Ivy League Volleyball Camps: Comparing Harvard, Yale, Princeton and 5 Others
Ivy League universities participate in NCAA Division I volleyball and their camps are some of the best places for aspiring volleyball players to not only showcase their talent, but also increase the opportunity of getting opportunity to play volleyball in college. A great way to be visible to the coaches and college volleyball recruiters is through showcase camps.
Showcase Camps
These are college recruiting camps held at universities and colleges by coaches. The college coaches can provide basic or advanced training to players during the camp and hold competitions to pick any special and outstanding players. Since these camps help with volleyball recruiting, they hold high value for parents who want their student-athletes to pursue sports in college. There is always a cost associated with attending any of these camps.
Ivy League Volleyball Camps
Ivy League is a name given to a group formed by 8 universities that are located in different states. Here are the names of the NCAA universities:
- Harvard University
- Cornell University
- Columbia University
- Yale University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Dartmouth College
- Brown University
- Princeton University
The term Ivy League has been trademarked by the consortium. Every year, these 8 universities come together to hold several events both educational and sports related to help the students shine and get recognized. These events include sports like football, volleyball, field hockey, swimming, soccer, etc. To encourage students to become college athletes, and improve their athleticism, they hold several camps known as showcase camps.
The Volleyball Showcase Camps at Ivy League Universities
Ivy League volleyball showcase camps are held every year during summer. They are mostly held in the months of June, July and August. To be a part of this campus, you have to fill in the forms that are available on the website of any of the respective universities. They might not be the most affordable camps to be a part of, but if you weigh the value they offer, they are priced fairly. Since the camp sessions camps are divided into weeks, you have the option to join the camp for only one week or all of them. For joining the camp for its entire duration, which is typically 4 to 5 weeks, you will have to pay more than $1000. Your final costs can be around $1500; however, sometimes they give a discount for prepaying for the entire camp’s duration and cut the costs by up to 20%.
Due to the great reputation of these institutions and their strict policies, most of the camps are held on university campuses and this remains a great relief for most parents who are not comfortable sending their kids away from home for too long. The camps can be day-camps or overnight camps. Overnight camps are rare, but often appear in the schedules.
Tips to Get Recruited by Coaches to Play Volleyball
You have to make some serious considerations before selecting a volleyball camp. Keep in mind at all times that you are sending more than a thousand dollars on a complete summer camp session. Along with other things, your volleyball showcase camp will help you a great deal in getting noticed and recruited to play at a higher level.
· Narrow Down a List of Schools with Great Volleyball Camps
Make sure you pick reputable schools because not only will they have great programs, there will also be a lot of people who will come to watch you play. One important thing to keep in mind is the distance of the school from where you live. If your parents aren’t ready to send you far away, you better pick one near you.
· Know the Coaches and Get in Touch with Them
It is better if you know certain coaches that really inspire you. If you don’t know much about them, research to find out who you would like to be under the supervision of. Register with the one that meets your requirements. After you have picked the coach/coaches, you would want to send them your resume and a couple of videos to show them how good you are. Don’t make the videos fancy. Your video should show you playing volleyball and this is what really matters.
· Keep Your Academic Performance High
You have to know that when you get good grades, you can be picked by schools and universities based on merit. With merit based aid you can continue with your education and sports aspirations without worrying about the costs of affording them side by side.
· Always Follow Up
Active coaches visit hundreds of places every year and watch thousands of players showing their skills. If you want to be remembered you will have to make them remember you by keeping in touch with them about your performance.
· Know the Signs
Don’t take a light conversation or a call from coach to your school as a sign of you getting recruited. Your coach might have called your school to know about your club. However, if a coach has called your home or visited you to watch you play, these are strong signs that they are recruiting players and you have been shortlisted as a potential.
· Don’t be Greedy
Yes, it is quite an honour to get selected by a coach at a Division I school, but if you are not being called and approached, don’t keep on waiting forever. Look for a program where you fit. If you have the passion and talent, you will get to your destination.
Comparing the Various Ivy League Volleyball Camps and Picking the One That’s Right for You
· Harvard University
Harvard had 2 camps scheduled for 2017. The first camp began on June 08 and ended on July 10. The sessions were held during the day time. These female-only camps focused on training and individual skills.
