12U Juniors Team

JVBC is no longer offering a 12U Juniors Team

The JVBC 12U Juniors Team is a travel USA Volleyball team for 6th Grade JMMS girls. Players are chosen by invitation only, based upon player skill observed during the 6th Grade Clinic and Tryouts.

There are many Junior Volleyball clubs and teams in North East Ohio. The JVBC 12U Juniors program is unique in comparison to most other area OVR 12U Juniors teams in five major ways.

First - JVBC is substantially lower cost than other clubs. Our participation cost is $250 (which includes the OVR registration fee) while most other club's fees start in the $600 range and can go to over $1000 (and higher if you include travel costs). The reasons that JVBC can keep their costs so low are:

1) JVBC uses volunteer coaches who are not paid a coaching fee or given a fee credit toward any child participating on the team.

2) JVBC is a single team club, operating in the Jackson school gyms, reducing the expenses associated with facility rental.

3) The JVBC coaches run the Jackson 6th grade clinic for no pay, and as such the clinic money serves as a JVBC fundraiser to help lower club costs.

4) JVBC participates in 5 to 6 tournaments, while other clubs may play in 7 or more tournaments which increases costs due to tournament entry fees.

5) JVBC selects tournaments within a 1 hour drive, minimizing hotel and travel costs associated with distant tournaments.

6) JVBC has no player/parent fundraisers. No candy sales, no magazine sales, no car washes, no soliciting for money, nothing! Even the JVBC logo clothing and spandex shorts are offered for sale at our cost with no mark-up. You don't even need to buy a volleyball. Your JVBC fee is all you need to pay.

Second - JVBC uses a two person head coach/assistant coach team to run the one 12U team. The two coach approach provides additional one-on-one time for team members during practices and games to improve individual attention and performance feedback. Most clubs use one coach per team. While not unique to JVBC, both JVBC coaches have multiple years of volleyball coaching experience, along with other coaching and teaching experience.

Third - JVBC targets Jackson Memorial Middle School girls ages 12 and under, instead of reaching out to all local area school girls. Other clubs usually select no more than three players from any single school district, and instead contain a mixture of girls from various schools in a regional area. JVBC's approach is permitted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Ohio Valley Region of USA Volleyball as athletic eligibility rules restricting team rosters are not applicable until 7th grade and up.

Fourth - JVBC runs the same 6-2 offense used by the JMMS 7th grade volleyball team. Many 12U Junior teams run a 4-2 or 6-6 offense, which are much easier to execute during the Junior USA Volleyball season, but routinely lead to confusion for the girls when they have to transition to the 6-2 offense used in the JMMS volleyball program in 7th grade. Teaching the 6-2 offense is a key element of JVBC's training to prepare for the 7th grade program. JVBC also runs a 3-back serve/receive, to teach the same serve/receive scheme used on the Jackson 7th and 8th grade teams.

Fifth - The JVBC head coach is the head coach of the JMMS 8th Grade Gold Volleyball team, and the past head coach of the JMMS 7th Grade Gold Volleyball team. The JVBC assistant coach is the head coach of the JMMS 7th Grade Gold Volleyball team. Participation on the JVBC 12U team provides the JMMS girls with familiarity with the JMMS coaching style, benefiting them when they prepare for, tryout for, and participate on, the JMMS 7th grade team.

Aside from these significant differences, JVBC is very similar to other Junior volleyball clubs.

The JVBC 12U team practices 2 hours each week. Practice will begin in January and finish in early May.

JVBC will play in 4 to 6 volleyball tournaments that are normally on Saturdays, but occasionally may be on Sunday. Most of these tournaments will be local (typically within 1 hour drive from JMMS), but the end of the year tournament is held in Columbus.

Players are provided with a numbered jersey. Players and parents will be provided an opportunity to buy JVBC clothing (T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, etc.).

Practice and warm-up balls are provided by JVBC (players are not required to buy their own ball).

Players will also learn volleyball scoring, down reffing, and line judging skills.

Coaches are trained and certified by OVR, and have passed a background screening every two years.

We consider the JVBC 12U Juniors team to be an excellent introduction to competitive travel volleyball. Participation is limited to one day per week, our costs are low, all the girls are from Jackson, and the coaching staff is knowledgeable and makes volleyball fun for the girls. JVBC is not an upper-echelon volleyball club, so we do not expect to win the majority of our matches against clubs that select only the best players from many schools, practice multiple days a week, and cost significantly more to participate.

Former JVBC players have gone on to lead the Jackson Middle School to Federal League Championships, and to lead the Jackson High School Volleyball team to multiple appearances in the Ohio High School Division 1 State Championships. Many former JVBC (and formerly COAST) players have gone on to play Division 1, 2, and 3 college volleyball. We even have one alumni, Paige Hill, who went on to play professional volleyball. The JVBC coaches are confident in the foundation our program provides to new volleyball players.