10 Steps to Help Your Child get Recruited by a Coach

The following is a guest post by Joie Jager-Hyman, college consultant and author of B+ Grades, A+ Applications. Joie was an Assistant Director of Admissions at her alma mater, Dartmouth College, and has a Doctorate in Education Policy.

Many students dream of playing sports on the college level but most athletes don’t know how to get started with the college recruiting process. How can you tell if you’re good enough to play for a university? When should you reach out to coaches, how do you contact them and what’s the best way to introduce yourself? What role does academics play in the athletic recruiting process? These are just a few of the commonly asked questions I get from the students I work with as a college admissions consultant.

To give student-athletes a head start, I worked with Andrew Herman, who is an experienced university Athletic Director, on developing these ten basic steps to get the athletic recruitment ball rolling (pun intended) for my new book, B+ Grades, A+ Applications, which will be published by Ten Speed this summer.

1. Be Good at the Sport

In addition to beating school records, coaches are looking to recruit athletes who also spend time outside of school playing in tournaments and investing time in off-season training. For most sports, it’s also important to begin a weight-training program because college athletes are bigger, faster, and stronger than high school athletes.

2. Become Familiar with the NCAA Rules and Regulations

It’s easy to get confused when researching colleges individually since each NCAA classification (Division I, II and III) has their own rules and regulations. The NCAA website (www.ncaa.org) is a comprehensive resource for athletes to understand the different classifications, regulations, team rankings and academic requirements.

3. Find Role Models

It’s important to do research about how other student-athletes in a sport got recruited to learn more about the recruiting process. Additionally an athlete may want to research college athletes’ bios online and see if you can spot some themes and what they have done to get them where they are. (i.e. Did all the lacrosse players at your top-choice school play for a particular travel team or attend a camp?)

4. Get a Head Start

Most coaches begin recruiting athletes in their junior year of high school and most athletes commit to a college the following summer or fall. Since the athletic recruiting process is earlier than the regular college admissions timeline, by the end of sophomore year or beginning of junior year an athlete should start putting together a list of potential colleges that might be a good fit athletically and academically.

5. Get the Best Grades You Can

Although athletes are favored in the admissions process, they still have to meet the college’s minimum admission requirements to be accepted. It’s best to keep options open and cast a wide net when looking at colleges the beginning of the process because there is still time to improve as an athlete and a student.

6. Create a Resume to Send to Coaches

Take the initiative to send a resume to coaches at the schools of interest. Resumes should include: name and contact info, relevant physical characteristics, athletic and academic experience. Athletes can also include any outside hobbies or other extracurricular interests.

7. Write a Cover Letter

When sending resumes, an athlete should be sure to attach a brief cover letter introducing himself or herself to the coach. Keep the letter short and sweet, remembering to show enthusiasm for the school by including one or two details about the college and some information about personal academic interests. To ensure future contact, athletes should let the coach know their intentions to keep he or she updated on their progress.

8. Make a Video

Coaches use videos to see what athletes look like in action. The footage does not need to be professional, but it would be best to put together a short segment of a game or a series of clips that showcase personal athletic abilities relevant to the sport. Be sure to show it to people who can provide appropriate feedback before sending.

9. Send out Packets

A packet is the most important and comprehensive piece of information an athlete has to share with coaches. A packet should include: a resume, cover letter, video, and a copy of the transcript so the coach sees if an athlete meets the school’s academic profile. The earlier an athlete sends their packets (think winter of junior year), the more time they have to communicate with coaches.

10. Follow up

Athletes should be sure to follow-up with any coach that contacts them after they have sent their packets. The response should be brief and should express interest in learning more about the team, including questions about any camps or tournaments that they plan to attend and if the coach will also be there. If an athlete doesn’t hear from a coach within two weeks, he or she can write an email to inquire whether or not the coach has received the packet, kindly restating their interest in the school.

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Dr. Jager-Hyman is an internationally acclaimed expert on the college admissions process.? As an expert on college admissions,? Joie? has appeared on the CBS Early Show, New England Cable News, NPR and dozens of other radio programs. A graduate of Dartmouth College,? Joie? served as Assistant Director of Admissions for her alma mater, and then went on to complete a doctorate in education policy at Harvard University. Her latest book is,? B+ Grades, A+ College Application: How to Present Your Strongest Self, Write a Standout Admissions Essay, and Get Into the Perfect School for You.

