<p>Thanks for the suggestions. My daughter has listed her cell phone as her contact number since we no longer have a land line home phone. She will have her phone with her at camp and is worried about answering calls while at camp. She will be seeing most of the coaches on July 18th, at the end of camp, so I guess just letting them kniw ahead of time is the best course of action.</p>
<p>^^ Good points.
I have been wondering how it will play out with coaches…our student probably hasn’t thought about saying no-thanks yet…
Just trying to get to the official July 1 date kwim…</p>
<p>Our student will leave tom am at about 5:30am and won’t be home until late July…will compete at least 3 times including nationals </p>
<p>Yesterday we bought 2 spiral notebooks–one for me to keep here–to record messages and conversations with coaches. I will also give them our student’s where-abouts and cell phone–</p>
<p>Some coaches are already expecting to visit with our student on location in early July. Our student sent an email 2 days ago to coaches/schools highest on “the list” to let them know what the plan is for summer</p>
<p>We have updated online recruiting info and resume. As soon as transcripts are finalized, I will be faxing final transcripts, ACT score and resume to coaches who have requested them. AP scores and SAT2s will follow mid summer. A second pass at the ACT is in Sept (coaches said Sept wasn’t oo late–given our student’s nice score from the first try)</p>
<p>Our student is taking a spiral notebook along on this trip----to write down coaches’ name/school and contact info as they connect. </p>
<p>Our student is taking a laptop (to email etc, Facebook, what have you, in the evenings ) and will be able to check and write email while on location.</p>
<p>Also our student is taking some index cards with contact info so if there is a new coach that comes on the scene while at Nationals etc…our student can give them one of the cards rather than write all of the info on some scrap of paper.</p>
<p>Have we forgotten anything?<br>
Our student has gotten a couple of really nice emails lately–one in particular closed with comments about how they see our student being part of the team and the future…</p>
<p>I think saying “no” was just about the hardest part of the process, especially with three coaches who had spent SO much time e-mailing and phoning him. We had to keep reminding DS that this was about HIM, and he needed to make the best possbile decision, regardless of coaches’ reactions. Most of the coaches were very understanding. A couple went out of their way to say if he ever decided to transfer, they’d love to have him! I thought that was classy (and smart!).</p>
<p>Oh, a quick update: You might recall that our son was injured at the end of XC and had a rough indoor track season. He ran, but not as well as he hoped. By the beginning of outdoor track, he was really hurting. He was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his tibia. He went to doctors, massage therapists, and trainers. He did everything he was told. He missed the entire season and was getting discouraged. He convinced the trainers to let him run the 800 at the conference meet, as a last-gasp chance to qualify for States and make varsity (as he had every season since the fall of his freshman year). We told him not to get his hopes up. He needed a 2:12 to qualify. He went out gingerly, but felt good so kept ramping up. He passed six runners in the final half lap and ended up winning the race in 2:03, just 3 seconds slower than his PR. He was so happy! He ran OK at states, helping his team finish 4th in the 4x800 and finishing 7th in the 800. We are very proud of him for working so hard. He’ll try to walk on to the team at Texas next year (his chances are slim to nil, realistically), and if that doesn’t work he’ll run for a college club. He’s in a good place mentally, and that’s what counts!</p>
<p>Yay MaineLonghornson! I wouldn’t try to look to far ahead- he sounds talented and like he still has his heart in running. Kids develop at different rates- some high school stars fade before they get started in college, and others have their peak years in college or later. I’m glad he’s going to walk on. You never know what will happen… and you can’t beat distance kids for a great group to hang out with.</p>
<p>Thanks for the encouragement and advice, riverrunner! You’re absolutely right. The kid has surprised and amazed me in the past, so I should just see what he can do! I think it’s good for both of us that he will be 2,100 miles away from home! He will have room to spread his wings. :)</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn - I love what you wrote - what a great day that must have been!! Really fabulous :)</p>
