FVC News

During these strange and unpredictable times the FVC board is doing it’s best to plan for the 2021 indoor season.  Here are some rough guidelines we are working on:

• We are not at this time planning on joining the Volleyball Alberta competition structure as we would in a typical year. This decision was not taken lightly and the data collected from the poll we sent to parents of players on our 2020 teams was overwhelmingly in favour of NOT traveling to Alberta for competitions and contributed to this decision.
• We are working with other clubs/teams in the East Kootenay region to see if we can organize a more regional competition structure/league which would begin in January.
• We expect to still run ‘Tryouts’ as we do in most years (timing likely between Dec 14th – 23rd).  A few possible changes for this season:
  • Teams will include a maximum of 10 players to allow us to organize into play cohorts (under the guidelines of max 50 people in a venue).  e.g. a competition session at a 2-court venue may include 4 teams of 10 + 1 coach each, 2 referees, 2 videographers, etc
  • We may decide on a case-by-case basis with athletes to NOT follow Volleyball Canada age groupings quite as strictly to allow more players/teams.
  • We will do our best to form teams as long as we have appropriate numbers of like skilled/aged interested players, available coaches and gym time enough to facilitate practices. As has been the case in other years, it is likely that we won’t be able to form teams at certain ages and/or genders.
• It’s likely that the ‘groupings’ of teams within the league will include multiple age groups (and possibly mixed gender) to allow enough teams in a grouping/division to offer variety in play. This may lead to some less balanced play in some league matchups.  (Which is no different than many matchups in the school volleyball scene in the region)
• For FVC teams, we expect to run 2x per week practices (typically Sunday to Friday) and at this point we expect many Saturdays will be used for regional competition. The ‘season’ would be expected to run from January until late April or mid May.
• If the Covid landscape changes and there is an opportunity to return to Volleyball Alberta, Volleyball BC or Volleyball Canada (Nationals) competitions before the end of the season, we may need to modify teams to tightly adhere to age categories.
• We do not yet have expected participation costs for our competitive team programs (regional league program) but plan to finalize these before Tryouts.  We do anticipate the costs to be lower than in previous seasons since we won’t be factoring Volleyball Alberta tournament fees, coaching expenses for travel to Calgary/Edmonton, etc.  And of course without the need by individual families for travel to Alberta, hotels, gas/food, etc we expect the financial cost of participating this season will be even lower when compared to a typical year. For those not familiar with our historical fee structure, here is a link describing our fees last year: https://fernievolleyball.com/2020-competitive-player-fees/  (FEES FOR THIS SEASON ARE NOT YET ESTABLISHED)
• If your player is keen on our competitive teams program with mid December tryouts and you haven’t yet completed our Expression of Interest, please make sure you do so here:  https://forms.gle/yNpXshaYibiq5Eep9
  • If you have previously completed this form but your player is now not intending to participate, we’d also like to hear from you to remove your player from our lists.  Please send a quick email to club@fernievolleyball.com

All of this is very fluid and subject to change. More details to come in the next couple of weeks.

The FVC is tentatively planning to run our 3rd annual Summer Camp programs in late July and early August. A decision as to whether the camps can run will be taken in late June or early July.  If accessing indoor facilities is still not possible and/or group sizes need to be limited, we may modify the camp format and offer fully outdoor camps on fewer courts (possibly half days).

For now, we are planning for our historical format & timing.

MAIN CAMP – 4 Full Days – Aug 4th – 7th – Open to Players (girls & boys) going into Grades 6-12 in September – https://forms.gle/BPba8sx5ebcXufm66

INTRO CAMP – 3 Half Days – July 27th – 29th – Open to boys & girls going into Grades 4 & 5 in September – https://forms.gle/jtFRHfvHJwXcgKFC9

We invite you to register for either camp and hold off on sending payment until a decision has been made whether the camps can run.

Here are the details for the Fernie Volleyball Club tryouts. In some categories, there is more than one tryout session and athletes are encouraged to attend all sessions offered for their age/gender.

• Proof of Volleyball Alberta/Canada registration as a Recreational player will need to be provided NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30TH. (see below for details).
• A $5 cash fee (per session) will be collected at tryouts 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 1st – FERNIE SECONDARY

• 14U Boys – 2:00 – 4:00PM
• 13U Girls – 4:00 – 6:00PM
• 15U Girls – 4:00 – 6:00PM

Sunday Dec 8th – FERNIE SECONDARY

• 16U Girls – 2:00 – 4:00PM
• 17/18U Girls – 2:00 – 4:00PM
• 14U Girls – 4:00 – 6:00PM

Sunday Dec 8th – MAX TURYK

• 15U Girls – 4:00 – 6:00PM

AGE CATEGORY INFORMATION

Volleyball Alberta / Volleyball Canada determine the age categories for Competitive Club teams. Here is the breakdown for the 2020 season:

13U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2006 or later
14U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2006 (16 months)
15U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2004 to Dec 31, 2005 (16 months)
16U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2003 to Dec 31, 2004 (16 months)
17U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2002 to Dec 31, 2003 (16 months)
18U – Athletes born Sep 1, 2001 to Dec 31, 2002 (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 $10.25 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=31349

• If you are a returning player or participated in a previous camp program with the FVC (e.g. our 2019 Summer Camp) then you likely have a 6-digit Access Code with Goalline. There is a link to retrieve this on the page above if you can’t find it in historical email (search your email for ‘goalline’).
• 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 by the Nov 30th deadline your proof of registration as a Recreational Player. Click for an example of the email you need to forward (received after successful registration on Goallline). 

