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Beach Volleyball TrainingParent Handbook

Parent Handbook

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OUR MISSION

The Sand Club is dedicated to providing young athletes and coaches with the opportunity to grow and mature through the sport of beach volleyball.
Our Motto: Let’s Go BABY! (Be A Better You)

ABOUT THE SAND CLUB

The Sand Club was established in 2007 and an amazing resource for student athletes that want to continue their beach volleyball journey after high school.  The Sand Club is official partners with NCSA (Next College Student Athlete), which is the largest college recruiting network in the world.
Allen Alexander, Club Director, is also partners with one of the most innovative virtual player profiles at Volleyball Life.  After creating a profile or athletic resume, great video is the #1 priority of any student athletic that aspires to play college beach volleyball.  When you join The Sand Club, we will help parents and players understand what great video means with video services available through Hudl.  Besides video, players should be registering for their NCAA eligibility.
NCAA Clearinghouse:
>>click here

LOCAL COACHES

The Sand Club continues to grow the game of beach volleyball with excellent coaches that are AVP Academy Certified with fingerprint clearance cards and background checks:
Coach Kristen Rohr is the Junior Program Director, who finished her professional career as high as 5th ranked in the country in 2007. Rohr is currently the Division 1 Head Coach for Grand Canyon University beach volleyball teams, which is ranked 8th in the country. Two of her alumni have recently played in the AVP Main Draw. Coach Rohr is an amazing resource for players that aspire to play college beach volleyball and find the best fit after high school.
Coach Lillian “Lili” Hanna comes to The Sand Club from Tucson Arizona, where she trained with former AVP professional Claire D’Amore.  Coach Lili went onto to play college indoor volleyball for 2 years but she excellent resource for players transitioning from indoor to beach or vice versa.
Coach Austin Baker is a 3-time bronze medalist in the last 3 AVP America Open events (highest level in Arizona).  Austin also finished with a Gold in the Best of Mesquite Beach Men’s Open.  When Austin isn’t taking home the hardware, he is a professional photographer.  He has been published in Home & Garden and shoots for some of the most beautiful homes in Arizona.  Austin helps players evaluate their videos that they upload to Hudl.
Coach Jessica Zieg is originally from San Diego Beach Volleyball Club.  Her senior year of high school, she helped her team win an indoor Championship and named All-Academic Team and honor roll. Coach Jess went on to play college indoor volleyball where she was named MVP, team captain, All-Region and First Team All-Conference but also earned her AAA rating (highest level) with California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA).  When Coach Jess isn’t coaching, she is finishing her senior year of college with ASU digital (looking to get into medical sales). Coach Jess plans to continue with The Sand Club through the summer and be there for our 2021 Traveling Team in Hermosa July 5-11 (California native, who will help prepare our players for the wind and other elements).
Coach Kye Heaton won the State Championship his senior year and 2018 5A Player of the Year.  While Kye was still in high school, he played in The Sand Club men’s beach volleyball league.  Kye continued playing college volleyball, where he set the team record of 531 assists as the starting setter and made honorable mention his freshman year as California Pacific Conference All-Conference Team.  Due to COVID, his sophomore was cancelled so Coach Kye started dedicating his time to coaching beach volleyball.  Not only is Kye a great hand setter (indoor and beach) but he also brings a high level of blocking and attacking knowledge to our club, standing at 6’1″.  Kye and his team just won The Sand Club’s Division 1 Coed 4’s adult beach league.
Coach Claire Houghtaling was team captain and All-Conference first team as a senior in Peachtree City, Georgia. She also earned six All-State Choir honors. In college, she was a two-sport athlete and team captain for both volleyball and lacrosse for Southern Virginia. After Coach Claire completed her degree in education, she moved to Arizona to teach 6th grade at ALA Ironwood Elementary. She stays up on her skills by playing on a coed 4’s team, where her Division 1 team are league champions. She is also the assistant boy’s varsity coach at Basha High School.

MANAGEMENT

Allen Alexander – Club Director, allen@thesandclub.com
The Sand Club has an open door policy, which means parents and players are encourage to give weekly or monthly feedback.  Please feel free to complete this survey anytime during the season.

