Question 1

Do I need volleyball experience to try out for the club?

Accepted Answer

You do not need volleyball experience to try out for the club (especially at the younger ages), but it definitely helps.  Being coach-able, willing to be trained, and athletic ability are qualities we look for in new club volleyball players.

Question 2

What Age Division would each athlete play in?

Accepted Answer

All age divisions are determined by USA Volleyball.  Go to USAV Junior Age Definitions to determine your age eligibility.

Question 3

Can an athlete tryout for a Higher Age level team?

Accepted Answer

All USAV Age Definition determines the age eligibility of the athlete.  While the Arizona Region and USA Volleyball allow athletes to play on higher age level team, the club's philosophy is that athletes stay in their respective age divisions.  As one of Southern Arizona's largest clubs, we have room to make complete teams in each age group. 
 
We generally DO NOT move an athlete to a higher age group unless their are exceptional factors and/or the athlete will be an impact player at the higher age level.  Middle school athletes do not play on the high school teams.   We strongly encourage all athletes to stay in their respective age division. 
 
Please contact the Club Director if you wish to discuss this philosophy or the factors that might qualify an athlete to tryout for an age division higher than her age.

Question 4

Can an athlete play on a Lower Age level team?

Accepted Answer

In certain circumstances, the Arizona Region will allow athletes to play down an age level with an approved age waiver.  These waivers are good only for Region-Level competitions and not at USAV Volleyball National Events.  If you have special factors that you feel warrants an age waiver, please contacts us to discuss.

Question 5

What happens at the Team Selections - or the tryout sessions?

Accepted Answer

CCJ tryouts are organized and fast-paced.  However, there will be some downtime for coaches to huddle-up and assess the players and team positional needs.  The athletes should prepare to listen and work hard, but also spend some time breaking while the coaches gather and confer. 
 
Here is a summary of how tryout is planned to flow:
 • All athletes warm-up and the coaching staff will evaluate the various volleyball skills for each participant: serving, passing, setting, attacking, and defense.
 • Depending on the age group, some physical and coordination drills will also be completed with some positional evaluation.
 • The athletes will be put into scrimmage-type situations to demonstrate their competitive and systematic skills.
Club Cactus Juniors believes in the worth of open tryouts.  That is, each athlete must earn her spot on the team at that day's tryout.  CCJ coaches do not pick their teams beforehand and we have a Selection Committee to evaluate all players.  Each athlete has a chance to make the best team they can.

Question 6

How are players selected for a team?

Accepted Answer

Player selection is one of the most difficult things any club must do at the beginning of the season.  At CCJ we do our very best, but it is an imperfect process.  At the Team Selections, we utilize Selection Committee of National/Regional Coaches to oversee the entire selection process.  The committee will attempt to analyze each candidates acquired skill-set/talent and their future potential.  We also select teams in the hope to create sufficient depth at all the necessary positions for the club.

Question 7

If an athlete played for a different club in the past, do they have a chance to make a Club Cactus team?"

Accepted Answer

Like all established clubs, CCJ does not make any promises to any athlete about team placement prior to tryouts.  All Open Houses and Team Selections are open and we will evaluate all candidates and form teams based on the pool of athletes available.  All athletes, regardless of past club affiliation, will have the opportunity to be fairly evaluated.  Welcome to the family!

Question 8

Are parents/guardians required to stay for the entire Team Selection session?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no...
At least one parent must be at the Team Selections at the beginning for registration/check-in purposes and to attend a brief meeting that will be held prior to starting.
We will also need at least one parent there at the end of the tryout to complete the team selection process.
Parent do not need to be present for the entire tryout process.  Seating will be limited at the gym and it places less pressure on the players and coaches if parents do not attend the tryout session.
While the tryout might be scheduled to end at a certain time, additional time may be needed to finalize the placement and commitment process.  Please be patient.  We will work as efficiently as possible and work our hardest to make sure the lines of communication are open and optimal placements are made.

Question 9

How many players will be placed on a team?

Accepted Answer

Teams will have a maximum of 12 athletes.  Our 18U, 17U, 16U, 15U Open National teams typically limit rosters to 10 or 11.

Question 10

Where does Club Cactus Juniors practice?

Accepted Answer

All CCJ teams will train at the Sporting Chance Center, 2100 W. Curtis Road

Question 11

How often do teams practice?

Accepted Answer

All teams (National and Regional) practice three times weekly.  This is what separates the training of our Regional teams from other club.  The National Teams may schedule some additional practices in preparation for National Events. 
 
Practices are on Sunday and then two other weeknights.All teams (National and Regional) practice three times weekly. This is what separates the training of our Regional teams from other club. The National Teams may schedule some additional practices in preparation for National Events. Practices are on Sunday and then two other weeknights.

CCJ FAQ