<p>Do one or both parents usually go on OVs or is it okay to send your child alone?</p>
<p>OV’s are not for parents</p>
<p>There is no reason a parent can’t accompany a student on an OV, just know that none of the parent’s expenses can be covered. I think you will see alot of both (with and without).</p>
<p>Good article on an OV through the eyes of a parent and why they were so glad they went:
[What</a> happens on a football official visit from the eyes of parents | Recruiting 101](<a href=“http://recruiting-101.com/what-happens-on-a-football-official-visit-from-the-eyes-of-parents/]What”>http://recruiting-101.com/what-happens-on-a-football-official-visit-from-the-eyes-of-parents/)</p>
<p>Thanks squidge! Looks like my D will have OVs early September with schools that are a plane ride away. I figured a parent should be present if there was going to be a verbal offer at the OV.</p>
<p>D has two scheduled OVs and 1 more pending. All coaches have been 100% supportive of parents coming - they said about half do. Especially if you haven’t seen the school with your athlete, go. If you’ve seen it, it’s your call. Nothing held against you.</p>
<p>OVs are not for parents.
OVs are not “mommy and me” or gymboree. Sorry to sound harsh–
Your student can and should travel alone–they are going to need to do it in college…so a plane flight should not be the driving issue.
Cut the cord now if they haven’t ever handled airports/transfers etc.
There is not room for mommy/daddy on an OV nor at college. </p>
<p>By the time your student is there for an OV–your student Should have already researched the school for a “match” academically - interest/major, and geography etc. He/she Should know whether it is a match if injury/burnout sidelines them.</p>
<p>The OV is for the student to see if there is chemistry/fit with the team and if the team feels the student fits. The student is going to the school and needs to see how it all feels, the dorms, campus, class etc…attending practice, what the team is like etc…Alone.
A student should have an idea of who they are and what they want from his/her experience. </p>
<p>We told our student that if the opportunity to commit came up and it felt like the place–then to go ahead…we supported K1s choice…</p>
<p>A parent lurking at a nearby hotel is just plain weird…and the team and coach Will take notice if they find out.</p>
<p>^ Correct. D and coaches calendared the weekends and arranged transportation between themselves (all D1). She flew coast-to-coast on several Sept./Oct. weekends. There was no question of us attending, nor were there ANY parents at ANY of the ov’s. </p>
<p>We felt we’d played our part in the spring and summer run-up: asking her to prepare by reading up on ov’s (there’s lots of good advice on CC!) so as to know what to expect, what to look at, what to look for; rehearsing with her on the various questions and scenarios she might encounter (yes, there were private sessions with the coach at the conclusion of several of the ov’s; one coach called his recruits after they got home), and most of all having her focus on the pros and cons of the colleges and arrive at a good sense of what she wanted academically and athletically before she set foot on campus. Then it was time for us to step out of it. </p>
<p>The previous months of prep and of initiating/composing emails, responding to emails, eventually making and responding to phone calls sufficiently developed her to handle these visits on her own.</p>
<p>just a different perspective - D was offered this weekend by a coach. My husband had taken her to the unofficial 6 months ago. We told coach she would go on unofficial by herself and coach said it would be so much better if I was there too since I had not seen the campus; so much so that he agreed to a meeting with me on campus at another date if I was unable to make it due to work obligations. I think coaches agree that parents are a part of the decision and can need to be sold on a school as much as the athlete.</p>
<p>Now, that said, there will be no hovering. :)</p>
<p>I do think it is appropriate for parents to be with the student on unofficials - helpful to have two pairs of ears, making sure we are all hearing the same thing, have the parent meet the coach and see the campus, etc. However, with OVs, I would 100% agree that it is not the time or place for parents to be hanging around. The student on the OV needs to be as immersed as possible in the life and culture of being at athlete at the specific college.
However, in light of the above referenced article, perhaps this is more sport specific?</p>
<p>We went on 1 of the 4 OV’s - mainly because we hadn’t seen the school and also because it was located in a beautiful area and we wanted a weekend getaway 
We wanted to be unobtrusive - only connecting with D at her request. Coach asked us to be present at the ‘end of OV meeting’ with her. We just did a lot of nodding.
Either way is okay, just make sure she can fully immerse in the experience. (Don’t have her stay in your hotel room)</p>
<p>Great advice all!! Thanks!!
My H and I have visited all the schools with her already, some with unofficial visits. Sounds like the best thing to do is NOT attend the OVs with her. I’m not worried about her traveling alone. We’re not over protective parents. She’s a very bright girl and can take care of herself. I just wanted to make sure that we weren’t supposed to be there.</p>
<p>My S is probably going to play D3, and I am thinking of taking a week and just driving to a different school everyday (CT, MASS, NY, VT, PA). My idea was to maybe walk around the school with him, but let him talk to the coach, stay in a dorm overnight and go to classes all on his own. </p>
<p>There are some other schools down south he will visit as well.</p>
<p>I can’t see how he could do this all on his own, except to give him a car and let him drive up to a few hundred miles a day, which I think would be too much. </p>
<p>This would allow us to see 4 or 5 schools in a week; otherwise he is literally going to visits every weekend this fall.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever done this? Pros/Cons?</p>
<p>Xwords59…since those are D3 and he has to foot the bill/arrange travel etc…I think that might be your best angle…His challenge will be in telling the coach of each school when he will arrive/needs overnight dorm space/and access to classes. All of those coaches have invited him to campus?</p>
<p>@fogfog – All the coaches of the schools that we are thinking of visiting want to talk to him, with the exception of 1 that my S needs to just call on the phone and get an answer. I think he will just have to try to plan this in advance, and tell each coach which day he is coming to campus, and hopefully they will accomodate him.</p>
<p>^ Sounds like a good plan xwords59. Combining the travel makes sense. If it were us, I’d look at flights- an open jaw–and rent a car sort of like a college 411 type of trip. I am assuming school will be in session. If the team will be traveling- that would be the only “hitch” that he is on campus etc at the same time as they are–so maybe look at whether there are any known travel dates when he’d miss them. Have a great trip!</p>
<p>We did UOVs together- I would discretely excuse myself and go tour the Art museum or whatever while my S met privately with the coach after the introductions. For OVs, I dropped my S off-we drove- and left him there til pick up time. I can’t see why you get more points for sending your child him or herself as long as you are not physically present, or calling/emailing etc.
My S couldn’t make a couple OVs on the dates suggested, and the coaches were happy to accomodate his travel needs. We did a NE tour driving, and a MN tour driving once we flew out.
This is D3 of course, so student gets no money anyway…Just a floor to sleep on and a couple meal tickets.</p>