AVBC Handbook

Ashland Volleyball Club Handbook 2024-2025

Types of Teams

USA Volleyball provides the opportunity for girls and boys who want to increase their knowledge, understanding, and skill by playing the sport of volleyball.

There are three levels of USA Volleyball juniors’ competition in most ages groups:

1. Regional Teams - consist of athletes from the beginner to the highly skilled and compete at various levels of competition based on their teams' composition

2. National Teams - consist of highly skilled athletes that compete at the highest levels of competition within and outside of the Ohio Valley Region

3. American Teams - do not desire the travel associated with the National division, but want a stronger level of competition than the Regional division.

Rules and Regulations

Ashland Volleyball Club abides by all USA Volleyball and OHSAA rules. Some of these rules are:

• Only 3 athletes from the same OHSAA member school can be on the same team for ages 13s - 17s. 18s do not count against this number provided they are not participating in other interscholastic sports. 

• A high school coach can now coach up to three athletes from their school program.

• A middle school coach can also coach up to three athletes from their middle school program 

Note: If this is your first experience with Club volleyball, please note that not all USA Volleyball rules are the same as high school rules. 

Before Tryouts

Before stepping out on the floor for a tryout session, athletes must complete the following documents:

• Ashland Volleyball Club player profile - 

• USA Volleyball Medical form - LINK HERE

• USA Volleyball Tryout Membership - LINK HERE

• $25 Tryout Fee – cash or check to: Ashland Volleyball Club LLC

Athletes trying out for Ashland Volleyball Club do so knowing that they might be asked to play on a National, American, or Regional team. Athletes are placed on teams based on their skill level, using data from tryouts. We try to establish the teams immediately after tryouts. We will announce the names of the athletes accepted to each team and their coach within 3 days of the conclusion of tryouts. We may use the first 2–4 practices to determine team composition of our younger teams. 

Tryouts

Ages

Date / Time / Location

Any athlete from any school is welcome to try out for Ashland Volleyball Club. We will be evaluating a number of athletes during tryouts. Athletes aspiring to be part of Ashland Volleyball Club will first go through physical tests such as the sprint, agility run, etc and a variety of skill tests.. Evaluation of each player is made based on how well the athlete can pass, set, serve, and hit. Finally, we will observe game situations for players’ intrinsic traits and ability to work within a team environment. 

We select athletes based on the following criteria: ability to be trained, willingness to be a team player, athletic ability for volleyball, athletic potential, work ethic, drive, competitive attitude, current skill ability, and/or experience. We will only select 9 athletes per team.

After Tryouts 

After tryouts, the coaching staff will meet to determine which girls will be offered a contract to participate in our program. Selected players will be contacted via email. Players must respond either by email or by phone to accept a contract within 10 days of offer. If a contract is declined, an alternate will be chosen and the process will be repeated. Once you sign the contract, you may not play for any other USA Volleyball program the remainder of the season. 

Prior Club / Volleyball Experience 

Every athlete will be evaluated each year regardless of previous years status. Each athlete must come to the tryouts ready to compete for a position on one of our teams. An athlete who cannot participate in tryouts because of a limiting physical or medical condition or absence should talk to the Club Director prior to the start of the tryout period to determine the status of their ability to play on one of the teams. Players should never assume because they were on a previous team that they will automatically be on a future team. 

What if I play other other sports?

We will make every effort to schedule practices around prior known athletic commitments. Ashland Volleyball Club understands the importance of school activities: therefore, school activities are considered equal importance to regional level Club teams. 

Our teams require dedication on the part of the athlete for the team to be a success. This means that miss practices could result in forfeiture of playing time. If an athlete has more than three unexcused absences, they may be asked to leave the team without reimbursements of funds. 

Furthermore, athletes' best performances will occur when they are on the top of their game physically and mentally. In order to maintain the body in mind at a peak performance level, an athlete must learn to handle various stresses and deal with recovering processes following workouts. These stresses can be any combination of the following:  poor nutrition, illness, fatigue, insufficient rest between workout sessions, emotional stress from schoolwork, friends or family situations, or other extracurricular activities. It is imperative that you consider this when scheduling your time, activities and the level of commitment to the Club and team. The body can only handle a certain amount of stress within a given time period before illness takes effect or injury. AVBC coaches have taken into account what they need for adequate rest and recovery in order to avoid excessive stress, but it is also the parents’ responsibility to monitor and make certain that the players are practicing healthy habits.

Ashland Volleyball Club Fees 

2024-2025 Season Fees: 

11s/12s teams: $700

13s-17s Regional teams: $950

13s-17s American teams: $1150

This covers all tournament entry fees, club fees, coaches fees, 2 jerseys, and a ball.

Fees are to be paid by check to: 

Ashland Volleyball Club LLC

1/2 of fee must be paid by November 15

Final payment must be paid by December 1

Do not give any fee money to a coach. Coaches have been instructed not to accept fees.

If you’d like a payment plan, reach out to Kyle to make arrangements.

