TCAPS Learning, Enrichment & Athletic Program

About Girls Volleyball Middle School Girls Volleyball is open to students in 6th - 8th grade. The season begins during Summer Break, and will run for approximately eight weeks. This program of educational athletics will focus on skill development, gaining an appreciation for the sport of volleyball, and teamwork. Effort, attitude, and commitment will directly influence individual growth within the program. Students are evaluated by the Director of Volleyball Operations (DOVO) as well as the other coaches on staff. We have 3 tiers in middle school volleyball (gold, white & green/black): Gold Tier Teams: All 6th graders are placed on a gold tier team. Gold tier team rosters are created with players of a similar skill set based on evaluation results. With rare exception, 6th grade teams will only play other gold tier teams from both East and West Middle Schools. White Tier Teams: The white tier has a combination of grade specific teams as well as teams made up of both 7th & 8th grade students. White tier teams will play other white tier teams from EMS and WMS. On occasion, the grade specific white tier teams have the opportunity to play outside competition. These teams are still working on growing and improving their fundamental skill set, while also working towards involvement at the next level. Combining grades on some white tier teams allows for intermediate level players to learn and grow at the same pace as their peers, regardless of grade level. Black & Green Tier Teams: The black & green tiers are made up of the most advanced players in 7th & 8th grade. These teams are considered our MHSAA Travel teams. TCAPS Middle School athletes will now participate under the umbrella of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The middle school teams under the MHSAA must be composed of students enrolled in TCAPS. .Athletes placed in the black/green tiers will play most of their games against teams from other school districts. Students placed at this level have strong fundamental skill sets and are ready for a higher level of instruction and play. It is our goal to prepare these student athletes for involvement at the next level. Season Start Date: Monday, August 25, 2025 East Middle School Evaluation Schedule: Monday 8/25 & Tuesday 8/26, 2025 @ TC Central High School Gyms 8th Grade check-in: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm 8th Grade Evaluation: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 7th Grade Check-in: 12:45 pm - 1:15 pm 7th Grade Evaluation: 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm 6th Grade Check-in: 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm 6th Grade Evaluation: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm NOTE: VOLLEYBALL EVALUATIONS ARE HELD @ TC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL in the BIG GYM. Please plan on attending both evaluation days if possible. Players will also need to bring a big water bottle with your name on it. Hair must be pulled back. Team announcements will be done via email over the weekend. Practice schedules will be forthcoming once team announcements are made. Practices typically are two days a week with games being once or twice a week, typically on Monday and Wednesday. 7th and 8th Grade travel teams will have occasional Saturday tournaments. For the season: Athletic shoes and knee pads are required. Black spandex long inseam shorts preferred. Parent Meeting: TBD Interested in coaching?? We are especially in need of 6th grade coaches this season. Please contact Coach Trahair for more information! West Middle School Evaluation Schedule Monday 8/25 & Tuesday 8/26, 2025 @ West Middle School Gyms: 8th Grade check-in: 9:00 am - 9:30 pm 8th Grade Evaluation: 9:30 am - 10:30 am 7th Grade Check-in: 10:15 am - 10:45 am 7th Grade Evaluation: 10:45 am - 11:45 am 6th Grade Check-in: 11:30 am - 12:00 pm 6th Grade Evaluation: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Please plan on attending all evaluation days if possible. Players will also need to bring a big water bottle with your name on it. Hair must be pulled back. Team announcements will be done via email over the weekend. Practice schedules will be forthcoming once team announcements are made. Practices typically are two days a week with games being once or twice a week, typically on Monday and Wednesday. 