Exposure tournaments vs. Camps?

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Nov 14, 2011
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My DD will be a sophomore this next school year and I am interested in which of the two choices; Exposure tournaments or Camps is the best option. My DD is realistically looking at a Div3, JuCo or NAIA college. We have attended two exposure tournaments this year and honestly they were both poorly attended by college coaches. The first tournament we saw 5 coaches (last fall) and the one a few weeks ago in Chattanooga we saw 4 coaches the entire week. We sent out several emails to coaches that attended the tournaments the year prior but the attendance wasn't good. In comparison we played in Illinois ASA state tournament 2 weeks ago and there were 5 coaches watching our first game alone.

So what is your experience with exposure tournaments vs. camps? I have been told that attending camps is a good way of actually getting seen by coaches, but of course they are also looking at 150 other players at the same camp.

Your thoughts?
 
Sep 18, 2011
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Our DDs are the same age. My DD will also enter her sophomore year in a little over a month.

Of your two choices, I think camps are by far the better option. Your DD is still very young, though, and my guess is that D3, NAIA schools, or Jucos are not out there recruiting 2017 grads. Camps will allow them to observe her over a day or two and get a sense of her personality and skill set. And if she does well, they may ask her to send her her schedule. Showcases, on the other hand, are like playing the lottery. My DD played in at least a dozen showcases without receiving any interest. The probability of doing anything special while a coach is watching is fairly low. Unless your DD is a pitcher, of course. And not all showcases are created equal. We went to one last Fall in Des Moines and we might have seen three coaches over the weekend. We went to Boulder a couple of weeks ago at the Independence Day Tournament and there were dozens of coaches at our games. Dozens.

Last winter my DD went to a camp at her D1 dream school. She performed quite well and after the camp the coaches told her to keep in touch and send them her schedule. She kept in touch, and the coaches attended 3 of her 6 pool play games in Colorado. DD played well and after the tourney the coaches contacted her travel ball coach, and long story short a few days ago she received her first offer. And it was a great offer. To her dream school. NEVER would have happened without attending the winter camp. And most camps, at least the ones that we have attended, have far fewer than 150 campers. Look for camps that say "elite." Or "recruiting camp." Or something like that. To be fair she also received emails and campus invites from schools we have never even heard of, and we are going to visit three of them, but she killed it in Colorado and generated a ton of interest. But the thing about showcases is that it's so arbitrary. Currently DD's team is in Atlanta for Legacy and all three games today were rained out. They played two yesterday, and DD went 0 for 5. I mean it's one of those "lightning in a bottle" things at showcases. Camps provide a much better opportunity to show your stuff. At least in my humble opinion. But make SURE your DD sends an email prior to the camp!! "Hi, my name is Suzie Johnson and I'll be attending your elite camp next week. I'm a 2017 grad and I play travel ball for the ... I plan on studying basket weaving and since you have a great basket weaving program..." That kind of thing. If she sends that email, the coaches WILL keep an eye on her.

Best of luck! Sorry to be long winded but this has been the best week of my DD's softball career, and I'm still a bit buzzed.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
...I have not understood what NAIA is yet...

D3 like academics and talent with no limits on athletic scholarship $$$.

It is typical for the larger D1's to have 150+ players at their camps. But it has nothing to do with providing quality instruction. First and foremost it is a fundraiser. Beyond that it allows up close and personal contact with known prospects and at time unknown prospects.

True, some JUCOs are like HS. Others have very good talent. DD's team will face Florida, FSU, Carolina, and Tennessee this Fall. They usually hold their own pretty well.
 
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Mar 26, 2013
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D3 like academics and talent with no limits on athletic scholarship $$$.
NAIA has a limit of 10 athletic scholarships, which is between NCAA D-I's 12 and D-II's 7.2. Their recruiting rules are much less restrictive than NCAA rules, so it's a lot easier to make contact with them earlier. Many NAIA schools have a religious affiliation.

True, some JUCOs are like HS. Others have very good talent. DD's team will face Florida, FSU, Carolina, and Tennessee this Fall. They usually hold their own pretty well.
Agreed. Each 'level' of college ball has teams that cover a wide spectrum of ability and there is quite a bit of overlap between the levels.

Regarding OP's estimation of DD's ability, it is good to have a realistic view on it. However, that really only eliminates the more competitive D-I and D-II programs due to the overlaps. At your DD's age, I wouldn't give up on the smaller D-I and D-II programs yet. There are many fine schools that get overlooked by recruits due to their low profile.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I think a combination of both is the best approach. Most colleges only take 4-6 players per year, so there is no guarantee that a school will have a need for your DD's position every year. Exposure tournaments allow multiple schools to view your DD playing and if they have an interest in her position for her graduation year then you can take it from there. Several schools have shown interest in my DD from exposure tournaments and we would not have thought to consider them otherwise.

Attending camps of the schools your DD is interested in is also a good idea - especially if she is a 2nd year 14U or 16U player. I would suggest having her TB coach make a phone call before she attends so the coaching staff can keep an eye out for her. It would also be helpful if your TB coach can confirm the schools recruiting needs so you do not waste your time/money attending camps where there is not a fit.
 
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Sep 18, 2011
1,411
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Exposure tournaments allow multiple schools to view your DD playing and if they have an interest in her position for her graduation year then you can take it from there. Several schools have shown interest in my DD from exposure tournaments and we would not have thought to consider them otherwise.

Hard to disagree with JAD, but his daughter is a tall pitcher who throws the ball hard. VERY HARD! At any exposure tournament, she is without question going to be noticed. She would be impossible to miss. For regular position players, it is much more difficult to get noticed at a showcase.
 
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Sep 17, 2009
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Camps are a tool YOU use to target schools. It's similar to an email or sending a skills video. You are hoping to get noticed.

Exposure tournaments are a tool schools use to target girls. It's POSSIBLE you will get noticed out of the blue, but not likely. More probably a coach might notice your team, talk to your coach and the coach talks you up.

So the answer is both, one as part of a plan to target your schools. The second to make it easy for coaches to follow up and see you if interested.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
So the answer is both, one as part of a plan to target your schools. The second to make it easy for coaches to follow up and see you if interested.

People miss a lot by not including networking in their recruiting plans. You can go wide and strong here...

- Ex and current college players you know. An email or recommendation from them can go a long way (Hey <<old coach, previous teammate who now coaches, etc, etc>>. Have a local player who knocks the &$^& out of the ball. Need anyone next season?)
- Contacts local skills coaches have - especially pitching and batting coaches.
- Contacts through other sports at HS - we had one player get recruited because the football coach at the college was recruiting locally. Long story, but there you go.

We even had one girl who got recruited through umpires talking to other umpires talking to a coach.
 

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