2012 Winter
2012 Winter Season!!
What is available for the winter season?
A twelve-week season where we create Winter AAU teams and compete in four (4) one-day tournaments within a two-hour drive of the Howell/Brighton area.
We are hoping to add a separate ten-week clinic offering additional strength, agility, conditioning and volleyball skill work. Stay tuned for more information on this!
Winter AAU Teams - What are they?
Winter teams are teams that will compete in the state of Michigan only. Teams will begin practicing the week of December 5, 2011 and finish the first weekend in March 2012. Each team will compete in four one-day tournaments. Each team will consist 10 athletes to maximize practice repetitions and play time opportunities. Number of teams and age groups will be determined by interest at tryouts. Emphasis is on individual skill development, offensive and defensive team systems and teamwork within a cooperative and competitive environment.
What age does my daughter play?
Please see our home page for 2012 age definitions.
How are the teams selected?
All teams are created through the tryout process. No one can be placed on a team without proper evaluation. Athletes are placed based on skill performance at tryout as well as position desired. For example, the top five athletes at any given tryout may all be middle blockers, but they will not all be able to be placed on the same team. Placement due to carpooling or friends will not be considered. Our goal is to find a team for every girl that wants to work hard, have fun and learn to improve their volleyball. Sometimes, however, due to numbers, coaches or facilities, we do have to cut a few athletes.
When and where are practices?
Winter AAU teams will practice twice a week in the evenings for two hours each. A complete schedule will be provided after teams have been selected. Practices will be held in the Howell and Brighton area. Specific practice times and locations have not been established at this time. There will be no practice December 22, 2011 - January 2, 2012 due to school vacation. There will also be no practice January 16, 2012.
Does my daughter need to attend all practices?
Yes. Attendance at all practices and tournaments is expected. In fairness to all involved, missing practices for any reason, including but not limited to sickness, homework, family vacations or other sports or activities, will affect play time opportunities.
What if my daughter plays another sport?
Every effort is made to accommodate athletes that are wishing to play other winter/spring sports. A case by case study of the situation is usually best to ensure fairness for all parties involved. Missed practices will affect play time. Since volleyball is a team sport with a lot of material covered in each practice, we do not recommend those with severely conflicting schedules play Top Gun.
Where are the tournaments held?
Tournaments are generally located within a two hour drive or less from the Howell area and usually occur on Saturdays. Once in a while a Sunday tournament may be necessary. Athletes are responsible for getting themselves to and from the tournament. Each athlete will also be responsible for food during the tournament, however teams usually work together to create a healthy potluck of food for each tournament through the help of a team parent. Tournaments are tentatively scheduled for January 28, 2012, February 11, 2012, February 25, 2012 and March 3, 2012, however due to the nature of the season, these are subject to change and most likely will!
So my daughter will play every match?
Not necessarily and probably not. There are 10 athletes on every team and only 6 can play at a time. Every effort will be made to ensure fair play time, especially during tournament pool play. During the playoffs, coaches may choose to play their most competitive lineup. Lack of attendance at practice, poor attitude and/or effort could also negatively affect play time.
What is the cost?
For 2012, the cost is for the Winter Season is $500.00. This covers AAU membership, gym rentals, practice and tournament instruction, coach's salary, administrative costs, tournament entries, t-shirt, volleyball, whistle, spandex and two jerseys.
Whoa! This is more than last year. Why?
We have added a week, an additional tournament and all gear in the Winter Season. Your savings will be realized in the Spring.
When is this payment due?
$250.00 deposit is due within 14 days of acceptance to join a team. The remaining $250.00 will be due by January 15, 2012. If an additional payment plan is necessary, please contact Jennifer for options.
When and where are tryouts?
Please see our home page for tryout information.
What if my daughter is young, but in a higher grade?
A very small number of athletes fall under the category of being a certain age, but attending the grade higher in school. If your daughter, for instance, falls under the 14U age group, but is in 9th grade, she will be allowed to try out with 15U age group, if she chooses. Any other movement of athletes into different age groups will be done solely at the discretion of the Top Gun staff. Requests will not be considered. Because we gather athletes from many different schools and areas onto one team and are able to create a challenging environment, we believe in most athletes participating with their natural age level.
Are there any other options?
Yes! We are hoping to run a Winter Training Clinic and will also have a Spring AAU Season. Tryouts for Spring teams will be held early in 2012. Those playing in the Winter season and wishing to continue with the Spring season will be placed on the recommendation of the winter coach and will not be required to tryout again. More information regarding tryouts for Spring teams will be available in December.
Will teams remain the same for Winter and Spring?
Not necessarily. Teams will be selected based on the skill level and performance at tryouts. Interest may be different for Winter and Spring Seasons. It is important to expect to have a different team, coach and practice location/schedule for each season. At this point we believe teams will change, however if we have enough interest for a given team, we may be able to keep them together throughout both seasons.
What about a 'Regional' team?
It is not our goal to spend as much of the your money as possible and we believe that great competition is available in the state of Michigan. However, if we have enough athletes committed to competing at a very high level and willing to accept the rigors and cost of a regional team, it is something that we would happily consider. There will be a question to indicate interest on the tryout form. These teams, if created, would begin in mid-December and end at the AAU National Championships in Orlando, FL in mid-June. Cost for this team would run somewhere around $1800.00 not including travel, hotel costs or additional costs for AAU Nationals. Two to three tournaments would be out-of-state requiring hotel accommodations.
More questions?? Contact Jennifer at topgunjen@yahoo.com or 517-548-0024.