The Super Competitive World of Female, Fast Pitch Softball

Female, fast pitch softball participation rates in the United States and worldwide are at an all time high. Over 1.6 million girls participate in youth softball on an annual basis. According to the 2014 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 573,535 girls participated in fast pitch softball at the high school level. This is fantastic news for the sport of female, fast pitch softball. However, the greater the number of  participants, the greater the level of competition for playing time at the high school and college levels and the greater the competition for coveted college softball scholarships. Unfortunately, talented players get overlooked every day by college recruiters and coaches. If you want a chance at the limited number of college softball scholarships, YOU MUST create, develop, maintain and publicize your “SOFTBALL BRAND NAME” and effectively market you’re playing skills to college recruiters and coaches.

College Softball Participation Rates

The NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA (Junior Colleges) reported the following softball player participation rates:

NCAA Division I --- 5,285

NCAA Division II ---4,905

NCAA Division III --- 6,964 

NAIA Division I --- 1,920

NAIA Division II--- 1,948   

NJCAA (Junior College) Division I --- 3,291

NJCAA Division II --- 1,353

NJCAA Division III --- 965   

Number of Schools Offering College Softball

NCAA Division I--- 289

NCAA Division II--- 265

NCAA Division III--- 381

NAIA--- 198

NJCAA Junior College Division I, Division II, Division III ( combined) --- 339

Total --- 1632

Softball Scholarships Available At Each Collegiate Level

NCAA Division I --- 12 scholarships (per school) 

NCAA Division II --- 7.2 scholarships (per school) 

NCAA Division III --- 0 scholarships  

NAIA --- 10 scholarships (per school)

NJCAA Division I and II --- 24 scholarships ( per school)

NJCAA Division III --- 0 scholarships

The total scholarships listed above pertain to schools that are fully funded with large athletic budgets due to lucrative football and basketball revenues. Unfortunately, most college softball programs are NOT FULLY FUNDED, which makes a softball scholarship a highly valued commodity.  

College coaches will avoid “overbearing parents” in the athletic recruiting process at all costs

Posted by recruiting-101.com | August 25, 2014 .

As I have mentioned many times and in a number of different articles, college coaches try to find out the most that they can about each recruit that they are after.  If a scholarship offer will come to the table, the majority of coaches do an in-depth background check that allows them to learn as much as they can about the situation of each athlete they are serious about.

But when they do this background check, it is not just 100% about the athlete.  The coaches also look into the family life and what they may be dealing with over the next four or five years.  And in some situations, overbearing parents may be enough to turn away college coaches and have them look for another prospect.

Really it is a fine line to walk being a parent who wants to promote your kid and at the same time not being overbearing.  On one hand, marketing your son or daughter to college coaches really is an essential part of the recruiting process in any sport.  But if you think your child is a Division I athlete and they are not, then some may think that you are being unrealistic because it is your child.  This happens all the time.

A few years back I heard a good story about an athlete who is a talented basketball player.  He works hard and does the right things to make him successful on the court.  But his mom is a completely different story.  Following one game where her son didn’t get enough shots, she screamed at an assistant coach about it.  This was in public and their team had won the game that night.  Again, it is a high school assistant coach.

There was a college coach there that night from a school that had recently had some success on the court.  They were looking at recruiting this kid but the college coach saw all this drama in fold right in front of his eyes.  He saw this overbearing (Crazy may also work here) parent yelling at a coach after their team had won the game.  Right then and there, the college coach told the head coach that he was no longer interested in the prospect and left.

If that was the only Division I school that was recruiting this athlete, then the years of work and dreams of playing at that level may have been out the window as well.  Obviously not all parents are this overbearing.  This is easy to avoid.  Minor things you should think about is how you talk about their coach, if you tell others that offers are coming and they don’t end up being there, and things along that line.

I obviously get a chance to talk to a lot of parents and many are wide eyed and excited to go through the recruiting process.  Usually these are the ones who don’t do a ton of marketing because they are just unsure about what they should do in the process.  That is why they visit this site, right?

I completely understand that no matter how hard you try, you are not going to be able to take away the bias when evaluating your kid.  In the eyes of parents, it is nearly impossible.  This is the kid you raised over the last 18-years and to evaluate them accordingly without bias is nearly impossible.  But you can’t push it too much.

Recently I have been in contact with a parent who doesn’t seem to get the recruiting process.  He thinks he does, but he really doesn’t get it.  His son is a Division I athlete but there is only one offer and it is by a low, low major school.  The dad has been telling people this summer that his son will have more offers and this school or that school is going to offer the next day.  Like I have said before, don’t believe the offer is there until the official paperwork is in your hands.  Too many schools give verbal offers and never come through.

This parent also tries to do rankings and things along that line but his son is always ranked too high.  The bias is there.  While I am unsure how he acts around college coaches, his misunderstanding of the recruiting process could end up hurting his son in a big way.  Anyways, being the overbearing parent will turn off college coaches.  These coaches want to focus on basketball and not dealing with parents about playing time, carries, or shots that their child is getting each game.  For you parents, keep that in mind!

