2024 Season Information

2024 Club Season Registration is Closed

Please read carefully - this page was updated 11/14/23.

Please carefully read the linked slide deck with information about the upcoming season. Athletes, parents and guardians are required to review this information.

Parents, guardians, and athletes are required to read the informational slide deck before signing the Letter of Commitment. The Letter of Commitment must be signed at the time team placements are made (approximately 5-7 days after the 2nd tryout date). Information includes an overview of the season including tentative practice and event structure, fees, registration process, coaching assignments, volunteer opportunities, as well as expectations and club philosophy. The slide deck also includes information about the cost structure, an overview of club expenses, and fundraising opportunities available to offset a portion of registration fees.

2023-2024 Season Timeline:

Sunday, October 8: Registration Opens.

Friday, October 27: Registration Closes
All athletes wanting to try out must register by this date.

October 29 - November 13: Tryouts

Tryouts are open to athletes and evaluators only. Parents are welcome to wait in the lobby.

Wear spandex shorts, leggings or athletic shorts and a comfortable tee shirt (short or long sleeve - no sweatshirts during tryouts). Kneepads are required. Bring court shoes (shoes that are not worn outside), comfortable gym socks, a pre-filled water bottle, and a fantastic attitude.

December 4 - March 28: Club Season (practices and events).

No practices during winter break.
Event schedule will be posted in November. Expect up to 8, single day events (either a Saturday or Sunday) between mid-January to late March.
Save the Date! Home tournament March 9 & 10, 2024.

Fee Schedule:

*$150 deposit is due by October 27, 2023. This amount is deducted from the total registration fee. Deposit is non-refundable, unless your athlete is not placed on a roster. If your child is not placed, we will refund the deposit.

12U, 13U, 14U:

November 25, 2023: $60 USAV Membership

December 1, 2023: $250

January 1, 2024: $250

February 1, 2024: $250

March 1, 2024: $250

12U, 13U, 14U Total: $1,150 for the season, plus $60 USAV membership.

15U:

November 25, 2023: $60 USAV Membership

December 1, 2023: $400

January 1, 2024: $400

February 1, 2024: $400

March 1, 2024: $400

15U Total: $1,750, plus $60 USAV membership.

In addition to the items below, 15U includes an average of 3 practices/week, film review, 1-2 local, multi-day events, 1 out of town event (families responsible for travel costs), 5-6 local, single day events, and additional coaching support.

Fee Includes:

Jersey

Warm-Up (Personalized with Name and Number)

Practice Shirt

Team Backpack (Personalized with Club Bison and Player Name)

Average of 2 Practices per Week

6 to 8 Play Events

Coaches

The registration fee covers the above as well as club administration costs. We operate on a break-even pricing structure and fund additional needs through various fundraising endeavors throughout the year. We intend to run two fundraisers this season, in which athletes can sell items to offset a portion of their registration fee. Club expenses include items such as court rentals, equipment, insurance, coaching background checks, event entry fees, team/club JVA and USAV memberships, administrative costs, etc.)

Volunteer Hours:

Each athlete will need to submit a separate, volunteer deposit check of $150 by December 4, 2023. This check will be returned at the end of the season to athletes who have completed a minimum of 5 pre-approved volunteer hours. Checks will be cashed at the end of the season for anyone who has not completed the volunteer requirement.

Volunteer opportunities are open to both athletes and family members and include areas such as: registration assistance, uniform fitting/ordering, sorting and distribution of jerseys/gear, distribution of spirit wear, volunteering at a home tournament, bagging groceries at Cub Foods ("bagging for tips" event), setting up/taking down nets/equipment at skills clinics, assisting with officiating/scoring at an event, etc. We are continually adding volunteer opportunities.

Team Placements:

We are currently able to place four teams, based on available court time and coaches. We anticipate placing approximately 10 athletes per team. There may be a few exceptions, based on tryout numbers, positioning, injury recovery, etc.

*Coaching assignments subject to change.

13-1

Grade 7

Coaches Amanda Bicknell & Olivia Lutz

14-1

Grade 8

Coaches Tennille Popelka & Hailey Posch

14-2

Grade 8

Coaches Emmerson Breyer, Kate Schmidt, Logan Russell

15-1

Grade 9

Coaches Jill Castle & Lauri Zumach

Events:

Each team will play six to eight weekend events which consist of either a play date (half day) or tournament (full day). All teams (except the 15-1s) will play one day, rather than multiple day, events. Example: a team may play on a Saturday or Sunday on a particular weekend, but not both days. Events are generally held within 90 minutes of Buffalo, though most are within 45-60 minutes (example: St. Cloud, Twin Cities, Watertown, Delano, Monticello, etc.)

The exception to this is the 15-1's (high school) team, which may play some multi-day (2-3 day) local events and may travel for one event (ex: Rochester, Wisconsin Dells, Bemidji, Sioux Falls).

Practices:

For all teams except 15-1's, practices are held weekday evenings, twice/week, for 90 minutes each. Practice locations include BHS, the BHS Activity Center, and St. Francis Xavier School in Buffalo. Schedules will be available shortly. Attendance at practice is expected, with full focus and commitment during this time. Athletes must be on time and court-ready at the beginning of practice (shoes and kneepads on, water bottles filled) and plan on practicing the full 90 minutes. Practices may run 10-15 minutes long when nets need to be taken down at the end of the night or when finishing a scrimmage.

The 15-1's team will practice 3 times per week, for 1.5 hours each. Practices for this team include film review, goal setting, and positional training.