College camps - who pays

[SoCal_Dad]

Evidently camp fees can be reduced/waived if the PSA is not a recruited PSA. Here are the relevant D-I bylaws I found:

13.12.1.7.1 General Rule. An institution, members of its staff or representatives of its athletics interests shall not employ or give free or reduced admission privileges to a prospective student-athlete who is an athletics award winner or any individual being recruited by the institution per Bylaw 13.02.13.1. An institution may offer discounted admission to its camps and clinics based on objective criteria unrelated to athletics abilities (e.g., registration prior to a specific date, online registration, attendance at multiple sessions, group discounts), provided such discounts are published and available on an equal basis to all who qualify. [R] (Revised: 3/10/04, 4/20/09, 9/24/09)

13.02.13.1 Recruited Prospective Student-Athlete. Actions by staff members or athletics representatives that cause a prospective student-athlete to become a recruited prospective student-athlete at that institution are: (Revised: 1/10/90, 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94, 1/10/05 effective 8/01/05)
(a) Providing the prospective student-athlete with an official visit; (Adopted: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94)
(b) Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parents, relatives or legal guardians; (Adopted: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94)
(c) Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospective student-athlete, the prospective student-athlete’s relatives or legal guardians on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment; or (Revised: 1/11/94 effective 8/1/94)
(d) Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of athletically related financial aid to the prospective student-athlete. Issuing a written offer of athletically related financial aid to a prospective student-athlete to attend a summer session prior to full-time enrollment does not cause the prospective student-athlete to become recruited. (Adopted: 1/10/05 effective 8/1/05, Revised: 12/13/05)

 

[Softball_2]

^ This is correct. No discounts can be given based on athletic ability or how much we want a certain player to come to our camp/school. There is also no such thing as an "elite" camp. Just as we are not allowed to provide discounts based on athletic ability, we can also not limit our camp entrants by athletic ability; it can only be limited by age, grade level, gender and number.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

The criteria for recruited prospective student-athlete are fairly high, so it seems many/most PSA's would not meet them and could be offered a discount based on athletics ability. I interpret the objective criteria for discounted admission as an exception to the ban for recruited PSA's.

Schools hold "elite" camps by keeping the number down. If there are more entrants than available spots, they choose whom is admitted.

 

[riseball]

Have also seen where a 3rd party holds the camp and then hires one or more college coaches as "instructors" which is a totally different animal.

 

[canyonjoe]

When it comes to softball, it's simple. You always pay no matter what it is.