STrib: Club Volleyballs Vast World

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Club volleyball's vast world: A multimillion-dollar culture of dreams, sacrifice and cold reality

Thousands of girls gather in Minneapolis throughout the year for elite competition in pursuit of college scholarships. A family can pay more than $30,000 (plus travel expenses) for a child to play from age 12 to 18. Here's an inside look at that world.

www.startribune.com

Jeff Day:

THE CHAOS BEGAN before sunrise. Fresh snow had fallen overnight, and the sidewalks around the Minneapolis Convention Center were silent.

Inside was a different story.

The 2023 Mizuno Northern Lights Qualifier and January Thaw volleyball tournament was already underway at 7:30 a.m., and the scene for anyone unfamiliar with the expansive reality of club volleyball was incomprehensible.

Thousands of teenage volleyball players from around the country were scattered around 41 courts laid out in three cavernous halls.

Packs of girls waiting to play roamed thin sideline aisles with casual anticipation in color-coordinated sweatsuits. Bodies twisted to make room in tight spaces, selfies were snapped with lightning efficiency, parents stood chatting with early morning energy stirred by sleeved cups of coffee.

As far as the eye could see, volleyballs traced lofty, unending arcs as teams warmed up — a mad science experiment, electrons around some unseen nucleus. If you were not prepared, a wayward ball could torch you. Thrust into this reality, the mind recoiled.

 

[Gophers_4life]

$30k over 12-18's. And they'll take that much if your daughter plays on -3 (-4, -5 !!) teams the whole time and has no chance at college vball.

What a scam.

 

[BleedGopher]

Fascinating read. I know quite a few families who have girls in the competitive volleyball club circuit and it's intense, although most high level sports are these days. The cost of many are absolutely crazy at the top ends. Basketball is one of the few that have kept the costs moderately low, although most players have basketball trainers, strength and conditioning trainers, AAU fees and of course travel costs. The key with basketball, unlike most other sports, is you can work on so much just you, a ball and a hoop. Most sports don't have that luxury.

I'm in the belly of the beast right now with two kids in competitive sports, as I'm sure many are on GH, and it's a topic many of us could discuss at length.

Thanks for posting.

Go Gophers!!