Length of Season: Our season will start with practices in December and USA tournaments run from January through April.    Each year teams play in 8-10 tournaments. Generally, each team will travel to Kansas City, MO for a large tournament and Minneapolis, MN for the President’s Day Festival.  Examples of other tournament locations include Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Creston, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Dubuque, and Omaha, NE.

Practice: Each team will practice twice per week.  One is typically scheduled for two hours Sunday afternoon and the second is 1.2 to 2 hrs on a week night.  Additional specialty practices can be held throughout the season.

Arrive at least 5 minutes before your scheduled practice time, change shoes and be prepared to warm up.  Do not go into the gym before it is time for your practice to start because this causes disruptions for the other team’s practice.  If needed assist in setting up volleyball nets.

Only practices scheduled by AVBA Juniors and hosted by a USA coach my be held for the team due to the insurance policy with the Iowa Volleyball Region.

Tournaments: Coaches will work with players to determine the time they must be at the playing location.  Frequently carpools will leave Ankeny together.  Players should bring the following:

·         Uniform – Bring both uniform shirts, shorts, warm ups, shoes, kneepads, etc.

·         Food – Depending on the tournament location some will allow outside food.  It is important to bring nutritious food such as fruits, sandwiches, juice drinks, and water.  Avoid junk food such as chips, crackers, and caffeine drinks.  Do not take food or drinks into the gym.

Be courteous to the host location and clean up after yourself.  Appreciate the time and effort the host town has put into making a successful tournament.  All trash must be picked up from your area when you leave.  Only warm-up in designated areas and do not throw balls around in hallways or lunchrooms.

Everyone is expected to help by line judging, refereeing or scorekeeping.  Be attentive to your duties and pay attention to your match.  It is the teams responsibility to evenly divide these responsibilities amongst the players. 

Inclement Weather: If there is inclement weather and practice is cancelled a note will be placed on the home page.  If Ankeny Community Schools is cancelled or released early all events for that evening will be cancelled.  You may also call Ankeny Parks and Recreation Weather Hotline directly at 963-3575.

Acceptable Schedule Conflicts: We realize and emphasize that anyone who makes the AVBA teams will be making a commitment both monetarily and otherwise. AVBA will make every effort to work around any school related activities. However, all other outside sport activities (i.e. AAU basketball, club soccer, club swimming) will not be considered an excused absence for either USA practices or tournaments.

Playing Time: All players are guaranteed equal training time in practice to learn the sport of volleyball.  The effort demonstrated in practice and the skills the player learns will determine how much playing time occurs during tournaments.  The goal of AVBA is to provide each player as much playing time as possible during tournaments, but there are no guarantees.

Parent Behavior At Tournaments: One of the most important things we can teach our children is sportsmanship and parents should set a good example.  Be supportive and positive with all players on your team.  We want other teams and towns to think of AVBA as a class act.  Allow the coaches to maintain the attention of the players and provide instruction during the game. 

Please treat all line judges, scorekeepers, and referees with the respect they deserve.  AVBA attempts to provide quality refereeing for other teams and expects the same treatment from those parents.  USA volleyball encourages players to better understand the game through refereeing, however, they are also learning.  Volleyball is a game that includes judgment calls that can be difficult to make.  Coaches are able to formally protest incorrect calls if they feel it is necessary. 

When leaving tournaments, thank the host club for all their work.  Make sure your team picks up all the garbage around your team camp before you leave the school.  Make sure your team treats the other school with respect and only warms up with volleyballs in designated areas.

Club Budget and Playing Fees: The cost per player is $550 for new players and $450 for returning players.  AVBA is a non-profit organization and the player fees only cover a portion of the total expenses of the club.  A key factor in allowing us to keep player fees low is through profits raised by hosting our own two-day tournament.  This is a major event and requires a significant help from the player and parents to make successful.  The AVBA club director and coaches will organize the tournament brackets and run each facility the day of the tournament.  Players and parents are needed to help with the following:

·         Set up the schools the night before the tournament.  This includes setting up nets, scorer tables, and player benches at each court and setting up the team camp area and concessions stand.

·         Work the concessions stand during the tournament.

·         Ensure our schools are treated with respect and that school property is not damaged during the tournament.

·         Tear down and clean up the schools at the end of the tournament.

Club expenses include:

·         Tournament Entry Fees – Tournament fees range between $70 and $400 depending upon number of teams, length of tournament, and quality of facilities.

·         Gym Rental – AVBA pays Ankeny Leisure Services for all practice times and tournaments.

·         Coach Fees – All USA coaches are paid for their time commitment to the teams. 

·         Player Uniforms - Includes two uniform jerseys and one pair of shorts. New players will also be provided warm-ups and a volleyball sports bag.

·         Referee and Scorekeeper Clinic – AVBA typically hosts a clinic for our players in Ankeny.