So what is college softball like for the student-athlete?

[CoogansBluff]

My daughter was asking me about this today. She had done some online research and it scared her a little.

What's a typical week like during the season? Off-season? How much time is spent a week? How difficult is it to juggle college softball and a challenging major?

 

[blazer60]

I attended both a Division 1 and Division 2 school as a collegiate athlete. The difference between D1 and D2 isn't much. The typical day at a D1 School in the fall:
6:00am Conditioning/Weight Lifting
8:00-2:00pm Classes
3:00-5:00pm Practice (Mon- Saturday usually)... For a few weeks in November-December, practices were only 1/2 hour (NCAA Rules, depending on how the coaches use their hours)

The Spring is totally up in the air. Usually, we did weights 2 times per week. Games/travel on the weekend, and practice in between. You do get a few off days here and there. It's all about how you manage your time...

There are pros and cons to being a collegiate athlete. 1 Pro: you feel like you are a part of a family. You have 15 friends right off the bat, and it makes you feel comfortable, especially if you are far from home. It all depends on the dedication of the player, and the motivation to get better. You WILL have time to hang out with other friends, etc... just not as much as the typical student.

Plus you get a BUNCH of free clothes!!

 

[CoogansBluff]

thanks, Blazer.

Isn't there a 20-hour rule per week? Is that practice + games and workouts, or just practice/workouts?

Also, I've forgotten how many hours/week that a student is in school. When I was in college, it was 15 hours/week in the classroom. Is that the norm today?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

And don't forget the rules about, if you need to go to a wedding, etc. Sorry, no.

And you have to handle stress well. It will seem like someone is constantly trying to take your position.

You will need to carefully ask about the choice of your major. I know athletes, personally that were told what majors that they could have and what wasn't allowed.

And you have to get used to old people yelling stupid things at you, from the stands. (Truthfully.)

 

[Sparky Guy]

The hardest part about college is the travel. Often they are leaving at noon on Friday and not returning until after midnight on Sunday after a 10 hour bus ride. They have to learn how to sleep and study on the bus. Luckily for my DD she was narcoleptic in the car. She can sleep like a champ in a moving veh. Those 15+ friends can wear on you after spending soooo much time together.

Tell you DD to be sure to have some non-softball friends at school. My DD did not room with any of her teammates. There will be days that she'll need to vent about the coach or another player on the team. She'll need to be able to do it without worrying about retribution.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Good stuff. ... I didn't think about the bus rides. Whew.

Make sure to mention what's fun about college softball, too. If she reads too many warning stickers, she might run away.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Coogan's Bluff, what size HS is your DD at? My son went from a tiny country HS, to U of Chicago and he said that the kids that went to HS in places like Wilmette, Il. were much better prepared for everything, than he was. He wasn't an athlete. He didn't know how the kids that were, handled the work load.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Coogan's Bluff, what size HS is your DD at? My son went from a tiny country HS, to U of Chicago and he said that the kids that went to HS in places like Wilmette, Il. were much better prepared for everything, than he was. He wasn't an athlete. He didn't know how the kids that were, handled the work load.

2,000+ high school. She's still a middle-schooler, actually. She's only recently thought about the possibility of playing in college. I think she'd have the discipline and maturity to do it. My guess is that she'd do fine if she really liked her teammates and coaches. She would be more motivated by being part of special group of people, the team thing, than the sport itself, if that makes sense. If she didn't have that, it would be a job and she wouldn't like it.

But that possibility is a long ways off still. For now, she's just interested in fantasizing about what the lifestyle would be like. Which I think is a great thing whether she plays a sport or not. She's got a cousin who is about to be off to college, so that gets her to thinking what she's going to want when she's that age.

 

[SBFAMILY]

90% of our players were recruited while playing in showcases. None on line. That is the Midwest. Not much different with D3 or NAIA. Leave Thursday night on bus. Play two games Friday two on Saturday. Travel to Florida for a week in the spring. To play sports you better have good time management skills. We are lucky dd got a full time Tudor, based on her IEP from high school. That was the most important thing in our recruiting process. Money didn't hurt.

 

[dropball1]

Also one element that people may want to consider are 'required" study hall hours. The student athlete may have certain study hall hours that they have to attend and log meaning that once their day starts at +/- 6am with conditioning and weights, followed by class and then practice, there may be another hour or two required in a designated study area before returning to the dorm.