Directors Welcome
A Note from the Club Directors...
Welcome to Uno Volleyball Club! We are welcoming you to both a new home for Uno and our 20th year as a successful, competitive, winning club volleyball program. This is a special year for us because of the new facility and the recognition of just how far we've come since 1984. When Uno first began in the fall of 1984, it was met with some resistance from the athletic directors, high school coaches, and parents who suffered from, simply put, a lack of understanding of what we were trying to accomplish. We had to push on so we practiced in a little village hall in Palos Park (a 45-minute drive from Joliet) where the nets attached to rings on opposing walls. There was only one court. Somehow we managed to have one 18-Under team and two 16-under teams. We did quite well for a club in its infancy. We managed to win several tournaments, two of the three teams went to Nationals and we placed all of our seniors in colleges on scholarship. There were probably one-fourth of the teams back then that exist today in our Great Lakes Region membership. But we managed to always place in the top 5, both locally and nationally. While we managed to keep the club small for a very long time, in 2004 it boomed to 17 teams. This year, we will have 22 teams (which includes 3 boys teams!) in our club... in our new facility... celebrating our 20th year in the Great Lakes Region of the USAVB organization. We are proud of our successes, our growth, our athletes, our philosophy, and the coaches that represent this fine club. We will continue to strive for perfection, and hopefully achieve excellence. Our hope is that you leave every year with a positive experience, great memories, solid volleyball skills, raised self-esteem, and lifelong friendships.
We are entering our 20th year as one of the strongest club volleyball programs in the largest region in the country. We have not only become a reputable, first-class organization, dedicated to the development of our athletes (both on and off the court), we have become a hub for talented female athletes committed to the game of volleyball and the Uno philosophy.
Our perfect belief that an athlete can train 3 days per week and achieve personal success in the game of volleyball, while maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has catapulted us into the highest ranks of the club volleyball arena. Our ability to train athletes in the fundamentals and basic skills of volleyball while providing them with additional strength/speed training has provided the Joliet area with an overall higher level of volleyball success. We are very proud of the athletes that commit to our program as well as the experienced coaches that produce these volleyball success stories. We have found the ideal combination of training hours, tournament time, and study time to develop our athletes into the well-rounded individuals they strive to become. It is amazing that these athletes can go on to achieve volleyball scholarships through our program without the need to practice 4, 5, or 6 days a week! When the training is administered in a professional manner by trained, experienced adults, wonderful results occur. The Club Directors are responsible for overseeing this day-to-day training and work closely with the coaches and athletes to insure complete harmony. This club works as a TEAM and as a FAMILY and we rely on each other to be successful. We are blessed with supportive and committed families that stay with the program so they can watch their children grow and develop and achieve personal success. Our athletes have the reputation of having incredible skills, knowledge, and training of the game. What we have succeeded in doing is empowering these young women with the self-esteem, confidence, self-motivation, and self-respect that they might have not received otherwise. We are honored to be a part of that.
Our combined method of solid fundamental skill-based training and acceleration/jump training (and weight training) is indicative of our commitment to our athletes and the progression of the sport. Our Elite teams are designed to compete at the highest level with a challenging training schedule and highly competitive tournament schedule as well as a commitment to academic excellence. These Elite teams will not only compete in the toughest club schedule in the Chicago region but will also travel to National Qualifiers and tournaments where we will see the best teams from all over the country, as well as college scouts from all areas of the United States. These teams will also be comprised of athletes who are committed to volleyball and have an intense passion for the game.
In addition to our Elite teams, we have designed a group of "Blue" teams that will also compete at a high level. They will consist of athletic individuals who wish to develop their volleyball skills through repetition and discipline but may also partake in a second sport. These teams will allow them to pursue their love for volleyball and winning while nurturing a second passion. With the hotbed of athletic talent in the southern suburbs, we can cater to these athletes so both of us can have the best of both worlds.
As two individuals that grew up in the Joliet area with a heartfelt passion for volleyball, we are fortunate to share our love of the game and desire to teach with so many wonderful people. We believe you can achieve success within Uno because we offer the right combination of elements for your child. As mothers, we know what you want for your children and we'll help you get it. Thanks for choosing Uno as your home club base.
Christine Beltzhoover Klingler (Class of 1980, Joliet Central High School)
And
Terri Hibner Baranski (Class of 1986, Joliet Central High School),
Your Uno Club Directors