Who we are and what we do....

We are a non-profit/501(C)3 organization that prepares premier Junior Olympic volleyball teams in the Kansas City area for regional and national competition. Now in our sixth year of operation Southwind provides volleyball and athletic training for youth and adult athletes and education for coaches. Our emphasis is the development of elite athletes to participate as members on our national and regional Junior Olympic squads.

Southwind also works with various parks and recreation departments around the city to include Johnson County Parks and Recreation, Blue Valley Parks and Recreation, as well as Merriam Parks and Recreation. Our relationship with these organizations includes hosting fundamental camps and classes throughout the year. In addition to numerous Junior Olympic teams Southwind also manages entry level teams for recreation and intermediate athletes.

Southwind is one of the only Junior Olympic clubs in the area that runs programs year round. It is our constant working in the field that has allowed our club to develop techniques and drills to help advance atheltes to an elite level of play.

Our Name "Southwind Tribe"

Southwind is one of the few names given to the Kanza Indians who were located in this area as it was being settled. Some believe the word "kanza" means wind or people of the wind. The South wind is common in the state of Kansas the only time it does not blow is the day after a Northern Front.

The Kanza/Kaw tribe at one time stretched over 20 million acres across Northern Kansas into Nebraska and Missouri. The Kanza lived a semi-nomadic life, depending primarily on buffalo hunting and some farming for their food. They obtained social prestige and honor only in combat, and their chiefs were chosen for bravery and wisdom. The culture of the Kanza was that of the Plains people of the central United States.