Resources

Players that are competing in local and national events will need to visit these websites for memberships:

P1440 membership:
https://play.p1440.com/member/levels

AAU membership:
AVP membership:

Team Selections 

The Sand Club does not subject their players to tryouts but does offer physical testing (height, reach, vertical jump, broad jump, etc) and skill assessments (serving, passing and attacking assessments) that help place players on appropriate training teams.  Athletic potential, work ethic, drive/grit, willingness to be coached/respect, competitive attitude, enthusiasm and team chemistry will also be a factor in determining training teams.
Athletes should be evaluated every 3 months and highly recommended to ask for a skill assessment in order to be considered for an Elite training team or higher level training teams.  Even if an athlete has played for an Elite Team, she will not be automatically selected for next season.  There are 4 seasons: August-October, November-January, February-April and May-July.  Physical testing are an additional $60/player (days and times are TBA).  If an athlete has a limiting physical or medical condition, she should talk with the Staff or Head Coach prior to the start of physical or skill assessments.
***Best of Mesquite Beach (BOMB) Series results will also be a factor in determining training teams.  BOMB Series events demonstrate how players are able to adapt to different styles of players.  Individuals, not teams, are recruited by college coaches, so players are encouraged to play with different players throughout the season.

Types of Training Teams

  • Elite (players that are actively taking video of events)
  • Plus (players that are playing at least one event per month)
  • Intermediate (players are training 2x per week)
  • All teams are recommended to practice at least 2x per week (3x for Plus & Elite)
  • All teams are recommended to compete in at least one event at Mesquite Beach per month
  • All teams are recommended to compete in the BOMB Series (no partner is needed)
  • All teams are recommended to compete in sanctioned (AAU, BVNE and AVP) events
  • All teams actively participate in fundraiser for discount on training or travel team

Note: Training teams will be determined by monthly skill assessments and/or BOMB Series competitions not by age division or packages purchased.  Players could find themselves moving from team to team on a daily and monthly basis due to the coaching needs and a player’s progression.  One or two players that normally train with the Elite Team may train with the Plus Team at the coach’s discretion to develop leadership of an “Elite Player” and growth of competitive teammates.  Also, coaches may train different teams on a daily or monthly basis based on the needs of The Sand Club or the player’s best interest.

Team Practices

  • Practice facility locations for each team can be found on our website.  See “Practice Locations” on our website.
  • All practices are open for drop-ins for $25 (only one-time per player).  Players are not allowed to bring a friend unless the friend is paying for a drop-in.  Parents are asked to just observe at practices. Coaching suggestions made from spectators will not be welcomed.  The Sand Club coaches have authority to ask anyone to leave who is disruptive to the progress of the practice session.
  • The practice times for each season may differ: June-September can be different from October-May due to heat or players progressing to a more advanced training team.  Coaches will send parents/players a practice calendar but parents should ALWAYS check their email before going to practice in case of any last minute changes.  June-September practices may change to the mornings.
  • May-July season is typically structured for players that aspire to play National Events in California; however, all players are welcome to train all year round.  A focused training group will be organized for players playing in the Nationals. Updated practice schedules for those teams (May-July) will be communicated by the coaches.  Players on a team participating in AAU Junior Olympics and/or AAU/AVP/BVNE Nationals are expected to attend all of the pre-tournament practices.

Practice Policies

Practice will begin at the scheduled time.  Players arrive early enough for dynamic warmups.  Parents/players are required to text/voicemail when anticipating a late arrival to practice, the athlete should contact the coach directly with an approximate arrival time.

If an athlete can not make practice, she should contact the coach directly.  Injured athletes who can attend school are expected to come to practice.  Even if you can not participate physically, there is a lot that can be learned though observing and listening to the coach.

Players are expected to leave all drama away from the facility AS WELL AS the parking lot.  If the parent/player are reported yelling, crying and/or arguing in the parking or training facility, then the player is subject to a suspension.  Suspensions are NOT refundable.

