THIS INFORMATION IS FOR THE 2017-2018 SEASON FOR RAIN CITY VOLLEYBALL CLUB:

How many teams will Rain City Volleyball Club offer in 2018?

We will have 4 teams this year.

U12 Lightning

U16 Reign

U17 Storm (Regional)

U18 Mirage (National)

Each team is looking for 10-12 committed players for the season. All returning players at any age level, must come and try-out again to earn a position on the team.

How long does the season last for a typical Rain City club team?

U12 Lightning will have one practice in November with possible team bonding event during the month. Practice will resume on Sunday December 3rd and end at regional tournament April 29th.

Practices for the U16 thru U18 teams will start November 27:

U16 Reign will end their season with a post season tournament July 1

U17 Storm will end their season at Regionals.

U18 Mirage (national team) will end their season with a post season tournament July1

Can I try out for an older age group?

YES. A U11 may try-out for our U12 team, and a U15 may try-out for our U16 team, and a U17 may try-out for our U18 team. In the past both of these age groups have had a mix of 15/16 and 17/18 on the team. If you have questions about this, please feel free to contact Cheryl (club director)

Where, when, and how often are practices held?

Currently the practice schedule is:

U12 Lightning	Sunday	1:00 pm to 2:30 pm	Cedar Valley Gym
U16 Reign	Monday / Wednesday	5:15 pm to 7:15 pm	Cedar Valley Gym
U17 Storm	Wednesday Sunday	7:15 pm to 9:15 pm 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm	Cedar Valley Gym
U18 Mirage	Monday / Wednesday	5:15 pm to 7:15 pm	Cedar Valley Gym

Currently practices will be held at Cedar Valley Gym. We could, however, practice or have skills clinics at gyms located within the Northshore Schools and Edmonds Community College.

How many tournaments do teams play and where are they?

U12 Lightning will play approximately 1 local tournament a month. When the Region Tournament Schedule is posted, we might be able to add approximately 2 other single day tournaments.

U16 thru U18 teams will play in approximately 2 tournaments a month, and some may be 1, 2, or 3 day events.

U16 Reign will have approximately 12 tournaments with approximately 22 days of play

U17 Storm will have approximately 1-2 local tournaments per month

U18 Mirage will have approximately 13 tournament with approximately 25 days of play

Please note that these are estimates only as the full schedule has not been revealed by the Region.

Tournaments this year are located in the Puget Sound Region as well as the Evergreen Region, the Columbia Empire Region, Southern California Region, and the Arizona Region. Coaches will try to schedule tournaments every other week. Tournaments can start at 8 am and last until 9 pm at night. Teams can play from 8-18 sets (6 or more matches) in a single day tournament.

Do Teams Travel out of the Region for Tournaments?

Yes, teams will travel out of the Puget Sound Region to tournaments.

U16 Reign	MLK	January 13-15	Eugene, Oregon
U16 Reign	Post Season	June 28 to July 1	TBD
U17 Storm	Yakima Jamboree	March 10-11	Yakima, Washington
U18 Mirage	MLK	January 13-15	Eugene, Oregon
U18 Mirage	Pacific NW Qualifier	March 23-25	Spokane, Washington
U18 Mirage	Post Season	June 28 to July 1	TBD

Please note that travel tournaments, most teams will leave the day before the tournament. More information provided at try-out.

Below is a brief description of each out of Region tournament:

U16 Reign & U18 Mirage will be attending the MLK tournament in Eugene, OR January 13-15 (players will need to arrive on Friday January 12). Parents will need to provide transportation for their daughter. The hotel rooms and food for the players are included in the dues. Parents will be asked to contribute to the team tournament food snack box. We will have limited hotel rooms available for parents for the tournament.

U17 Storm will travel to the Yakima Jamboree March 10-11. Players will need to arrive on Friday March 9th. Parent will need to provide transportation for their daughter. Parents will be asked to contribute to the team tournament food snack box. We will have limited hotel rooms available for parents for the tournament.

U18 Mirage will travel to Spokane for a USA Volleyball National Qualifier (PNQ). PNQ is a 3 day tournament being played over March 23-25. Players will miss a day of school to attend this tournament. Teams need to arrive in Spokane on Thursday March 22. Parents will need to provide transportation for their daughter. The hotel rooms and food for the players are included in the dues. Parents will be asked to contribute to the team tournament food snack box. We will have hotel rooms available for parents for the tournament.

U16 Reign & U18 Mirage will travel to a Post Season tournament Soiree in Anaheim, California or Volleyball Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, June 28 to July 1. We would like to have the players arrive on June 25 or 26, but will discuss at the parent meeting. The hotel rooms, food, flight, and some activities are included in the dues. We will explain to parents how to obtain a hotel room.

Please see individual team pages for more travel tournament information as each team will travel to various tournaments.

How much does it cost to play for Rain City?

