Question 1

Is Buckeyefire a ‘real’ business?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We are incorporated in the State of Ohio as Three Amigo Sports, LLC dba Buckeyefire Volleyball.  We are a for profit entity paying our fair taxes.  We felt a subchapter C non-profit business would not be accurate for any club and chose not to go that route as a matter of integrity.   If you’d like to know more about why we are ‘Three Amigos” please take a minute to read our history page.

Question 2

Where do you practice?

Accepted Answer

We would argue we practice in some of the safest and best facilities in Northern Ohio.  We have had a 20 year strong relationship with Nordonia Schools and practice/play in the High School, Middle School, Lee Eaton, and Northfield.   Every gym is monitored 24/7 with cameras, including the parking lot.  It’s well lit, easy to access and always staffed with a district custodian when in use.  The equipment is not only safe, it’s up to date and ready to go at all times.  We also host Open Gyms, tryouts, and practices at the new field house at CVCA.   We also use the YMCA in Macedonia for our younger teams, where they have recently expanded to two full courts and installed a brand new gym floor making this another amazing facility!

Question 3

Isn’t the OVR/USAV the same as JVA and AAU?  Why should we want to be in an OVR club?

Accepted Answer

Buckeyefire Volleyball is a member of the OVR, JVA and AAU.  We play in all organizations tournaments and enjoy them very much.  The hosts are super, the tournaments are large and a ton of fun.   Some are unbelievably competitive.   These are the reasons we are members.
JVA and AAU are national organizations much like USAV, however, they are NOT local governance.  They do not regulate or protect you on the local basis.   The Ohio Valley Region is the ‘local’ governing body for the USAV.   They not only provide all the protections of the USAV, but also have developed fair competition on a local level and many more regulations that assure you the safest possible experiences. JVA/AAU will assure that coaches participating in their tournaments are certified and background checked, but have no local governance over their practices, facilities, etc.   If you read the AAU guidelines, they specifically say that it is ’up to the host’ to assure the safety as they are responsible for staff and referees.

Last is insurance.  JVA/AAU are insured events.  We’ve had to make use of these insurances and the procedure was fairly easy and it helped players a lot. Each of our facilities is listed and gives individual insurance certificates provided by the OVR/USAV.   This means wherever we go, our kids are insured.  Not only against injury, but much worse if something were to happen.   As a club, we have the backing of the OLYMPIC COMMITTEE and their insurance to get a deserving family what they need.

Let’s not forget that JVA/AAU host great tournaments open to all.  You can be USAV and compete in all of them.   They have no real ranking system that requires only teams that ‘qualify’ to play.   If you are NOT USAV, you cannot participate in qualifiers, OVR events, the ranking system, bid in tournaments, regional championships, nor can you ever go to USAV Nationals!

Make no mistake, membership is costly and for some following rules is frustrating.

Question 4

Why are there so many clubs and where are they getting their coaches?

Accepted Answer

Most clubs are started by coaches disgruntled with the club they came from.  They will break away, start another club, and possibly take a team or two from their old club with them. 
 
The biggest challenge to new clubs is lack of experience, licensure which is offered to clubs willing to share their policy, procedure, coaches manual, players manuals, and financials with the OVR.   Second biggest challenge is finding coaches.   The area is so saturated with clubs in need of coaches we are seeing a whole lot of inexperience (coaching) leading teams in the OVR at every level.   The growth is a good thing, but any coach or director with years of experience will tell you, they have ‘no idea’ what is to come when they have to be the leader for a team, teach, manage kids, parents, be communicative, represent the club well, and be organized.

We grew slowly and were able to partner with some of the best coaches in the region.  Our biggest pride is helping Buckeyefire Alum take their next step in volleyball as head or assistant coaches.  They got a head start by playing for us and living the philosophy.   Many of these kids are leading their own varsity programs as well.  Take a close look at our ‘About Us’ page and you can’t help but be impressed with the experience and longevity of this staff.  Truly my friends and family always!

Question 5

What is the Athlete's Bill of Rights and do we have to read it?

Accepted Answer

This document is a must read!  We are obligated to distribute it as it tells you all that you are entitled to and assured that our OVR clubs are held accountable to offering and adhering to this document at all times.

CLICK HERE to read the OVR Athlete's Bill of Rights.

