Blueprint of a Champion

Club volleyball along with most youth sports has traditionally focused on winning competitions as the ultimate measure of success. At TCA, we look at winning as one measure of success, but we believe that our players (and coaches) are winners because of the principles and life lessons that we teach to kids who choose to play volleyball. (read more) _then we will put the rest on a different page.

We face a daunting challenge. Thirty million children play youth sports in this country. However, statistics tell us that 70% of children quit youth sports by the age of 13. It is at this critical age that most children face some of the most frightening challenges of their young lives. So, what can we do to help overcome this?

We can make a difference in how they face life and even how they feel about themselves using volleyball as a vehicle for change! We can become a partner with parents in teaching children values through athletic participation.

Our “Blueprint of a Champion” is the vehicle we use to help our players to recognize their goals and to create solid paths of activities to reach those goals. In addition, we recognize that the attainment of these goals is a shared responsibility of the player, the coaches and even the parents! Through the sport of volleyball, we can teach such lessons as how important it is to put forth your best effort at all times, how learning to play the game (strategy) can make us better in sports and in life. We can teach them to learn to bounce back from disappointments. We place a great deal of emphasis on the value of teamwork, discipline and responsibility. We promote the learning of the sport and teach the fundamentals that go into playing it. We teach our players the importance of good nutrition, and stress the fact that hard work in the gym fights complacency and obesity, which has become a childhood epidemic in this country. We teach our players to lead healthier lifestyles, and that character building is just as important as skill building. We teach teamwork, and dedication and discipline. AND WE DO IT THROUGH VOLLEYBALL!

It’s important that we teach these concepts to all the players that come to our club. History tells us that of the 30 million kids who play youth sports, there are only about 126,000 athletes who receive full or partial scholarships for athletic performance in college. That’s A LOT of children who are looking for something else out of their sport. Although preparing athletes for collegiate play is a primary goal for TCA, we think we can reach many more people and prepare many more players for college and life through the concepts implemented in our “Blueprint of a Champion.”

As coaches we are teachers. We believe that teaching these concepts is as imperative as teaching volleyball motor skill sets. It is the dedication to these concepts that is incorporated into our club through this “Blueprint.” We are committed to helping ALL players become not only better athletes, but better people equipped to handle the various life challenges that we all face.

Coaches outside of TCA that desire to utilize Blueprint of A Champion should contact the TCA Office for further information.