<p>I have a high school son who emotionally, physically, and sociall thrives on sports. I don't know how he'll measure up in terms of college recruiting as he's at the early end of high school. I do think he'll want to play a college sport just because he loves sports so much. Any advice for parents who think their child might be recruited for sports - how should we prepare for this?</p>
<p>Mom-check the athletic recruiting forum for more information on the possibility of playing a sport in college. There is a lot of valuable advice there. Many athletes can find a place to play their sport in college at one of the different levels (Division 1, D-2, D-3, NAIA, club, or intramural). Also, some kids I know who do not have the talent level to play at the college level, or who wish to attend a specific college that fields a team that plays at a level that exceeds their abilities can become a team manager in their chosen sport. Being a student-manager is a great experience that immerses the student in the sports world where they are part of a team and also gives them valuable job experience that they can take into the sports or business world. As far as preparing for college sports, research your son’s sport and see how they recruit. Some sports recruit from high schools, other from club teams. I think many sports, football being a huge exception, recruit from traveling club teams or competitions so find the best team in your area that your son can get regular playing time on. One other thing I advise parents to do is look at college athletic websites and compare their child’s physical size to that of current collegiate athletes playing the same sport/position. For college sports, talent is not always enough- your child has to have the body type for the sport as well in order to get recruited, although there are some exceptions. You can ask the high school coach what he knows about kids from the high school moving on to the college level and can try to talk to other families from your town/school about their experience getting recruited. If your son is considering a club sport or travel team, my advice is to attend a couple of tournaments/competitions as an observer and talk to the people who are there- most people I know are happy to share their opinions and experiences. Good luck to your son. Enjoy the journey.</p>
<p>It’s all going to depend on just what sports he develops “recruitability” in. Your son sounds like mine – loved loved loved them all. And still does. Luckily the one he loved the most, was also the one his father loved the most, and was the one he was best at. And, since we moved to the town that had the best team in the state in that particular sport … he got early exposure, training and development.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to keep the grades up and work on the SATs. Unless he is a basketball or football phenom – and you would probably know by now if that was a possibility – he should use the sports as a hook to get recruited to the best college and get the best education he can. I’m talking about getting in … not getting a full ride athletic scholarship.</p>
<p>PM me if you want more info.</p>
<p>If he is at the early end of high school, a lot can change. Besides injury and burnout, he simply might not turn out to be strong enough to be recruited by the level of school that he would want to attend. As you go through this process, keep in mind what we call the “broken leg test”. Would your son still be happy at a particular school if he could not ever play his sport?</p>
<p>Amen MOWC! My son did end up getting injured and had to retire early from his sport- luckily, he chose a school he loves even without the sport! cnp55: good advice, but as the parent of an athlete who was recruited in a revenue sport, I want to add that even football and basketball coaches get pretty excited about great grades and test scores. They only need a couple of superstars to win games, but they need a lot of kids getting decent grades in college to keep their Academic Performance Level high enough not to lose scholarships. Athletes: keep your grades up and study for those SAT’s!</p>
<p>Thanks for the awesome information. You all have given me a great starting point.</p>
<p>Just a word on timing: my D (2010 graduate) sent a letter to the soccer coach at Princeton in Feb 09 saying that she was playing at a tournament nearby and maybe he could come watch her play. It was a long shot but worth the effort. We were shocked at the response: “Thanks for your interest in Princeton. If you get admitted we’ll arrange a try out but WE HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED RECRUITING FOR 2010.” (emphasis mine). So they’re done recruiting 18 months ahead of the recruits reporting for their first practice.</p>
<p>In other words, for soccer (and I suspect most other sports at the D1 level) if he’s not being recruited by his sophomore year, forget D1.</p>
<p>That said, my son played D2 football as a walk on. But he had almost more fun playing club lacrosse in the off season. So that’s always a possibility too.</p>
<ol>
<li>Get an honest opinion (from someone other than a parent, relative or friend) from a coach or two about the level he thinks your son can comfortably play at.</li>
<li>Research schools that you are interested in (love the school first) and that have your sport. Decide if you will be happy there even if your sport does not turn out the way you would like.</li>
<li>Check the rosters for graduating seniors, juniors, their positions, stats, height, weight, etc. to see how you match up there (look for your position in the juniors and seniors on the roster). Where do you fit in on the roster? What will the recruiting needs be?</li>
<li>MOST IMPORTANT, have as high a GPA and SAT/ACT scores that you possibly can. This will greatly enhance your recruitability, as the Coach will not have to worry about you being admitted to the college. This can also result in academic/merit money, which can make you a better recruit, as the coach will not have to offer you scholarship money (that does not mean he will not offer). You are just more marketable.</li>
<li>E-mail prospective coaches, assistants and their recruiting coordinators (usually names and titles are listed on the web-sites) with your interest in their program, as well as your stats, awards, position, GPA and SAT/ACT scores. Express your interest in the school and an academic program/major if you have decided upon one.If not, just express interest in the college.</li>
<li>Have your current coach follow up with a phone call to the college coach to attest to your abilities.</li>
<li>Follow up yourself with a packet consisting of a brief resume, stats, awards, articles,unofficial transcript (high schools will usually provide you with one of these upon request), SAT/ACT scores, your specific interest in the college and request to attend any camps, clinics, etc. that they may be conducting or be attending. </li>
<li>Include a copy of your playing schedule and invite them to attend to watch you play.</li>
<li>BE PERSISTENT without being annoying - judge from their responses to you via return e-mails, phone calls, mailings, etc.</li>
<li>VISIT the campus and go to the admissions office for an interview, tour, sign-in session, etc. and request to meet with the coach the same day.</li>
</ol>
<p>This is termed the art of self-recruiting and has resulted in myriads of student-athletes making coaches aware of their talent and ability to contribute to a team at the collegiate level. Hundreds of self-recruited athletes are offered full, partial or substantial athletic and/or merit money by following these organized steps. Moreover, they find a fit for themselves.</p>
<p>Good luck. Never give up on your goal - a Coach will appreciate a dedicated, motivated, talented self-recruiter. Go for it.</p>
<p>Many D1 schools continue to recruit through junior year and even into senior year, depending upon their needs, transfers, seniors graduating, being drafted to minor leagues, injuries, etc. Perhaps some, but not all, Ivy Leagues have their lists compiled 1-2 years prior, but again, MANY Division 1 schools recruit juniors and even seniors, depending upon the sport. When you begin the self-recruiting process, usually coaches who respond are very candid, as they do not want you to waste your time or theirs. Moreover, they are always seeking new, undiscovered talent. If your goal is Division 1 and you have an honest assessment that you can play at that level, then Go for it.</p>
<p>osdad:
Check here for early comittments in college women’s soccer. As you can see it starts very early! Scroll to Princeton section and you can see three 2010 recruits have already comitted.</p>
<p>[Women’s</a> Soccer Recruiting](<a href=“http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=poknaL_RaORDOMcyz_riBDA&gid=0]Women’s”>http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=poknaL_RaORDOMcyz_riBDA&gid=0)</p>
<p>Check out the athletic recruits subforum on CC for more info!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/</a></p>