Power Teams

These are the elite Pumas teams, and will play against other club's elite teams. The Power division has 14U, 16U, and 18U age groups. Girls who try out for Power must be able to commit to two practices per week: one on Saturday for 2 ½ hours, one evening during the week (usually Tuesday) for 2 hours, and will travel to at least two additional tournaments, including one that may be out of New England (eg., New York, Baltimore, and Reno are possibilities). Conflicts with High School sports or vacations must be discussed with the appropriate coach during tryouts. Girls who do not make the Power division are encouraged to try out for the Club division.

Power teams will be entered (space permitting) into the NERVA Open division qualifier tournament in February. If they do well, they begin the season in the NERVA Open division, where the tournaments have adult refs and are held at higher quality gyms. Otherwise they would compete in the Club division, but could play their way up to Open during the season, and would continue to practice twice a week and be a Pumas Power team.

Season
The Power season runs from November tryouts through May 6, 2012. There will be five Sunday tournaments in the New England area: Mar 6 & 20, Apr 3 & 17, May 1. The power teams will also have a qualifier (weekend of Feb 4/5 (16U) or 11/12 (18U) and at least one additional tournament (Jan 15-17 and/or other). Parents provide transportation to practices and tournaments. Most Open tournaments are within an hour's drive, but some may be up to 2 hours away. Players should try to plan their vacations around practices and tournaments to the extent possible. During tryouts, players will be asked to sign a Power Contract stating which tournament dates they are able to attend.

Tryouts
Some girls are unsure what level to try out for, and wonder if they should try out for an older age division than their qualifying age.  Pumas believes that ideal experience for the girl and the club is for girls to play at their appropriate age group.  A girl will develop better physically the more she plays, she will develop better emotionally when given opportunities to lead, and she will develop better socially when among girls her own age, and not being viewed as inferior because of her age.  All of these points argue against playing up. Go to the rules page for a guide to skill and experience levels for each division and age group. Also, see the FAQ for a discussion on playing-up.

Players are strongly encouraged to attend all appropriate tryout sessions, but must attend at least one. The tryoutsare competitive, especially at the older divisions, and some cuts may be made. Teams will be formed with approximately 10 girls per team.

Any girl who doesn't make a power team is invited and required at the Club division tryouts at no additional fee.

Conditioning:
Our 14s Power teams receive one free CATZ team conditioning session per week for 17 weeks, scheduled by each team independently. Players on other power teams may buy this benefit individually for just $130 for the season. For CATZ more information go to our CATZ page.

Tryout Schedule:

Law = Lawrence Boys and Girls Club: 136 Water St, Lawrence MA
UML = UMass Lowell Campus Recreation Center: 100 Pawtucket St, Lowell MA
Each session lasts 2 ½ hours.

Please arrive 20-30 minutes early for your tryout. At your first tryout, you must bring the tryout fee along with a medical form (and photo form if you are new to the club), and must have registered with NERVA on-line. It's essential to pre-register on our web site as soon as possible. There is no charge, it will save you time and money at check-in, and it helps us know how many girls to expect.