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. 22+) and practice facilities and coaching is available the FVC will consider forming two teams (generally organized by ability) 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 drop-in and 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 by Nov 30th.

2020 Fees for Fernie Volleyball Club Competitive Teams

• 13U: $605 to FVC + $10.25 direct to VA
• 14U: $673 to FVC + $10.25 direct to VA
• 15U+: $725 to FVC + $10.25 direct to VA

Volleyball Alberta (VA) and Volleyball Canada (VC) collect fees for competitive players beyond the fees the club charges. FVC is able to collect and pay a portion of these fees on behalf of all players that participate on a competitive team. There is also a portion that has to be paid directly by the athlete/family ahead of tryouts. This fee to be settled ahead of tryouts is considered a Youth Recreational Player fee and totals $10.25 ($5.25 to Volleyball Alberta and $5 to Volleyball Canada). When tryout dates/times are announced in the coming days, more information will be provided about completing this registration as the club requires proof of Recreational Player registration before allowing the athlete to participate in Tryouts.

For athletes that are offered a spot on an FVC competitive team and accept, the club will be upgrading the VA/VC membership for each athlete on a team roster from ‘Recreational’ to ‘Competitive – Indoor’. This upgrade amount is $54.40 for players on a 13U team and $70.15 for players on 14U+ teams and are collected as part of the overall FVC fees collected. (The overall values at the top of the page for different age categories include these amounts)

Fees will fluctuate on a year-to-year basis but for 2020 the FVC base fee (excluding VA/VC portion) has been determined to be $716.60 (subsidized down to $550.60) for players on a 13U team,  $769.85 (subsidized down to  $602.85) for players on a 14U team and  $824.85 (subsidized down to $654.85) for players in the 15U+ team. These fees are lower than in 2019.

The club is excited to have run successful camp and recreational programs and done enough fundraising to be in a position to offer an even larger subsidy this year and to be able to offer fees lower this year compared to last year. This level of base fee and subsidy is not guaranteed to be consistent/available every year but FVC is working hard to try and make the club as accessible as possible by keeping fees as low as possible.

The FVC portion of fees include the tournament fees and coaching costs for ALL Volleyball Alberta Premier tournaments and Provincial championships. In the 13U & 14U age categories fees also include the tournament/coaching costs for the Cranbrook Cup event. If teams decide (as a team) to participate in additional events or Volleyball Canada Nationals the event & coaching costs will be separate and shared across participating players on those teams. (Teams often fundraise as a team to help offset additional costs such as Nationals)

Families should also budget the cost of travel, accommodation and food for Premier and Provincial championship events during the season. Some players/parents stay with friends/family in Calgary & Edmonton and many stay in a team organized hotel. Typically games start quite early on Saturday so travelling later on Friday and staying 2 nights in Calgary/Edmonton is common.

Yearly FVC fees are determined by a rigorous budgeting exercise taking into consideration a number of factors including:
– Anticipated number of teams and anticipated number of players per team
– Number and location of tournaments
– Coaching costs (Travel Expenses and Honorarium)
– Uniform & Equipment requirements
– Facilities requirements
– General overhead for operating the club (Website, Volleyball Alberta Registrations, Accounting/Legal, etc)

If costs are a barrier to participation in the club, we encourage families to pursue support programs such as:
– Emily Brydon Youth Foundation: http://emilybrydonyouthfoundation.com/
– Canadian Tire Jumpstart: http://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/en.html
– Kidsport Canada: http://www.kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/
– Just 4 Kics: http://www.just4kics.ca/
– Athletics 4 Kids: http://www.a4k.ca/

We have had a number of FVC athletes supported via these programs in past years.

Official club tryouts and registrations can only happen during the official Volleyball Alberta tryout period which begins on November 25th. The club is currently working on booking gym time for tryouts. Tentative tryout dates are Sunday, Dec 1st and Sunday Dec 8th. More details will be shared when official tryouts dates/times/locations are established. We anticipate a $10 fee per player for tryouts (would provide access to both sessions) to cover the cost of facilities rentals.

If you haven’t yet completed the Expression of Interest form online, please do so at the following link: https://forms.gle/FedUGd1UHTQix2zw7

As always consider Liking our Facebook page or following us on Instagram to stay current on all FVC news and highlights.

