WOW!!!!

We were so proud of all the teams at this year’s Region Championships. From top to bottom GSJ represented itself as one of the best clubs in the state. History was made with 5 teams finishing in the top 5 and others greatly improving from rankings before the tournament. We had 4 OPEN SILVER CHAMPIONS (5^th Overall) and our 12’s finished 4^th in the State!  It was great to see all the support from the GSJ family for all the teams as they played. Thank you for a great season.

Final Standings

12U Purple – 4^th (28 teams)

12U Black – 18^th (28 teams)

13U – 14^th  (36 teams)

14U Nfinity – 5^th (48 teams)

14U Blue – 30^th (48 teams)

15U Nfinity – 22^nd (48 teams)

15U Green – 41^st (48 teams)

16U Nfinity – 5^th (44 teams)

16U Yellow – 27^th (44 teams)

16U Orange – 30^th (44 teams)

16U White – 38^th (44 teams)

17U Nfinity – 5^th (24 teams)

18U Nfinity – 5^th (24 teams)

18U Gold – 16^th (24 teams)

GSJ Banquet
The GSJ Banquet is next Wednesday, April 4^th from 6 – 9pm at Beach Church. Please make plans to attend as we close out the regular season and honor those who participated in the program this year. We need to know how many will be coming. Your team parent is collecting the info. Players and Coaches are free, Adults are $15, and children are $5.  Teams should prepare to decorate 2-3 tables for their team. Plastic tablecloths, napkins, photos, flowers, or whatever you wish.

Team Jerseys
Jerseys must be returned at the end of the season. Regional teams should have turned in jerseys to the coach in Charlotte. If jersey was not returned, or you wish to keep it, you will need to pay $40 for the cost of the jersey. We use the jerseys for 3 years to help keep our club fees down.

Outstanding balance on Club fees
We have a handful of players who have unpaid club fees. I will submit a list of players to USAV who owe GSJ fees on April 15^th. These players will be barred from participation in any USAV club program until fees are paid to GSJ. I decided not to keep players from the experience of going to Charlotte who have unpaid fees in hopes that these accounts will be settled. If you have any questions please call me at 843-283-5320.

Stay Tuned

Our goal has always been to move volleyball forward along the Grand Strand. Stay tuned as we work on our camps, clinics, and additional training opportunities.

www.grandstrandjuniors.com

We are GSJ,

Coach Sing

It’s finally here.  The Palmetto Regional Championships.  The long practices… the hard work… the tears… the smiles… the pressure… the success… the movement forward.   Our goals are bigger than any one tournament, but if you had to choose one to go “all in” on, it’s this one.  Be the best you can be.. encourage and find success.  Look your teammates in the eyes and enjoy the moments you have on the court with them.  Take it all in and remember, you are playing the best game on earth!!  This is what you’ve been preparing for all season and it’s truly only the beginning.  WE ARE GSJ!!!

Coastal Carolina has announced several camp dates for 2012. We are so excited for the opportunities these camps will provide our athletes, coaches, and the Grand Strand area!

Please check out the clinics and dates below…registration is now open!

Spring Youth Series – May 5 – 20

Myrtle Beach Vacation Volleyball Camp Series – June 4 – July 13

All Skills Camp – July 16 – 18

Elite Setter Camp  – July 22 – 23

Elite Hitting & Passing Camp – July 24 – 25

Team Camp 1  – July 19 – 21

Team Camp 2  – July 27 – 29

More information can be found online at: Coastal Carolina Volleyball Academy

CCU will also come to you! Head Coach Jozsef Forman and Assistant Gabe Aramian will travel to your gym location for Satellite Camp opportunities.

The CCU Coaching Staff will also be hosting a coaches’ clinic. More information will be announced at a later date.