Separating From the Pack in the Summer - Written by Alexis Kantor ’14, Softball

I came home one evening after a typical day of just hanging out with my friends. I was in the doldrums of summer. My father told me that I had a doctor’s appointment the next day to meet with a surgeon about my umbilical hernia. In my case, this hernia was no life-threatening situation, but it was something worth examining to make sure I could keep playing sports. I’ve always had a knack for science and medicine, so the next day when I was in the doctors office, I was very excited to meet the general surgeon. We talked all about the different kinds of hernia’s and procedures, and I was so fascinated that I couldn’t resist asking if I could observe him in a real live surgery. He took me over to meet with his secretary, and with patience and a positive attitude, my wish was granted. 

Being in the operating room with a surgical team is analogous to team sports. Whether you are out on the playing field or in the hospital saving lives, you have brought yourself to a higher level, have distanced from the everyday crowd, and are working alongside others who share a common purpose and goal. Like a softball team who whips the ball around the infield for a double play so they can get back on offense as soon as possible, the surgical team communicates, has each others best interest, and work in accordance because it’s the concern for the patient that matters, just as it’s the success of the softball team that matters. Success does not always mean the big win, nor does a successful surgery mean an impeccable one. In both cases, it’s about communication, patience, and working together. Frustration, jealousy, and selfishness suddenly become petty and fall to the wayside when a more important matter is on the line. That matter is the patient who has trusted the doctor with their life, or the team, who supports and trusts each other to overcome any obstacle that may occur in the game.

Getting the chance to observe general surgery, and be completely integrated into the hospital scene made me refocus on what I deem important, and what I could still work towards even when I can no longer play sports. People who work in the hospital, among many other sectors of careers, are very professional, focused, hard-working people, and as an athlete, that is one of the best possible environments to be in.

What I have gained from my experience is to use the quiet days of summer to research your interests and don’t be afraid to do something bold. Because of my experience in the hospital, I am so inspired to work hard and focus on what I love to do. I can see that everyday, people are out there working towards something important and are generally unconcerned and unburdened by social pressures, so to speak. We are all still so young in high school, so there is nothing to lose by sampling what could be a future passion. And as athletes, it’s a reminder to stay focused on your passion, because no one is really stopping you except yourself.

Building Your Athletic Resume

In high school you hear people all the time saying “Oh, that would be great on your resume”. For student athletes, it’s tough to add more activities outside of academics and your sport. However, making the effort to give back outside of these two commitments can really boost your resume as well as make you feel fulfilled and successful, not to mention help others! I would recommend committing to a volunteer group or club at
school that you feel passionate about. Does your church do mission trips that don’t interfere with your season? Are you passionate about the environment and your school has a Sustainability club? These activities bring balance into your schedule and give you an opportunity to give back to your community. Being involved in clubs or volunteer groups also shows that you are a leader outside of school and off the field.

Of course, as an athlete, it can be difficult to make time for countless other opportunities. When writing your resume think about the langauge you use and feel free to use athletic accomplishments to show your level of commitment, leadership, or hard work. You can include a section for Athletic Achievements or add to your Extra Curriculars by including things like “Newcomer of the year by the Sunset League in 2012″ or “Four time Player of the Week in the Horizon League”.  In your resume make sure to always use action verbs. For example:

Leadership Experience

Highland Park High School Women’s Lacrosse Team, Captain 2011-2012

• Lead the varsity team to a State Championship
• Dedicated 8 extra hours a week to plan team events and review goals with coaches

Building your resume can be challenging, highlighting your participation in events that  make you stand out and using the correct language will make your resume stronger. I encourage you to think about your volunteer and club opportunities this school year. Giving back is an important aspect in becoming an Athleader and continually learning and helping others. Your sport is a vehicle for success in and after college, and volunteering can be a great way to stand out to college coaches, administrators, and even potential employers.

NCAA Eligibility Blunders

If you are a potential NCAA DI or DII recruit, one of the most important things you need to be aware of is your NCAA eligibility status.

The NCAA uses a sliding scale that says, in order to be eligible to compete at the DI level, you need to have at least a 2.0 GPA and a cumulative 1010 SAT/86 ACT score (or a 2.3 GPA and a cumulative 900 SAT/ 75 ACT if you are a 2016 grad or younger). The DII level is a minimum 2.0 GPA and a cumulative 820 SAT/68 ACT for all grad classes.

But knowing your grades and test scores is the easy part…

Where most families run into trouble is with the core course requirements. Along with your minimum GPA and test scores, you are required to complete 16 NCAA approved core courses in your first 8 semesters of high school. Any class deemed ‘non-traditional’ by the NCAA because it fails to meet a specific set criteria will not count and can threaten your eligibility.