Uniforms

The Sand Club swag is available select times of the year but no longer required at practice.  However, jerseys are required at events.  At The Sand Club, players are encourage to wear different colored jerseys than their teammate for video purposes.
Tournament Dress Code
You are welcome to train at another club but you are required to wear The Sand Club jersey or shirt to all in-state and out-of-state tournaments, even if you are playing with a player from another club.  Any player not wearing The Sand Club jersey or wearing another club jersey at any tournament will no longer be able to train at The Sand Club, nor schedule private lessons with any of The Sand Club coaches.
Practice Dress Code
We are no longer allowing players to wear another club (other than The Sand Club) at practices.  Players are welcome to wear a graphic t-shirt but not a competitor’s club gear (indoor or outdoor).  Again, we are trying to build The Sand Club culture and it starts with pride and representing OUR club.  You are part of The Sand Club if you are training with us, with the exception of drop-ins or month-to-month players.
Private Lesson Policy
Players are not allowed a private lesson with any of The Sand Club coaches unless they email the Club Director allen@thesandclub.com and agree to our tournament dress code.  Our coaches will give private lessons to players that identify themselves as part of The Sand Club Beach Team, not to a player that identifies themselves with another club.
Private Lesson Fees
We have a new pricing program for private lessons or performance training with The Sand Club coaches that benefits players who are training 2 days per week.  Parents will still receive a discount for private lessons and performance training when they are training 1 day per week (but only if players are playing for their high school team).
IMPORTANT: Parents can not pay for monthly training, skip practice and receive a discount for private lessons.  The discounts below are for practicing players only unless a parent emails allen@thesandclub.com for approval.  Coaches should be Cc’d for complete transparency; just as coaches should Cc allen@thesandclub.com on all parent emails/text or conversations about private lessons.
Private Lessons (1 person)
(No Training During The Week) = $80/hr/person
(w/One-Day a Week Training) = $60/hr/person
(w/Two-Day a Week Training) = $40/hr/person
Private Lessons (2 person)
(No Training During The Week) = $70/hr/person
(w/One-Day a Week Training) = $50/hr/person
(w/Two-Day a Week Training) = $30/hr/person
Private Lessons (3 person)
(No Training During The Week) = $60/hr/person
(w/One-Day a Week Training) = $40/hr/person
(w/Two-Day a Week Training) = $20/hr/person
Private Lessons (4 person)
(No Training During The Week) = $60/hr/person
(w/One-Day a Week Training) = $40/hr/person
(w/Two-Day a Week Training) = $20/hr/person
Partnerships/Coaching
Parents will need to email the Club Director at allen@thesandclub.com whenever partnering with a player from another club. Most coaches work well with each other especially when they know before a tournament that they will need to collaborate with other club coaches during timeouts.  The Sand Club will provide a coach at Mesquite Beach when two players from The Sand Club are partnered up but does not guarantee to provide a coach when a player is partnering with a player from another club.  The player still needs to represent The Sand Club and agree to the tournament dress code but parents/players need to understand that coaches have different approaches during timeouts.  Just because The Sand Club coaches may not be actively coaching during timeouts, does not mean our coaches are not watching.  The Sand Club coaches will be happy to discuss what the player did well, any player adjustments, and team strategies after the set with The Sand Club player.
Other Fees
Sand Club jerseys, shorts, hoodies, team bag, sand socks are charged separately from club fees.
Payment Responsibilities
Athletes accounts must be paid in order to participate in team practices and tournaments.  This includes accounts from the previous season.
Parents are obligated for payment if they terminate their contract with The Sand Club.  Extenuating circumstances will be considered and costs prorated accordingly but NOT required. Examples of extenuating circumstances would be moving out of the state, serious illness or injury with a doctors note.  Costs such as uniform fees/purchased cannot be refunded.  Prorated costs will include the number of tournaments remaining, the ability of the player to continue to participate in practices, etc.  The final decision on the amount will be the responsibility of The Sand Club decisions committee.