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In a few short weeks our teams will be attending the Palmetto Region Championships in Charlotte, NC. There will be 35 courts and nearly 300 teams. This tournament is a chance for all of our GSJ teams to play in one location and represent ourselves to the rest of the Palmetto Region. I hope each coach, player, and family will take pride in the fact that: “We are GSJ”. Support for all of our teams is encouraged and please cheer on another GSJ team when yours is not playing. This tournament will mark the end of a season for many players. I want to thank all the families who took part in our program this year. For the first time we will be having a GSJ banquet as a season wrap up. All players in attendance will receive a gift from GSJ. Details are below. On Sunday of the Region Championships, all GSJ Regional teams will return their jersey to the head coach.

Charlotte Helpful hints: 

Charlotte tickets - Deadline has passed for discount tickets so on-site tickets must be purchased. Pre-orders will be distributed to team reps when they arrive end of next week.

Second Season - Last call for players who want to continue on to the AAU Championships June 19th – 27th. We hope to put together two or three teams depending on the interest. Cost is $300 and includes a minimum of two practices a week and two multi-day tournaments. One is in Myrtle Beach. Deadline is March 15th. If interested you must email Coach Sing. A tryout is possible if interest is strong.

Big South Tournament hotels - For National teams attending the Big South, Cape Fear volleyball club has several rooms within walking distance of the World Congress Center they will not need. Cost is $129. Contact me if you are interested.

Hey Everyone…

TONIGHT our Grand Strand Juniors 14 Nfinity team is hosting an awesome sponsorship opportunity for GSJ and need the Grand Strand Juniors family to participate.   All you have to do is eat at delicious Beef O’ Brady’s in Carolina Forest and in return Beef O’ Brady’s will give 25% of that sale to our club

Stop by between 6 and 9 pm… order a scrumptious meal… right your name and phone number on the receipt and give to one of the 14Nfinity girls at the table in front   25% of that sale will go to the club… it’s that easy and awesome!!

By doing this… you will also be entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of the following:  a $25 Beef O’ Brady Gift Certificate (2 opportunities available), Free Weekend Pass (3 day) to the Coastal Classic Volleyball Championships in May and/or an Autographed Phil Dalhausser Volleyball (2008 Beach Volleyball Olympic Gold Medalist and 2012 USA Olympic Team) (2 Available)…

Again… this is tremendous fund raising opportunity for our club and if possible, one we should all try to partake in because we all have to eat sometime tonight 

BE THERE!!

If you can’t make it tonight… they will also be hosting the event April 5th, May 3rd and May 31st…

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Congratulations on another amazing tournament this past weekend in the Southern Classic… Our biggest success this past weekend was our GSJ 12′s Team Dixie finishing first in Gold!!  Way to go ladies!!!  Our future is bright and we gotta wear Coastal Classic Shades!!

Good luck to all teams traveling this weekend!!

- Richard

Hello all,

One of the mottos we often use is “We are GSJ”. The spirit of that saying means that we are all in this together. If any one team is successful, then we are all successful. All of our parts connect to make up the whole that is Grand Strand Juniors. In our first year with Grand Strand we had three teams and I coached the 14′s. We had a lot of ups and downs at the tournaments. I can’t remember getting any t-shirts. The highlight of our season was at the Region Championships, we won the Club Silver division. To us it might as well have been the Olympics and that t-shirt a Gold medal. Winning Club Silver meant we finished 26th overall out of 36 teams in our division. Yes, I said 26th. Several players on that 14′s team have stayed with GSJ and will graduate this year and have gotten scholarships to play volleyball in College. We’ve come a long way since then and have several teams in the top 10. But none of them is an island to themselves. Like our bodies and machines, it takes many moving parts to make it work, and those parts who don’t get a lot of credit or have a lot of success, are just as important as the one who do. “We are GSJ”. Lets roll!

Southern Classic Gift Exchange
The sunglasses have arrived. The cost is $10 per player. Payments should be collected by the team parents and given to me at one time.

