Season Start Date #
First practice dates for age groups are listed below:
- U12, U13, U14 – Tuesday, November 28th
- U15, U16, U17, U18 – Monday, November 27th
Program Overview #
Click Here to view the 2023-24 Season Kick-Off Presentation
Purpose of Elite Program #
A reminder that the Elite Program is our Collegiate Development Program. The Girls’ Elite Program is to be considered by athletes who are looking to train and compete nationally at the highest level in club and aspire to play in college. Teams are trained by our most experienced coaches.
Teams #
- U12 – 1 Team (121 Elite)
- U13 – 1 Team (131 Elite)
- U14 – 2 Teams (141 Elite, 142 Elite)
- U15 – 3 Teams (151 Elite, 152 Elite, 153 Elite)
- U16 – 4 Teams (161 Elite, 162 Elite, 163 Elite, 164 Elite)
- U17 – 4 Teams (171 Elite, 172 Elite, 173 Elite, 174 Elite)
- U18 – 4 Teams (181 Elite, 182 Elite, 183 Elite, 184 Elite)
Important Links/Information #
- Program Home Page – Access for program details and team links
- Club Resources – Includes Club Handbook (policies), Codes of Conduct, Travel Information, & more
- PlayMetrics Dashboard – Access your PlayMetrics Account to view schedule, directions, team chat, & more.
- Team Pages – Access team pages on our website for a public view of roster and schedule information
Initial Eligibility #
- Step 1 -Register and Enroll in Auto-Pay on PlayMetrics
All families MUST register, sign agreements, and enroll in Auto-Pay (goto PlayMetrics) - Step 2 -Review the Club Handbook in its entirety
We ask that our families understand our rules and procedures. Use this as a resource for questions (view now) - Step 3 – Order Your Uniform From Official Mizuno Store
This must be done by the deadline to ensure delivery for first tournaments (see below) - Step 4 – Review Season Kick-Off Presentation
This is a must to ensure all families are prepared for the season (see above) - Step 5 – Complete any mandatory Membership
NOTHING to do for Premier or Regional players as they will play under JVA Membership (see below)
Uniform Order/Delivery #
Place Uniform Order #
In order to be eligible to start the season you must order your official Mizuno Uniform package. Our custom uniforms take up to 6 weeks to be delivered so this is a time sensitive task. If you have not completed this task, please do so by contacting our Director of Operations Amber Rolfzen at amber@vcunited.club.
- July Tryouts – Deadline: TBA
- October Tryouts – Deadline: TBA
- November Tryouts – Deadline: Thursday, November 17th
Non-Decorated Items Delivery #
Non-Decorated items (shoes, kneepads, arm sleeves, etc.) are schedule to ship after the store closes and will go directly to your home. We anticipate late November/early December.
Decorated (Printed) Items Delivery #
Decorated items (hoodies, fan gear, backpacks, etc.) are scheduled to ship to the decorator in late November. Once completed they will ship directly to your home in mid-December.
Practice T-Shirts & Custom Jerseys Delivery #
Practice T-Shirts and Mizuno’s custom jerseys will be distributed by our coaching staff at practice in the month of January prior their fist tournament.
Required Memberships #
USAV Membership #
REQUIRED for all players PRIOR to starting practice the week of November 27th; Click the link below to register:
VC United/USAV Membership: https://memberships.sportsengine.com/org/great-lakes-region-volleyball-mms/affiliation/vc-united
AAU Membership #
REQUIRED for all players PRIOR to the JVA World Challenge; Will be purchased by VC United as part of the players’ dues.
Practice Schedules #
| Age Group/Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| U12 Elite | Tue – 5pm-8pm | Thu – 5pm-8pm | |
| U13 Elite | Tue – 5pm-8pm | Thu – 5pm-8pm | |
| U14 Elite | Tue – 5pm-8pm | Thu – 5pm-8pm | |
| U15 Elite | Mon – 6pm-9pm | Tue – 6pm-9pm | Thu – 6pm-9pm |
| U16 Elite | Mon – 6pm-9pm | Tue – 6pm-9pm | Thu – 6pm-9pm |
| U17 Elite | Mon – 5pm-8pm | Tue – 6pm-9pm | Thu – 6pm-9pm |
| U18 Elite | Mon – 5pm-8pm | Tue – 6pm-9pm | Thu – 6pm-9pm |
Tournament Schedules #
Click on the links below to view the schedule for the age group/team your daughter is playing on.
| U12 Elite | 121 Elite | ||||
| U13 Elite | 131 Elite | ||||
| U14 Elite | 141 Elite | 142 Elite | |||
| U15 Elite | 151 Elite | 152 Elite | 153 Elite | ||
| U16 Elite | 161 Elite | 162 Elite | 163 Elite | 164 Elite | |
| U17 Elite | 171 Elite | 172 Elite | 173 Elite | 174 Elite | |
| U18 Elite | 181 Elite | 182 Elite | 183 Elite | 184 Elite |
Travel Information #
Coming Soon!