The head coach at Harvard is Jennifer Weiss, considered one of the best Ivy League coaches. She has also been crowned as the coach of the year 2014 for the Ivy League. With her leadership, Harvard even qualified for an NCAA tournament in 2015 after beating Princeton.
There were 2 scholarships available for girls’ volleyball at Harvard. Minimum cost to be a part of this camp was $300.
· Cornell University
Cornell had two camps in the summer of 2017, but their camps and clinics are often active throughout the year. The two camps were: Prospect Camp and All Skills Camp.
The minimum cost to be part of the camp for commuters was $399 and for residents $499. The camps were headed by coach Trudy Vande Berg, one of the youngest and most active Ivy League coaches. The prospect camp was for ages 14-19 and the all skills camp was for ages 11-18.
It is amazing that Cornell pays attention to not only new, but skilled and experienced players too. The all skills camp was definitely a great way for experienced players to polish their skills further. Free t-shirts every participant is a great perk.
· Columbia University
Columbia University has the busiest volleyball summer camp schedule for 2018. The 2018 summer camps comprise of an elite overnight camp and three day camps.
Young players might not find a place to fit in the camp at other sites, but Columbia University offers this opportunity to a wide range of age groups. Their day sessions are open for 5 graders to 12 graders. The cost for day sessions is $415. As for the elite overnight camp, the cost for commuters will be $425 and for residents it will be $550.
Columbia University offers great facilities for the participants mainly, the accommodation rooms are air conditioned they have good courts for playing. These camps are also suited for players whose parents are overly concerned about their safety and health.
· Yale University
They are definitely doing something special under the supervision of Erin Appleman, who helped the team win 5 Ivy League Championships in last 7 years. She even led a team that was able to win an NCAA match.
Their camps were held in the month of July and August in 2017. They often have a national and a regional camp wherein the national camp is only for high school girls. The cost of joining the camp is only $325, which might seem small, but it does not include accommodation at the university.
Their camps are mostly held at day time so the participants with concerned parents can join them with ease.
· University of Pennsylvania
For 2017, they had a commuter camp and an overnight camp. They keep campers to staff with a 4:1 ratio for both the camps. They can be a bit costly at first glance with $550 for the commuter camp and $650 for overnight camp.
However, they do include free lunch and dinner. You get to stay in air-conditioned rooms. Their commuter camp is well suited for young volleyball players i.e. from 10 to 18 years old.
The head coach at the camp was Katie Schumacher-Cawley, an NCAA champion. All the camp activities take place at the University of Pennsylvania.
· Dartmouth College
Dartmouth usually cares for players that don’t have any prior volleyball experience. Just this year they had an Individual Skills Day Camp where girls aged 7 to 18 could participate. The Dartmouth college summer camp is also one of the most affordable with $325 for full day registration with a $25 discount available for those who registered before April 1st.
The camper to staff ratio was 10:1, which might not be the best compared to other Ivy League volleyball camps.
They also have overnight camps available, which can be a bit expensive. They do have discounts available, but the cost of registration for residents was $640 and for commuters it was $540. They do include 2 lunches and a breakfast in the package.
Accommodations are air-conditioned and the players are supervised and assisted by NCAA D-1 coaches and staff members, and Dartmouth’s own volleyball players.
· Brown University
Brown university has volleyball summer camps every year. Their summer camp is perfect for anyone who wants to learn from an experienced head coach. Diane Short has been coaching at Brown University for 25 years and has led the Brown Bears to victory in Ivy League championships three times.
They usually have an elite and an evening camp. The elite camp is for girls 15 to 19 years of age whereas the evening camp is for girls aged 11 to 18 years.
Their camps do have the commuter option open. Lunches and dinners are served at the university and parents are allowed to watch their kids play at the tournaments.
· Princeton University
Princeton University volleyball camps are not as active compared to other Ivy League schools. They had an overnight camp in 2017 that started from August 04 and ended on August 06. They have a 10:1 camper to staff ratio and the accommodation does not have air conditioning available.
They do not accept walk-up registrations and regular registrations close 2 days before the camps start. For concerned parents, adult supervision is mandatory at their dormitories.
Bottom Line
Ivy League volleyball camps are available at all 8 NCAA universities, but you have to know your specific requirements before paying to be a part of one. Some players choose their camp based on the experience of the coach and their outreach into the professional volleyball community while others make their selection based on the type of players they will get to play with. In the end you have to look at the value for the price you pay.
Click here to to view these Ivy League volleyball camps