<p>Just today, we have been dealing with the “thank you but no thank you” route. When it was just emails that weren’t personal yet, it was easy to write a “thank you, and I am very flattered, but in fairness to your other recruits, I feel I must let you know that I don’t feel your program is the right fit” - in similar words to that - you get the idea! Now that we are getting into telephone mode, it will be more awkward - today, my athlete had a scheduled phone call with a coach whose program is not one she is particularly interested in. In order to not have to say so on the phone, she felt it was best to have the nice chat, etc, and then in a couple of days, send an email to the coach saying you have had time to think about it, and thank you so much, but no…</p>
<p>Regarding phone calls, my daughter has her cell # as her primary contact #, and she will be very unavailable through a good part of July - but every coach knows exactly where she will be - in the best situation she could hope for - and why she will be unreachable during the days. Indeed, she will actually be with a couple of the coaches who are recruiting her - wonder how that works then?!</p>
<p>I spoke with a couple of people yesterday about this–one a parent of an athlete who is a 2010 grad and recruited athlete…the other a coach…
Interesting to hear everyones views</p>
<p>Do your homework regarding how your child’s athletic and academic stats fit with schools of interest, but don’t be afraid to shoot high. You just may be surprised!</p>
<p>We recently attended a scholar athlete banquet. One male and one female student from every school in the county were in attendance. A brief bio of each student was announced, including a sentence about where they were going to school in the fall. I must admit to you all that D and I were shocked. Here were kids who all had good to excellent GPA’s and SAT’s. All were good athletes, at least in the context of their school or division. Some were excellent performers on a conference and state level as well. But almost none were attending the top ranked schools in the area, and only a few were even attending our very good state flagship. Most seemed to have chosen the lowest-tier state schools of our state and the neighboring states. Obviously I don’t know all the details of their academic record and particularly course rigor, their career plans, nor their family’s financial situation, but I have to think that at least a few more of these top student athletes could have positioned themselves better in the marketplace. Perhaps they waited for coaches to come to them, and the only ones who did were from those colleges?</p>
<p>After the ceremony, one girl came up to my D to congratulate her. She is also going to a well-regarded school. She admitted that she never thought she’d be good enough to compete or study there, but since her dad had been a recruited football player, he was more aware of the process and took the reins and guided her. Sell yourself and see who wants to buy!</p>
<p>^^ Good pt there</p>
<p>Could be economics–our GC told us that this yr about a dozen kids chose to attend lower tier schools due to finances and money–where they had acceptances to higher ranked schools and the ability to go free or well supported to another school just made more “cents” ha ha</p>
<p>GFG - that’s an interesting point and also something I noticed on my premiere team this year! There are plenty of girls on my team could probably get into schools that, academically, are much better than the ones they are attending. I’m trying to put this tactfully, but I think for some athletes (at least, the competitive soccer players I know), the chance to play a division I sport overrules the academic standing of that school…although I will admit that there are a few girls on my team who would have been capable of playing at some of the academic powerhouses. For example, I know a girl who was heavily recruited by Johns Hopkins, but chose to attend the University of Hartford because they offered her a full scholarship; another girl turned down Brown to go to Western Connecticut State (I’m dead serious here). I don’t quite understand it either, but I’d guess it’s a combination between scholarship money and the ability to play DI.</p>
<p>While I’m sure money has a huge impact, I’ve learned players need to also make their decision based on academic-fit. I know two athletes who accepted positions at top schools and couldn’t keep up with their studies. Ultimately, one stopped playing and the other will be transferring this coming fall. Perhaps, ressezpiecez103, the teammates in your example, had the foresight to make their selection based on the academic rigor. If so, good for them!</p>
<p>Maybe. However, I know for a fact that my friend who is going to University of Hartford is going because she wanted to play division I soccer, and got the most money there. Not saying that you’re wrong - I think that’s probably true for many athletes - I just think that sometimes, money and the opportunity to play DI are more important.</p>
<p>Either way, I respect everyone’s right to commit to whichever school they want. After all, it doesn’t really concern me…it’s just an interesting trend that I noticed.</p>
<p>In addition to my post #4 on 2/27/2010 I would add the following lesson learned:</p>
