General Info

Why Drive?

Drive’s primary goal is not only to help athletes improve technically and mentally as volleyball players, but in doing so, to also grow as young, balanced adults. We believe our club creates a safe, diverse, and nurturing environment for players to learn life lessons and develop qualities such as responsibility, accountability, confidence, and resiliency. We look at our club and our roles as being in a privileged position to affect a positive change on our players, a role we take very seriously. They say “It takes a village….” Drive just happens to be an amazing one.

How long is the season?

-The typical Girls’ Youth and High School season runs from the end of October/beginning of November through end of April/beginning of May with an option to extend for a National tournament, especially if a USAV bid is earned.
-The typical Boys’ Season starts in mid-September and runs through February, with an option to return in June if a USAV bid is earned.

Where are practices held?
-All 2023 Summer Camps and Tryouts for the 2023-24 Season will be held at Windy City Fieldhouse.
-All practices starting in the fall of 2023 will be at The British International School of Chicago- South Loop (BISC-SL).

How many teams will you have for my child's age group?

-We can never promise that we will have one or multiple teams for any given age group. This depends on the number of players trying out for each age group and skill level/ability. In past seasons we have carried a 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U, and 18U for the girls programs and a 14U, 16U, and 18U for our boys teams. Given our continued exponential growth, every season we are able to offer more teams and age groups.

How many players do you take for each team?

-Drive likes to run "lean and mean," meaning we like to have a low player-to-coach ratio to help players' development. Having smaller teams also allows for greater opportunity for players to earn a substantial amount of playing/on-court time for matches and tournaments. Drive will NEVER make a team if we cannot guarantee a dedicated quality coach for that team. Our optimum number of players is 11, but we have had teams with as few as 10 and as many 12 players. 

Will my child only be eligible for their age groups’ teams?

-No. Drive has and will continue to have mixed-age group teams when applicable, appropriate, and necessary. For some players who are higher skilled, playing up an age group proves to be an invaluable experience and is beneficial for players’ long-term development. We have seen this dynamic contribute towards our successful, more competitive, and bid-earning teams. We may also create a mixed age group teams if numbers necessitate. For example, if we only have a small number of players in a lower age group, but they are technically and competitively able to play in a higher age group, we can combine players from both age groups on the same team. All these scenarios, however, are subject to director’s discretion.

Who will my child's coach be?

-While we can know who will be coaching a particular age group or team ahead of time, Drive decides which coach will coach what team on a variety of factors including fit, dynamic, level of experience, and logistics. To have a better team dynamic, we often hold the decision on which coach will coach what team until tryouts. We do, however, pride ourselves on our coaching staff and their experience. Our club has experienced high levels of success, and we attribute much of that to our top-down approach to coaching. ALL of our coaches are fully dedicated and passionate about their teams, and not using the opportunity to make some extra cash or just “do something” in the meantime.

How many practices and tournaments does Drive have?

-At Drive we believe that volleyball is an important activity to help players learn important lessons and develop necessary skills to help them throughout life, it should not BE their life. Our schedule reflects this principle: we ask and expect players to compete two weekends a month, and we practice 2x times per week, 3x per week before tournaments start. Since we believe a balanced approach is the best approach, and we do not want to inundate our club's parents, players, and staff with practices and tournaments. Therefore, attendance is vital to players' improvement and ability to earn playing time.

What Power League, divisions, and tournaments does Drive participate in?

-The league and divisions that we play in are dependent upon the level and ability of each individual team. Our goal is to help our players improve and be as competitive as possible. As such, we have competed in the Palos Point Series, Windy City Power League, and The Chicago Volleyball League. For qualifiers, we have had teams participate in the Boys Winter Championship, The Mideast Qualifier, and the Windy City Qualifier, competing in all divisions ranging from Club to Open. We have also down nearby travel tournaments as a way to have the “full club” experience and enjoy time with their teams such as Penguin Fest and The Diggin’ in The Dells Series.

Where are the tournaments?

-Most tournaments we participate in are local, in the surrounding suburbs i.e. Elgin, Palos Heights, Marengo, Schaumburg, Barrington, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Mokena, etc…

-Our National Qualifiers are out-of-state in cities such as Indianapolis and St. Louis, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, etc…

What does Drive do for Nationals?

-Similar to power leagues and divisions, we will do what is most beneficial for each team. We have earned bids to USAV Nationals, but also compete locally in the Asics National Championships at Navy Pier. AAU Nationals in Florida is also an option if families choose to go. For Florida, teams decide individually in the early part of the season if they would like to travel in June/July.

Do you guarantee (equal) playing time?

-No, Drive never guarantees playing time to any player. Playing time is earned at practice through a variety of factors. We guarantee players will receive equal coaching and equal opportunity to earn playing time, but we do not guarantee playing time. At our younger, developing age groups, playing time can be equal, but again, this depends on team dynamics and other factors. 

What do my fees go towards?

-Your fees go toward overhead costs, coaching salaries, and court time. Should USAV reinstate competitive tournament play, and Drive determines this to be a safe environment for its players, an additional fee will be added to cover tournaments, power leagues, and uniforms. (Please see our "Payment Plans and Information" on the Programs page)..

What will the practice schedule be?

-All schedules, including tentative practice schedules can be found on the “Schedules” page. All schedules are tentative until tryouts have concluded and rosters/teams have been made, since scheduling will be dependent upon various factors, including how many teams have been selected/made after tryouts.

