I think you both are missing the point.

 

Success in HS volleyball isn't about public vs private, big vs small, or what feeder schools do. It's about club volleyball. Not low end local club volleyball like Bluegrass Select or Midwest Extreme, big high end elite club volleyball playing on an national open level like NKYVC or Elevation. Show me the high school teams those players are on, and I will show you who is going to have a successful season year in and year out.

 

High end club starts at 9 years old. Follow where those girls go to High School. That's where the success will be. You can start all the elementary and middle school programs you want and it won't compare to the training and skill you get at a high end club. There's no substitute for playing year 'round against the best players in the country.

 

People may not like it but that's the state of HS Volleyball right now. Especially in Louisville and NKY. No KHSAA classes means you have to beat Assumption, Mercy, and Sacred Heart where every single player is a high end club volleyball player. If your team isn't at that level, good luck.

 

On a side note, SK had their shot at State in 2013...a good to great team, hosting the 8th Region, and then lost the 1st set of the 8th Region semi-final 30-28 and never recovered. A very disappointing finish for a team that had higher hopes.

So it's merely coincidence that over 90% of the kids on the teams you mentioned are private school kids or kids from ohio.... huh.

Aren't you both (Sandman32 and dallaslaredo) right? High-end club volleyball are where the best players play. That shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. It's also no coincidence that private schools start playing volleyball in 3rd grade. So it goes something like this:

 

(1) parochial school girl plays 3rd or 4th grade volleyball

(2) the same girl, or her parents take her to club tryouts if she enjoys the sport

(3) she is taught the game and begins to excel - the coaching and reps can't be discounted

(4) if the girl is tall and athletic, or she is skilled as a defensive specialist she ends up playing at one of the clubs playing Open by the age of 13-14

(5) because she went to a parochial school she often ends up playing at NDA or St. Henry between the ages of 15-18.

 

Since NDA is essentially a large 5A or small 6A school and St. Henry is a 2A school, NDA has the advantage with numbers. Hence, NDA usually wins the 9th.

So it's merely coincidence that over 90% of the kids on the teams you mentioned are private school kids or kids from ohio.... huh.

 

huh what? Nothing stopping public school kids from playing high end club volleyball. It's happening in the rest of both KY and Ohio. The clubs don't care what school they are from. So yes, looks like coincidence.

 

You are saying in NKY, the club volleyball players choose to attend private schools. Or they all come from private schools.

 

I say, in NKY, there are not enough public school players choosing to play high end club volleyball. Because when you look at the all-state teams for KY and Ohio, the majority are public school players......

 

2014 KVCA KY FIRST TEAM ALL-STATE (12 PLAYERS)

AAA - 66% private

AA - 16% private

A - 16% private

 

2014 OHSVCA ALL-OHIO FIRST TEAM (8 PLAYERS)

DIV 1 - 50% private

DIV 2 - 50% private

DIV 3 - 25% private

DIV 4 - 25% private

 

huh.

I think I've been pretty clear about describing the culture in NKY schools toward sports at the young ages. Having a public school kid myself who started playing club ball at the age of 8 quite by accident, I can attest to the fact that if it wasn't for a chance meeting with a private school parent who knew about club volleyball we might never have ended up playing this great sport to the level we have.

 

Private schools encourage early participation and excellence in sports, public schools as a whole do not. There are some small pockets of kids in Boone Co where this not necessarily true, but overall in Kenton County it is.

 

If you wait to begin your volleyball career in club till 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, how likely is a kid to be an elite player in your opinion.

Shouldn't VB conditioning and tryouts be starting soon? Usually a mid July start up I believe.

 

Has SK announced the rest of the coaching staff?

It's no a coincidence at all. The parochial schools do a significantly better job beginning volleyball at a young age through school. This breeds more interest in the sport and those players begin club ball and better training at a younger age. Most parochial schools have teams as early as 3rd grade (the same age as the clubs begin) while most public schools pick it up in middle school. The public high schools have made progress closing the gap. For example, Ryle and Cooper have volleyball players that are just as good as the parochial schools, but not the same depth.