7th and 8th Grade travel teams will have occasional Saturday tournaments. For the season: Athletic shoes and knee pads are required. Black spandex-long inseam shorts preferred. Interested in coaching?? We are especially in need of 6th grade coaches this season. Please contact Scott Purdy for more information! Parent Meeting: TBD EMS Director of Volleyball Operations Nick Trahair: trahairni@tcaps.net WMS Director of Volleyball Operations TBD Equipment Needed: Tennis/Athletic Shoes (required) Knee Pads (required) Black Spandex-long inseam Volleyball Shorts preferred. Game Schedules: Games: Games are slated to begin Monday, September 8th and run through Wednesday, October 22nd. Games are typically played Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 PM. MHSAA travel teams may ocassionally travel or host games on Tuesday and/or Thursday. Tournaments: 1 -3 Saturday tournaments will be scheduled for the MHSAA travel teams. On occasion, white tier teams may participate in Saturday tournaments. Schedule Release: MHSAA schedules will be released at the start of the season. The first two weeks of team game schedules for the remaining LEAP teams will be communicated to players through their coach following evaluations and the start of practices.There are many layers to the master schedule, so we appreciate your patience in advance. LEAP schedules can not be created until all teams and coaches are finalized at both EMS and WMS. Additionally, we do not complete the entire game schedule until after each team has played at least one league game. While we do our best to create equitable gold and white tier teams from what we see at evaluations, the initial games give us valuable insight to the strength of teams. We then use that information to create the best possible match ups for the remainder of the season. Our goal is to have the completed game schedule by the 3rd week in September. 2025 Girls Volleyball Schedule - Exact Schedules TBD All dates are subject to change. Transportation is not a guarantee to away games. Admission: Admission will be charged for HOME contests as outlined below. Admission for AWAY contests varies by school and is set by the host school. General Admission - $5.00 Children 5 & Under - Free *************************************** 3 STEP ENROLLMENT PROCESS: 1) Registration & Payment TCAPS Middle School athletes will now participate under the umbrella of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The middle school teams under the MHSAA must be composed of students enrolled in TCAPS. In addition to MHSAA teams, LEAP will still have non-MHSAA teams in Volleyball. LEAP will accept students from non-TCAPS schools on our non-MHSAA teams whenever possible. If your student is not enrolled at TCAPS, please select the Non-TCAPS option and enroll your student as an individual. All out-of-district individual students will initially be placed on a waitlist. Following the close of registration, these individuals will be contacted by LEAP to inform you if your student’s enrollment has been accepted. Registration Deadline: Friday, August 1, 2025. Registration deadlines are final. Late registrations may not be accepted after the posted registration close date. If late registration is available, there will be a $25.00 late fee added to the cost of registration. Particiaption Fee: TCAPS Students: $150.00 Reduced fees are available to TCAPS students who qualify for the free and reduced meals program: Reduced Meals Participation Fee: $75.00 if registered by the deadline Free Meals Participation Fee: $50.00 if registered by the deadline GTACS shared-time student Fee: $190.00 We do not need a Final Forms account for GTACS 6th graders. We do not need physicals turned in for GTACS students playing 6th grade volleyball. GTACS will handle tracking physicals for their own students however they see fit. Non-shared time students: $215.00 Grand Traverse Academy, Greenspire, Homeschool, Pathfinder, Woodland Reduced Rates are not available for any Non-TCAPS students. NOTE: Payment is required at the time of registration. You may register online using a Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or ACH (via a checking or savings account) please register below. Registration is not complete until your course appears in your dashboard. You will also receive an email from Eleyo confirming your registration. If you need assistance please call the LEAP office (231.933.7480). 2) Final Forms ALL TCAPS STUDENTS MUST REGISTER FOR A FINAL FORMS ACCOUNT IN ADDITION TO REGISTERING/PAYING Please register at: https://traversecity-mi.finalforms.com and follow the prompts to create your account, create your students, and sign your forms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support,” or feel free to contact our office. NOTE: During parent registration, you will need to input your students’ TCAPS email address. 3) Sports Physical Middle School Athletes must have an updated physical on file each school year. Sports physicals must be dated April 15th, 2024 or later, & can be used for the entire '24-'25 school year. Athletes MAY NOT attend practices/evaluations etc. until this is on file. Once obtained please feel free to email physicals directly to: lawrencebo@tcaps.net Need a new physical? Download and print the TCAPS physical form here and then call your family physician or the TCAPS Student Health Center at (231-642-5291) to schedule a physical for your child.