What Does A Top 250 Expo Look Like?
The Prep Dig Top 250 Expo Season has been launched and we have 14 lined up for athletes across the country. This will be the fifth year we’ve had our event in Wisconsin at the Milwaukee Sting Center, but there are plenty of areas where they will get to hold their first Top 250 Expo. I’ve attended plenty of our events, we’ve always done some tweaking after each, but we are confident in the run of show for our showcases and give athletes the opportunity to have a positive experience.
What Does a Top 250 Look Like?
Here is a typical run of show:
1 Hour Prior To The Event
Athletes are able to check in an hour before the event starts. When athletes check in, they will receive a shirt, their number to put on the front and back of their shirt, and will take their profile picture that will be linked to their Prep Dig profile and will go in our Prep Dig Media Library. Athletes will see what court they will start on as well as where they will go for positionals as well. They will take this time to get ready, chat with friends, and be ready to go at the start of the event.
Run of Show:
Warm Up Competition Games
This could include various forms of Queens (Skinny Court, 2v2, 3v3, and various wrinkles into the games to get athletes moving as well as various touches). Coaches are able to see overall movement and athleticism, what the athlete’s all around game looks like.
Positionals
This is where we want athletes to showcase their skill specific to what they play. Pin hitters will get a chance to swing away, middles are taking swings and blocking, setters will get a chance to showcase their footwork and hands, while the liberos are getting a lot of reps digging and in serve receive.
We have a huge emphasis where we DO NOT want long lines when it comes to their positional breakdowns. We want a fast paced style of show where athletes are getting a lot of reps.
Positional Combos
We will start combining positions where we break up setters with middles and pins. This will give coaches a chance to see how athletes can work together. Middles will go head to head where they will get a chance to block a live attacker and run various tempo sets. Liberos will get a chance to pass to a live setter and also work with pin hitters in out of system attacking and digging.
Competition
Athletes will be placed on a court with a team that will have a balance of positions, this is usually preplanned so we don’t end up with 8 middles or 8 liberos on a court (although I know the middles would love to set and liberos would love their chance in the middle). We have our lead coaches use a variety of competitive drills that could include a variety of options. Games where everything goes through the middles, hand to hand combat, free ball wash drills, out of system focus, the list goes on. There are plenty of chances for the athletes who play multiple positions to be showcased in a variety of ways.
When making teams, we do try and put similar ages together depending on the numbers because it makes it easier for college coaches to watch as well as our scouts to see what players are from what graduating class.
After The Event
When the final whistle is blown and the last speech is given, the event still continues. Articles will be written about the event, top performers will be on social media, video and pictures will be available on our social media pages, and information is sent to college coaches. We highly encourage athletes to use our social media and articles when reaching out to college coaches where it is showing evidence of their play (yes, I am a former teacher).
At the Prep Dig Top 250 Expo events we see athletes we have seen after successful high school seasons. There are also times where we have seen athletes and ask, “Where did they come from?” This is always an exciting time of year with NCAA Regional play happening at all levels, along with the build up to the club volleyball season.
This event is for any athlete who is looking to play at the next level. Athletes will get a lot of high level reps against great competition while getting some exposure heading what will be a fast and furious club season.
Bring it on!