Playing Time

We do not guarantee equal playing time on any team or at any event. Ashland Volleyball Club  has the philosophy that what you pay for is instruction time during practices. 

Playing time for athletes is determined by attendance, attitude, effort, performance, the athlete's potential, the team's needs at the moment and is left solely to the discretion of the coach. 

The “coaching decision” is not up for debate or question. Athletes are encouraged to ask what they can improve on for a chance at more playing time (see Grievance Procedure). 

Rules and Regulations 

1. While representing Ashland Volleyball Club, all athletes are expected to behave in a responsible manner. Determination of what is responsible behavior lies solely with AVBC, OVR, and USA Volleyball guidelines. 

2. Any athlete that intentionally or neglectfully damages equipment owned by Ashland Volleyball Club or any facility used by the Club during practices, tournaments or other functions, will be required to reimburse the Club and/or facility for the damages and dismissal from the Club may or may not be considered. 

3. Any athlete with delinquent account during the current session will be denied the privilege of playing any tournament and/or be asked to sit out at practices until the account is paid or arrangements are made with the Club director. 

4. Expected parent behavior includes but is not limited to:

   1. Encouraging coaches and athletes. No sideline coaching during a match.

   2. Treat athletes, officials, and coaches with respect. Do not make derogatory comments to or about any athlete, parent or official.

   3. Let coaches be coaches. Parents should not advise, criticize or otherwise interfere with the coach. Parents should monitor their athletes medical needs and report any concerns, particularly: overexertion, overuse and stress. 

Weather and Cancelation 

In case of inclement weather, check the website for any announcement of practice cancellations. Coaches will indicate the status of practice an hour before start time.  However, in all cases it is the responsibility of each parent to determine if it is safe to travel and attend practice. It is recommended that you contact your coach to check the status of practice and inform them of your decision. Due to the limited amount of gym time available in the winter seasons, if practice is canceled due to weather it will not be rescheduled. 

Practice Rules 

5. Coaches will determine whether or not their practices are open or closed. 

6. Scheduled practice time is start time and not arrival time. Plan on arriving at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start of each practice period depending on the facility, set up and/or taking down of equipment may be required by each player. 

7. Volleyball shoes are to be carried into the practice and tournaments and only worn during playing time period this is to ensure our practice surfaces remain clean and safe. 

8. Horseplay by athletes or coaches at practice or during tournaments is strictly prohibited. 

9. All athletes are expected to attend every practice. Illness serious enough to keep the athlete home from school, family emergencies, or required involvement in a school sponsored activity are exceptions for missing practice. Regardless of the reason, if an athlete misses practice, her playing time may be affected.

10.  If an athlete cannot be at practice, the athlete is expected to notify the coach. It is an athlete's responsibility to reach the coach before the practice starts. 

11. Athletes are encouraged to bring water to  practices and tournaments. Absolutely no glass containers are allowed in the gym or tournament site. 

Tournament Rules 

12. All athletes are expected to be in the gym, ready to warm-up, at the scheduled arrival time. This usually means the athlete needs to arrive at the site 15 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time. Earlier is always better. 

13. Proper conduct is expected for all members of the Club at all times. This includes athletes, coaches, parents, and spectators. This also means treating fans from other teams, other parents, and officials with respect. Facility rules and regulations are to be obeyed at all times by athletes, spectators, and coaches. 

14. Athletes and/or parents are expected to provide transportation for their athlete to and from tournament sites and practices. If an athlete cannot be at a tournament, the athlete is expected to notify the coach as soon as the athlete knows they will be absent. 

15. Athletes are not to leave the tournament site until excused by the coach. 

    1. Except in cases of true emergency, an athlete whose team has an officiating assignment may not leave a tournament before the assignment is completed. 

16. Tournament cancellations will follow the guidelines set by OVR. Please check the OVR website the night before and/ or morning of a tournament to see if the tournament has been canceled. If a tournament is canceled, all efforts will be made to find another tournament to play in, but not guaranteed.

Officiating 

Officiating is the shared responsibility of the entire team. All athletes are required to learn to keep the scoreboard, line judge, scorekeeping, score flipping, and officiating. Each coach will determine the rotation for their team to follow for officiating assignments. Team members may not use electronic devices while working in any manner during their officiating assignments. Every player is required to stay until the end of the team's officiating responsibility. Do not ask the coach if you can leave early. You are expected to stay to complete the officiating responsibility.  

Grievance Procedure 

Competitive team athletics, by its very nature, creates situations where everyone may not be happy all the time. Knowing when to communicate and how to communicate with your athlete's coach may be a concern for parents at some time during the season. Most often the concern is how to inquire about issues surrounding playing time. 

At Ashland Volleyball Club, we encourage the athlete to take responsibility for their participation. For this reason, we expect the athlete to talk to the coach first when they have a problem concerning their playing time, or if they are unclear about what the coach expects from them at any time. The appropriate time to do this is for the athlete to ask the coach before or after a practice what they need to do to get more opportunities to play in matches. Most of the time, the athlete knows why they may not be playing as much as a teammate when the parent may not. 

