After three incredibly successful seasons, almost all former Virginia Elite athletes are playing volleyball at the college level. Over the years, our athletes have shared a commitment to teamwork, a love of the game, and a sense of belonging and camaraderie unseen by most volleyball clubs. However, as our athletes move on to college, they may feel removed from the Virginia Elite community.
Well, not anymore! Virginia Elite is proud to announce the Virginia Elite Alumni Association.
The goal of the Alumni Association is to keep our former players and teams connected even after they begin their college careers. During the seasons they played for Virginia Elite, our athletes created memories and shared experiences that will last a lifetime: sweating it out at practices, long weekend tournaments and qualifiers, international trips studying volleyball abroad, college volleyball camps with their Virginia Elite teammates, and annual paintball outings and BBQs.
Not only will the Alumni Association strengthen the Virginia Elite community, but it will also continue to build the sense of belonging for our graduated players. It will also serve as a bridge between our up-and-coming high school players and those who have moved on to play at the college level.
Many current Virginia Elite players have questions about the transition from club volleyball to volleyball at the college level – and about college in general. By connecting our alumni and current players, we hope to provide a direct resource for our current high school players looking forward to playing at the college level as well as mentoring opportunities for our alumni.
The Virginia Elite Alumni Association is not just for players – it’s parents and siblings too. Many families have kept up the same travel schedule as the players over the years. They too have developed a unique bond and sense of camaraderie with players and families throughout the club. With everyone’s busy lives, we all know writing multiple email updates about our players college volleyball experiences can be extremely time consuming. As such, the Virginia Elite Alumni Association provides alumni, players, parents, and families a single location to post and share alumni updates. And, we know without a doubt, certain parents will always return for the Annual Virginia Elite Paintball Challenge when they see that date posted on the website. Who says parents can’t have fun too?
How you can help build the Alumni Association? In the coming months, this section of the website will be developed with a dedicated focus on Virginia Elite Alumni. Current planned sections include alumni Q&A sessions, blogs, alumni “In The News” updates, and possible alumni events. Of course, we cannot develop our alumni content without your help and feedback. If you’re an alumni interested in writing a blog, a current player with questions, or a parent with free time (if such a thing exists), please e-mail us at alumni@vaelite.com All suggestions are welcome – we look forward to hearing from you!!
Ben Glon
Director – Virginia Elite Alumni Association
Director – Virginia Elite Alumni Association