sideline in the club world. We thought some of it was going sideways and we thought we could provide a better experience.” Urged by the families of some of his De La Salle players, Rich Feldmann decided to pursue opening a club in 2011 and began BAVC at NorCal Courts in Martinez. The club had two boys teams in its first season and added seven girls teams in the fall of the same year. As their club expanded, it became clear that for the Feldmann’s to accomplish their true vision, they needed their own facility. An exhaustive search finally led Feldmann to the building the club inhabits now, which in October will mark a full year as BAVC’s home base. The facility now hosts 14 teams in the BAVC family, 10 girls teams ranging from 13U-18U and four boys teams ranging from 16U-18U. “This is beyond what we thought it would be at this stage,” said Tracy, who is affectionally known throughout the club as ‘Mama T.’ “But what this facility has given us, is an ability to suit our programs to our families.” When it came to filling out the 11,000 square feet, the Feldmann’s seemingly thought of everything. The facility boasts two full volleyball courts, a downstairs viewing area for parents, an upstairs view deck for parents (complete with cardio machines if the parent is forced to skip his or her gym visit), a training room, a team room, a study room, a conference room, a kids play room to entertain younger siblings of players, a game room for older kids and parents featuring a pool table and dart board, and a TV lounge for team film study. The building has also given the club freedom. It’s been able to expand its instruction to include private lessons and low-cost developmental leagues. Evans also spearheads the club’s beach program which uses the sand courts at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek. But it’s not all bells and whistles. The BAVC teams have found success on the court as well. It’s had more than a few teams place in the Top 5 at the Reno FarWest Qualifer in recent seasons, and currently has nine kids being recruited for scholarships, including Ornella Tchoumie (Freedom-Oakley), Lexi Hammer and Sterling Parker(AlhambraMartinez), Erika Scheafer and Starr Aven (Clayton Valley Charter-Concord), Kylie Kendall (Liberty-Brentwood), Kendal Henry (Heritage-Brentwood) and Shelby Bryant, (Carondelet-Concord). Doug Dannevik, an NCAA Division III National Championship coach at the University of San Diego in the 80s and 90s, is the club’s Director of Coaches Development and is using his extensive collegiate connections to help build a college recruitment connection database. “A tagline for this really does seem to be ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Rich said on a late August morning. “Be who you are, represent your values, deliver a good service and the wins and success will come.” ✪
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September 2015
SportStars™
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