The Sand Club stands for Connect, Care, Challenge, Communicate and Change. Coaches are trained to connect on the court with the players and also care about what is happening off the court. Players will be challenged and coaches will communicate with parents about their player's progression. Beach volleyball is constantly evolving and The Sand Club is determined to be at the forefront. Therefore, we all need to be ready and willing to adapt with change. Are you ready?
COLLEGIATE OPPORTUNITIES
The Sand Club provides the exposure, as well as the discipline and skills, for athletes who strive to play beyond the high school and club level. Several members of our coaching staff are current Division 1 college beach volleyball athletes, AVPNext Mountain West Region Champions and Olympic Coaches; an invaluable resource for our athletes. The Sand Club is committed to assisting athletes in finding a school that fits their individual needs. The choice of school should be the decision of the athlete and family after taking into consideration academics and competitive level of the volleyball program. SAT/ACT scores and GPA are important factors for playing college beach volleyball. The Sand Club is proud to network with National Scouting Report. Start your scouting process today >>click here
UNIFORM
Players are required to wear the Beach Team practice shirt to every training day. One shirt will be supplied for every annual membership. Additional shirts are available for purchase:
Beach Team Practice Shirt $15
Sand Club Shorts $15
Sand Club Jersey Tee $20*
Sand Club Jersey Tank $20*
Sand Club Hoody $25
Team Volleyball Bag $40*
Sand Socks $20
*name included
It is recommended that players bring the following: beach towel (to wipe off), small ice chest with ice (when temperatures are 85 degrees or higher), water bottle, neck towel (soaking in ice chest), sand socks, sunscreen and sometimes bug spray.
PRACTICE GUIDELINES
-Arrive 5-10 minutes early, so team huddle can begin at scheduled practice time.
-No checking cell phones during practice without coach's approval.
-Conditioning is required unless a player has a medical note or prior arrangements have been made between the coach and parents 15 minutes before practice begins (via text or verbal).
-Players will help with setup and breakdown.
-No talking when the coach is talking.
-Do not disrupt players during a drill or conditioning.
-Players are expected to stay attentive while a coach is talking or explaining a drill, which means eye contact.
-No playing in the sand at anytime during practice.
-No swinging on the net.
-No playing with a volleyball while the coach is talking (volleyballs are down).
-Players are expected to do their best to make adjustments and not resist instruction. Players should AVOID saying "I know".
-Players are expected to have a positive attitude and not use negative self-talk (like "I can't").
-Players are expected to support their teammates with positive language.
-There will be regular skill assessments; however, players will NOT be cut based skill assessments.
-Players understand that skill assessments are used to help measure a player's progression and areas of improvement.
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
When a player is not following the above player guidelines, the coach will give a verbal warning on the 1st occasion. After a verbal warning, the player will be asked to sit out for an appropriate length of time determined by the coach. Players that sit out will be required to have a parent present during the entire next practice or the player will not be able to return to practice. If a player sits out again while their parent is present, then the coach and parent will discuss whether the player should continue training. If the player has appropriate behavior while their parent is present, then the coach and parent will discuss future practices with parent supervision.
Players will be cut from the team without a refund if the player is not able to meet the player guidelines on a consistent basis.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Knowing when to communicate and how to communicate with your athlete’s coach is a concern for almost every parent at some time during the season. Most often the concern is how to inquire about issues surrounding a players progression and level of training team.
Athletes should be encouraged to talk to the coach when a problem arises (i.e. regarding unclear expectations in practice or competition). The appropriate manner for the athlete to approach the coach is to ask what he/she, the athlete, needs to do in order to progress and train with a higher level team. Parents can best help their athlete by guiding them through this process and supporting communication with the coach. Athletes should be the one to approach a coach regarding “coaching decisions”, not the parents. Coaching decisions include, among other things: practice organization, training teams, etc.
An athlete's training team is the result of a complex determination, in that coach’s opinion, of the athlete’s ability, the athlete’s potential, the team’s needs at the moment, and the team’s chemistry. The coach will not be required to defend his/her thought process or conclusions in these determinations. It should be expected, however, that the coach be able to relay information to the athlete to explain the athlete’s current role on the team and what the athlete needs to improve upon to resolve the concern.
The athlete and parents SHOULD:
• Approach the coach to ask for a meeting time to be set. (Consider calling the coach on the phone to set a meeting time)
•Expect meetings to be at a location other than a tournament.
