<p>I'm posing a question...if a perspective student-athlete has forwarded a skills video, has an unofficial visit scheduled with a coach, will be participating in two Fall showcases that the coach, or assistant coach will be in attendance, and in the email a coach suggests the student attend their school's summer skills camp...how imperative is it that the student attend? What if they can't attend for one reason or another? My D has been invited via personal emails (not the generic) and invited to attend. There are many, and they all seem to be the same week in July. Would that work as a strike against her?</p>
<p>Is she a rising senior? If you can work it out at all, I’d try and have her go to the camp at the school she’d most like to attend. She would learn a lot about the coach and other girls looking hard at that particular team (future team mates?) and the coach would get a chance to see her play. It might be that he almost always chooses girls who come to summer camp because he knows exactly what he’s getting, both in terms of skills, and in the kind of person they are when around other players: whether they’re a trouble-maker who convinces everyone to sneak out at night, whether the other girls seem to like her, and so on.</p>
<p>Thanks riverrunner. I agree with EVERYTHING you have said. However, the reason she can’t attend is medical–sustained an athletic injury in a varsity game, and won’t have clearance until August. That presents a huge dilemma as well…at what point should she disclose that she is recovering from an injury? In person? Via telephone? Definitely not in an email! What do you think?</p>
<p>If at all possible, I’d suggest she participate in a camp at her top-choice school. Our theory has been that its better for a coach to see our daughter 3-5 days in a row rather than risk that she never even touch the ball in the fraction of a game where the coach is in attendance.</p>
<p>Recently, our dilemma was whether to a attend camp that the coach of my daughter’s 5th-choice school invited her to (during a phone conversation) or play in a showcase tournament where she knew one of her top 3 choices would be watching. We opted for the latter.</p>
<p>Oops! No sooner I posted my input, I saw your made referrence to the injury. Hmm… that a totally different obstacle :/</p>
<p>Believe me, she wishes she could go to a camp or two. This has been a BIG set-back.</p>
<p>Aren’t athletic scholly rides tied to passing a physical?
If we want a coach to be honest in recruitment, the street runs two ways.</p>
<p>Why not tie the unofficial visit to the week of the camp?
If you are going to visit the school anyway, get the feel for the coach in attending these sessions. It is not like a player does not learn from a coach when on the sidelines right besides the coaches every move, and this shows your earnest willingness to be part of his team.</p>
<p>My rising senior daughter returned from an athletic one day clinic and received an email offering support for an ED application. She has two more camps this month. She is only interested in DIII schools.</p>
<p>^^^ I think author’s idea is a good one. Your student is present, thus showing interest in the school, but does not participate in the actual game. Then, hopefully by the time of any physical, she will be fully recovered from her injury.
I also agree that you can tell a lot about the coach and the coaching style by just observing the practice/game.</p>
<p>I like author’s idea, too. Maybe you could get some sort of statement from her doc/PT indicating the timeline for injury recovery, and long term prognosis to reassure the coach that you are all over this, and anticipate being 100% by whatever date. Yes, honesty is best. You don’t want the coaches to hear through the rumor mill that you are injured/unable to play. Better they hear it from you, and see your sincere interest when you attend camp in spite of the injury.</p>
<p>I’ve seen where a coach will pro-rate the cost for a camper to a one/two day camp visit for an injured player or a player who has time conflicts/cost concerns. </p>
<p>Tell the coach about the injury and ask if they will consider a daily rate adjustment.</p>
<p>Hi author–Thanks for your input. I agree about being honest. I also like the idea of attending a camp and letting the coach know that in some of the skills/scrimmages, her participation may be limited. Only thing, she wants the coaches to see her at her optimal best, back in action, on the fields. She’s already at the tail-end of physical therapy for her injury. Medical clearance is August 1st. And she’ll be back 110% for September.</p>
<p>With D having videos and opportunities in the Fall for coach to see her after she has recovered from injury, passing on the camp due to injury shouldn’t hurt her chances.</p>
<p>I agree, even Timmy Tebow had to miss part of a game with an injury.</p>
<p>Kinda makes you wonder what kind of injury would make a coach stop recruiting?</p>
<p>Shoulders? would this stop a cross country runner?
Knees? seems likely you could lose an acl and still, what?</p>
<p>How many are in their sport an never got bruised / strained a muscle? Torn Hamstrings might end it for a cross country runner …what about a rower?</p>
<p>How many schools give scholarships without physicals?
Can you pass their physical? Will you try to get a scholarship and hide this?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your input. This past week, my daughter met with two Division 1 schools. She absolutely told about her injury, and all went well. In fact, one of the coaches mentioned he had torn his ACL 3 times! The coaches expressed their understanding that in a contact sport injuries are likely to happen. Kids are resilient though–they bounce back. At this point, they’ll see her play in the Fall, and hopefully things will turn out the way she wants!</p>
<p>To Author–She never intended to hide her injury whatsoever. But to a 16-year old, it’s a lot to shoulder, not knowing how a coach might react. And yes, all athletics require a physical. And yes, she will pass.</p>