Circus Volleyball Club Review
A fun name for a fun club. A mainstay on Chicago’s club volleyball scene, Circus Volleyball club was founded thirty years ago by Dave Boze, who started the the club with one freshman team in 1980. Dave, who was nicknamed “Bozo” gave the new volleyball club its name in reference to its being called “Dave Boze’s Circus.” Circus is the oldest club in the Great Lakes Region and for the 2009-2010 season has six teams. One 18s, four 16s, and one 14s team.
The club’s mission, as stated on its site is “to teach student athletes who value education and wish to play volleyball at a highly competitive level of play. To dedicate, discipline and commit themselves to practice not more than 8 hours weekly. Love for the game with the highest level of competitiveness. To teach the meaning of commitment, team composition and focus on advancement above winning.”
Rich Vrba has been the director of this relatively small club with approximately 200 members for ten years. Despite its size, Circus has a rich history in competing and winning at the AAU National tournaments and competitions, where it garnered four national titles, five silver medals and three times finished third–all within a short time after the club’s birth.
Circus volleyball club coaches are former high school and college volleyball players and coaches who’ve coached at the club anywhere from two to seven years.
A club program that embraced the importance of traveling and international competition beginning in the early 80s, Circus teams have competed overseas in the Virgin Islands, Denmark, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Stockholm and Copenhagen. In the 90s Circus continued to travel and play domestically in locations that included New Orleans, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Key West. To be the best you have to play the best, and so Circus volleyball club players travel to compete currently in some of the largest junior club volleyball tournaments located in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri.
The club is based out of Jane Addams Junior High School and boasts a significant number of players who have received college volleyball scholarships. “Since 1980, 110 Circus graduates received college scholarships to over 70 different universities.” A few Circus alumni players include:
Liz Berg – North CarolinaChris White – MichiganLindsay Trudell – Indiana UniversityVikki Simonis – University of the PacificKaren Staab – MinnesotaKristin Roman – WisconsinKarlin Sander – Southwest MissouriCindy Novak – BradleyKim Norris – RegisKim Neiman – PurdueKatie Meyer – RiceMarianne Nance – North CarolinaKatie Lotarski – Florida StateDebbie Lund – Miami-OhioSara Aldrich – Georgia TechJessi Bornack – University of ConnecticutHeather Brewster – Eastern Illinois