2019 Competitive Season – Tryouts

Here are the dates for the Fernie Volleyball Club tryouts. Athletes are encouraged to attend both sessions for their age category.

  • Proof of Volleyball Alberta/Canada registration as a Recreational player will need to be provided ahead of being allowed to tryout (see below for details).
  • A $10 cash fee will be collected at entry (covers both sessions) to support the cost of facilities rentals for the tryouts.
  • Athletes should come prepared in athletic wear (shorts/t-shirt) with appropriate indoor court shoes and knee pads (if used). A water bottle is recommended.

Sunday Dec 2nd – Fernie Secondary School

  • U13 / U14 Girls – 1:00 – 2:30PM
  • ALL Boys – 2:30 – 4:00PM

Friday Dec 7th – Fernie Secondary School

  • U15/U16 Girls – 4:00 – 5:30PM
  • U17 Girls – 5:30 – 7:00PM

Sunday Dec 9th – Fernie Secondary School

  • U17 Girls / All Boys – 12:30 – 2:00PM
  • U15 / U16 Girls – 2:00 – 3:30PM
  • U13 / U14 Girls – 3:30 – 5:00PM

AGE CATEGORY INFORMATION

Volleyball Alberta / Volleyball Canada determine the age categories for Competitive Club teams. Here is the breakdown for the 2019 season:

13U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2005 or later
14U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2004 to Dec 31, 2005 (16 months)
15U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2003 to Dec 31, 2004 (16 months)
16U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2002 to Dec 31, 2003 (16 months)
17U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2001 to Dec 31, 2002 (16 months)
18U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2000 to Dec 31, 2001 (16 months)

In short this means that any athlete born between Sep 1 to Dec 31 has the option of playing with other athletes born in the same birth year or playing down to the next younger age category if developmentally that is a better fit. For more details about this please refer to Volleyball Canada Age Categories. Here is an excerpt from that link:

Some athletes born from Sept-Dec will benefit from choosing a younger division, while other athletes who play at an advanced level would benefit from the challenge of playing up an age category. Athletes, parents and coaches should consider the short term and long term benefits of playing up or down an age category. Volleyball Canada recommends that if playing up provides the needed challenge for improvement, and there exists no significant social/emotional drawbacks in the older age category, athletes should play up.

The FVC must manage the number of athletes per team across age categories while the interest level across categories can vary. We ask that in general athletes tryout in the age category of their birth year. If an athlete falls within the Sept to Dec birth dates and would like to tryout for a younger age category than their birth year, please contact the club to make us aware of your intention and to ensure the coach is aware.

VOLLEYBALL ALBERTA / CANADA REGISTRATION (REQUIRED BEFORE TRYOUTS)

Every athlete planning to tryout for an FVC competitive team MUST be registered as a ‘Recreational’ player with Volleyball Alberta & Volleyball Canada before attending the tryout. There is an $8.25 fee for registration under this category that must be paid for by the athlete/family and is non-refundable.

For details on how to register, please refer to this link from Volleyball Alberta: http://www.volleyballalberta.ca/node/84

For the registration page itself: https://site2704.goalline.ca/register.php?reg_form_id=25604

  • If you are a returning player or participated in a previous camp program with the FVC (e.g. our 2018 Summer Camp) then you likely have an Access Code with Goalline. There is a link to retrieve this on the page above if you can’t find it in historical email.
  • If you are registering as a New Player then the ‘Association’ to select is ‘Region 1 – Sunny South’ and the Team Code should be left blank.
  • Please forward to club@fernievolleyball.com your proof of registration as a Recreational Player that you will receive by email after you successfully complete the registration. Click for an example of the email you need to forward. 

TEAM SELECTION / COMPOSITION

The FVC coaching staff will select a maximum of 12 athletes to form any of the competitive teams. In gender/age categories where there is strong interest and a larger number of athletes participating in tryouts, not all athletes will be offered a position on the team. In situations where 12 or fewer athletes tryout for a team, the coaching staff is not bound to select all athletes if it’s deemed that a significant skill gap (or commitment gap) exists that could be detrimental to overall team development.

In determining team selection, the FVC coaching staff will assess:

  • Core Volleyball skills and abilities
  • Overall athletic ability
  • Effort/focus during tryouts
  • Overall demeanour, perceived coachability and team fit

If the number of athletes trying out in any category is significant (e.g. more than 22) and practice facilities and coaching is available the FVC will consider forming two teams in the same category. The club can send multiple teams in the same category to any of the tournaments. This is quite common for larger clubs in bigger centres.

The FVC will also  try (coaching and facilities dependent) and support players who aren’t selected for competitive teams by facilitating development programs throughout the season to allow keen athletes to continue to evolve their Volleyball skills/experience. We will do whatever we can to keep athletes engaged in the sport throughout the Winter helping to prepare them to compete in the School season or a future club season.

If you have questions about the Tryout process or FVC competitive teams/season, please feel free to email us at club@fernievolleyball.com

We can’t wait to get the season started! Be sure to register with Volleyball Alberta/Canada and send us your proof of registration ahead of the 1st tryout session.

Looking for U17 Girls Coach!

The Fernie Volleyball Club is always interested to hear from Volleyball keen members of the community who are interested in coaching. We’re currently looking for a head coach for our U17 girls team for the 2019 Volleyball Alberta competitive season.

Previous volleyball coaching experience is always a plus but not strictly necessary. The club will pay for the required certification (online courses plus a weekend coaching workshop in Cranbrook in January) and also cover expenses (travel, hotel, meals) for tournaments. We also pay an honorarium for the time spent coaching throughout the season. If you love Volleyball and are willing to commit to running two practices per week plus attending four weekend tournaments in Alberta, please contact our Head Coach, Trent Mason at coach@fernievolleyball.com

Tryouts are in early December and practices start up in early January. The club season goes until mid May. You’ll have a ton of fun working with great athletes!!