<p>All interesting.Is this what colleges are doing now? Are they that desperate for students?
I have heard of some colleges with more than one baseball team.Also, some coaches can be brutal. And some sports more brutal and competitive than others.<br>
I think what it comes down to is how important is it to the student to play his sport. Is he willing to consider a college where it is more likely he will play? Almost like a job search one has to throw out many lines before they have a bite. Our son would never have considered one college until the initial contact of a coach. After we looked at the school he couldn't have been more pleased! So, you never know unless you give it a fair shake.</p>
<p>Another interesting point. We recently went to a college open house in which there was only one coach available at the varsity sports table. That coach was the one who was still looking for players for the next year. I think that was a very up front thing to do.Why even put your coaches there if no positions will be available ?</p>
<p>One problem the colleges have is that some kids use their sport for admissions help, and then decide not to play in college. That is why some coaches, especially in DIII, over-recruit.</p>
<p>MOWC I'm sure that is true and accounts for what dstark said. Scary.</p>
<p>Yes, but also there are kids who train with the team but but don't play fresh year and use their 4th year in the NCAA when they are in grad school, when they are bigger, stronger and wiser. And some of these kids have a heck of a 4th year!(thinking of some Penn State quarterback here)</p>
<p>MomOf WildOne;Good comment over there on that other thread!</p>
<p>There are a lot of kids out there training with the college teams and playing in grad school. When you think about it it makes a lot of sense.</p>
<p>The whole scene reminds me of a high school dance -- with coaches and student-athletes looking to fill their dance card (roster) and having enough talent on standby so that it's filled with the best available players.</p>
<p>I've done it twice -- with the same kid (he took a PG year) -- and the whole athletic recruitment thing adds a whole 'nother layer to the college search process. He started with schools he would like to play for (and where he could play) and overlaid that with schools he would like to attend, and schools that would be likely to accept him. And then, after sending letters and emails, and having his high school coaches make some contacts and introductions, it all sort of shook out.</p>
<p>Our experience was that the D1 coaches are very straightforward about just where the athlete fits in to their recruiting lineup ... and S's sport has a great website devoted to the sport with lots of discussion about who's recruited by who -- so we can see what colleges are getting which athletes. Velly intellesting -- since today the 2006-7 database went live and we can see who has committed to some of the other schools that were recruiting my boy!</p>
<p>oooh, I wish they had that kind of website for my D's sport. We just live on word of mouth. </p>
<p>I think at the D3 level it is a marketing ploy to get kids to matriculate to particular institutions. "Sure you have a spot on the roster!" and then 28 other kids are trying out for the same 3 spots. But it gets them in the door and maybe they will stay.</p>
<p>I have heard of kids who really don't mind not playing that first year. But they train with the team with the others and make the team next year or two continuing to train with the team on and off season . Then they go to a better grad school and blow away the competition during open tryouts at the grad school. The point is would a grad student really enjoy playing on a team with teammates up to 5 years younger? Seems like you are in a whole different place mentally at 23 than at 19. But the true athletes enjoy playing later, enjoy the entire experience that much more. But of course it's not for everyone and not for all sports.</p>
<p>I've heard that redshirting is only allowed in Div. 1 - and that there's only four years of athletic eligibility in Div. 3, so no grad student-athletes in D3?</p>
<p>No redshirting in the Ivies, either.</p>
<p>DS is a dedicated X-Country runner. One of two Sophmores on the Varsity team in HS. He also runs Marathons (first at 14) .Does anyone think it's worth it to hire a recruiting service such as NationalRecuitingService?</p>
<p>kyedor, if he runs fast enough, coaches are going to want him. You don't need a service.</p>
<p>I wouldn't. You can market yourself without a service. It just takes time but some folks don't have that. I can't tell you how much time we devoted to the hunt. Actually, the entire process was very good for our S as he learned what it takes and it isn't a matter of putting all your eggs in one basket, all important when job hunting.</p>
<p>NCAA rules are you can only play 4 years and I don't see how it would matter if it's Div1 or 3.</p>
<p>worrywart - keep asking questions. that's how you learn more about the process.........it's very complicated. </p>
<p>cnp55 is so correct........the athletic recruiting adds another layer to the college search process. </p>
