FAQ
Q: What is travel volleyball?
Travel volleyball is a higher level of volleyball in which participants compete against other organizations in a competitive setting. It also means that your athletes are being coached by the best high school and college coaches we can hire. They are learning the skills the correct way and will experience higher levels of training than other volleyball players in our area.
Q: What is the time commitment?
Travel volleyball will involve a minimum of two practices a week, with additional clinics, one-to-one personal training, and volleyball tournaments. Boys' season is from September through the end of February. Girls' season is November through May, June/July if competing at national tournaments.
Q: What is the cost?
Endless Momentum is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. So, teams will only be charged for the cost of the season. We understand that in today's tight economy and rising inflation, those costs are a major area of concern. To provide our athletes, with the best possible experiences, we will offer two levels for girls' teams, Premier and Travel. Premier's seasons will run from mid-November through mid-May, while Travel season will run mid-November through the end of March. Our boys' season runs mid-October through the end of February per PIAA rules. We will disclose the exact cost once the teams are formed, but you can anticipate that it will be a minimum of $700 for the season in club fees. Additionally, Premier teams will go for a longer season with more tournaments but will receive higher value in terms of the number of practices, higher quality tournaments, and a longer period of training. We aim to create a schedule that works for all members of each team, both athletically, and financially. We have some preliminary tournaments scheduled, but these can be adjusted after teams are formed.
Q: Do you offer payment plans?
Our typical payment plan is 50% by December 1st, 25% by January 1st, and 25% by February 1st. If a family needs a more custom payment plan, we are willing to work with all families.
Q: Is there any fundraising I can do to help defray the costs?
Yes, Endless Momentum has formed a fundraising committee that will offer fundraising opportunities each month. Most of these fundraisers will give the money directly back into your pockets, and you can decide how you want to spend it. It can be credited to your account, or you can just keep the extra money you raised. We will also be hosting tournaments, which should also help raise general money for the club to help defray costs in the future.
Q: Is it permissible to miss practices? I’m busy with work, school, other sports, etc..
Your team will only be as strong as the athletes on it. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport, in which most people play in the smallest area and cannot consecutively touch the ball. The only excused absences are illness (Covid or symptoms of Covid, fever, diarrhea, vomiting), in-season sports practices or competitions (basketball, swimming), and weather-related travel. We have families traveling over two hours for practice in every direction. We may have practice in Clarks Summit, but if the weather is bad in Nuangola, Hawley, or Harford, please use your best judgment.
Q: I really like practicing, but I don’t want to go to every tournament.
Unfortunately, travel volleyball centers around the tournament season. If you want practice sessions, you should play recreational volleyball, register for clinics or ask for private lessons. Tournament attendance is mandatory for all team members. The only acceptable reasons for missing a tournament are illness or previous conflict that has been discussed with your head coach during December when tournaments are being scheduled. These previous conflicts would include planned vacations, high school basketball, or swim meets (not recreational). Sudden reasons that are acceptable are illness (see practices above), concussion, sudden death in the family, or Covid exposure (quarantined). Transportation, weather, and other extracurricular events are not acceptable excuses.
Q: Transportation is difficult for me. My parents can’t take me every time. What should I do?
That is why we are the Endless Momentum family. Not every parent can attend every tournament. So, we can carpool. A section on the website allows you to post carpool needs for either practices or tournaments. My mom was a single mom that worked two jobs. She couldn’t attend every tournament. So, I went with a teammate's family. If you are not comfortable traveling with another family, you can ask a coach to take your child as long as it is your child, coach, and another person (another athlete or coach) in the car. Solely, coach and athlete (unless related) cannot travel together. Our coaches are FBI, state, and criminal background check, along with child/sexual abuse clearances.
Q: What if the weather is nasty and the roads are bad that morning?