TRYOUT INFO

How To Register For Tryouts
-All players will need a valid USAV Tryout Membership (if they’ve played this season, their memberships should be valid through 8/31. Click here for USAV Registration Page.

-All players will also need to register with Drive. Click here for Oasys, our online registration platform/vendor.

How will I know if my child was accepted into the club?

-Drive will post the tryout numbers of accepted players as well as alternates on the website on the "Programs" page, "Schedules" Page, and home page no later than 5pm on the day of tryouts.

How do I accept my child's spot?

-Players/Parents will accept their position by emailing their signed payment plan and contract to Director Eli Estrada at eli@drivevolleyball.com by the time/date listed on the contract/payment sheet. The contract/payment sheet can be found on the “Programs” page by clicking on the the “Payment Plan and Information” link.

My child was listed as an alternate, what does that mean?

-If your child was listed as an alternate, then they will be offered a spot if an "accepted" player declines their spot in the club. Spots will be offered to alternates in the order of numbers listed. Yes, alternated players have been offered spots in the past, and there is a real chance a player could become accepted even if they were alternated.

Unfortunately, my child's number was not listed as an accepted player or alternate, are there any other options?

-Yes, if your child is in middle school (5th through 8th grade), then we suggest our Youth Academy, which is a one day a week clinic style training. Please see the "Programs" page for more details. NOT APPLICABLE FOR THE 2022-23 SEASON.

COVID-19 Season and INFO

How long will the season run if effected by COVID stoppages and restrictions?

-Due to the fluid nature of COVID, it is hard to say definitively how long the season will run if negatively effected by COVID. We have, however, run full, successful and productive seasons during the pandemic despite restrictions and stoppages.

How would the season look without tournaments?

-Scrimmages vs. Tournaments: Under IDPH and the Governor's past restrictions on youth and adult recreational sports, there will be no participation in tournaments or "competitive" match play with other clubs. Given Drive's size, varied teams, and structure, we will offer in-house scrimmages that will benefit all of our teams and players, twice a month.

-Payment Plans: Drive has always prided itself on offering its families flexible payment plan options. Given the fluid nature of COVID-19 and safety restrictions changing daily, we will be offering payment plans that will reflect this. Since, we will be limited in tournaments and match/competitive play with other clubs due to the IDPH's restrictions on "Medium Risk" sports, we will lower the initial cost of our fees to reflect the lack of tournaments, travel, and uniform fees until restrictions are lifted. (Please see our "Payment Plans and Information" on the Programs page).

What will happen if/when tournament sanctions are lifted and competitive/tournament play resumes? 

-If/when tournament and competitive play resumes, we will notify players and parents and do our best to create a feasible, beneficial tournament schedule for our teams. The Windy City Power League, CVL, as well as USAV have made contingency plans and schedules based on our tentative return to play. At that point, we will then charge our families the appropriate tournament and uniform fees (Please see our "Payment Plans and Information" on the Programs page).

What if a temporary shutdown/lockdown takes place?

-If a temporary shutdown takes place as a response to COVID-19, we will resume as soon as local health agencies and the club deem it is safe to do so. We will push the season into the summer (May to August) if necessary to make-up for lost time, practices, and tournaments, if rules, schedules, and sanctions allow.

Who should attend the Girls' Tryout in July?

All girls who would like to be considered and evaluated to be a part of our program should attend tryouts, since this is the official tryout date for our girls program. As such, we want to reward families (not punish those who cannot attend) who have shown commitment and dedication and adjusted their schedules to be present at July tryouts by giving them first consideration and decisions on if we will be accepting them into the club or not. It is most beneficial for players to tryout in July as they will not only be given priority/higher consideration, we will start filling our team spots from that tryout. This will also allow those players greater flexibility if they do not get accepted into Drive's program and can tryout at other clubs. Players trying out after the girls' high school season in October/November, will be competing for fewer spots, since we have already evaluated and accepted players in July.

What if I cannot make the Girls' Tryout in July?

We will be hosting make-up tryouts at the end of July (for ALL players, but more specifically HS-aged players; freshmen through seniors, to stay in accordance with IHSA rules. This tryout is only for players who had extenuating circumstances and could not tryout with us on the original date. Again, players trying out at the first tryout date will have been given priority over those trying out at subsequent dates, and we will start accepting players from that tryout, so there will be limited spots available in the fall.

Who should attend the Boys' Tryouts in August?

Unlike the girls' tryouts, which were moved months in advance, the boys tryouts will take place only slightly earlier at the end of August. This is the official boys' tryout date for our club, so all boys who would like to be considered for our club program should register and attend.

What if I cannot make the Boys Tryouts' in August?

Similar to girls tryouts, however, those attending a makeup tryout will be competing for less spots and those who tried out earlier will be given priority.

Is Drive taking any additional safety precautions?

-Drive's #1 priority will always be the safety and health of its players, families, and staff. During this global pandemic, everyone must do their part in keeping sports' activities safe. In partnership with The Windy City Fieldhouse, Drive will be following the CDC and IDPH safety restrictions and guidelines. Safety measures and restrictions will include, but are not limited to:
-Daily Temperature Checks
-Daily Wellness Surveys
-Providing masks and enforcing a "Masks-On" Policy at all times for players and staff
-Providing hand sanitizer before and after every practice/session
-Disinfecting balls and equipment before and after every practice/session
-Encouraging social distancing upon arrival, dismissal, and drills