A1

Q: What age group is my daughter?

A: Her age as of September 1st after the club season.  For example, for the 2011-12 season, a player's age as of 09/01/2012 determines her USAV age."  Click on the link to obtain the Age Classification Chart for the current year: Age Definition.pdf

A2

Q: Who is going to be my coach?

A: Due to IHSAA rules we have to see which girls make which teams and then decide where to place coaches. We have some coaches that are high school coaches and there are rules governing their level of involvement with their respective players. All of our coaches are quality coaches and Ryan works with them all year to further improve. We have already had over 20 coaches sign on for this year.

A3

Q: My daughter and her friend want to be on the same team

A: We try to consider the convenience of our club when making decisions; however, teams construction involves a myriad of factors. Our primarily concerns when constructing teams is doing what’s best for the individuals, the team, and the club. If that truly is your top priority, the you can request that when answering the tryout questionare; however, that may mean that your child is not placed on the team that is best suited for her/him in other areas.

A4

Q: What do you consider when deciding team placement
 
A: Several factors are weighed in.  The primary thought is 'how do we place teams to help maximize the improvement of everyone involved.'  in addition to age and following IHSAA/IHSA rules, player position, player skill, player potential, and committment level are the primary factors.

A5

Q: When will we know what team we’re on?

A: Within a few days of tryouts, you will receive an email supplying results on your tryout. From this email, you will have an educated guess of what team you will be placed on; however, teams will be finalized after practices begin.

A6

Q: Can I try out for an older age division?

A: As a general rule, we are going to make competitive teams at whatever age group they are at; however, we will bump players up if that is what is best for them and the players around them.

A7

Q: What is the experience level of your coaches? Who are they? Do you have bio's?

A: We pride ourselves on having an extremely strong coaching staff. In addition to recruiting strong coaches, we continuously work with them to improve. Please check out our staff to view some of the coaches bios.

B1

Q: What is a break out session?

A: In addition to thier normal practiecs, players will have breakout sessions, which will address individual needs based on their position. We run some practices based on position rather than team.

B2

Q: When do practices begin?

A: Practices begin mid to late November for full and winter season. Spring season teams start practicing at the end of February/early March.

B3

Q: Where will we be practicing?

A: We have multiple sites in Northwest Indiana and the surrounding Illinois area.  The Munster/Lansing area is considered the center of our target area and our practice facilities are close by. We also have "Eastern site" locations, centered in Portage.

B4

Q: Where are tournaments held?

A: Most local tournaments will be within a 30 to 90 minute radius, generally in the Chicagoland region. For 13-14U, we will one overnight tournament within a 3-hour drive. Our older teams will play in 1-4 or more multi-day, overnight events.  You can request to be on a 'convenient' travel team, which finds competition but minimizes the amount of travel.

B5

Q: How long is the season, when does it end?

A: Half season is about Mid February to Mid May if it is available. Full season is December to Mid-May (5 ½ months). National or other teams attempting to qualify will go longer into the summer. 

B6

Q: How many tournaments do we play. 

A: It depends on the players age and team level.  Generally teams play two tournaments per month.

B7

Q: Are you playing in the power league?

A: It varies from team to team. Most years several teams play in Great Lakes Power League and others will play in the Windy City Power League.

B8

Q: Do you offer any athletic development programs like speed/lifting training?

A: We are a full-service volleyball club, which includes health and nutrition information as well as a VAQS (vertical, agility, quickness, and strength) training program.  It will be an optional program at a reasonable additional cost.

C1

Q: Do you have boys' teams?

A: We may have boys' teams for the youth age groups. Even if we do not, boys can play on the same teams as girls at younger age groups. They will practice with the girls and play on the same teams. 

C2

Q: What about older boys teams?

A: If we get enough boys to make a team, then we will; however, this is unlikely.

C3

Q: What is the distinction to playing on a Jade team?

A: The color is just a color, so there is no automatic distinction; however, there are some generalities that are usually true.  Older Jade teams often play very rigid schedules that are not flexible.  For this reason, usually, Jade players need to be "volleyball first" players.  In addition, the Jade teams are the teams that are most likely going to attempt to qualify, so the commitment and the willingness to extend the season needs to be there.  Jade teams usually have the most expensive tournament schedule and receive more college exposure at an early age.  These are generalities.  It's possible for a team of a different color to attempt to qualify or it's possible for a Jade team to have a different schedule mindset.

C4

Q: Will you have Travel teams or attempt to qualify for younger age groups (like 14’s)? 

A: All of our teams are travel teams, although our top youth team at each age level will play a more competitive schedule and will have the option to qualify at the Chicago Regional qualifier.

C5

Q: Is this a fun club or a competitive club?

A: BOTH! We believe enjoyment is extremely important to improvement; however, we’ve had several all conference and all area teams. Most of the conference champions in the area will all have Diamond Elite girls on them. We will also have some of the top players in the area involved in our club.

C6

Q: My daughter is thinking about playing high school basketball (or some other conflict)? 

A: Our practice times are later usually later in the evening, we have no problem with her playing on a high school team or having other conflicts and we even understand if sometimes she may miss club events, though we still expect her to be serious about club. The most important thing is that we know ahead of time what her priorities are, so that we can place her on an appropriate team.  Some teams will have flexible schedules and a 'bad dates sheet' so we can work around conflicts.  Other teams contain players that are considered 'volleyball first' players.

Q: When are the club fees due? 

A: A $200 non-refundable deposit is made when you decide to join the club. The remaining balance is due later in the year, depending on your payment option. There are three options: A pay up front, a credit card online, and a payment plan. For all three, the first payment is due by Dec. 15th.

Q: Are there discounts for multiple siblings in the club?

A: You may take the payment option without paying the additional finance charges.

Q: What is included in fees?

A: Everything except for uniform ($100) and travel costs.

Q: What’s the fundraiser?

A: Diamond Elite will complete multiple fundraisers. The purpose of each fundraiser will be to decrease the cost of the players. We expect a motivated player to be able to cut his/her costs by a third or more with fundraising. See our fundraising page.

E1

Q: What is a Builder Group?

A: Diamond Elite offers Builder Groups, which are short camps (generally 4 weeks) for 4th - 6th grade boys and girls. Check out the Builder Group page for more information.

E2

Q: What is a "Pre-Volleyball Skills Camp"?

A: Diamond Elite offers Pre-Volleyball Skills Camps, which are similar to Builders, only they are geared towards 1st - 3rd grade boys and girls. They supply a good introduction to volleyball, but also provide footwork and coordination development that will be beneficial for future sports.

E3

Q: Do I need to be a member of Diamond Elite to play in the summer league?

A: No, the summer league is not a USAV sanctioned event.  No club affiliation is necessary.

E4

Q: Do you offer private lessons?

A: Yes, contact diamond.elite@hotmail.com for details.