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!

Everyone has a role to play in the recruitment process.

The athlete, the athlete’s family, the coach and school administrators will all have a roll in any successful recruitment plan.
The coach: continues the athletic development of the athlete, provides reference letters, and fields inquiries from interested college coaches.
The school administrators: contributes to continued academic achievement and provides reference letters.
The parents: assists athlete to balance academics and athletics, helps athlete consider options, keeps athlete focused and on track.
The athlete: improves academics, improves athletic ability, researches schools, solicits reference letters, develops relationships with college coaches, maintains focus and stays on track.

NCAA Rules

Since the NCAA rules seem to be in the news as of late I thought I would address the NCAA rules that are specifically relevant to high school athletes recruitment to college. NCAA Bylaw 12 addresses agents.
12.3 Use of Agents
12.3.1 General Rule. An individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she has ever agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purposes of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport. Further, and agency contract not specifically limited in writing to a sport or particular sports shall be deemed to all sports, and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in any sport.
Athlete Recruiting Services is unique in that we do not evaluate talent, promote or represent any athlete,or utilize student athlete likenesses. We are not agents. We allow student athletes to build a personal profile, choose their own division level and regions, and send that profile to the programs that they choose.
Can any other recruiting service say the same?
Athlete Recruiting Services stands above the rest by never jeapordizing student athlete eligibility.

Athlete Recruiting Services simplifies the process by providing the missing exposure, that introduction to college coaches, and a way to manage the process. Your Athlete Recruiting Services profile includes athletic, academic and community accomplishments as well as referral letters, picture, and video links. You decide which level of program, NCAA DI, DII or DIII for example, and what region or regions of the country that you want to send your profile to. Following your send out, you will receive a report that shows which schools opened your email so that you can better manage your results.