Another summer season is upon us!From the 1st of October, our summer court schedule takes effect. These conditions are set out by Randwick City Council in our license agreement and must be complied with at all times, irrespective of whether it’s a public holiday, school holidays or if Nippers is running or not. There are reduced playing hours on Sunday morning:Courts 4 and 5 are available from 8am to 8pmAll courts are available from 12pm to 8pm.All other courts are available from Monday to Saturday from 6am to 8pm.More information about our court availability is here.When the weather is wonderful, Coogee gets very busy at this time of year and people will occupy parts of the beach all the way up to the walkway on Beach St. People may be on the spaces where we usually set up the courts. If this happens, it’s fine to approach them, explain we’re a community sports Club and politely ask if they can move. Please exercise your judgement; be factual and firm, but always courteous to members of the public.Ultimately the Club stands to lose more from a bad interaction than they do, so be prepared to accept ‘No’ for answer. Even though our license allows for the set up of courts per the times above, the reality is that on some days, it’s impractical to do so.Some options to give members the opportunity to play on available courts include King & Queen of the Court, 4 v 4 or playing reduced sets to 15.Updated training schedule for summerA new season training schedule for Adult and Junior training classes has been published to take effect from Monday, October 5th. With longer days and more light in the evening, there are more classes available in the afternoon / early evening. AdultsMindbody training scheduleClass creditsJuniorsMindbody training scheduleClass creditsRe-introducing structure to adult training (for A and above levels)Ahead of the summer season we’ve made a few changes to how Adult Training will operate for A and above levels. The motivation for the changes are to keep standards appropriate to the level, so our training offering remains good value for time and money. Our three coaches who are facilitating these class levels, Andy, Martin and Will have been working together on their assessment of players and are aligned on the approach. The change is also intended to provide regular feedback to players.How it worksEach training group is made up of a pool of players identified and ranked by the coaches as being suited for that level, so there’s a quality, competitive atmosphere at each training session. We are encouraging healthy competition and aspiration for people to want to move up to a higher level training group.New players are very welcome, and are encouraged to have a chat with a coach about which class to sign up to.Each month, the coaches will review the training groups, make any changes to their grading and move players between groups where it’s appropriate. These changes are likely to be on the edges with one or two players moving up and down each month, so you can expect to have a degree of stability with your training group.If you’re moving up or down, you’ll get clear, individual feedback on what contributed to the move and what to work on next.The factors considered are the coaches’ assessment of performance across 7 beach volleyball skills (e.g. serving, setting, spiking etc – these is the main drivers), alignment with Club values, regularity of training attendance, and your national ranking.The current allocation to training groups are based on observations made by coaches over the winter training period.Next stepsThe coaches will let you know if there are any changes to the group you have recently been training with. You will also be put into a specific training group corresponding to your allocated level in the CBVA Community WhatsApp group, which will be the main channel for day to day communications. Please then register to classes for your designated training level in Mindbody. If you have any questions about your level or the pathway, please contact your coach directly or email coaching@cbva.org.au.This is an initiative developed collaboratively by our coaches Andy, Martin and Will, and the Board is supportive of it. With any change, there will be learnings along the way. We’re open to feedback and will make adjustments as we go.FAQsQ: Why are these changes necessary?A: The need for our coaches to come together and collaboratively grade participants has been primarily driven by the high number of women who are training from A to AAA, and the skill level being quite consistent at the A / AA level. There are much fewer men training and the skill gradient is much more apparent.Q: This feels like a re-hashed version of Squads. Is it?A: Yes and no. Squads of last year required a committed group of people training for 12-13 weeks at a time. It was quite rigid; while there were efforts to facilitate substitution and movements, there were still structural factors that . The approach we’re moving towards still gives people the flexibility to train as life permits, but re-introduces some structure to the system with more frequent opportunities for player feedback and adjustments to training groups.Q: I really want to train with my friend, but we have been graded into different groups. What can I do?A: The intention of introducing grading and structure to these training groups is to ensure there’s emphasis on quality and performance. Unfortunately, we’re not providing high level training classes that are primarily driven by social factors. Q: I’m currently attending BBB training – how will I know when I’m ready for this?A: Speak with your coach! They will discuss with the other coaches whether you’re ready to train at an A level, and give you feedback accordingly.Q: When will I be added to a training group?A: Coaches will be adding players throughout Wednesday, September 30th.Q: I haven’t been added to a training group, but I believe I should be. What should I do?A: These training groups are for people who have been training at a A and above level. Please send an email to coaching @ cbva.org.au (without the spaces) or contact the coach you have been training with.Q: I can’t see my designated classes in Mindbody. When will they be available to book?A: We wanted to sequence the announcement and formation of training groups first. The classes for A and above levels will be available in Mindbody by the end of day Thursday, October 1st.We’re excited for another summer season, more light in the evenings and a packed tournament calendar.See you on the beach!