<p>After you meet the recruiter (if not the Head Coach) insist on meeting the head coach. My son was dealing with a young and inexperienced asst coach who doubled as the recruiter. It is common practice for baseball head coaches to delegate recruiting to asst coaches. </p>
<p>When it came time for us to sit down with the head coach, there was not a full understanding of my son’s baseball and academic achievements as well as overall college goals. In summary, make sure you are dealing with the final decision maker which in almost all cases will be the Head Coach.</p>
<p>^^ Interesting pt regarding Head coaches vs recruiting…</p>
<p>I think someone on the boards mentioned that often work-study varsity athletes handle alot of emails etc for the coaches and the recruits…</p>
<p>best lesson learned: what you’re going through right now- the stress of decision making and recruiting- is completely worth it. I don’t want to “over share” but let me just say, D just finished her second season as a college athlete and it is everything we hoped for and more. Hang in there, recruits and families!</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>;o)</p>
<p>I’m going to add to this list, because of what I learned this past weekend. This has more to do with the incredible high level of competition for Ivy recruits than anything. </p>
<p>The Asst Dean for the Ivy college that my son is attending spoke to (just) the parents about their program and how competitive it was to get admitted this year into this school. They had a little over 8K applications and took 700 for his college. She also mentioned that the school rejected another 700 that had the same credentials as the first 700. This blew me away, and led me to a couple conclusions: </p>
<p>1) If you are a bona fide student athlete this is your leg up…leverage it 100% for a LL or ED if you have to and this is your #1 school. If you go RD, you are on your own for sure and the admission numbers could be really rough. If you are admitted RD, you may have to walk on if a spot is available. If you try to walk on, it is possible no roster spot will be available as the other athletes went ED and got the coaches support. </p>
<p>2) Don’t overlook the essay, references, activities or anything that gets submitted in your application as there is little to no margin for error. </p>
<p>3) When you do the math you realize there are so few positions out there for certain sports. Do what you have to do to get noticed by that Ivy coach, and keep the communication lines open at all times.</p>
<p>I knew it was tough, but I didn’t realize how tough it is for Ivy athletes.</p>
<p>^^^fenwaysouth: Thank you for this perspective. Very timely as my daughter’s first OV is in two weeks, and then they run almost back-to-back for six weeks - it will be exhausting no doubt, but very educational for her. Good to read this as 4 out of her 5 OVs are to ivies.</p>
<p>^^
Interesting, because we have been told to not have our kiddo take all of the officals–as it interferes with academics etc now–and that there can’t be 5 top “love it” schools? kwim?</p>
<p>Its nice to have varying perspectives and also points to how the athletic recruitment process really accelerates the whole apps process. In our kiddo’s case–the app has been pre-read by admissions --so the transcript and test scores etc, ECs/resume, awards etc have been read/seen. All done by mid July. Still the full app and essays will be done too.
I am not sure that the athletes get any “bys” in the process–they start the conversations and courting a year earlier than RD admits, and have to be ready to show what they’ve got in terms of acadmics, interviews etc a whole lot earlier. I think the myth that athletes get it easier misses alot of these points–lets face it --tons of teens play sports-- very very few go on to collegiate level play and fewer still to recuitable times. The sifting has been fierce.</p>
<p>^^^Regarding the 5 OVs, I absolutely see the point of not taking all 5, and the many reasons for that. Some coaches have strongly suggested not taking more than 3, while others have had a more open approach "great opportunities - you should see them all, have a lot of comparisons to make, exciting choices, etc. ". Interesting to hear the different reactions to the same information. Ultimately though, at this point in the game, this is my daughter’s choice. Her college counsellor is cautiously supportive of what she is doing, and will be making sure she is not taking on too much as this progresses. Happily, it will be a relatively quick process, in terms of the visits at least! As my daughter pointed out to me and her counsellor, at this time in the process she has experienced recruiting with over 30 schools - these are her final favorites. Of course she has true top choices within these final 5, but she also can really see herself being very happy at every single one of these OV schools. These OVs will answer all her questions, and she will have her “fit” confirmed. Also, just because you’re on an OV, as we all know, it doesn’t mean you’re “in”!</p>