I’ve seen top talent student-athletes who were ineligible just because of a simple miscommunication.  Most recently, a men’s basketball player who was a senior in high school. He was registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, had grades and test scores well above the minimum requirements and he had a scholarship offer to a DII program. He completed the core courses his high school offered like he was supposed to, but was unaware that some courses weren’t approved by the NCAA. Being a senior, he had no time left to make up any classes and was’t deemed an NCAA qualifier, so he had to turn down his offer to that DII program and start looking for an alternate program as a high school graduate.

When you register with the NCAA, your eligibility status will be ‘Pending’ until they receive your final transcripts and test scores after your senior year. Which brings me back to my original point, if you’re a potential DI or DII recruit, make sure you know your eligibility status. Even though your official eligibility status won’t be determined till after your senior year, there are some things you can do so you don’t get caught off guard.

Meet regularly with your high school guidance counselor even as an underclassman. Make sure your counselor knows your college goals so that he/she can make sure you’re where you need to be academically. When you register with the Eligibility Center your junior year, make sure you take advantage of all the resources they provide and contact them directly to go over your core courses. If for some reason there is a conflict, you want to give yourself time during your senior year to make up any core courses you’ll need to be eligible.

No matter which division level you’re looking to compete for, the recruiting process is full of surprises. Don’t get caught off guard!

Breaking News

Vantage Sports Worldwide

For Immediate Release

Carter Aimes
Real Time Athletes
8055045806
818-741-3720
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www.realtimeathletes.com

New recruiting tool will revolutionize College Softball Recruiting for both athletes and scouts!

Newbury Park, California - April, 15 2013 - There are 1000 NCAA colleges with school funded athletic programs in the United States. Of these colleges, less than half offer athletic scholarships. Each year only 126,000 athletes receive athletic scholarships. With roughly 7 million high school athletes in the U.S. today, the competition for athletic scholarships is fierce. Athletes’ parents spend between $500-$2500 a year on outside help in order to find these highly prized financial aid packages. The high cost for higher education and the perceived prestige that comes with signing the National Letter of Intent has developed a large demand for college recruiting services. The recruiting industry has continued to grow exponentially due to fierce competition between athletes and tightening college budgets across the country. ENTER REAL TIME ATHLETES!

Intense competition for a limited number of scholarships available nationwide, places a huge significance on unique, personalized recruiting experiences. Most small recruiting firms only focus on the player segment; developing personalized videos and marketing campaigns. On the other hand, big-box online recruiting sites focus on providing a social, profile connection between the college coach and athlete. Although both methods have their definite benefits, no current channel provides a clear connection between all segments involved in the recruiting process; student athletes, college coaches, team coaches, and tournament directors. With such fierce competition in the market, email marketing, social profiles, and even phone calls are simply not enough. An athlete simply cannot be competitive in this market without having robust connections to everyone involved in the recruiting process.

Enter Real Time Athletes. RTA provides robust profiles, calendars, social connections, email marketing, and real time/location tracking and searches for all members of the process: college coaches, athletes, team coaches, and tournament directors nationwide. The Player Module provides detailed personal, athletic, and academic profiles, video and picture hosting, event scheduling, teammate connections, and personalized recruiting advice. The College Coach Module includes detailed profile searches based on a variety of search categories including position, GPA, graduation year, location, etc. The Travel Team Coach Module provides coaches with an easy way to enter tournaments, advertise clinics and events, and includes a free, professional team website. Finally, the Tournament Director Module eliminates the need for paper recruiting booklets, brackets, and player registration. Tournament registration is done automatically when a player signs up for an account. By focusing on all segments of the recruiting market and providing personalized, targeted solutions, Real Time Athletes connects all segments of recruiting process seamlessly and has the ability to scale large databases quickly in real time at no cost to the end user. Also, did we mention that it is currently free!

The primary objective of Real Time Athletes will be to provide a service to help athletes, who constantly fall under the radar, to succeed in the recruiting world. As stated by Tony Rico, a founder of Real Time Athletes, “When Don and I were approached with this new college softball recruiting technology we immediately knew this was the greatest thing to happen to College Softball Recruiting in years. We love Real Time Athletes because it really levels the college recruiting playing field for all fastpitch players! There are so many talented players out there today that just do not get the opportunity to be seen by college scouts. Whether it is because they are not be getting into the marque college softball recruiting events or because their team only plays in small local areas that fall under the radar.” Those qualified players are missing out on possible scholarships for college. With @RTA, college coaches can better research, identify and plan to see just those players that match their needs. They can then find those athletes in Real-Time anywhere and anytime...really easy!” - Tony Rico 

www.realtimeathletes.com