Showcase Skill Clinic
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OK, if this is a Skills Clinic associated with a Showcase and promises lots of coaches there here are my thoughts.
First - most kids start these as early as 12 or 13 so 14 or 15 is actually on the later end of going to a first one.
Second - your DD might learn something. Your DD might not. Same for you. Unless your DD doesn't want to go an in response has terrible body language and is just a misery to be around, there is probably lvery little down side....
To get attention from the coaches at this type of clinic you need to be in one of two groups:
1) Players coaches are already aware of and are there to see more of. So already into the recruiting process with multiple emails, videos, camps, seen them in games or showcases, phone calls, etc, etc
2) Really physically impressive players who look the part or look like elite athletes. Even if they can't actually play softball, a lot of these coaches think they can mold physical talent. For example, if your DD is 6' tall and throws 60+ mph she will get lots of attention - even if she can't throw a strike. And so on.
Every one else is basically just 'there'. You can do things at this clinic to get you into the 1) group for future camps - introduce yourself to the coach, stand out in some way (hair color, colorful socks, high energy, great personality,great teammate, hustling more than others, etc, etc), do something spectacular when the coaches happen to looking and so on) but that is probably more set up for a start of recruit than being recruited.
If you are in the just there group you can still get a lot out of it - your DD gets to see who she is competing with, she might learn something, she can work on talking to coaches (introducing yourself to an adult you don't know by yourself is a scary new thing for most young ladies), she can see who is getting attention and why and so on. Not a bad way to get your feet wet. Also the first time you hear the 'recruiting speech' coaches give as part of these events is informative (once you hear it at EVERY camp it gets very repetitive).
College coaches get paid to attend these things - so many of them go to a LOT of them because it is easy money and you may run into a player you like. But that also means they see a LOT of players - they are not going to remember anyone not in 1) or 2) unless a player went out of there way to show just how much they didn't want to be there.
DD has been to quite a few of these as part of her recruiting journey. In general she hates them and is pretty much done with them. They were a necessary thing early in recruiting, but now she has lots of coaches and teams she is talking to and they are coming out to games etc - they don't need to see her run some drills. She might come down to the clinic to talk to coaches she knows - but she no longer participates. Also while she is a great athlete, she doesn't necessarily look like one so she isn't in group 2). For her she hated coaches paying attention to players who were inferior but looked the part over her. Specific College Camps and games are where my DD shines so that is where she invests her recruiting time and efforts (and my money)
If this is a Skills Clinic being held by a specific college your DD wants to go attend, then it is probably best to get your feet wet at a skills camp of a college your DD does not want to attend first just to see how things are done. And then go to a potential college's camp.
There are two scenarios for these College Camps in general:
1) Money makers which is more of a station drills camp with ages from 10-seniors (in general the REAL prospects who were SPECIFICALLY invited will be separated out and basically have their own camp). These camps tend to be larger - the HC and ACs will spend the day watching the REAL prospects while everyone else will do drills and stuff run by current players at the college.
2) True prospect camp. In this environment the college only take a small number of mainly invited athletes of HS age and there is much more focus on those looking to be recruited because it is just these coaches looking at kids who have spent money to attend the camp at this school so there is an expectation that perhaps they want to attend here. There is some NCAA rules that are kinda of meant to make this harder, but there are always ways around this. My DD is attending one next week where to register you had to email the Assistant Coach to see if there was a spot available in the camp and they would THEN send you the registration info. Effectively this just meant the AC didn't reply to players they didn't want there or waited until there wasn't a spot available before doing so. DD has been talking to this school for awhile so there were LOTS of emails regarding how she can sign up
One supposedly public camp she went to a few weeks ago had 8 girls attend - basically the top 8 girls on their recruiting list.
Don't go to a Money Maker more than once unless you get a personalized email from the coaches that basically says you will be in the Prospects Group. Form email says you will be attending to make money for the program/assistant coaches.
First - most kids start these as early as 12 or 13 so 14 or 15 is actually on the later end of going to a first one.
Second - your DD might learn something. Your DD might not. Same for you. Unless your DD doesn't want to go an in response has terrible body language and is just a misery to be around, there is probably lvery little down side....
To get attention from the coaches at this type of clinic you need to be in one of two groups:
1) Players coaches are already aware of and are there to see more of. So already into the recruiting process with multiple emails, videos, camps, seen them in games or showcases, phone calls, etc, etc
2) Really physically impressive players who look the part or look like elite athletes. Even if they can't actually play softball, a lot of these coaches think they can mold physical talent. For example, if your DD is 6' tall and throws 60+ mph she will get lots of attention - even if she can't throw a strike. And so on.
Every one else is basically just 'there'. You can do things at this clinic to get you into the 1) group for future camps - introduce yourself to the coach, stand out in some way (hair color, colorful socks, high energy, great personality,great teammate, hustling more than others, etc, etc), do something spectacular when the coaches happen to looking and so on) but that is probably more set up for a start of recruit than being recruited.
If you are in the just there group you can still get a lot out of it - your DD gets to see who she is competing with, she might learn something, she can work on talking to coaches (introducing yourself to an adult you don't know by yourself is a scary new thing for most young ladies), she can see who is getting attention and why and so on. Not a bad way to get your feet wet. Also the first time you hear the 'recruiting speech' coaches give as part of these events is informative (once you hear it at EVERY camp it gets very repetitive).
College coaches get paid to attend these things - so many of them go to a LOT of them because it is easy money and you may run into a player you like. But that also means they see a LOT of players - they are not going to remember anyone not in 1) or 2) unless a player went out of there way to show just how much they didn't want to be there.
DD has been to quite a few of these as part of her recruiting journey. In general she hates them and is pretty much done with them. They were a necessary thing early in recruiting, but now she has lots of coaches and teams she is talking to and they are coming out to games etc - they don't need to see her run some drills. She might come down to the clinic to talk to coaches she knows - but she no longer participates. Also while she is a great athlete, she doesn't necessarily look like one so she isn't in group 2). For her she hated coaches paying attention to players who were inferior but looked the part over her. Specific College Camps and games are where my DD shines so that is where she invests her recruiting time and efforts (and my money)
If this is a Skills Clinic being held by a specific college your DD wants to go attend, then it is probably best to get your feet wet at a skills camp of a college your DD does not want to attend first just to see how things are done. And then go to a potential college's camp.
There are two scenarios for these College Camps in general:
1) Money makers which is more of a station drills camp with ages from 10-seniors (in general the REAL prospects who were SPECIFICALLY invited will be separated out and basically have their own camp). These camps tend to be larger - the HC and ACs will spend the day watching the REAL prospects while everyone else will do drills and stuff run by current players at the college.
2) True prospect camp. In this environment the college only take a small number of mainly invited athletes of HS age and there is much more focus on those looking to be recruited because it is just these coaches looking at kids who have spent money to attend the camp at this school so there is an expectation that perhaps they want to attend here. There is some NCAA rules that are kinda of meant to make this harder, but there are always ways around this. My DD is attending one next week where to register you had to email the Assistant Coach to see if there was a spot available in the camp and they would THEN send you the registration info. Effectively this just meant the AC didn't reply to players they didn't want there or waited until there wasn't a spot available before doing so. DD has been talking to this school for awhile so there were LOTS of emails regarding how she can sign up
One supposedly public camp she went to a few weeks ago had 8 girls attend - basically the top 8 girls on their recruiting list.Don't go to a Money Maker more than once unless you get a personalized email from the coaches that basically says you will be in the Prospects Group. Form email says you will be attending to make money for the program/assistant coaches.
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