Travel volleyball is in the winter, so there may be occurrences when the weather is not ideal for traveling. In all my years of playing and coaching club volleyball, I have never seen a tournament canceled due to weather unless a state of emergency has been established. Tournament organizers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars leasing convention centers, high school and college gymnasiums, and additional venues. They lease all of the court flooring and all the net systems. The tournament fee, which I send to them from your club fees, is how the costs are covered along with official costs. If the weather is bad during the tournament, like this weekend, all-tournament organizers have informed me that they will be keeping an eye on the weather and making adjustments as necessary. If you are worried about the weather the morning of the tournament, please go down the night before, or have your child get a ride with another family. Our club is not the only club wanting safe driving conditions.
Q: These multi-day tournaments get expensive. What if I can’t afford to go?
I can’t change anything about that this year. But, in future years, we will have the tournament schedule listed in advance. We may also offer two levels of teams (regional and national). Regional will only have one-day tournaments. National will have a few more multi-day tournaments. The higher-level teams will be the national-level teams. If you are truly having financial difficulties, please reach out to me privately, and we can work out an arrangement.
Q: What is the advantage of multi-day tournaments?
There are several. First, especially for our high school athletes, college coaches only attend either in-person or virtually multi-day tournaments. It's worth their time because hundreds of athletes are at one venue. Rarely does a coach attend a single-day tournament unless they will watch a specific recruit play. Secondly, multi-day tournaments give significant feedback. You play a wider range of abilities (we are seeded before the tournament), so on the first day, you’ll play a mix of teams, some stronger, and some weaker. Depending on how the team fares, you’ll play teams with similar results and, hopefully, similar abilities the next day. On the third day, you’ll compete in a playoff bracket for a championship with typically very identical-level teams. The great part about this is that multi-day tournaments give immediate feedback. They allow the coach and players to look at what they did well and need to work on. Then the next day, when they are playing more similar level teams, they grow in confidence as they succeed. This also improves their abilities, as iron sharpens iron and grows and develops them as young athletes. Finally, there are a lot of downtimes either in the morning or afternoon, for the athletes to spend time together and bond. This also makes the team stronger because they feel close to one another and help each other more. With athletes from the following school districts: Abington Heights, OLP, Mountain View, Lackawanna Trail, Western Wayne, Lake Wallenpaupack, Crestwood, Mount Pocono, Pocono Mountain West, Tunkhannock, Holy Redeemer, and Valley View, it takes time for the kids to get to know and feel comfortable with each other. Overnight tournaments allow the kids to do that without home/school distractions.
Q: Can I find my own hotel to stay in?
The answer to that is no. Traveling to tournaments is more than just the time on the court. Teams bond outside the gym, and this helps team chemistry within the team. For that reason, all athletes must stay in the same hotel. The club will book a block of rooms well in advance of the tournament and secure the lowest possible price we can. Some tournaments are called stay-to-play tournaments. These tournaments attract a wider radius of teams from out of the area. These tournaments require you to stay at a group of hotels they arrange and negotiate for the lowest price. Again, we will do everything in our power to secure the lowest possible rate for a hotel room.
Q: What does Stay to Play mean?
Stay to Play means that each club team that registered for the tournament outside the 75-mile area must reserve a minimum number of rooms each night from a predetermined list of hotels. I understand that the tournament organizers arrange a lower rate for their tournament participants. To be accepted into a stay-to-play tournament, you have to complete the following criteria: a completed registration form and tournament entry fee, an up-to-date team roster with all credentials met, and equal or over the number of hotel rooms required for the tournament each night. Failure to meet the hotel room requirement will immediately drop your team from the tournament. So, if we have room nights for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and families only book for Saturday and Sunday (driving down Saturday morning), our club team could be dropped from that tournament.
Q: I am traveling and spending money on hotels etc. Will my child play the entire tournament?
That all depends. At the U12 and U14 levels, we encourage each coach to ensure that each child gets some playing time each day. This helps them grow and develop as athletes. But, all playing time is not equal. Middles will only play front row. Defensive specialists will only play back row. Depending on the offense we are running, your child could play three rotations or 6. Your child may be deemed a serving specialist for some matches and play six rotations in others. Your child may play some matches in pool play, but not in the playoffs because his or her level isn’t there yet. Coaches must communicate this information openly and clearly to the athlete before determining such decisions.
