Breit’s “Bold” Thoughts From the JVA Jamboree
This was my first time at the JVA Jamboree in Milwaukee, and it was a blast! Teams are definitely pushing for the infamous President’s Day Tournaments across the Midwest. They are playing with their best lineups, and teams traveled as far…
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Continue ReadingThis was my first time at the JVA Jamboree in Milwaukee, and it was a blast! Teams are definitely pushing for the infamous President’s Day Tournaments across the Midwest. They are playing with their best lineups, and teams traveled as far as New York to be at the Jamboree. I won’t get too much into player and team specifics here, but I just wanted to put out a few observations that I noticed over the weekend.
Adaptation
We are 1 month in and players and teams are starting to find their grooves. Coaches are learning who they have to stay on top of to keep focused. Players are starting to click and making big plays. We get to see big celebrations, as well as teammates learning to pick each other up. No matter how many players are new to the group, there will be growing pains. This is when we find those who have gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable will thrive. Those that are used to playing a variety of positions with a variety of players adapt faster. This makes me think of the term “adaptation”. This was a term my 2nd grade daughter needed to know for her science test a few weeks ago, and we talked a lot about how plants and animals change and adapt to survive. The camel stores water in its hump, a daffodil tastes horrible, a skunk smells, or a cactus grows thorns. Sometimes change is good, whether that is our defensive position, base, position played, or from where swings are taken. Adaptation and strategy are essential in life.
“Variety Is The Spice Of Life”!
There were multiple ages, divisions, and brackets where championships were crowned, and the one really cool thing I saw was a variety of clubs finding success. In the 18’s Division, Wisconsin Ice 18 National went undefeated, while dropping only a single set the entire weekend. Wisconsin Ice also won the bronze bracket in the 17’s division, while Milwaukee Sting 16 Gold didn’t drop a set to take the gold bracket while playing up an age. At the 15 Open level, Sting 15 Gold didn’t drop a single set while taking down Vital Volleyball , FC Elite, and VC United’s top teams.
VC United 161 Elite took the 16 Open division, dropping just a single set to Milwaukee Sting 16 White in pool play. MN Select took some hardware home in the Club 14, 15, and 16 levels. MN Select 16-3 dropped one match to FVP 16 Green in pool play, and it powered them through Sunday. MN Select 15-3 was more dominant in the 15 Club division, not dropping a single set all weekend. It is so fun to see all the different clubs and teams getting wins and having fun!
Shhhh…
The Division 1 quiet period is almost over. I’ve seen plenty of Division 3 coaches out and about, but recruiting becomes fair game when President’s Day Weekend rolls around. All college-level coaches can attend, evaluate, but the age restrictions are still in place. There are athletes at every stage in the recruiting process, and it’s never too late to find your next volleyball family. I’ve seen players clam up when they know college coaches are watching, and I always tell them, “These coaches know potential when they see it, and everyone makes errors. Make the aggressive error because what they want to know is how you respond to your mistake. Just stay focused on improving your game and being the best teammate possible.”
Good luck as the 2020 club season goes full throttle!