•Expect that the meeting should be between the coaches of the team and the player.
•If the concern remains unresolved, approach the coach to ask for a meeting time to be set. This meeting should be between the athlete, the coaches, and the parents.
•If the concern still remains unresolved, the parent should contact the Director for intervention.
The parent or athlete SHOULD NOT:
•Confront a coach during a practice or during tournaments.
•Expect meetings to be set during practice or tournament participation.
•Attempt to “compare” or evaluate another athlete.
•Use profanity towards the coach.
•Harass or threaten the coach.
•Discuss their concerns with any other parents or players until a resolution has been reached with the coach.
PARENT EXPECTATIONS
-Parents are expected to notify the coach any expected absences at the beginning of every month (field trips, teacher conferences, family vacations, testing, etc). More than 48 hours notice is preferred. Email or text at least 30 minutes before practice when their athlete is unable to attend and a reason is appreciated.
-Parents agree to supervise their athlete if they are asked to sit out.
-Parents understand that there are no refunds for being cut from the team.
-The Sand Club is always looking for volunteers, such as Team Assistants (TA's) to help with players that are asked to sit out, injuries, emotional concerns, stats and even help with drills.
-Parents are expected to pickup their athlete no later than 5 minutes after scheduled practice unless communicated with the coach prior to practice.
-Parent or legal guardian is expected to be within 15 minutes of practice facility in case of injury or weather cancellation unless communicated with the coach prior to practice.
-Parents understand that The Sand Club has a limited first aid kit (bandaids, gauze, sport tape, saline solution) and parents are recommended to consult with a physician for any serious injuries. Ice packs and bandage wraps are not included in the first aid kit.
TEAM ASSISTANTS (TA)
Coaches for The Sand Club will assign a “TA's” or team assistants to help the coach as needed. Team Assistants are volunteers only but are very much valuable and appreciated. One of the most important role for a TA is to help with players safety (emotionally and physically.) SafeSport online course and First Aid, Health and Safety online course by NFHS will be recommended for some TA's.
TOURNAMENTS
-All players are welcome to play tournaments at Mesquite Beach.
-Tournaments are NOT included with training unless specified on registration form. For example, 5th & 6th grade league does not include tournaments. The National Beach Team does include tournaments.
-The tournaments included for parents who purchase Beach Team memberships are Best of the Beach and/or sanctioned events only hosted at Mesquite Beach.
-Coupon codes are offered to select Beach Team members and a select number of tournaments are included. Beach Team membership ($500) is different than the annual membership ($20). There are different coupon codes for Beach Team members playing with other members and members playing with non-members. Annual membership only includes player insurance and practice shirt.
-Tournaments fill up fast, so parents are recommended to sign up 2 weeks in advance.
-Scheduling conflicts should be brought to the attention of the coach at least 14-30 days before the event.
-Missed tournaments do not constitute a partial reimbursement of the Beach Team fees. The Sand Club does not refund parents for missed tournaments.
-Players that are 12 and under may play against players that are 14 and under. Beach volleyball tournaments are typically broken down into 4 divisions: 5th and 6th graders are considered 12U, 7th and 8th graders are considered 14U, 9th and 10th graders are considered 16U and 11th and 12th graders are considered 18U. HOWEVER, age divisions are technically divided by birthdates:
12U = born on or after Sept 1, 2006
14U = born on or after Sept 1, 2004
16U = born on or after Sept 1, 2002
18U = born before Sept 1, 2002
-The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) offers a 10U National Championship for players born on or before Sept 1, 2006. In 2018, the National Championship was in Hermosa California. All players are welcome to play the AAU National Championship (no bid required).
Bid Championships
Players must finish in the top 2-4 in order to receive bids to the AVPFirst National Championship, USAV Junior National Beach Championship, AAU Junior Olympic Games and other sanctioned bid tournaments. Bids do NOT mean free entry.
BEST OF THE BEACH vs SANCTIONED EVENTS
Best of the Beach events will be treated with the same importance as sanctioned USAV, AAU and/or AVPFirst events. Beach of the Beach events do not require a partner; in fact, players can not sign up with partners at Best of the Beach events. Sanctioned events require athletes to register with a partner.
For other questions or concerns, please email allen@thesandclub.com or call 480-560-5090.