How to Succeed as a Team Mom in Volleyball Travel Tournaments
Welcome to the wonderful world of volleyball travel tournaments where being a ‘team mom’ can be a challenge.
Get ready for the whirlwind of competitive club volleyball tournaments, as your child has embarked on a journey that may require you to volunteer as a team mom. With my helpful tips and planning ideas, you can successfully navigate the season and make it memorable for everyone involved. From waking up early, prepping snack lunch bags to celebrating the final day, you’ve got this!
The beautiful view from my room in Las Vegas for the 2023 SCVA Red Rock Rave. As Team Mom, I spent a lot of time in my room collecting and organizing breakfast, snack and lunch items for the team. Communication and logistics planning are the keys to success.
Before You Leave- Talk To Coaches and Communicate
Coach Preferences: If your club doesn’t give clear instructions, ask the coaches about your duties when traveling with the team.
Communication: I always appreciated when team moms texted me the first day pool schedule and admission procedures (such as pre-paid admission websites) ahead of time. It’s something I’ve always done when performing team mom duties.
Team moms usually handle a few different trip tasks, but the biggest responsibility usually involves planning team meals.
1. After receiving the schedule, communicate with the coaches about ideal times to feed the team, depending on the match schedule.
2. Find out food preferences and dietary restrictions.
3. For morning matches, (a.k.a. Morning Wave) you’ll organize breakfast, snacks, and lunch in a grab bag.
4. For evening matches, (a.k.a. Evening Wave) the team may have breakfast on their own or at the hotel, and you will arrange heavy snacks in a grab bag style to cover the playing time from 3pm to 9pm.
An example of a tournament snack box prepared by a mom for her volleyball player should include fruit, a substantial sandwich or lunch item plus quick snack options with a balance of carbs, fat and protein.
My Favorite Team Mom Hacks
Here are some incredibly helpful team mom hacks that I implemented during our trip to the SCVA Red Rock Rave Tournament in Las Vegas.
–Instead of the typical option of renting a car, I opted walk to the convention center each day. Without much transportation, I also opted to make a large Instacart order from Costco and had it conveniently delivered straight to the hotel. I tipped a bellman to help me carry it to the room. Keep all receipts handy!
The author’s Instacart order in Las Vegas. Her favorite team mom hack when on the road creating team snack lunch bags – when you have little to no transportation or limited access to nearby grocery stores.
-In addition to that, I asked the hotel in advance for an extra refrigerator and borrowed coolers from parents to properly store all of the cold food and snacks. I brought along cutting boards, plastic cutting tools, containers, eco-friendly bags me in my suitcase to create easy-to-grab individual portions.
-Every morning, the girls would excitedly stop by my room and blissfully fill up their lunch containers before heading out to the convention center for the day’s events. Not only did this method save us quite a bit of money, but it was also a lifesaver in terms of having easy and convenient access to our snacks and meals throughout the day.
The master list I used for the Costco Instacart order. Morning Wave Snacks and meals were made for 11 players. Some things needed to be divided into bags; others came individually portioned.
Water Hacks
Many venues, such as convention centers, may not have adequate water stations for tournaments. Be prepared with your own extra water on hand. You’d be surprised how many major convention centers don’t have adequate water sources for tournaments. And guess what? That was the case at our event in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Trying to buy water from any vendor onsite costs at least five dollars per 16-ounce bottle! That’s why I’ve listed some helpful hacks in this graphic. (Update: Moms at this year’s Red Rock Wave report that new water stations are now in place 🙂 but remember this hack when the issue comes up again in another tournament.)
Extra Team Mom Touches *
*Send another parent out on an errand for a small treats after day one (such as Crumbl cookies)
*Hide some positive affirmation stickers in their lunch container
*Take a small emergency kit to matches each day that includes nail clippers, nail file, hair ties, tiny sewing kit, or feminine products
Day 3-Last Day Luggage and Storage Challenges
Day three of the travel tournament usually presents the challenge of luggage storage during the last day of the tournament.
Tournament Luggage Shuffle
As the tournament enters its third and final day, the logistical challenges of checking out early, followed by a possible three more matches comes to the forefront. Being prepared for these hurdles ensures a smooth finish to the volleyball extravaganza.
-Check to see if the tournament venue staff is providing a luggage storage room. Some major tournaments will do that on day three right there in the venue.
-Coordinate with Team: Encourage open communication among team members and parents about luggage arrangements. Coordinating efforts can lead to shared solutions and smoother transitions. A parent with late check-out might consider keeping bags in their room until the team leaves for the airport.
–Consider using team vehicles for storage if necessary.
Team Mom Finish Line
Team Mom duties on travel tournament weekends is hard work, but rewarding. With a little pre-planning, and organization, you’ll be able to successfully navigate game day logistics, celebrate the victories and help leave lasting memories for your young athletes. Do you have some helpful team mom hacks to pass along? Please leave your comments below. Have Fun!
New to the club volleyball world? Read about how to prepare and pack like a pro for your very first club tournament game day in my previous blog post.
