Is there value in Recruiting Camps?

[Jr10234]

DD recently attended a recruiting camp held the day before a multi-state tournmanet. There was a list of 50+ college coaches attending, including name and college affiliation. Are these recruiting camps beneficial? Are they more beneficial for soph/junior compare to 8th grade/freshman?

Looking for input/experience here, wondering if they should be on our schedule over the next couple years.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

One of them got my DD noticed and offered.

But this was one that just happened to have coaches that were actually "hunting" versus the few we have been to that appeared to be a mutual funding grab.

Not knowing your situation, generically I would recommend finding somebody who is "in the know" on some of these exposure events in your area and go with a few of them. I would recommend starting the winter of her sophomore year in HS. (again just a general recommendation on getting the most bang out of your buck on these costly events)

 

[JAD]

My personal opinion is that recruiting camps are "cash cows" for tournament organizers, especially for 14U and younger players. The top 0.01% of 14U players may get an offer, but it can put players on a teams "radar" to keep an eye on. At 16U, I think they can become more beneficial. If you have the $$$ it is a good experience, but if money is tight, I think a more focused approach with the coaches of the teams your DD is interest in would be a better use of time/money.

 

[Rocketburke5]

From my personal experience, recruiting camps helped me get recruited at the college level. I just finished my freshman year. However, it is important to research the camp first. I did one camp 2 years in a row and 1 I only did once. I went the the Kent State softball camp and I also did the NFCA softball camp. Both had lots of coaches. With that being said, I didn't do either camp until I was in 16U. And I do think that made an impact on why I got attention. But I don't think you can start looking too early. By that I mean if your daughter has any idea what she wants to do career wise (and I realize this can change day to day with young girls), look up the schools offering that major or occupation, then research their softball programs. You would think this is common sense but I know how easy it can be getting wrapped up in the opportunity to play. Too many student athletes go to a certain college strictly to play sports, and yes I love playing a sport in college but any coach will tell you that earning your degree is most important because that is what you will be doing for the rest of your life. I hope that helps!

 

[Softball_2]

They're beneficial if your daughter understands or buys into the value of hustling and here's why: I'm probably not looking too hard at a recruiting an 8th grader, even if they're exceptional. So my eyes are probably on the sophomores when looking for talent/skill, but it's difficult to ignore that 8th grader going full-speed in every drill. I'm a lot more likely to remember her face and our interactions because I appreciate those intangibles. Then she continues to develop her skills, comes back as a sophomore, and let's say she's slightly above average...BUT I remember her as the kid who hustled and worked hard. She's definitely going to get more of my attention due to the way she had carried herself for the last couple years. And, as a coach whose job it is to develop players, a slightly above average kid who hustles is going to be a lot easier to turn into a great player than someone with a little more innate skill and a lot less drive.