Question 6

How do your teams rank themselves in the club?

Accepted Answer

We have three levels here.  We simply do our best to challenge our kids at a level they should be frustrated at, but not at a level they shut down at because they aren’t ready.  It is all about patient building of these teams, retaining a base of kids who truly want to be a part of building a team and less concerned about only themselves.

We select players based on much more than raw talent and see potential in players who are shy of that top development stage.  We are driven to take them there and take their team to heights they did not think they could achieve.

Please read our levels section to understand how we divide our kids and why they are all important to us.

Question 7

Aren’t we better if we go with a club that has three practices?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. Further, check closely as many clubs use a ‘club training’ day on a Saturday or Sunday as the third practice. Also look closely as many clubs offer 1.5 hour practice slots.  Three times 1.5 = 4.5 hours of practice a week.  Not a whole lot different than 4 hours in two days except you have to travel more times there and back.   Here you are likely to practice Mon through Thursday so when you get that occasional weekend off, you can rest and restore for practice next week and I promise, with this coaching staff you will get laser focused practice plans that could be far more productive!

Question 8

Why do you have so much staff for such a small club?

Accepted Answer

Because you deserve as near an immediate response as possible.  We are very good at delegating the logistical work required to have a successful season with two awesome and motivated (degreed) staff members (coordinators).   It’s what gets us the best hotel many times, or gets us into the best tournaments.  It also frees up the directors to communicate directly with you and keep you informed with constant information.   One of the best things we are known for is our communication and response.   Just ask around!   Write us an email during the busy tryout season and I’ll bet you get a quick response directly from the top (‘The’ or ‘A’ director/owner)!   Both of our coordinators are highly degreed and educated in sports related science and both have a passion specifically for volleyball.  BTW both are amazing coaches as well!  See our Meet Us tab for more information.

Question 9

Do you write your teams and coach’s practice plans?

Accepted Answer

No. We hire coaches capable of writing their own, tailored to their team, and the needs of their players. As you progress through the club it’s great to get different perspectives from different coaches.  The only method Buckeyefire requires from their coaches is a positive yet disciplined approach that focuses on building a player’s confidence!

Question 10

Is there a club mandate for playing time?

Accepted Answer

No. A club director will NEVER mandate a coach to play someone.  That is earned by the player and judged by their coach.  Our coaches fully realize though, they have an obligation to 9 other players to be as competitive as possible, especially in critical moments of a tournament. The line up issued by your coach is a direct belief that he/she can win with that line up in a fairly balanced approach to playing time. Again, we all must be supportive of the team and accepting of the role.

Question 11

Do you accept multi-sport athletes in the club?

Accepted Answer

Of course.  We have a strong belief that these years will fly by for our players and they should absolutely do all they can while they can! It is very difficult for our Nuclear teams to work with multi-sport athletes because of the amount of tournaments they play, and the additional training.  To be fair to the players making that commitment, we would need to openly and honestly access your schedule in advance to consider it.  The key is for the athlete to make all they can and show their team the effort that takes.  For instance, make that last 45 minutes of practice coming from another practice or game.   Coaches will need to balance the amount of time missed with appropriate playing time but the player should know this is not a punishment.  Instead it’s simply a trade off that allows them to contribute in two sports.

Question 12

How do you handle a grade level player (older but playing at their grade level)?

Accepted Answer

In USAV qualifying events all players must play at their age level and not their grade level.  In the OVR and JVA events, it’s never an issue.  Our Fire teams can access the schedule and opt to play in the ‘Select’ divisions instead of qualifying divisions so a grade level player can participate.  All in all we’ve balanced this well for years and certainly do have some grade level players.  It hasn’t been an issue providing we communicate well in advance of accepting a spot on the team.

Question 13

What is the difference between a tournament and a play ‘day’?

Accepted Answer

Tournaments can consist of 1 to 3 days.  Clubs tend to count the ‘days’ so it is clear to parents how much play they are getting. For instance, a club can promise 8 ‘tournaments’ but if they are all two day tournaments they are getting 16 days of tournament play which is substantial.

Question 14

Did you refund parents when Covid shut you down?  Many clubs did not.

Accepted Answer

When our club was shut down for COVID we refunded our families a substantial amount based on how many tournaments their team paid.

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