Getting the most bang for your buck at College Camps

[softballer]

My daughter is a freshman this year and first year 16U. We are trying to squeeze in as many camps as we can fit in the schedule and afford during the late fall and winter.

LSU camp is a priority, but the week before there is a camp in Baton Rouge called College Softball camp. It is also 2 days and will have many coaches there including LSU. Has anyone ever been to a College Softball Camp? Is it a good recruiting camp? Should we do this instead and get in front of several coaches at one time?

Right now we are looking at $1,000 worth of camps this winter not counting travel. Is it really worth it? She is on the short list at many of these schools so I'm really not sure what we should do. Should we make all these camps a priority?

 

[sbmom19]

I haven't heard of that camp. I have however met both the head coaches from Louisiana Tech and Southern University at USA Preps - both are terrific guys!

 

[quincy]

I think you are being silly.

I would only send DD to 1 or 2 camps at the most, I am not a fan of camps except for the experience and recruiting and she is only a freshmen.

DD is on the short list of all the schools in the country if we pony up the money.

Spend her time hitting the ball, they will find her.

 

[maksoftball]

My daughter is a freshman this year and first year 16U. We are trying to squeeze in as many camps as we can fit in the schedule and afford during the late fall and winter.

LSU camp is a priority, but the week before there is a camp in Baton Rouge called College Softball camp. It is also 2 days and will have many coaches there including LSU. Has anyone ever been to a College Softball Camp? Is it a good recruiting camp? Should we do this instead and get in front of several coaches at one time?

Right now we are looking at $1,000 worth of camps this winter not counting travel. Is it really worth it? She is on the short list at many of these schools so I'm really not sure what we should do. Should we make all these camps a priority?

Couple of things...the CSC camp is a good one. We tried to go but DD backed out for personal reasons.

Second thing...college camps are only worth it if your DD gets an invite to go (personal invite...not bulk email). That has been what I have heard/read. Unless your dd is a stellar performer/athlete, then don't waste money all of those camps (which ultimately is what they are...fundraisers for softball programs). Not sure what else to tell you.

Wait..."on the short list" do you mean they have expressed personal interest in your DD? They extended invite? If so, then she should narrow down to top 3 and do camps. She has time unless she is a catcher/pitcher.

 

[Orange Socks]

You must have just gotten the LSU camp email too. To answer your question about CSC...yes and no. We went last year and thought it was well run and for the price you do get a pretty good bang for you buck, especially for a two day camp. Your kid will get to be in front on of ton of coaches from the area and beyond. We went to get the experience of working out with the coaches and to see where she stands in comparison to other kids in her class. If the schools that are on her wish list are there, then go. This will be her first introduction to those coaches. At registration there will be school bins to put her bio in too. I prefer the camps where there are many coaches from different schools at this stage of the game. Get in front of as many as possible to hopefully get them to see you play at a Showcase in the future. Then to get invited to the elite/prospect camp on campus to get the serious looks.
Good luck.

 

[softballer]

Yes, she has been personally invited to the camps we are considering. The college coaches have contacted both her travel ball coach and high school coach. One personally invited her not through coach, not mass email. When I say short list, I mean they have actually contacted her coaches about her and told them they are watching her and they have her on their list as a recruit for her grad year. Maybe it means nothing...I don't know. Like I should have to explain why we are going to the camps? They all have seen her play in several showcases over the last year and some came specifically to watch her. Just trying to figure out the best way to do it and get the most for our money as silly as it may be lol Actually, I think the whole early recruiting is silly but that's another subject. I feel like she should make an effort to attend some of them.

I would like for her to see a few of the universities too.

I though the CSG camp looked good, but I've never known anyone to go personally. There are several smaller D1 schools coming there that she likes.

 

[cuzmail]

Going to a camp uninvited equals a sponsor or fundraiser for the school.
Going to a camp invited but still having to pay the camp fee is better. The player has been noticed.
Going to a camp invited at no charge is making the short list for that school.

 

[softballer]

Isn't it against ncaa rules to attend a camp without be charged?

 

[Jabber13]

My daughter has attended the last two years. The first to get a sample of meeting coaches and talking with them during the drills.

The second was to make an impression with the schools she was interested in. Last year they had a new emphasis on conditioning.
It was a wake up call to the girls. My daughter thought that she was in ok shape since she could run up and down the basketball
court all game without coming out. When Mary put them thru the drills, the girls got a shock to find out how tough the college drills
will be to get in college shape. I thought it was a great addition to the camp. Sat was rainy but they had indoor facilities to put the
girls thru drills. About 35 coaches from probably 20 schools will put the girls thru the drills. Most are smaller schools but there will be
some D1 schools there.

Worth the cost of attending.

 

[Orange Socks]

My daughter has attended the last two years. The first to get a sample of meeting coaches and talking with them during the drills.

The second was to make an impression with the schools she was interested in. Last year they had a new emphasis on conditioning.
It was a wake up call to the girls. My daughter thought that she was in ok shape since she could run up and down the basketball
court all game without coming out. When Mary put them thru the drills, the girls got a shock to find out how tough the college drills
will be to get in college shape. I thought it was a great addition to the camp. Sat was rainy but they had indoor facilities to put the
girls thru drills. About 35 coaches from probably 20 schools will put the girls thru the drills. Most are smaller schools but there will be
some D1 schools there.

Worth the cost of attending.

I was going to mention Mary and her conditioning portion of the camp, but I didn't want to spoil the fun!!!