Tournaments

Participation
When parents register their athlete for training that includes a tournament, players are expected to attend one scheduled tournament per month.  Some weekend tournaments are for an additional fee. Scheduling conflicts should be brought to the attention of the coach at least 14-30 days before the event.  When players are unable to attend, players may be moved to a different training team during the week.  Missed events do not constitute a partial reimbursement of the participant’s fees.  The Sand Club does not refund parents for missed tournaments.
Best of Mesquite Beach & Sanctioned Events
Best of Mesquite Beach or BOMB Series events will be treated with the same importance as sanctioned P1440, BVNE, AAU and/or AVP events.  BOMB Series events do not require a partner; in fact, players can not sign up with partners at BOMB Series events.  Sanctioned events require athletes to register with a partner.
Working Team
The Sand Club athletes will be required to help with score flipping during tournaments.  An athlete who has a working team assignment may not leave a tournament before the assignment is completed.  Coaches will provide further information regarding keeping score and officiating clinics.  Parents are asked to help remind players that cell phones are not allowed when assigned as a working team.  The working team’s responsibility is NOT to call violations; however, working teams may be asked to share with the tournament director what they, the working team, saw.  Parents should remind their athlete’s that attentiveness of the game/match is critical.  Players should set the example despite how “bad” other players are during their working team assignments.
Tournament Policies
  • Athletes are responsible for partnerships NOT the coach.  Parents may request a list of phone numbers from the coach determined by the performance of the athlete during practices and previous matches, and is left to the discretion of the coach.
  • Parents/players are responsible for supplying their athlete(s) healthy snacks and water.
  • Parents are responsible for supplying their athlete with beach chair and shade, since most tournaments will have limited seating and shade.
  • Parents/players are responsible for extreme weather preparation (sand socks, neck towel, ice, beach towel, sunscreen, layered clothing/blanket, etc).
  • Athletes will be responsible for arriving to tournaments 30 minutes before check-in times in order to perform dynamic warm-ups, coach’s huddle and review game plans.
  • Proper demeanor is expected of all members of the Club (athletes, parents, and supporters); this includes treating members of the officiating crew with respect.  Parents and supporters are not allowed to coach or correct score from the sidelines.
  • Only The Sand Club jersey will be worn during tournaments.  Jerseys must be clean and parents are responsible for purchasing additional jerseys if needed.
  • Athlete may not leave tournament site until excused by the coach.  Parents should expect their athlete attending each tournament until the end of the expected final.
  • Athlete may be required to support and chart teammates after being eliminated.  Athlete may be expected to help cleanup after the tournament.
  • Be respectful of referees, tournament director and working teams.
  • Do not address ANY concerns at tournaments.  All concerns should be done through contacting the coach at a later time and set up a meeting.  The Sand Club will email an optional tournament review in order to encourage feedback (positive or negative).
Team Assistants
Coaches for The Sand Club will assign a “TA’s” or team assistants to help the coach as needed.  Team Assistants are volunteers only but are very much valuable and appreciated.  One of the most important role for a TA is to help with players safety (emotionally and physically.)  SafeSport online course and First Aid, Health and Safety online course by NFHS will be recommended for some TA’s.

Parents Code of Conduct

The influence, both good and bad, that a parent can have on their child’s introduction to or continuation in sports is often misunderstood or underestimated. Your valuable contribution to your athlete is appreciated by The Sand Club.
  • Remember that where we practice and play is like your workplace, respect the workplace.
  • Make only positive encouraging comments to or about players on BOTH teams.
  • Remember that making mistakes is part of the learning process – don’t criticize.
  • Discuss your concerns away from the players and away from your child.
  • Show respect for the officials, coaching staff, parents, and players.
  • Control your emotions.
  • Get interested in your child’s sport.  Ignorance is not bliss for those around you.  Learn the rules of the game.
  • Don’t coach from the sidelines-don’t coach at all.  Simply reiterate what you may have heard your child’s coach say at practice.
  • Get your child to games and practices on time, which is 10-15 minutes early.
  • Don’t allow your child to talk negatively about a teammate, a coach or an official – stick with the facts, not the emotion.
  • Don’t proliferate your child’s negative behavior when they are discouraged. Help them realize the positive.

Player Social Media Conduct

Athletes should be aware that postings on social media sites are viewable by media, faculty, future employers, and college officials. Inappropriate material found by third parties affects the perception of our club and more importantly the players. The Sand Club does not condone these examples of inappropriate and offensive behaviors online: photos, videos, tweets, retweets, comments, or posts showing the under age drinking, personal use or possession of alcohol, drugs, tobacco/vaping, and paraphernalia; photos, videos, tweets, retweets, comments or posts that are of a sexual nature. This includes photos that could be perceived as seductive or links to websites exhibiting pornography and other inappropriate material; content posted online that is unsportsmanlike, derogatory, demeaning or threatening to any individual or entity or political party; comments about our club, another club, coaches, teammates, opponents, and those of differing socioeconomic background, gender and race. No posts should depict or encourage illegal, violent or unacceptable activities such as hazing, sexual harassment/assault, using the middle finger, full or partial nudity, fighting, vandalism, academic dishonesty, gambling, drug/alcohol use. Remember, everything you post is public information and can become out of your control the moment it is placed online – even private accounts, Snapchats or if you limit access to your profile/site. Once you post to a social networking site, any post, photo, or comment becomes the property of that site and may be searchable even after you remove it. If you are ever in doubt as to the appropriateness of a post, consider whether it reflects positively on you, your family, our club and community. Protect yourself by maintaining a self-image that you can be proud of for years to come! Our coaches or director will address the player of any situation brought to our attention. The Sand Club will find the best solution to protect the player and players at our club.

