Making the Club Sessions

I am working on an idea to help athletes during their tryouts for the club.  During these sessions (which will appear as "Making the Club U13 U14 U15 Boys") we will design a three-hour session to allow the athletes lots of touches.  What we will also do is get the demographics of an athlete which we will then place on a sheet which they can print off and take to their tryouts.  This will allow them to be different than some of the other athletes who will be trying out and hopefully make them stand out and be noticed.

All the tryouts I have attended it is hard to remember all the athletes and I hope this document will help that happen.

The document will look like this...

Making the Cut Royalty Search

The Making the Cut camp had a royalty search for the King/Queen of the Court.  This four day tourney is designed to seek out the best player who makes the others around them better.  It is based on the King of the Beach format and seemed to work well after we worked out all the kinks.  It will be a smoother process next year.

The Royalty for the three tiers were...

The Making the Cut Athlete choice award

The Athlete choice awards are chosen by the athletes, they are given a list of awards and they are asked to place two names beside each of the awards and to only use a players name twice on the sheet.  The process seemed to work very well and the awards given were as follows.

The following were the clarifications for each of the 9 questions

#1:  Toughest Serve _____          and        _____ 

This player’s serve is hated by passers every day!

#2:  Stability.    _____ and _____ 

Nothing bothers this player.  Not a hollering coach, a bad call, being behind in the score, The player’s next play is not affected by anything.  Whatever occurs, the player is solid, cool, and stable for the next drill and the next challenge. 

#3:  Intensity.      _____ and _____ 

This player takes winning and losing personally.  This player is ready to win every drill, every match, every day. 

#4:  Most Improved.      _____ and _____ 

We are SO impressed with how much more this player can do now than this player could do earlier this season!  We’re so impressed and amazed!  This player’s improvement is nearly inhuman!!!   CONGRATS! 

#5:  Does And Says The Right Thing.      _____ and _____ 

This player tries extremely hard to say and do only those thing that will motivate and benefit the team.  This player tries hard to keep inside all the negative comments, attitudes, and expressions that could hurt the team and could hurt a teammate.  We LOVE how you’re team, team, team.  Thank you. 

#6:  Most Encouraging     _____ and _____ 

This player is always positive in drills, matches, all the time.

#7:  Most Dedicated.      _____ and _____ 

You can rely on this player every day, but I imagine this player has been like that his or her entire life.  Always where she/he is supposed to be and always where the teammates need her/him to be.  Usually early and is usually volunteering to do more than expected.  You’re amazing!  

#8:  Most Wanted Teammate.       _____ and _____ 

This is the player who you want on your team during a Drill,  during ANY competition.  This player helps you win! 

#9:  Most Hustle.       _____ and _____ 

This player will go after any ball, anywhere, anytime, all the time.  This player never gives up on a ball.  This player believes every ball is playable! 

Making the Cut Art award

For those that do not know, I was a high school art teacher in a previous life and I could not pass up the possibility of mixing sports and art.  The Making the Cut art award was stencil type drawing of the front and back of a volleyball player in a ready position with a set of questions posted all over the place.  The challenge was to decorate, change, create or develop something creative.   I was planning on giving out one award and was so amazed at the time and creativity of four of the pieces that I gave out four.  Here they are the volley artists

 I can hardly wait until next year where we will offer another opportunity for athletes to show their art side.

Making the Cut Coach's' Choice award

During the Making the Cut Camp the coaches are asked to hand out awards to athletes who are amazing.  The criteria are simple, it does not have to have anything to do with volleyball skills (it can) it is just to those athletes who make coaching worthwhile.  The awards this year was a coupon for a free academy session.
The following were the winners and the reason is written right underneath their name.

Congrats to all the award winners.

Making the Cut Wall of Fame 2019

The third year of the Making the Cut Camp has resulted in the start of a few traditions.  The one is the keeping of records which are announced here on the Wall of Fame.  We tested the vertical Block and Spike Jump and Spike and Serve Speeds.

Are you the next record holder?  See you next year at the Making the Cut Camp.

Making the Cut Royalty search

The game sessions at the end of each day is a Making the Cut Royalty search.  It is similar to King and Queen of the Beach tourney where the best players in each tier are crowned at the end of the four days of play.  Be prepared it is a fun way to play volleyball.

I have attached the rules of the tourney which will also be explained but thought you might be curious and it will allow you to explain it to your parents before you encourage them to come to watch. 

We are less than a day and a half away from the start of Making the Cut.  I hope you all are as excited as I am.

How do you play King and Queen of the Court

1. Each player is assigned a letter. (Same for each game session)
2. You will play on the same court as the other players of your tier.
3. You have a different team each time you play.
4. Your court position is assigned.

(ie.  If your team is BNTCSOWQ you enter the court as 

B-in position 1

N-in position 2

T-in position 3

C-in position 4

S-in position 5

O-in position 6

The first sub- W

Second Sub- Q )

5. Subs are made right after serve is lost. 
6. The game is timed and the score is kept by the teams and announced before each person serves.
7. When the time is up, the last completed point is the score, a rally in progress does not count.
8. At the end of game, the players from both teams who started in position 1 are required to report to Darren and present the score and who won.
9. The next game starts almost immediately so be ready.

Each member of the winning team is given a W and the top two players (male or female) with the most Ws are named the winners for each tier.