<p>Thanks to CC, I've learned a great deal about athletic recruiting, likely letters, and more that's proving to be helpful as DD2 enters the fray. She'll be a senior with strong academic credentials and is also an MVP varsity soccer and softball player in a modest league, but has no ODP, premier league, or big-time camp experiences because of school, family, and work commitments. She has no illusions about being actively recruited, particularly as she's interested mainly in extremely competitive NESCAC schools, but she would love to eventually be invited to preseason or maybe make a school's B squad and so is filling out prospective athlete forms and contacting coaches this summer. </p>
<p>Here is our issue. One coach has aleady asked for a "soccer highlights video" about five or six minutes long by mid-October at the latest. Other than that, we have no details. Do you folks have suggestions for how to go about making one or getting one done for a minimum of $$$? DH and I have never owned a video camera (I know, I know! What sort of parents...). Am assuming DVD format would be acceptable and there must be something that's editable by computer, as opposed to however it's done with VHS tapes??? </p>
<p>Beyond any such practical suggestions, do folks have ideas about what it should contain? Should she introduce herself as well as include brief game clips? (She does the corners, free kicks, pks, so there should be something to use.) </p>
<p>Any advice would be welcome! As I say, the objective is to keep her on a coach's list of possibles and do whatever we can to give her a shot. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I keep checking back to see if anyone has responded, because we have many of the same questions. (The main difference in our situation is that my S is a rising junior, so we have more time. He's interested in the NESCAC schools or at least that type of school.) Like the OP, we've read many of the other threads about athletic recruiting and now have a number of more specific questions about the details she raised, in particular recommendations about equipment, software and the contents of the videos/DVDs. Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>gratefulmom and nceph, I used Windows Movie Maker (it came with the computer) to make a highlight CD for my son. You upload to your computer from your camcorder and drag-and-drop clips onto a storyboard. You'll catch on quickly and with a little practice you can make a very good CD. No special effects, no soundtrack, just keep it simple. Be sure to write your athlete's name and phone number on the CD. I also inserted a title card at the beginning of the CD with contact info as well. I can't speak to specific soccer content (son was a different sport), but definitely use a tripod when shooting.</p>
<p>Our DD wasn't really involved in sports (swimming only), but one of my nephews and a family friend's son were both fabulous football players. My husband, a sports enthusiast and a video/film editor, offered to take team film (supplied by the coaches) and made DVDs for each of the boys, complete with music in the background and special effects. Both boys used these DVDs to present to the coaching staff at the colleges to which they applied. I would begin by asking the high school coaches if they have team film you can view to see if your child is featured in any of the tape. If you have a friend or family member in the video industry,you might speak with them to see what the possibility is of putting together a DVD for you. Another idea might be to contact a professor at one of your local colleges that might have a mass communications program and see if they have any students who are looking for projects to do. Maybe they could put you in touch with a graduate student who still needs experience. Good luck!</p>
<p>Maybe I can help. We were in a similar position last summer. DD had to make a quickie soccer video to send to D3 coaches who were unable to attend tournaments. We took our personal digital video camera to three different club soccer games (nothing spectacular...just games where she seemed effective). We taped her play, focusing the camera somewhat tightly on her instead of the whole field. Then we took DD to the field where we taped a short, rehearsed introduction..."Hi, my name is .... and I play (position)... I am number....in the (color) jersey." She briefly discussed what she thought were her strengths as a player.</p>
<p>Then my daughter used Pinnacle software (if you have a Mac, IMovie is better) to put the intro and a little action from each game on CD. I couldn't do it, but my daughter handled it easily. Perhaps you have a friend with a camera and your daughter has a friend with the editing software (about $100 I think). You should borrow instead of buying. Then she mailed a letter and a CD to any coach where there was mutual interest. Other coaches came to tournaments and saw her play live so she didn't send them CDs. </p>
<p>In the end DD had several awesome offers/admits to some great schools. Interestingly, I think she could have had many more offers if she were more flexible about schools. Evidently, there are LOTS of soccer programs out there that need female players (all levels of teams) so no one should feel discouraged. If you daughter really wants to play soccer in college and/or wants her soccer to support her application, her efforts with this video will pay off. Best wishes!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the helpful information.<br>
Dreamer88- What type of video camera do you have or recommend? Do you have any particular recommendations about what's easiest to work with? I know there are some differences in how the recorded material was stored (disk, tape, etc.), and I didn't know whether that made much of a difference.</p>
<p>Also, how long did the finished product end up being? I figure the coaches will only be interested in watching for so long, so I'm wondering what's an optimal length.</p>
<p>nceph - We have a Canon ZR60 video camcorder. It uses little tapes to record and a "fire wire" to send the images to our computer. To be honest, all I did was point and shoot. My daughter handled the rest. Evidently, you can make videotapes or burn CDs...coaches accept either. Our finished CD was about 10 minutes in length, though it could have been shorter. I suggest putting the best clips first, as a busy coach may not watch too long. Also, if you mail a tape and don't hear anything for a while, don't hesitate to email the coach to see if he/she got it. Coaches get lots of tapes so you want to make sure they watch yours. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, for the responses and very practical suggestions, particularly the recommendations about useful software. This now feels like something even <em>we</em> might be able to pull off! Also, thank you, dreamer88, for the encouragement that there may turn out to be more opportunities ultimately than we assume. Maybe I can stop myself from thinking, "If only she played ice hockey instead!"</p>