Players are strongly encouraged to wait until teams are formed to book hotel accommodations. We suggest creating a team discussion around where the team would like to stay. While this is NOT REQUIRED it is recommended to enhance the experience for the players on the team.
Technical Director #
Courtney Slinko
Program: U14-U12 Elite
Phone: 815-977-9268
E-Mail: courtney@vcunited.club
Courtney brings nearly 30 years of coaching and playing experience to our Girls’ Elite program. She’s played (Michigan State) and coached (Marquette) collegiately and was also a member of the USA Women’s National team. She’s been coaching club/HS for 20+ years
Eric Schulze
Program: U18-U15 Elite
Phone: 815-977-9268
E-Mail: eschulze@vcunited.club
Coaching Staff #
While we have our coaching staff lined up for the season, we are finalizing scheduling as well as matching coaches to the appropriate age groups, team rosters as the season nears. We will announce our coaching staff here. Contact information will be available inside the PlayMetrics app.
| Team | Age Group | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|
| 121 Elite | U12 Elite | Stephanie Miller |
| 131 Elite | U13 Elite | Teri Little |
| 141 Elite | U14 Elite | TBD |
| 142 Elite | U14 Elite | Dr. Dave Hamilton |
| 151 Elite | U15 Elite | Patrick Freeman |
| 152 Elite | U15 Elite | Bill McLaughlin |
| 153 Elite | U15 Elite | Kylie Gray |
| 161 Elite | U16 Elite | Eric Schulze |
| 162 Elite | U16 Elite | Andre DeKok |
| 163 Elite | U16 Elite | Taylor Spellman |
| 164 Elite | U16 Elite | Kolby McCann |
| 171 Elite | U17 Elite | Peter Winters |
| 172 Elite | U17 Elite | Jennifer Charles |
| 173 Elite | U17 Elite | Ryan Horihan |
| 174 Elite | U17 Elite | Derek Moore |
| 181 Elite | U18 Elite | Amber Rolfze |
| 182 Elite | U18 Elite | Michelle Furlong |
| 183 Elite | U18 Elite | Ainsley Heise |
| 184 Elite | U18 Elite | Mikayla Land |
Team Selection Process #
Final rosters will be formed after the first 1-2 weeks of practice in December. A few notes about the process:
- Teams are ranked at VC United; meaning rosters are determined competitively through evaluation at practice
- We will NOT discuss placement after the rosters are finalized. We ask that you and your daughter trust our process and give the team placement an opportunity to play out.
- The objective of team placement is to put each player in the best position possible to compete for playing time and to advance/develop as a player. There are many factors involved and the process is both exhaustive and comprehensive.
- Requests to be placed with a players’ friend(s) or family member(s) are generally not honored. If all parties agree in writing to such a placement it will only be done on the “lowest” team that a player requesting such placement is selected to. We will not “bump” a player that has earned a spot from a higher team for this type of request.
How Will We Communicate? #
The below list will better explain what to expect regarding communication throughout the season:
- General Information (Club) We will use e-mail and PlayMetrics notification to pass along club or program-wide information.
- Team Information (Coach) – Team information will come from both our Head Coach and Technical Director. They will exclusively use the PlayMetrics notification system and the Team Chat to pass along information.
- Scheduling (Coach) – All scheduling will be done in PlayMetrics
- Weather Cancellations (Club) – We will use PlayMetrics notifications for any weather cancellations or weather updates
- Tournament Information (Coach) – Our coaching staff will update their teams with tournament specific information using the PlayMetrics app.
- Uniform Updates (Mizuno) – All uniform related updates will come via email directly from Mizuno. VC United does not receive those notifications as they go directly to the parent.
Optional Performance Training (Oak Performance) #
Adam Lane, owner of Oak Performance, and VC United’s strength coach has put together a comprehensive OPTIONAL program for our Girls’ Elite players to participate in this season. Please note: 3 Days/Week of performance training (before or after practice) is included in your dues and part of our training program. The program below is only for those athletes that would like to to additional training beyond those 3 sessions.
Please use the information below to view the presentation he provided at the Season Kick-Off Meeting and review the registration information.
Registration Options
To put a program together, talk with Coach Matt. Email him at matt@oakstrength.com