Recruiting Seminar

Recruit GSJ and Coach Aly Pompeani will hold a recruiting seminar this Sunday, February 19th, at 5pm. We encourage all parents to attend and highly recommend parents of girls ages 16-18 attend. We will cover some of the FAQs of recruiting and will have an open discussion at the end of the seminar.

Topics include:

When to Start?
-Age vs. Development

Skills videos and making contact with coaches.
- What to say and when to say it.

The time line of the recruiting process
-What each athlete needs to be focusing on at each level of her club experience.

Do’s and Don’ts of recruiting
-Simple mistakes many players make and how to avoid them.

Please come with a notebook, pen, and plenty of questions! We are here to help and will do our best to answer any and all questions you have about getting your daughter to the next level!!

Charlotte Tickets
I’ve given the coaches and some parents a ticket order form. Get with your team and let them know what you need. Adult tickets are $20 and Kids (5-17) are $10. Collect orders and payments and give to me at one time for the team. I will collect payments and orders on March 6th and 7th at the X.

GSJ Second Season
Club season will end at the Region Championships March 23-25th. We are offering a chance for interested players to continue like the National teams until June. Cost is $300 and will include two practices a week and two tournaments (Myrtle Beach and Orlando, FL). We will make room for 2 teams and determine age of team based on interest. Deadline is March 1st. Space will be limited. Selections made by the coaches until team is full. Interested players should email me so I can put you down.

GSJ Banquet
We are super excited about the GSJ Banquet this year. It will be great way to end the season and have a great time GSJ style. Date is April 18th at Beach Church. Right across from the X. Players are free and guest will be $10. We’ll have food, music, and a good time. If anyone is into catering we are looking for someone. Expect about 200 people.

Late Payments
Players not up to date or arrangements made for payments will be removed from rosters prior to the March 10th and 17th tournaments. I will be traveling and payments should be made when I return.

Coach Sing will be away February 21st until March 4th.
My two sons will be graduating from the Air Force basic training and I will be in Texas for the ceremony.

Have a Great GSJ Day,
Coach Sing

Recruit GSJ will hold a recruiting seminar this Saturday, February 11th, at 10am for teams not traveling this weekend and on Sunday, February 19th, at 5pm for teams traveling this weekend.. We encourage all parents to attend and highly recommend parents of girls ages 16-18 attend. We will cover some of the FAQs of recruiting and will have an open discussion at the end of the seminar.

Topics include:

When to Start?

-Age vs. Development

Skills videos and making contact with coaches.

- What to say and when to say it.

The time line of the recruiting process

-What each athlete needs to be focusing on at each level of her club experience.

Do’s and Don’ts of recruiting

-Simple mistakes many players make and how to avoid them.

Please come with a notebook, pen, and plenty of questions! We are here to help and will do our best to answer any and all questions you have about getting your daughter to the next level!!

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*** Southern Classic Gift Exchange… if you are new to to the Southern Classic… it is a gift exchange tournament.  Each team is encouraged to exchange gifts with the opposing team during pool play and just a great way to show teamship.   In the past, each GSJ team was responsible for determining and organizing that teams gift exchange.  To make it easy and as a great approach to promote our Coastal Classic Volleyball tournament we purchased sunglasses to give out for our GSJ gift exchange.  This makes the process more cost effective for each player and less cumbersome of a process.   The cost is a whopping $10 per player and they will get an awesome pair of sunglasses.  If the teams want to add to the gift such as candy or whatever.. that is up to each team.  You will need approximately 60 gifts.

So please bring $10 and give it to your coach… coaches, please keep track of who gave you what… especially Richard (me).

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A BIG congrats goes out to one of our 18Nfinity  athletes! Karly Klimas made her college decision this week and has committed to Methodist College. Karly is a 5’2 Libero and is excited to head to Methodist this fall. “I know this is a great fit,” said Klimas. “I love the coaches and the girls are amazing. I am looking forward to the preparation I have ahead of me and will be counting down the days!”

