Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat teams and age groups do you train?
For the 2020 club volleyball season, the Jr. Dinos Men's Volleyball Club will be running three teams:
17U Men, 16U Boys, 15U Boys and 14U Boys. Where do you practice?
The Jr. Dinos Men's Volleyball club practices out of three facilities:
The Junior Varsity Volleyball Training Centre
130, 10 Smed Lane SE, Calgary, AB T2C 4T5 Calgary Christian School
5029 - 26 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 0R5 University of Calgary, Jack Simpson Gym
2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Will there be spots available on the 2020 teams?
AVA rules prevent clubs from signing 14U and 15U players prior to the Tryout Period (beginning November 25, 2019), but the reality is that a number of last year's players have expressed an interest in returning to the Dinos, and we would be pleased to coach them again. So being transparent, the majority of spots will get taken by returning players, particularly for the older age groups.
That being said, there is always some movement between clubs, so a number of spots will be available. All interested athletes are encouraged to come to the open gyms in October and the tryouts in November. Should an athlete not land a spot with the Junior Dinos, we will point you in the direction of other clubs where there might be availability. How many players do your teams typically have?
Our goal as a club is to provide the best opportunity possible for young athletes to develop. Rod often points out, "The best part of playing volleyball, is playing volleyball." So for the younger age groups (14U, and 15U) we typically try to run teams with just 9 or 10 players so that each athlete gets ample playing time at tournaments and so their volleyball IQ develops appropriately. Practices at these younger age groups will often share court time with our other club teams in order to allow game-play drills and scrimmages.
The older age groups (16U and 17U) will have larger teams, typically 11 or 12 athletes. That way each team can practice independently and still have game-play drills and scrimmages. The larger team size also allows for better position redundancy in the event of an injury. |
Why are the fees for 14U so much higher in 2020 than in prior years?
Up to the 2019 season, the Alberta Volleyball Association only held two Premier events in the season for the 14U age group. The AVA held a vote among members in early 2019 to decide if the 14U age group should expand their season to include a third Premier tournament, and the results were overwhelmingly (77%) in favor of the increase.
There are all sorts of expenses associated with each additional tournament, including registration, travel, and accommodation. Our 14U fees in 2020 needed to increase to cover the additional costs. Why are the 15U fees higher than for the older age groups?
The Alberta Volleyball Association holds a Premier tournament in Grande Prairie each year for the 15U age group. Since Grande Prairie is a seven-hour drive from Calgary, it essentially takes a full travel day on either side of the tournament if we were to drive. Rather than have the boys on our team miss two days of school, and require parents to miss two days of work to drive them, we build the cost of airfare into the 15U fees. In this case, parents would be encouraged to stay in Calgary, allowing for a better team bonding experience.
We will have a parents meeting at the beginning of the year to confirm by way of vote whether the travel by air to Grande Prairie is to be included, and if voted against, we would simply reduce the 15U fees accordingly. In the past two years, the parents have overwhelmingly supported the travel by air to Grande Prairie. |