El
Paso Sunspots Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the Sunspots Volleyball Club?
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What is club volleyball?
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Who do I contact for questions?
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When will tryouts be held?
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What are the tryouts like?
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What are the age group definitions?
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How are the different teams composed?
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How does a player get assigned to a particular team?
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How many players are on a team?
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How often do you play tournaments?
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Where are the tournaments held?
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How soon ahead of time will I get tournament information?
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How often do you practice?
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Where are the practices held?
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How much does it cost?
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What are the fees used for?
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What do the fees NOT cover?
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How long does the season last?
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What is Power League?
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What is The Volleyball Festival in Davis, California?
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Are there fundraising opportunities?
Q: What is the
Sunspots Volleyball Club?
A: The Sunspots VBC is a non-profit organization which provides
opportunities for athletes to play competitive volleyball. Founded
and based in El Paso, Texas, the SUNSPOTS VBC is represented by
coaches and athletes from all over Southwest region. Coaches
dedicate their time and effort, and some are active in coaching local
high school and middle school volleyball teams as well. The
athletes, who range in age from 10 to 18 years, play on one of the
selected teams which are divided up by age and ability level.
The SUNSPOTS VBC is
a member of the SURVA Region of the United States Volleyball
Association. It has no affiliation with any public or private
school.
Q: What is club
volleyball?
A: Club volleyball is volleyball at its best! Athletes
travel far and wide to join a club volleyball team, with the intention
of receiving quality coaching, playing with other equally-skilled
athletes, get recruited by colleges, facing top-level competition and having a lot of fun! It
takes commitment and discipline to be involved, but the rewards are
worth it.
Q: Who do I
contact for questions?
A: For general questions regarding the Sunspots Volleyball Club,
you can contact any of our Board Members in our Staff Page.
Q: When will
tryouts be held?
A: Tryouts are over for the 2005 season.
Q: What are the
tryouts like?
A: Tryouts are made up of three separate evaluations : physical
ability testing, volleyball-related skills testing, and volleyball game
competition.
The physical abilities
testing includes such things as star drill, cone drills, 20-yard dash,
standing long jump and vertical jump. The volleyball-related
skills testing includes passing, setting, hitting. blocking, digging and
serving. These tests take place at "stations" where
individual athletes are evaluated by the coaching staff and awarded
points based on the level of their skills. The volleyball game
competition can consist of a full match in which teams are selected by
the coaching staff, doubles match in which two-player teams play against
each other for a set time, or just open play where the athletes join a
team and accomplish teamwork in a minimal amount of time.
Throughout the tryout
process, the SUNSPOTS VBC coaching staff performs on-court
evaluations of such things as attitude, effort, ability to communicate,
competitiveness, leadership, ability to motivate others, and desire.
Q: What are the
age group definitions?
A: According to USA Volleyball for the 2004 - 2005 season:
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U18 = Born on or after September 1st, 1986
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U16 = Born on or after September 1st, 1988
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U14 = Born on or after September 1st, 1990
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U12 = Born on or after September 1st, 1992
As a guide, the U18
division typically contains high school seniors and juniors, the U16
division consists of high school sophomores and freshmen, the U14
division is made up of 8th and 7th grade [middle school] students, and
the U12 division contains 6th and 5th grade (and even 4th grade)
students. The exception will be those students who are young for
their grade level, and due to their birth date, can play at a younger
division level.
Q: How are the
different teams composed?
A: For each age division, teams are given the option to have their
own team name under the Sunspots club. The U18 and U16
teams are distinctively different from the other teams in the SUNSPOTS VBC, in that these two teams require additional commitments from their
players in terms of finances and time, as both teams travel extensively
and their playing seasons are extended through the month of June if they
qualify for the Jr. Nationals Championships.
Q: How does a
player get assigned to a particular team?
A: The SUNSPOTS coaching staff assign players to teams based on a
combination of tryout results and team composition needs. The
tryout results are determined from the physical ability testing,
volleyball-related skills testing and volleyball game competition, and
also by on-court evaluations by the SUNSPOTS coaching staff.
The team composition needs are determined by coaching staff and
by the amount of athletes available.
The goal of the SUNSPOTS VBC is to assign players to teams where
they will have the best chance of individual success and be most capable
of making a significant contribution to the team's success, as well as
to meet the needs of the team and their personal goals.
Q: How many
players are on a team?
A: The number of players on a team ranges from 8 to 12. The
exact number is dependent upon several factors, including team
composition needs, ability level of players and number of athletes
participating in tryouts.
Q: How often do
you play tournaments?
A: Teams usually participate in 2 or 3 tournaments per month over
the course of a season. The tournaments are played on either
Saturday or Sunday, or even both. Ultimately, how often you will
play in tournaments will depend upon which team you are on.