Hello everyone,

A huge congratulations to all the finishes GSJ Teams had in this years Winter Bump. In every division we were competitive and had a few teams finish in the top of their divisions. I say this all the time, but we’ve come a long ways in a short 5 years and it’s exciting to see the girls competing at a very high level.  Please know that the goal isn’t the first tournament, it’s the continued growth forward.   It’s easy to get caught up in “whys”, but try to consider the “hows”.  As in “How can I improve in certain aspects of the game.”, “How can I contribute to the overall “team” goal.” and most importantly, “How and what can I do to be better for my team.”    The “why” questions do not outline a method for success, whereas the “hows” allow players to achieve end results.
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A second congratulations go out to the GSJ Players nominated for Toast of the Coast. You can find the article here – Toast of the Coast. Each of the players listed is a huge part of the Grand Strand Juniors Family.

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If you are on a GSJ roster you must complete the information request for Charlotte. Link is below in the email from region. The region is still waiting on a large number of you to enter your Charlotte hotel or other travel plans for the event.  We need to get this done ASAP.

To: Parents

From: USAV Palmetto Region

Re: Charlotte Lodging Information/ Required from members

WE ARE ASKING EACH CLUB TO SEND THIS EMAIL TO ALL MEMBERS WHO’S TEAM IS ATTENDING CHARLOTTE TOURNAMENT. – Some of you already know this information and has completed everything needed by the region- to you, Thank you! You do not need to re-enter your data.

For all: we need every member ( parent or player) attending to input your information into a region database- even if you are commuting, staying with friends/family or camping out in a tent- ha.

The region host each year our volleyball region championships at the Charlotte Convention Center. This is a 2.5 day event- starting on Friday at 3pm for some and 6:30 for rest (to be decided later). We have been able to keep cost down, almost half the entry fee of other 2-3 day events because of our negotiating power we have collectively as clubs. This year we will have 30+ courts with 250+ teams attending.
In 2010 all clubs agreed to stay within the region hotel block- which in turns, keeps cost down with all hotels and the convention center.
Complete FAQ can be found here: http://palmettoregionvb.org/wp/tournaments/juniors/palmetto-regional-hotel-info/

What we need from each of you by Feb. 1st:

1) If you have NOT made your Charlotte Hotel Reservation- do so now. What rooms/hotels remaining with available rooms can be found at link above.

2) Once you have done this- enter your information into the Region Database- again- at same link as above. This includes commuters, members staying with friends/family, members who are using hotel reward points to secure rooms- in order words- just tell us what your plans are while there.
Members in the region database will also be able to purchase Pre-discounted entry tickets.

3) IF you have more than 3 or more rooms in one name ( considered a block) these must be converted to who is using them with the hotel- and that info input in our database by 2/1. If an individual is holding more than 1 room for themselves- you must decide which room you plan to stay and release the other(s). This allows others who are looking for rooms to acquire them.

If you have questions- Betty Smith is handling all this information, she can be emailed at bjslandura@aol.com. Before you email, ask your club director, they probably have the answer.

4) Finally- on another subject- we are asking each of you to sign back into your daughter’s USAV Registration file and make sure you have a valid email address in on the main page that gets info to parents. You can sign back in here:https://webpoint.usavolleyball.org/wp15/IntraLock/Login.asp
When we have important information that needs to be sent to all members ( tournament info, weather cancellations, etc) we send it out to address of this record. We are getting back almost 300 bad addresses and many more are addresses of the player- who may or may not get info to parents.

Below is a list of the players/coaches who are not showing information input into the Region site.

Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Allman Taylor
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Barrett Samantha
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18′s Player Bennett Karlie
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Bezdek Hannah
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-2 Head Coach Blake Amanda
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-1 Player Bowers Rebekah
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Campbell Skylar
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Cannon Jordan
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-1 Player Carr Shelby
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 13-1 Player Causey Cheyanne
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-2 Player Causey Caitlyn
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Asst. Coach Churby Jade
Grand Strand JVC #N/A #N/A Creekmore Victoria
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Daly Caroline
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Davis Mary
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Davis Holly
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Elms Kerry
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Exum Rachael
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 13-1 Player Farmer Mallory
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Fullum Presley
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Gay Olivia
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-3 Player Heiden Kaylee
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-3 Player Hix Tara
Grand Strand JVC GSJ 12-2 Player Hix Danni
Grand Strand JVC GSJ 12-2 Head Coach Hix Paula
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Hughes Ryley
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16′s Player Johnson Ellen
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Jones Moriah
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Jordan Alexis
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-2 Player Kastner Makailla
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Kramer Patty
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Metz Sydney
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-1 Head Coach Middleton Katie
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-3 Player Mikolajczyk Macy
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Milligan Meagan
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Minervini Gabrielle
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16′s Head Coach Moore Jason
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18-2 Player Moore Rachel
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Myers Kristiasha
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-3 Player Owens Autumn
Grand Strand JVC #N/A #N/A Pearson Mackenzie
Grand Strand JVC #N/A #N/A Perpetuino Joseph
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18′s Head Coach Pompeani Aly
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Poplin Megan
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Reyes Courtney
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-2 Player Rojas/secreto Skylar
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Schuett Victoria
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 13-1 Player Shamah Shirrie
Grand Strand JVC GSJ 12-2 Player Shavitz Samantha
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Sheets Darby
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16′s Player Sheets Shelby
Grand Strand JVC #N/A #N/A Short Tucker
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-1 Head Coach Sing John
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-2 Player Smith Lauren
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Asst. Coach Spitzer Kenneth
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Strong Hayley
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-2 Player Sutley Peyton
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-3 Player Swann Kiana
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Tomlin Alexis
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16′s Player Treece Jordan
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16′s Player Treece Madison
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-2 Asst. Coach Underwood Todd
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-4 Player Vanorsdale Gabrielle
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 15-2 Player Wagner Hannah
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 12-1 Player Watts Alexis
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 17-1 Player Watts Jessica
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 14-1 Player Wert Megan
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18′s Player West Michelle
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 16-2 Player Williams Kelly
Grand Strand JVC Grand Strand 18′s Player Williams Kacie
Grand Strand JVC #N/A #N/A Williams Kailey

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Hotel Information for the Southern Classic

Southern Classic Gym/Hotel Info

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Keep working hard!!

We are GSJ!!

2012 Winter Bump Results

The 2012 Winter Bump is now in the record books and on behalf of Grand Strand Juniors, I want to thank you for coming to this year’s event. Our staff has had to overcome many obstacles for the 2012 tournament and have worked extremely hard to make sure you had a good tournament experience. Having to pull together multiple locations in a short period of time, work with new tournament formats, and divide volunteers for 8 locations over 3 days was no easy task. Many sites were new and we encountered situations that required additional attention. In spite of everything, we pressed forward because in the end we wanted to play a volleyball tournament.

I know that most of you came, played, and left having a great time. I am aware that some glitches did occur. We were unable to provide master officials at every location as planned (Two canceled at last minute), GPS directions were different (Myrtle Beaches own officials were not aware of this) from address of physical location, and not having an internet based system required additional work tracking the play schedule. A few other minor issues occurred as well.

In the end it was about 169 teams coming together to prepare themselves for the rest of the 2012 club volleyball season. As a coach I was given the opportunity to look at my team in game situations and understand what our needs are. I saw my team grow over the course of three days and continually improve. I learned much more in our failures than our successes (although I like the successes better) and can be more confident in what I need to do before the next tournament comes around. From all of us at the “Winter Bump” have a great 2012 club volleyball season.

Sincerely,
Alex Sing
Grand Strand Juniors
Winter Bump Tournament Director