It's about more than scholarships.

Recent coaching changes at major programs has made the national news circuit. These and other recent events have emphasized the need to seek out recruitment opportunities that are based on more than just scholarship offers. Coaches, even in the most seemingly stable situations can and do change. Program requirements vary. Some very prominent sports programs do not allow their student athletes to pursue particular majors due to team commitments. The day that the student athlete tries to declare their major is not the time to find out that it is not allowed according to the team agreement. Personal relationships between coaches/staff and student athletes can have an influential impact on the student athletes academic and athletic performance and opportunity.
All of this should reinforce the fact that having the right collegiate fit is an unquestionable benefit to the student athlete.
The best situation comes from introducing yourself to as many coaches as you can that fit your criteria and then to put in the time, effort, and research to learning about the schools, the coaches, and the programs. Going to whoever offers the most money increases the risk of ending up at a school, program, environment, or with a coach that does not best fit the student athlete.
The point of Athlete Recruiting Services is to have student athletes realize as many options as possible so that in the end they have multiple "great fit" college recruitment options. This may include a scholarship or a roster spot. But if the student athlete is comfortable and excited from the very first day on campus to their last, then their recruitment process was a success.

The Parent's Role

As the parent of a recruit-able student athlete, your job is to be supportive and encouraging. To be recruited takes work. That work load is best completed by the athlete themselves. They need to be responsible for answering the e-mails, filling out the questionnaires, returning phone calls and providing the extra materials that the coaches desire.
Athlete Recruiting Services helps our clients receive an average of 32 campaign views per athlete. With this kind of exposure, there is a lot of added responsibility and work that the athlete is going to have to manage, while maintaining their academics and their school/club teams. While it is fun to get responses of interest from college coaches, these same coaches can be turned off by a student who takes too long to respond or forgets to respond all together. This does not mean that you, as the parent, should respond in their place, or pretend to be the athlete when responding. This will inevitably lead to future confusion and a possible betrayal of trust for the coach.
So be there for your college hopeful. Help them get their videos filmed, their ACT's scheduled, get to or from practices and games, provide private lessons, or help them research schools from the list of college responses that you receive. But, don't take the responsibility for all the work away from them. Today's youth are more incredible and capable then most people give them credit for. Be supportive and you will likely see them rise to the occasion.

When You Are Your Biggest Obstacle

Everyone around us has a story. The best, write their own chapters and preserver through hard work and dedication. This means that they are aware of and accept their own shortcomings and know that if they keep working, practicing, learning, adapting, and challenging themselves, they will improve. They become better.
Explanations and reasons for being held back, not being able to excel, or not achieving your potential, in other words, excuses, are never good enough. Winners, true athletes, accept the challenges in life and push themselves.
Very few will ever know what they are truly capable of accomplishing. Likewise, very few will ever reach the top. Change is difficult but not impossible. You simply have to dedicate yourself and want it enough.
Today could be the day that you stop making excuses.

No Excuses

As communities across the country watch high school student athletes sign their National Letters of Intent to colleges and universities on National Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2011, I will personally be attending the signing ceremony of Kayden D. at the request of his mother.
Kayden comes from an old and small school that has not witnessed someone being recruited from its ranks in at least 5 years. He has overcome personal tragedies (the loss of a parent) and a soccer season that fell well short of expectations. Through his hard work, dedication, and strong character, he continued to be a sought after college recruit. From working with Athelete Recruiting Services, he had already realized that there were many recruiting options and he diligently followed up with the coaches that were at schools that matched his desires. From the many that sought his talents, he was smart enough not to choose the one that offered the largest scholarship package but instead choose his best fit option. He is happy, his family is happy, recruiting school is happy, and we are proud of him.
This young man let nothing keep him from realizing his opportunities and making the most of them.
Congratulations Kayden. You have earned it.

Believe in Yourself-Get Recruited To College

At a recent competitive club volleyball match, I happened to be sitting next to the parent of a young talented athlete that you couldn't help but notice. As we spoke this parent mentioned that his daughter really loved the sport but that she wasn't that good. I almost fell off the bleacher!
While speaking with the coach after the game, he mentioned several times how good this young lady was and that he was excited because with her enthusiasm and willingness to learn, he was certain that he could help her to become even better.
There are a lot of you out there that can relate to having a parent or a coach not believe in you.
I am here to tell you that in life, to be successful, you need to believe in yourself. Do not wake up someday in the future wondering what could have been.
What if you had tried? What if you hadn't let others keep you down?
Because in the end, it's going to be about the choices that you made. Did you try? Did you do all you could to set yourself up for success?
I have had the opportunity to meet not only some great young athletes, but professional athletes, college coaches, and Olympians because of my passion for getting young talent in front of their best fit colleges. I don't let others tell me what I am capable of. I set my own limits and control my own destiny.
You know what you are capable of. If you think you can play at the college level, than you probably can. Don't miss your moment. Show the person who doesn't believe in you how wrong they are. Get educated about what it takes, put your plan into action and get recruited!