the other during either the morning (8am-2pm) or afternoon (2pm-8pm) session on either Saturday or Sunday. Times and dates will vary over the course of the season. Tournaments are either single of multiple day events involving more teams and more matches. The locations of the tournaments can be local or out of town.
Question: Why don’t we know when we’ll play our league?
Answer: The league is set up to be as competitive as possible with a team’s performance determining their competition in subsequent weeks. The teams can not be placed in the appropriate playing pools until after each week’s results are realized. The weekends of play can be identified, but the day (Saturday or Sunday) and the time (Morning or Afternoon) will not be known typically until the week prior to the play date.
Question: Do our fees cover travel expenses?
Answer: No. Fees cover coaches travel expenses and the cost of tournament entry. Travel costs are covered by the player and family.
Question: When we travel out of town for tournaments, who sets up the travel and hotel arrangements?
Answer: It is the responsibility of the team to make appropriate travel arrangements including identification and booking of hotel reservations. A team parent will coordinate this activity.
Question: When do we pay our fees?
Answer: We split our fees into two halves. A $150 deposit is collected at time of registration. The remainder of 1st half fees is then due during the first week of practice in December. Second half fees are collected the first week of March. Checks should be made payable to EPVA. The designated team parent will collect the fees for each team.Note: Alternate payment schedules can be accommodated as needed
Question: How can I get my concerns about the team or coach answered?
Answer: We expect that our players and parents will respectfully communicate directly with the coaches as a first step to deeper understanding and resolution. Please see our policies document by clicking on the policies tab on our website www.epvolleyball.com
Question: Why is volleyball so expensive?
Answer: EP Volleyball works hard to be cost efficient and believes that we provide a quality experience and value for the fees when compared to other club programs. The fees cover a volleyball experience that begins with tryout clinics in November and ends with a final tournament in late April/early May covering over 6 months of training.
Question: What do my fees cover?
Answer: There are many costs associated with running the volleyball program. The fees are allocated across the various expenses.
42% Coaches
20% League & Tournaments – 10% each
15% Uniforms
10% Facilities
7% Administration
4% Conditioning
1% Equipment
1% Insurance
Question: Why do teams pay different fee amounts?
Answer: Most of the expenses are divided evenly across all players. The difference across teams is then a function of coaching expense and tournaments over the 6 month season.
Question: Why do some teams have high school assistants?
Answer: Depending on the age group, the availability of coaches in a given season, and the experience level of the adult of high school assistant, high school assistants are often the best choice for a given team. In some years, a high school assistant my work with our oldest team or be limited to working with developing teams. We cherish the experience our high school athletes share with the younger players in our program.
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