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Who will the club hire as coaches,
what are their credentials?
Excel NW looks to hire club coaches who have experience coaching young athletes and a high level of passion for the game. With varying backgrounds, years of experience, and levels of coaching you can check out all of our coaches’ bios featured on the coaches page.
How many players and coaches will generally be assigned to each team?
This will vary by team. We try to put between 10-12 girls per team depending on the coaches preference for roster size, the amount of athletes who attend tryouts and the skill levels for each division. Every team has AT LEAST 2 coaches on staff.
Will every athlete get equal
playing time?
No. Excel is one of the top competitive clubs in the Region. On all of our teams, we expect our players to earn their court time by the effort they show in practice and what the team needs to win. Playing time is at the discretion of the coach and we always encourage players and parents to talk with coaches about how they can earn more playing time or understand better why they aren’t getting the court time they are expecting. On our Gold and Silver teams, coaches do try to give more court time to all players on the roster to increase experience, but this may not always be equal.
Tryouts
Does everyone make a team?
No. We have limited spots available, generally 10-12 spots per team. Team’s are selected based on evaluating players' skills, attitude, work ethic, communication, athleticism, willingness to learn, and positional strengths. When coaches are looking to build a team, they are looking for positional needs as well as talent. Going to Excel open gyms and clinics before tryouts helps coaches get to know you and see your skills multiple times before tryouts, too.
Travel
Do your teams travel outside of
the region?
Depends. Each team has a different travel schedule and locations depending on the level. All of our Lux teams are heavy travel teams that will go outside of our region. For more specifics on team travel tournaments, check out our specific team pages.
Are parents required to travel
with their child?
No, but adult supervision from any other parent in the club is required. If you are not traveling with your athlete, you will need to make prior arrangements to make sure they have a chaperone with them. You can find an alternative chaperone with another player's parent on any team who is traveling to the same tournament. Coaches will not chaperone the players during any trip. Please make any arrangements well in advance so you don’t jeopardize your athlete from not being able to make a travel tournament.
What if my athlete can’t make a
travel tournament?
We understand that things come up preventing athletes from traveling to tournaments. Even if your athlete doesn’t make a tournament, it is still part of the team fee. Coaches need to be notified as soon as you know your athlete will be missing so they can make adjustments to their lineups and have sufficient time to practice alternative lineups. Take a careful look at the teams' travel schedules and let your coach know ASAP if there is a big tournament you will be missing.
My team qualified for Nationals, but we are worried about the extra costs involved to get there, what now?
FUNDRAISE! We provide sponsorship letters, fundraisers all throughout the season, and more fundraising opportunities when teams are in post-season getting ready for Nationals.
You can do it!
If our team receives a National Bid, in any division, do we have to take it? Do we have to go?
Yes! The club AND Region are now obligated to send a team that qualifies for Nationals. Teams that participate at the CEVA BID are teams that are intending to go to Nationals, which means ALL Rox teams. If Excel can't get enough players to fill a roster to go to Nationals, the club will be penalized from entering BID tournaments for up to 2 years. If your player makes a Rox team and does NOT intend on going to Nationals, then Rox may not be the team for her/him.
How do I reserve the right stay and play hotels?
The Travel Coordinator reserves blocks of rooms for first-come, first-serve on reservations. We are restricted to what the hotel provides us for room blockings. After your athlete makes a team, we recommend starting to plan your travel arrangements. Please be considerate of other players by only reserving one room within our hotel block. Players MUST stay at the stay and play hotels that the Tournament Host set for us or we may be disqualified from the tournament.
Are the coaches responsible for transporting players to the tournament venues?
No. That is the responsibility of the parent and player. If you are not attending the tournament, please game plan with your athlete ahead of time how they will be getting to and from the venue.
Are the coaches responsible for transporting players to the tournament venues?
This rule varies by team and is a group effort as Coaches usually set a curfew for athletes to be in bed, phones off, and mentally preparing for the matches ahead. And parents will be enforcing this with their athletes and making sure they are doing what is needed to perform at their best!
Practices
How many practices are there a week?
Two nights per week for 90 min to 2 hours. We do offer some specific positional trainings for additional reps to all players from all teams. We strongly encourage that all Rox players go to at least one a month. Sometimes travel tournaments or holidays result in only one practice a week, but most of the time, coaches are able to get in a make-up practice with another team or at an alternative gym location.
When and where do Excel
teams practice?
Weekdays and weekends. Extra trainings can be held any day or time of the week, depending on who and where we have availability. Sometimes extra make-up practices may be held at various locations during the season. Your athlete's coach is responsible for communicating any practice changes during the week. Times depend on age groups and what we are given by the districts. Usually the 14 and under age groups are given the earlier times from 6-8pm and the 16 and over age groups vary from 6-10pm.
Will the team practice or play over school holidays, such as Christmas Break or Spring Break?
Depends on your team, coaching staff, and gym availability. Coaches will be responsible for communicating extra practices during breaks. Many of the Rox team’s travel tournaments are over three day weekends; MLK, President’s Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day.
Payment
Does the club offer scholarships or fundraising opportunities to offset cost?
YES! We have a scholarship program athletes can apply for. We also do many fundraisers before, during and after the season and encourage ALL athletes to participate. All fundraising efforts go to YOUR membership fees with Excel. Check out our fundraising page for more details. We also try to keep our costs as low as possible so money doesn’t prevent an athlete from experiencing club sports.
Why do I have to pay a deposit
right away?
Excel has to pay for gym time, tournament fees, coach's stipends, coach's travel, equipment, uniforms, etc. ahead of time so we must gain enough necessary funds to do this early on.
Recruiting
How will coaches find me?
Over 90% of college volleyball players are discovered while playing club volleyball. Traveling to national qualifying tournaments are often where college scouts will watch players they have on their list of potential recruits. Coaches often look for the following: overall skill level, athleticism, attitude, leadership on the court, and teamwork.
Does Excel have a club resource
for recruiting?
Yes! We have a Recruiting Coordinator who helps with college recruiting efforts of all players. Your athlete's coach will also be able to help guide each player in their efforts. We help GUIDE your recruiting efforts, but it is up to the athlete to take action and do their homework.
How do I increase my chances of being recruited?
Be a great student first! Grades are important not only to play volleyball in high school but to continue to play in college. Sign up with some recruiting services and build out a profile. There are a few free services and some that require additional fees. Go visit schools you are interested in during the off season and start conversations with the coaching staff. Post unedited video of your play and e-mail college coaches links to your videos with a brief bio of who you are. Our recruiting coordinators organize materials for players to help aid their efforts. Ages 15-18 are sent these materials to get started post-tryouts.
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