We’ve recently had a bit of increased interest from Boys in Grades 7 & 8 interested in competitive club volleyball. We ask ALL interested boys & girls in all age groups to complete our Expression of Interest survey so we can plan accordingly for the season: https://forms.gle/FedUGd1UHTQix2zw7

To help any families to consider the season, here are the tournament dates and locations for planning purposes.

13U Boys – Born Sep 1, 2006 to Dec 31, 2008

• Premier #1 – Feb 29/Mar 1 – Edmonton Area
• Premier #2 – March 21/22 – Calgary Area (middle weekend of SD5 Spring Break)
• Provincials – April 18/19 – Red Deer

14U Boys – Born Sep 1, 2005 to Dec 31, 2006

• Premier #1 – Feb 1/2 – Calgary Area
• Premier #2 – Feb 29/Mar 1 – Edmonton Area
• Premier #3 – Mar 21/22 – Calgary Area (middle weekend of SD5 Spring Break)
• Provincials – April 18/19 – Red Deer
• Nationals – May 7-10 – Abbotsford (ONLY IF TEAM CHOOSES TO GO – COSTS NOT COVERED IN FVC FEE)

For more information generally about our competitive club program, visit: https://fernievolleyball.com/programs/

Tryouts will be announced in the coming weeks but they are planned for the initial 2 weeks in December.

The Fernie Volleyball Club is excited to run our popular Smashball program again this Fall for boys & girls in Grades 4 and 5.

DATES: 7 hours of on-court sessions across six Sundays Starting Oct 6th and ending Nov 24th (No sessions on Oct 13th or Nov 10th)

TIMES:

• Session 1 – Oct 6 – 3:30PM – 5:00PM.
• Session 2 – Oct 20 – 4:00-5:00PM
• Session 3 – Oct 27 – 4:00-5:00PM
• Session 4 – Nov 3 – 4:00-5:00PM
• Session 5 – Nov 17 – 4:00-5:00PM
• Session 6 – Nov 24 – 3:30PM – 5:00PM

LOCATION: Fernie Community Centre

REGISTER NOW:  https://forms.gle/WKxTGv2kDCg6PPycA

SMASHBALL aims to increase participation rates in volleyball through a modified game that makes the sport more enticing by focusing on the sport’s most exciting skill – the spike.

A few basics of the game:

• Lower net and smaller court (usually played as 2v2 or 3v3)
• In earlier progressions of the game, catching the ball and moving with the ball to the net is encouraged before spiking the ball over.
• Early sessions will focus on the spike (armswing and footwork) as well as a basic serve.
• Additional fundamental volleyball skills such as the forearm pass (bump) and overhead pass (set) are introduced during later progressions.

Fee: $70 (basic program) or $95 (includes your own Volleyball for practice at home)

For those opting into the the $95 option, the volleyball provided will a Tachikara Volley Lite ball which is a very high quality volleyball for developing players. ($25 is a VERY good deal for this ball)

A maximum of 24 participants can be accommodated in the program on a first come first serve basis.

To secure a spot, register at the link above and send payment by eTransfer to treasurer@fernievolleyball.com. (If a password is required, please set it to ‘smashball’). Registration will be closed after the first 24 participants send payment and additional participants will be placed on a waiting list.

Organizers of the Kootenay Regional Volleyball Excellence Centre in Cranbrook have released information about programs being offered starting in late August:

• Development Program – Boys & Girls going into Grades 7 & 8
  • Focus on Technical Skill Development
  • 12 Sessions (2 hours in length)
  • Mostly Fall & early Winter Sundays from 11AM – 1PM at COTR  in Cranbrook
  • Cost somewhere between $175-$225+ depending on number of athletes . Includes all coaching, court time, insurance, clothing package
  • Register by August 15 by completing the form linked below and scanning/emailing to krecvolleyball@yahoo.com
  • If more than the max number of attendees register then tryouts will be held in late August

• High Performance Program – Boys & Girls going into Grades 9-12
  • On-Court (35 hours) of Technical/Tactical/Individualized Training & Off-Court (25 hours) of Sport Science Sessions including Strength Training, Nutrition, Mental Skills, Flexibility
  • Immersive Start End of August + 1 or 2 weekends per month in the Fall & early Winter. Locations will be COTR and Mt Baker.
  • Cost somewhere between $600-$675+ depending on number of athletes. Includes all coaching, court time, insurance, clothing package
  • Register by August 15 by completing the form linked below and scanning/emailing to krecvolleyball@yahoo.com
  • If more than the max number of attendees register then tryouts will be held in late August

Program information for Parents: KREC_2019_Parent_Info

Program Registration Form: KREC_2019_Registration_Form_FILLABLE

Program Intro for Athletes (Letter): KREC_2019_Intro_Letter

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.