At a bare minimum, a season
will look like this :
JANUARY = I-10 Friendship Sunspots VBC-hosted Tourney in El
Paso. I-10 Friendship
DiamondBacks-hosted tourney in Las Cruces.
Either Phoenix or Tucson depending on team readiness and age.
FEBRUARY = I-10 Friendship Sunspots VBC-hosted Tourney in
El Paso. I-10 Friendship
DiamondBacks-hosted tourney in Las Cruces.
Regional Qualifier, location TBA.
MARCH = I-10 Friendship Sunspots VBC-hosted Tourney in El
Paso. I-10 Friendship
DiamondBacks-hosted tourney in Las Cruces.
APRIL = I-10 Friendship Sunspots VBC-hosted Tourney in El
Paso. I-10 Friendship
DiamondBacks-hosted tourney in Las Cruces.
Lone Star Classic in Austin for select teams. Regional Qualifier, location TBA.
MAY = I-10
Friendship Sunspots VBC-hosted Tourney in El Paso.
I-10 Friendship DiamondBacks-hosted tourney in Las Cruces.
Regional Championships, location TBA.
Q: Where are the
tournaments held?
A: Tournaments are held at a variety of locations, though the
majority of tournaments will be held in either El Paso or NMSU in Las
Cruces.
Q: How soon ahead
of time will I get tournament information?
A: The timing for receiving tournament information such as gym
location and start times is usually a month in advance.
Most other local tournaments will follow the same model as for
the SUNSPOTS VOLLEYBALL CLUB tournaments.
Information will be posted on the website as soon as possible.
Q: How often do
you practice?
A: Teams practice 2 or 3 times per week, typically on a weekday
such as Tuesday or Wednesday nights. Sometimes practices take
place during the weekend depending on the facilities available.
Q: Where are the
practices held?
A: Practice locations center around the El Paso area.
Specifically, practices are held at any of the following: Americas
HS, Socorro HS, Lincoln MS, Cordova MS, Slider MS, Hornedo MS, Eastwood
MS, etc.
Q: How much does
it cost?
A: There are several different fee structures to consider,
depending upon the team and their decision for an extended season.
For most teams, their fees will cover only the December - May season,
which is the lowest cost. Additional cost will result from a
team's decision to continue playing in June – July or attend more
tournaments than those required by SURVA.
The 18 Blue and 16 Blue teams have entirely different fee
structures due to their up-front commitment to extensive travel to
tournaments and the exposure these athletes require.
Specific fee amounts will be available at the Parent
Informational Meeting held each year in November during the tryouts.
Q: What are the
fees used for?
A: Fees cover a variety of costs associated with participation in
club volleyball, an example would be: tournament entry; equipment such
as uniforms, travel bags, volleyballs and medical supplies; SURVA
registration fees; USAV fees; local tournaments cost; coaches fees;
facilities fees, etc.
Q: What do the
fees NOT cover?
A: Parents will need to consider costs that are not included in
their fee payment, for example: travel costs (gas) for local
tournaments; food and drink; lodging for overnight stays, if desired ;
personal playing equipment such as shoes, kneepads and ankle support
braces, extra tournaments a team decides to attend, etc.
Q: How long does
the season last?
A: The typical season begins with try-outs in mid-November,
followed by the initial practices in early December. It concludes
with the Regional Tournament in May and the club party in May/June.
For those teams that choose to extend their season, there are
tournaments and practices in June, with The Volleyball Festival in late
June to end the season.
Q: What is The
Volleyball Festival in Davis, California?
A: The Volleyball Festival is not only the largest volleyball
tournament in the world, but it's also the largest annual sporting
event. Over 1200 teams from across the entire USA, and some
foreign countries, participate in the 4 age divisions. Playing
locations are in the Greater Sacramento California area at such sites as
UC Davis, CSU Sacramento, Sacramento Convention Center, Cal Expo and
local school gymnasiums. A minimum of 13 matches are guaranteed
for each team, and the tournament format ensures that teams will compete
against other teams of similar ability. The Festival is usually
held in late June, with competition lasting for an entire week.
Teams travel by car or plane to the Sacramento or San Francisco area in
the week preceding the Festival, allowing for time for activities such
as a day at the Great America theme park. During the tournament,
athletes are housed in dormitories at college campuses in the Sacramento
or Davis areas, and are provided with a meal ticket for the cafeterias
there. You can find out even more
about the Volleyball Festival by visiting their website.
Q: Are there
fundraising opportunities?
A: The SUNSPOTS VBC encourages fund raising as a part of being
involved with our club. The
SUNSPOTS VBC also encourages individual fundraising activities, such as
solicitation of businesses for sponsorship. Assistance by the
SUNSPOTS VBC in this area will be provided upon request.
Any other questions can be
emailed to us and we will try to provide an answer.
Thank you.
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