Parents can best support their athlete by helping them set goals to achieve more opportunities. 

Coaches have been instructed not to discuss coaching decisions with parents. These coaching decisions include, but are not limited to specific match decisions, substitution patterns, etc. 

The coach will not be required to defend his/her thought process or conclusions in the determination of playing time, and it is out of line for a parent to inquire.

Parents are never to confront a coach at a tournament. Specifically, the procedures to follow if you as a parent, or your athlete as a member of an AVBC  team, have concerns about policies or a coach's actions are in this order: 

1. The athlete will speak or meet with the coach to discuss the matter. 

2. If the matter remains unresolved the parent may speak to or meet with the head coach and athlete at least 24 hours after competition.

• Parents should call the head coach to set up a meeting. Meetings are to be at times and locations other than tournaments. If a coach is approached by a parent during a tournament, we have instructed the coach to refuse to discuss any controversial matter,  refer the parent to the Club Director, and to walk away from the situation. The recommended time for a parent and/or athlete to talk to a coach about a problem is a previously arranged meeting time either before or immediately after a scheduled practice. 

3. If the matter remains unresolved, the parent may ask to speak with the coach, Director, and athlete

• Meetings should be previously arranged. Meetings will not be scheduled during a tournament. The coach and/or the Club Director will not engage in discussions about coaching decisions or playing time.

4. If the parent/player still feels that this issue has not been resolved we will request that a grievance committee be formed. 

• This committee will be composed of two other club staff, two coaches that are not associated with the player's school team, or age, and/or two parents that have been affiliated with our club for more than 1 season. After the parent and coach present their case, the committee will return a verdict that all parties will abide by. The decision of the committee is final.

Other Policies Regarding Grievances 

Ashland Volleyball Club will not tolerate hostile, aggressive confrontations between a parent and any official, or a parent and any coach, or a parent and any athlete, or a parent and any other parent, whether the coach, athlete or other parent is a member of AVBC or not. Violation of this policy may result in the athlete being dismissed from AVBC without refund. 

It is inappropriate for an athlete or a parent to approach other AVBC members about a problem the athlete or parent is having with a coach about objections to coaching decisions or about disagreement with an administrative decision. Asking uninvolved people to take sides in an issue is unfair to the third party and to the club. This situation also applies to social media. For the psychological health of the teams and the club as a whole, grievances need to be handled between the parties involved and in the proper manner. 

If an athlete or parent is approached and asked to listen to, or express an opinion about matters between two other parties in the club, it is strongly encouraged to refer the complaining party to take the matter up with either the coach in question, the coach, and/or the Club Director. 

Any member who, as a third party, hears remarks or stories about AVBC, its employees or its policies, that cause the member to be concerned, is encouraged to contact the coach and/or the Club Director immediately to determine the facts, or to alert the club administration to a situation it may be unaware of. It is detrimental to everyone involved to repeat complaints you hear or overhear to other uninvolved parties. By the time a story gets to the third or fourth party, it frequently bears little resemblance to the truth or the facts of the situation. 

Please refrain from negative comments around your athlete or other athletes. Young athletes are very impressionable and if they are involved in these manners, such as complaining about the coach, the coach's style or any Ashland Volleyball Club policies, this can have an adverse effect on their performance and/or attitude. If you, as a parent, are unhappy about something… it is encouraged that you follow the grievance procedure of this guide to resolve the matter. 

Repetitive complaining to the athlete(s) or other third parties that interferes with the club’s efforts to pursue its stated mission and purpose may be cause for dismissal from the Club.

Tournaments

Tournaments can last anywhere between one to three days. The 6-8 tournaments at each age level are included in the program fees. Teams begin in Pool Play and will play each team in their pool. Based on record, teams will advance to either the Gold, Silver, or Bronze bracket. 

Please check either the Ashland Volleyball Club website for links to tournament info or the OVR website for tournament information. 

For most tournaments it is recommended to bring your own chairs. Please be advised that the coolers are not permitted at any sites. Some players bring pillows and blankets so they can rest between matches. Games, homework, books, or recommended activities to pass the time during a long tournament day. Arrive early so you can help set up your team area and get ready to warm up. Except for starting times, most tournaments do not follow a set time schedule. Matches will begin 10 minutes after the end of the previous match. If the tournament is conducted efficiently, it should be over around 6:00 PM – expect to be there all day. 

At the conclusion of a tournament, each team must clean their own area. No trash is to be left on the floors, tables or other areas or the team established its camp. If using any of the other sites, chairs or tables, they must be returned to the original location. Teams failing to clean their area after leaving a tournament will be fined by the OVR.

Refund Policy

By accepting your contract, you are agreeing to pay your contract in full. Our Club fees are nonrefundable. You are contractually liable to pay your fees in spite of injury, job loss, etc. An exception may be made if the player and/or our organization are unable to complete a season, at which point a prorated refund will be given minus Club expenses.