<p>Can I try out for a d1 tennis team. I cant reach the coach by phone or email and I am wondering how I would go about trying out.</p>
<p>I believe “trying out” before/during recruiting is against NCAA regs. You should contact and join/register with the NCAA clearinghouse and look up the rules.</p>
<p>Assuming you are a Jr…You should be contacting coaches with a transcript to date, test scores, Sr schedule and past match results so coaches can determine if you are what they are looking for and if your academic stats qualify you in the eyes of admission.</p>
<p>Walk-ons, those who are admitted to a school and try and walk on to a team/try out to get a spot are a different matter as thats after you are the college.</p>
<p>Hopefuly someone with more tennis experience will chime in</p>
<p>Thanks. Sorry I should have made this more clear. Actually I am a graduated senior and already admitted and attending the school this fall. I am wondering about walking on. The problem is I can’t reach the coach any way. I feel I am good enough to be on the team, not the number one singles player or anything like that but good enough to be on the team. Just wondering what else I should do or what I should do when I get to the school for orientation the first week.</p>
<p>rayray1,</p>
<p>Be persistent, and patient. I believe most tennis coaches are out recruiting right now, and they are on the road quite a bit. They will take some time off after the big junior tourneys to go on vacation or spend time with family. Most likely they will be ramping up in the middle of August before school starts. Most tennis programs I know of don’t have a lot of money either with scholarships or operating expenses. So, I would expect the coach will give you a shot, but don’t expect any money this year.</p>
<p>BTW…I was a walk-on 30 years ago. I worked my way up to #2 singles my freshmen year, and stayed there until I graduated. It was a fantastic part of my life, and I still play 2-3 times a week. Don’t take no for answer, and if you don’t make it this year…try out again next year. Good luck!</p>
<p>FWIW, go to your schools website and get the athletic health exam forms --you will need to have that done - including the NCAA requirement of the sickle cell test for all --before you will be allowed to practice etc.
Good luck.</p>
<p>OP will also need full NCAA clearance, so he should begin that process right away, it can take many months for all the paperwork to be processed.</p>
<p>It really would be best for him to have contact with the coach first to get some idea if walk-ons will be looked at. Try contacting the athletic director to find out the best way to communicate with the coach this month. It is vacation and recruiting time.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your advice. I’m already cleared by NCAA clearing house so I am good with that. Just wanted feedback on the walking on to a d1 team part. Thank you everyone!</p>
<p>^ thats good. Be sure to handle the health forms. After a lawsuit with a family of a football player and Rice…ALL athletes have to have that sickle cell test or results provided to their U before they can practice etc. The athletic health forms will be more comprehensive than reg student forms.</p>
<p>Yes that sickle cell test is a pain too, my son’s pediatrician had retired, make sure you allocate enough time to get it done.</p>
<p>^ truly it is a nuisance. Why all of the athletes now have to be tested…we are not of a gene pool that typically has this…and while the Ivy League did adopt a provision to opt out/sign a waiver—We hear that more than 99% of the athletes provide the proof or get retested.</p>
<p>Interestingly a friend’s student will attend a D1 and nothing has been said about the test. They think her U will handle it for all their athletes at the same time at the beginning of the year…so I gather the Us all comply in different ways…</p>