What is available for the winter season?
A twelve-week season where we create Winter AAU teams and compete in four (4) one-day tournaments within a two-hour drive of the Howell/Brighton area.
We are hoping to add a separate ten-week clinic offering additional strength, agility, conditioning and volleyball skill work. Stay tuned for more information on this!
Winter AAU Teams - What are they?
Winter teams are teams that will compete in the state of Michigan only. Teams will begin practicing the week of December 5, 2011 and finish the first weekend in March 2012. Each team will compete in four one-day tournaments. Each team will consist 10 athletes to maximize practice repetitions and play time opportunities. Number of teams and age groups will be determined by interest at tryouts. Emphasis is on individual skill development, offensive and defensive team systems and teamwork within a cooperative and competitive environment.
What age does my daughter play?
Please see our home page for 2012 age definitions.
How are the teams selected?
All teams are created through the tryout process. No one can be placed on a team without proper evaluation. Athletes are placed based on skill performance at tryout as well as position desired. For example, the top five athletes at any given tryout may all be middle blockers, but they will not all be able to be placed on the same team. Placement due to carpooling or friends will not be considered. Our goal is to find a team for every girl that wants to work hard, have fun and learn to improve their volleyball. Sometimes, however, due to numbers, coaches or facilities, we do have to cut a few athletes.
When and where are practices?
Winter AAU teams will practice twice a week in the evenings for two hours each. A complete schedule will be provided after teams have been selected. Practices will be held in the Howell and Brighton area. Specific practice times and locations have not been established at this time. There will be no practice December 22, 2011 - January 2, 2012 due to school vacation. There will also be no practice January 16, 2012.
Does my daughter need to attend all practices?
Yes. Attendance at all practices and tournaments is expected. In fairness to all involved, missing practices for any reason, including but not limited to sickness, homework, family vacations or other sports or activities, will affect play time opportunities.
What if my daughter plays another sport?
Every effort is made to accommodate athletes that are wishing to play other winter/spring sports. A case by case study of the situation is usually best to ensure fairness for all parties involved. Missed practices will affect play time. Since volleyball is a team sport with a lot of material covered in each practice, we do not recommend those with severely conflicting schedules play Top Gun.
Where are the tournaments held?
Tournaments are generally located within a two hour drive or less from the Howell area and usually occur on Saturdays. Once in a while a Sunday tournament may be necessary. Athletes are responsible for getting themselves to and from the tournament. Each athlete will also be responsible for food during the tournament, however teams usually work together to create a healthy potluck of food for each tournament through the help of a team parent. Tournaments are tentatively scheduled for January 28, 2012, February 11, 2012, February 25, 2012 and March 3, 2012, however due to the nature of the season, these are subject to change and most likely will!
So my daughter will play every match?
Not necessarily and probably not. There are 10 athletes on every team and only 6 can play at a time. Every effort will be made to ensure fair play time, especially during tournament pool play. During the playoffs, coaches may choose to play their most competitive lineup. Lack of attendance at practice, poor attitude and/or effort could also negatively affect play time.
What is the cost?
For 2012, the cost is for the Winter Season is $500.00. This covers AAU membership, gym rentals, practice and tournament instruction, coach's salary, administrative costs, tournament entries, t-shirt, volleyball, whistle, spandex and two jerseys.
Whoa! This is more than last year. Why?
We have added a week, an additional tournament and all gear in the Winter Season. Your savings will be realized in the Spring.
When is this payment due?
$250.00 deposit is due within 14 days of acceptance to join a team. The remaining $250.00 will be due by January 15, 2012. If an additional payment plan is necessary, please contact Jennifer for options.
When and where are tryouts?
Please see our home page for tryout information.
What if my daughter is young, but in a higher grade?
A very small number of athletes fall under the category of being a certain age, but attending the grade higher in school. If your daughter, for instance, falls under the 14U age group, but is in 9th grade, she will be allowed to try out with 15U age group, if she chooses. Any other movement of athletes into different age groups will be done solely at the discretion of the Top Gun staff. Requests will not be considered. Because we gather athletes from many different schools and areas onto one team and are able to create a challenging environment, we believe in most athletes participating with their natural age level.
Are there any other options?
Yes! We are hoping to run a Winter Training Clinic and will also have a Spring AAU Season. Tryouts for Spring teams will be held early in 2012. Those playing in the Winter season and wishing to continue with the Spring season will be placed on the recommendation of the winter coach and will not be required to tryout again. More information regarding tryouts for Spring teams will be available in December.
Will teams remain the same for Winter and Spring?
Not necessarily. Teams will be selected based on the skill level and performance at tryouts. Interest may be different for Winter and Spring Seasons. It is important to expect to have a different team, coach and practice location/schedule for each season. At this point we believe teams will change, however if we have enough interest for a given team, we may be able to keep them together throughout both seasons.
What about a 'Regional' team?
It is not our goal to spend as much of the your money as possible and we believe that great competition is available in the state of Michigan. However, if we have enough athletes committed to competing at a very high level and willing to accept the rigors and cost of a regional team, it is something that we would happily consider. There will be a question to indicate interest on the tryout form. These teams, if created, would begin in mid-December and end at the AAU National Championships in Orlando, FL in mid-June. Cost for this team would run somewhere around $1800.00 not including travel, hotel costs or additional costs for AAU Nationals. Two to three tournaments would be out-of-state requiring hotel accommodations.
More questions?? Contact Jennifer at topgunjen@yahoo.com or 517-548-0024.
