Gulf Coast Jrs. Volleyball Club is gearing up for its 19th year in 2008. We are the longest running club in Pinellas county, and have produced more of the top players and college bound athletes than any other Club. We offer girls between the ages of 8 and 18 the opportunity to learn the game of volleyball from many of the area’s best coaches and the most experienced director in the county. The program is designed to improve a player's volleyball skills and knowledge of the game through participation in structured practices and weekend tournaments, preparing them for middle school, high school, and college level volleyball. Gulf Coast helps players build confidence in themselves and their peers, promotes healthy competition, develops leadership skills, instills the necessity of teamwork, goal setting, good health practices and dedication to the sport, and provides national exposure of our athletes to college recruiters.
Our Director and Coaches:
At Gulf Coast Juniors, director Ken Deterding, who was inducted into the USAV Hall of Fame in 2006 and has more experience coaching and playing than most coaches and directors in the state, personally runs or assists a majority of the practices, giving him the ability to work with and guide every single player in his Club. Our coaches are constantly learning from Deterding while bringing their own style and ideas to the court. Most of our coaches have been at Gulf Coast and coaching the top high school and middle school volleyball programs in Pinellas county for many years now, while others even played for his Club before competing in college and returning to work for him, proving that his system works. See the "Coaches and Staff" page for a little background information on our coaches.
Our Player Experience:
Another perk that sets Gulf Coast above other Clubs is that it offers many opportunities for the younger girls to work with and learn from more experienced players, resulting in a more unified Club, where comradery spreads across the ages and the younger girls gain role models. At the same, time we bring in college and adult players (many of which are Gulf Coast alumni) to compete against our older teams preparing them for intense competition at the national level. We are focused on boosting each player's skill set and knowledge of the game, while providing an environment for learning the value of teamwork, leadership, and physical fitness. We also run a successful conditioning program that bolsters the agility and strength of our players and instills good habits and techniques for staying in shape.
College Bound Athletes:
Don't forget to check out our list of Gulf Coast alumni that played in college as well as our new College Recruiting page. We are stepping up our efforts this year to help get you recruited. College coaches know the Gulf Coast name and often come to us looking for players because they know we prepare our girls to compete at a high level. For a little look at a couple of our recent grads doing some great things in their college careers check out Florida Southern's Ashley Martin and Jennifer King, Boston College's Brittany Pierpont, Georgetown's Paola Annoni, or Furman's Kelsey Salava.
Our Communication and Parent Experience:
We out-perform any other club when it comes to communication and we go the extra step to make the season enjoyable for our parents. As the Gulf Coast Juniors Office Manager for 10 years, Kathie Bekker (the 2007 Florida Region Meritorious Service Award Recipient) handles a majority of the communications within 24 hours (often in less than an hour throughout the day!) and arranges all travel plans for our teams AND parents. Important information is updated on our website as soon as we get it, and email communications provide an efficient and safe way to get practice, tournament, travel, and hotel information out quickly. We help parents who attend hotel stay and out of state tournaments by reserving their rooms and air transportation WITH the teams. PARENTS PAY THE SAME ROOM RATES AND AIRFARES THAT THE CLUB PAYS. And because coaches and chaperons are in charge of the teams during tournament time, meals, hotel stay, and out of state travel, parents who cannot attend can be sure their daughter is well taken care of.
Our Attention to Safety:
And finally, we pride ourselves as second to none when it comes to the safety of our players. Gulf Coast holds practices at a safe location and the club only stays in reputable hotels with interior corridors. Our teams stay together in the hotel and have specific rules about how they spend their time in the rooms. We closely monitor the halls throughout the night using coaches and parents. And most importantly, we have very strict policies regarding the activities and manners of our players while they are under our supervision at, to, and from tournaments and practices as well as in the hotels and during free time. These rules have been proven and have been successfully implemented for the 19 years that Gulf Coast has been in operation.