<p>there are posters on cc that are very helpful. some posters have kids who have gone through the process and some are in the process now with their kids. i am thankful for the help that we've received. good advice and good suggestions can be found here on cc. </p>
<p>i've found just as the other posters have said.........that there is a range of recruiting styles by coaches at the d3 level. there are variables in the recruiting process with d3..........no athletic scholarships, selective admissions, over-recruiting of athletes, merit aid, need based aid. lots of information to process.</p>
<p>kyedor- absolutely not. You have me! Seriously, while not easy, the recruiting process for the "timed" sports is pretty straight-forward. Junior year times-especially in track- are the key. Cross country times are not as meaningful, except for in the national-level meets like Footlocker. If your son can run the Footlocker regional next week, that would be good. Next year is more important, though. Not many schools will be interested in a cross country runner who doesn't also run track. He could certainly walk-on as a cross country runner, but the coaches are looking for a 3 season runner (cross, indoor and outdoor). A few schools actually have cross country for men but no track team (Vanderbilt for one). It is really easy to see where you stand with respect to your times and what will get you recruited. Of course, it helps if your high school coach sees a lot of untapped potential and can communicate this to the college coaches. One of my son's teammates from last year was a good, but not great runner. He was not recruited by Yale, but the high school coach strongly advocated for him. He was one of only two walk-ons this season in cross country and beat all of the highly touted recruits. Now that coach is listening to our high school coach very carefully!</p>
<p>Good morning, all. I am overwhelmed by the interest level in this thread and by the great advice you are willing to share. Thank you! Patient, I haven't yet read about private messaging so please be "patient;" I would love to hear about your son's experience and his friends'. My son plays baseball three seasons a year but is a sprinter in indoor track. Is there an easy way to find out which times would generate interest in the events he runs?</p>
<p>worrywart- if you go to the rosters for some of the college track teams that interest your son, you can get a bio for the runners. You will want to focus on the sprinters. The bios are not always complete, but often they will show high school "best times". If they don't, you can Google the kid's name along with his high school and "track" and you can see times. You can also see what the kids are running in college, although there is usually a huge improvement from high school to college times. Another good source is <a href="http://www.dyestat.com%5B/url%5D">www.dyestat.com</a> This is the best source for info on high school track and cross country. You can see where the top runners are "signing" and there is a great message forum. You can always post and ask questions. You will get some BS, but also lots of information.</p>
<p>My d's friend (at D3 school) went to fall baseball tryouts, only to discover about 40 other freshman there to tryout, of them 11 catchers (his position). Eventually he and another were kept. He will be a backup in the spring and the other catcher may try another position or play at a lower level.</p>
<p>kyedor,</p>
<p>No service is required. The services just blast out mass emails to all the D-whatever schools and it is much more effective for you to do it yourself (again, your son) in a focused way. </p>
<p>The hardest part is doing the homework on the schools to find the general fit, the academic fit & the athletic fit-- and the recruitment services do nothing in this regard. </p>
<p>Again, the best tactic is to put athletics aside and focus on the sort of school that would be a good general fit in every other area. Then, once you have the vision in mind, go to the right division (and the level within it where your kid would be not just qualified but an asset and a starter on their team.) Look at the schools and see which ones match the vision from the first step.</p>
<p>We knew the vision was academic, well-regarded LAC, not too cut throat, moderate to liberal, with strong humanities & where a non-drinker would be comfortable. Thus the typical recruitment service "D-3" list of hundreds went down to a few dozen just by putting it through that filter. Some of the remaining schools were just too darn good at the sport for my D to be a strong recruit or too weak to actually recruit kids or even be fun for her. That left us with maybe 10-15 to check out. Then, last step, we found "safer" versions of the schools she fell for.</p>
<p>The important thing is to realize that, in D3 especially, the mountain is not going to come to Mohammed. You have to put yourself forward and get noticed. If you have done your homework correctly, re academic qualifications and athletic level, you will be welcomed.</p>
<p>If being certain to play is important, make sure you don't aim too high athletically. Some very smart & qualified kids could be admitted to Williams, for example, but never have a prayer of playing for Williams. That kid might be better off at MIT where he'd get to play.</p>