The best players will play at the U15, U16, U17, and U18 levels. This club is pay-to-train, not pay-to-play. We have some of the best coaches in the region, coaching in this club, giving up their time, and training your athletes. I guarantee your child will go back to high school volleyball at a higher level just from the practices alone.
While I philosophically believe that athletes gain a lot by playing in matches, I will not, and I have instructed my coaches not to put a player into a specific position just so he or she gets playing time. If your child isn’t ready, we don’t want them to feel pressured, embarrassed, or placed in a position he or she is not yet ready for. One way to help your child get more playing time at this level is to make sure he or she never misses practice. This will allow the coach to work with your child, see their strengths and weaknesses, and instruct them on areas that need development. Additionally, if your son or daughter is not at all practicing the week preceding the tournament, your son or daughter should not expect to receive any playing time. It's unfair to the other athletes and bad for team chemistry to allow that to occur unless it's a pre-discussed and a unique reason for missing.
Q: I’m not happy with the role or the number of playing opportunities my child gets. I will talk to the coach right after the match or tournament. Is that okay?
Please don’t. Coaches work hard for their athletes and prepare for upcoming matches or digest from the previous match. We understand that these playing time issues may periodically arise, but we have created the following guidelines on how to resolve these issues. You can find these guidelines by clicking this link or the one on our website. Additionally, remember, that your child made that team because your coach saw something of value to the team. The tournament season, especially for girls, is a long one, so anticipate that your child will grow and improve and get more opportunities as he or she shows improvement.
Q: One of my fellow parents is always yelling at their kid or my kid. It’s really upsetting to my child. How can I address it?
First, please bring all issues like this to your coach and club director's attention. We want all our parents to please stay positive for their child and others. Be there for your child as a support system to keep them positive and motivated. Let the coaches coach. Use this link for other ideas and suggestions for the role of the parent in travel volleyball.
Q: My child loves playing volleyball. But, I never played volleyball. I have no idea what’s going on.
Here are many resources you can use to educate yourself and your child.
Art of Coaching Volleyball Basics and Terminology
USA Volleyball Rules of the Game
Q: Club fees are a lot of money. Can you help me?
Endless Momentum VBC will be offering one or more fundraisers each month. For each fundraiser, if you chose to participate, all money will go directly to you and your child. If you chose to use that money for your club fees, you can turn it over to me and your account will be credited.
Q: Does my child have to do the USAV Academy?
Yes, your child must complete all the sections. Only U12 and U14 do not have to complete the R2 course. But, all older age groups must complete all USAV Academy courses by February 2, 2023.
Q: Will tournaments be canceled because of Covid? What are your Covid protocols?
I have been running this club almost entirely through Covid. The only time I have seen tournaments canceled because of Covid is when so many teams drop out that they can’t have a tournament. We have yet to have an athlete that was masked at the tournament, and the hotel, the entire time, get Covid from playing volleyball in a tournament or practice. (Knock on wood!) Covid protocols are as follows: we require that our athlete's hands sanitize before, during, and after practice. Additionally, we require our athletes to wear masks indoors while on the sidelines or the court and while on the court, regardless of venue rules. I recommend an N95 off the court when not competing in matches and a surgical mask when on the court. Additionally, we hand sanitize the volleyballs, contract trace, and ask each athlete to complete a Covid-19 check-in before each practice and temperature check. At this time, we do not require proof of vaccination, but we are asking each athlete and family to use common sense when sending their child to practice or tournament. Some tournaments and cities now require proof of vaccination, so that will be an issue moving forward.
Q: I want to purchase Endless Momentum apparel. How can I do that?
We will have an apparel store for our club in the next couple of months. Additional merchandise is available for parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. Each new member of the club will receive a new backpack as a gift from Endless Momentum VBC.