Nutrition and the Athlete

Good nutrition is essential for the athlete to be able to compete at a consistent level, not to mention maintain a healthy body.  While The Sand Club may be able to assist in guiding the athlete to consume balanced meals and healthy snacks while on trips, you as the parent are the ultimate tool in creating good nutritional habits for life.

Know the Rules

This year, coaches and players will be taking online clinics. Parents are encouraged to watch the online videos with their athlete.  Knowing the rules will allow you to enjoy the many hours you spend watching this game much more.  Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing what the last call was all about – other than listening to the irate parent scream at the official over a call THEY knew nothing about!  There are 3 major associations and although the rules are similar there are a couple differences: Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Rules and AVP Rules mainly follow the FIVB International Rules.  Typically, Mesquite Beach tournament director will email highlighted rules about timeouts or rule variations.

Grievance Procedure

Knowing when to communicate and how to communicate with your athlete’s coach is a concern for almost every parent at some time during the season.  Most often the concern is how to inquire about issues surrounding a players progression and level of training team.
Athletes should be encouraged to talk to the coach when a problem arises (i.e. regarding unclear expectations in practice or competition). The appropriate manner for the athlete to approach the coach is to ask what he/she, the athlete, needs to do in order to progress and train with a higher level team.  Parents can best help their athlete by guiding them through this process and supporting communication with the coach.  Athletes should be the one to approach a coach regarding “coaching decisions”, not the parents.  Coaching decisions include, among other things: practice organization, training teams, etc.
An athlete’s training team is the result of a complex determination, in that coach’s opinion, of the athlete’s ability, the athlete’s potential, the team’s needs at the moment, and the team’s chemistry.  The coach will not be required to defend his/her thought process or conclusions in these determinations. It should be expected, however, that the coach be able to relay information to the athlete to explain the athlete’s current role on the team and what the athlete needs to improve upon to resolve the concern.
The athlete and parents SHOULD:
  1. Approach the coach to ask for a meeting time to be set. (Consider calling the coach on the phone to set a meeting time)
  2. Expect meetings to be at a location other than a tournament.
  3. Expect that the meeting should be between the coaches of the team and the player.
  4. If the concern remains unresolved, approach the coach to ask for a meeting time to be set. This meeting should be between the athlete, the coaches, and the parents.
  5. If the concern still remains unresolved, the parent should contact the Director for intervention.
The parent or athlete SHOULD NOT:
  1. Confront a coach during a practice or during tournaments.
  2. Expect meetings to be set during practice or tournament participation.
  3. Attempt to “compare” or evaluate another athlete.
  4. Use profanity towards the coach.
  5. Harass or threaten the coach.
  6. Discuss their concerns with any other parents or players until a resolution has been reached with the coach.

General Behavior Policy

The Sand Club will not tolerate hostile, aggressive confrontations by a parent towards an official, a director, a coach, an athlete, or another parent.  Violation of this policy may result in the athlete being dismissed from the club.  In such cases, no refunds will be issued.
It is inappropriate for an athlete or a parent to involve other members of The Sand Club (third parties) about a problem the athlete or parent is having with a The Sand Club coach, objections to coaching decisions, or disagreements with an administrative decision.
Any member who, as a third party, hears remarks or stories being told about The Sand Club, its employees or its policies, that cause the member to be concerned is encouraged to call the Director immediately to determine the facts, or to alert the club administration to a situation it may be unaware of.

Memorandum of Understanding

By clicking submit for any registration payments, the parent and player(s) has read, understands and agrees to The Sand Club Academy Player and Parent Handbook.  Parent and player(s) agree to frequently check the Player and Parent Handbook above for any updates.  Parent agrees that updates will NOT constitute the right to terminate the contract to continue payment.  The Sand Club Academy, Inc will guarantee that updates will NEVER include payment increases during a 6-month cycle.
Players are not eligible to train until this Memorandum of Understanding is complete.

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