Aren't you both (Sandman32 and dallaslaredo) right? High-end club volleyball are where the best players play. That shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. It's also no coincidence that private schools start playing volleyball in 3rd grade. So it goes something like this:

 

(1) parochial school girl plays 3rd or 4th grade volleyball

(2) the same girl, or her parents take her to club tryouts if she enjoys the sport

(3) she is taught the game and begins to excel - the coaching and reps can't be discounted

(4) if the girl is tall and athletic, or she is skilled as a defensive specialist she ends up playing at one of the clubs playing Open by the age of 13-14

(5) because she went to a parochial school she often ends up playing at NDA or St. Henry between the ages of 15-18.

 

Since NDA is essentially a large 5A or small 6A school and St. Henry is a 2A school, NDA has the advantage with numbers. Hence, NDA usually wins the 9th.

 

All true, except its worse than you described, volleyball in private schools starts in Kindergarten with NKYVC's sprinkles.

 

Lets face it, us Catholics have large families. What are the chances that a private school kindergartener has an older brother or sister who has already started with their own early indoctrination into sports and extra curricular activities? I'd say pretty good, which is why NKYVC's sprinkles program is so popular at the young ages. Private school parents want their kids to excel in the classroom and out, so they typically do anything that will give their kid a leg up, even if its just a leg up on the other kids in the same classroom.

 

Because of this, and not that private school kids are superior athletes, it is my opinion that public school girls often don't make elite volleyball teams at the 13's level. Not making a 13's Open team at this age creates a spiral, where the kid never gets the top notch coaches, isn't surrounded by top notch talent, and doesn't play against top notch competition. In essence, a public school kid who waits to get serious about volleyball until 13 is 7 or 8 years behind some private school kids.

It's no a coincidence at all. The parochial schools do a significantly better job beginning volleyball at a young age through school. This breeds more interest in the sport and those players begin club ball and better training at a younger age. Most parochial schools have teams as early as 3rd grade (the same age as the clubs begin) while most public schools pick it up in middle school. The public high schools have made progress closing the gap. For example, Ryle and Cooper have volleyball players that are just as good as the parochial schools, but not the same depth.

 

So you support what I said from the beginning about public schools not placing an emphasis on sports, and therefore that is why private school athletics often eclipse public school programs in organized sports.

Shouldn't VB conditioning and tryouts be starting soon? Usually a mid July start up I believe.

 

Has SK announced the rest of the coaching staff?

 

I think the dead period ends July 10th, so they can start tomorrow. And most places have had open gyms I think, including SK. Dixies tryout starts the 15th.

per KHSAA - 1st volleyball practice allowed - July 15th.

I thought that was right, but the KHSAA calendar said the dead period ended after the 9th so I stopped looking.

So you support what I said from the beginning about public schools not placing an emphasis on sports, and therefore that is why private school athletics often eclipse public school programs in organized sports.

 

I think you're missing the mark a little. The parochial schools aren't placing the emphasis on sports, it's the parental involvement at the parochial schools that is the difference. I think the parental expectations are different between the parochial and public grades schools. At the parochial grade schools, the parents run the boosters organizations, raise the funds and coach the teams, not the school. All parochial grade school coaches are volunteer and unpaid, while that is not the case with the public schools.

 

So I disagree with the statement that the parochial schools place a higher emphasis on sports. I simply think the volunteerism and involvement from the parents is greater at a younger age.

volleyball in private schools starts in Kindergarten with NKYVC's sprinkles.

 

ANYONE can join sprinkles. It's not a private school thing. It's a club who accepts anyone.

 

I think where you and I differ is you believe public schools aren't doing enough. I believe the path to success is more club ball. I say that's on public school parents, not the schools. I don't expect a school, ANY school, to talk about or encourage club volleyball...Why would they? That's not why they are there.

 

To me, getting a head start in club ball is on the parents.

I thought that was right, but the KHSAA calendar said the dead period ended after the 9th so I stopped looking.

 

many of you may find this handy

 

http://khsaa.org/calendar/1516refcalendar.pdf