Rain City Volleyball Club costs vary depending on the travel schedule and post season tournament participation. Costs for each individual team will be provided upon request. Below is what is covered in our fees. These fees do not guarantee your child playing time, but does guarantee them a spot on the team and the right to earn playing time through practices and hard work.

What is covered in the cost to play?

• USAV Registration for Coaches and Chaperones
• AAU Registration (when necessary) for Players, Coaches and Chaperones
• Background Checks for all Club Staff and Chaperones
• Safesport training for Club Staff, Coaches and Chaperones
• Secondary Insurance associated with USA Volleyball
• Facility Rental
• Tournament Entry
• Stipend for Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches
• Officiating Clinic for all players and coaches
• Additional training clinics for coaches and players
• Administrative Fees
• Lodging and food for MLK (U18 Mirage & U16 Reign)
• Lodging and food for Yakima Jamboree (U17 Storm).
• Lodging and food for PNQ (U18 Mirage)
• Lodging, Air Fare, food and activities for the Soiree, Anaheim OR Festival, in Phoenix (both teams)
• Uniforms for U12 Lightning ONLY (Jersey, Spandex, Shorts, Practice Shirt, Cinch Bag)

What is not covered by the fees?

• USA Volleyball Registration Fee
• Transportation to tournaments within Washington and Oregon
• Hotel and transportation for parents at the tournaments
• Primary medical insurance for the player, coach, or chaperone
• Uniforms (U16/U17/U18) which can include Jerseys, Warm Up, shoes, Practice/Travel T-shirts, Backpack, socks, kneepads, spandex, travel shorts, etc. These will be purchased online thru H & L sports. Approximate cost $450.00

Please note that Rain City will provide parents with a payment schedule. Parents may also pay all fees up front if they wish. We take cash or check; but no credit cards at this time.

What happens at Tryouts?

All players must obtain at a cost of $5.00 a USA Volleyball Tryout Membership which can be found at www.psrvb.org/register in order to participate in any tryouts in the Puget Sound Region. This is in addition to completing the Rain City try-out forms and returning them per instructions with a check for $20.00.Rain City Coaches will run players through drills, skills testing, etc. during the try-out session. Coaches will talk with players and parents during try-outs in no particular order. Some players will be offered a spot on the team they are trying out for and some will be placed on a call back list; some could be asked to come to a try-out for another age level. Not everyone offered a spot will accept that position. Also know that you might be called and offered a position if someone else turns their offer down. Below is a brief explanation of the signing process and when to commit to a club team for the 2018 season.

2017 - 2018 Signing / Commitment Process:

All players who are offered a position with Rain City Volleyball Club that played for (incumbents) Rain City Volleyball Club last season (2017) may sign a contract and give their deposit on the following dates.

U15 & Older Incumbents November 12, 2017

All players offered a position with Rain City Volleyball Club that did not play (non-incumbents) for Rain City last year, will be able to give a verbal commitment the day of the tryout, but may not sign the contract and give their deposit to play with Rain City Volleyball Club until their signing date.

U-12 November 6, 2017

U-15 & Older Non-Incumbents November 20, 2017

All returning players at any age level, must come and try-out again to earn a position on the team.

 

What is PGS?

Promise for Good Sports is a program that works with teams to provide training for parents, athletes and coaches to receive the skills required to create Mutually Supportive Team Communities, to become Savvy Sports Parents, Resourceful Athletes and Expansive Coaches. By developing the skills to establish mutually supportive team communities, parents, athletes and coaches are able to experience contentious-free and opportunity expanding sports that inspire, empower and unify individuals, teams, families and networks of volleyball families.

Rain City Volleyball Club is committed to building supportive team communities through parent, athlete and coach planned activities meant to enhance the team community.

All teams will participate in the PGS program. The program is meant to enhance the relationships between athletes, parents, and coaches in order to build a strong team community (Parents + Athletes + Coaches = Team). Eric Melillo is the PGS Liaison.

What is Safesport?

From the USA Volleyball website: The safety of its participants is of paramount importance to USA Volleyball. USA Volleyball has a ZERO TOLERANCE for abuse and misconduct. This includes not only on-court safety, but also off-court safety in any part of USA Volleyball’s programs. USA Volleyball is committed to creating safe and fun environments for youth. This includes but is not limited to, providing training, educational materials and resources for our regions, clubs, coaches, and parents.

This is the website with links to trainings for coaches and parents:

https://www.volleyballreftraining.com/SafeSport/index.php

Rain City Volleyball Club will have all coaches, not only impact certified and background checked, but they will have completed the Safesport clinics. Many of our coaches have also gone through CAP clinics, Art of Coaching clinics and Proactive Coaching clinics.

This year all of our chaperones will take the Safesport clinic upon registering with USA Volleyball. There are free courses for parents to complete and is strongly encouraged that parents complete the courses so they understand more about the policies and practices of Safesport.

Rain City has a Safesport coordinator / advisor who has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and has dealt with these issues. The coordinator / advisor is Vickie Hinkle and can be reached at [email protected]. We will be talking with players during the course of the season about policies and practices of the Safesport program.