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About Cape Fear Volleyball
Cape Fear Volleyball is one of the oldest programs in North Carolina, first formed by Ron and Mary Beth Strickland in 1980 and still under the direction of Ron Strickland. The program has been a developmental force for volleyball in eastern NC for nearly 3 decades, growing over the years from a single team to 9 Travel Teams and 3 In-House Teams in 2011-12. CFV has expanded in both the numbers of teams and the depth of options available for players. In 05-06, we had In-Region teams and Hi-Travel teams. In 2006-07, we piloted a new program with reduced travel (and cost) for our youngest ages, our Dev/Pro program. This is an area we continue to expand, with creative ideas to allow for these youngest players to learn the game without as much travel the older players face.
As mentioned above, in 2006-2007, we expanded to a total of 13 teams, incredible growth for a single year. While the Hi-travel Program was morphing into the National Program, with additional travel opportunities, we expanded our youngest group by starting our Developmental Program, or Dev/Pro. We had over 35 players ranging in age from 8 to 13. In 2007-08, we moved the 13’s up to the full travel teams groups, with 12 to 8’s staying in the Dev/Pro group. In the 2009-10 season, we had about 25 Dev/Pro players, although we had several younger players playing 13’s. The Regional Program continued, but added Monument City, a large tournament in Richmond which gave everyone the opportunity to see and play in a festival setting with over 300 teams competing. Very different from the typical regional tournament with 10 teams in a high school gym.
CFV accepts players from all surrounding schools, public and private. Players are evaluated at the start of the season and placed on teams according to multiple criteria. These criteria include ability, age, position, commitment, coachability, and other factors. This evaluation and placement process involves assessment of players by club coaches and outside sources such as UNCW players. CFV does not team build for any school. Players from the same school will not intentionally be placed together to enhance that school team. It has always been our belief that if we build the players, we help build all teams, and the individual school coach can do the rest. Occasionally, this concept is questioned by parents who want their player’s HS or MS team to stay together in the off-season. However, our concept is “build the player”, not the school.
