A couple of thoughts:
- January 1 admission deadlines don’t really mean much unless you are thinking D3. If you are still thinking D1, which sounds potentially correct, then don’t worry about the deadline. That’s the least of the issues. There are many who make decisions after Jan 1 who are in pools in the NCAA right now.
- What would concern me more is that you view “interest has waned.” Well, it has to, because recruiting coaches are paid to fill rosters with the best athletes they can find that are willing to go to school at their university for the modest amount of swimming money available. They are going to fill the majority of their rosters in the Fall, if at all possible, then have little money (although perhaps a spot or two) in the Spring for a swimmer of interest or who fills a void in stroke or sprint in their team. Your job, and your swimmer’s job is to review the communications, and see how things play out. Here’s what I would do if she were mine:
a) routinely update coaches on training, rehab, and strength/conditioning if any/all are appropriate. Back in the water swimming 2000 yards a day without stopping? Let them know. Working out on exercise bike? Lifting weights? Anything to indicate progress towards full recovery.
b) think through if you are willing to go the “full disclosure” route and have the MD talk to the coach about recovery. There are pros and cons to that approach. Remember that the swimmer will have to pass their pre-training physical at the athletic department, so there’s no hiding most big things–which is right for the university who is spending educational dollars on your child.
c) Map out the goals to get faster and better…talk about any support required in college from the training team.
d) Think hard, really hard about a list of potential schools that your D would like to go to, and you could afford, if she never swam a whole swim season in college, and retired. College swimming is brutal, and although she may have a full recovery, she may not be able to manage a full college season. Think about how to sell a coach that she can. - Be patient. This sounds like a tough situation. Remember to be patient with coaches too as they are filling their rosters and doing their jobs. Continue the dialog–let them know your D will be a spring recruit. Note that a spring recruit is simply someone who is not yet able to commit on November 15th. They still commit throughout the year–late November, all the way to April. Often coaches who pass the November signing period with a few gaps in their rosters will push hard to line up the rest of the roster in the late November to early January time period. The athlete commits, but can’t sign until April.
- Video is fine, but in swimming, its really about the times. She obviously had good national level times and is very smart–the coaches simply need a story that she’ll see those good times again.
- Think about her recruitability-does she have a good story to tell a more moderately competitive team who might be academically appropriate for her? She’s smart, her career will be based on her education, not on her swimming. A less intense program might be a fit for her post recovery. Its hard for me to judge–since we know very little about her.
- It could be that a gap year is ideal here. I am not a big fan, especially with girls, but if you think a year in the pool at a club team would get her back to full form, then you should consider it-at least think it through.
- All of this doesn’t apply if she was thinking Ivies or other schools where likely letters and slots are the norm.
Best of luck to you and your D in her recovery and return to swimming.