Always, always remember--softball is *OVER* after four years of college, and then she'll probably never play another game. So, prioritize accordingly. Don't let the tail wag the dog.
Recruiting rollercoaster
- Thread starter ladyhornets
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Keep on pushing. Keep on doing what you can on your end. It's not easy and it's a lot more work now than most people are willing to put in, but if you don't do it, you only limit yourself.
Also get information on non-athletic scholarship and have your DD work on those too!
2013 grads really need to be putting the petal to the metal as far as doing what they need to do. Get good grades, have letters of recommendation ready, take SAT/ACT, communicate with coaches (you can contact THEM, they just cannot contact you), get the word out there!
Keep your options open. Do NOT say "No" until you are absolutely positively sure you mean "No." Many coaches will do what they can to make you feel like you're one of their tops, you probably need to do the same to keep them interested. If you're sent a questionnaire, fill it out and return it, even if you know nothing about the school. Then do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the different options you have or want to have. Target your efforts around schools you'd actually WANT to go to. Get evaluated by a 3rd party (not parents, not current coaches) then LISTEN to what they have to say and work on the things you need to do to get better.
If you choose to go to showcase, camps, clinics, etc to "be seen" make sure you've already made contact with the coaches you want to "see" you before the event! Always personalize correspondence. Don't just send out generic "Dear Coach" type letters. Show the coach that you have interest in their school by showing that you know something about their program and their school.
Send info to AT LEAST 10x the number of options you want to have. So if you hope to have 3-4 schools to choose from, make sure you send stuff out to at least 30-40 schools. Not even half of the people you contact will show any sustained interest in return. If you get 10% to show interest and 5% to show SERIOUS interest, you're probably doing pretty well. Marketing is a numbers game. The more you put in, the more you get out. The more people you reach, the more opportunity you have.
Of course, your grades and performance also need to be up to or above par! Even if you are the best hitter in your state, there are 50 others like you in the country in any given graduating year. How do you then differentiate yourself from the other 49? Being the best on your team is certainly not enough.
Take unofficial visits. Take as many unofficials as you can...this will help your daughter get an idea of what different colleges "feel" like. That way, even if she doesn't get to visit one, she can read/learn/ask questions about that particular school and much of what she learns will match up with something she's actually experienced on an unofficial visit. She can use that to help her think through whether or not that school will work.
If you're going DI or DII make sure you register with the Eligibility Center by the end of this school year (Jr year).
Remember that most coaches want to talk to your DD and get to know her, not you. You are not the one they have to work with for the next 4 years. If your DD isn't comfortable talking to adults, get her into more situations where she can practice! She WILL need to speak for herself in just a few years.
She can even call/leave messages for other colleges that she's a little interested in just as part of her "practice" in calling and talking with or leaving messages for coaches.
If she does go on a visit, official or unofficial, see if you can set up a time to have your daughter spend some time with the coaches/team and once you get there see if you can get her some time with some of the players. Ask the players questions about what their recruiting process was like for that school, why they chose that school, was there anything that coach promised that didn't quite work out, if they had to do it all over again would they still choose that school, what was the hardest thing about their first year in college there, what do they like most about being there, etc.
Find out from the coaches what kind of info they like, what kind of footage they like to see (practice vs game, DVD or online video okay? etc). Make it easy for them. Give them what they want.
Sometimes your in is not the head coach. Sometimes assistants are the ones that pre-screen then recommend to head coach. If you start at head coach, you may not get where you need to be.
Also get information on non-athletic scholarship and have your DD work on those too!
2013 grads really need to be putting the petal to the metal as far as doing what they need to do. Get good grades, have letters of recommendation ready, take SAT/ACT, communicate with coaches (you can contact THEM, they just cannot contact you), get the word out there!
Keep your options open. Do NOT say "No" until you are absolutely positively sure you mean "No." Many coaches will do what they can to make you feel like you're one of their tops, you probably need to do the same to keep them interested. If you're sent a questionnaire, fill it out and return it, even if you know nothing about the school. Then do your homework. Learn as much as you can about the different options you have or want to have. Target your efforts around schools you'd actually WANT to go to. Get evaluated by a 3rd party (not parents, not current coaches) then LISTEN to what they have to say and work on the things you need to do to get better.
If you choose to go to showcase, camps, clinics, etc to "be seen" make sure you've already made contact with the coaches you want to "see" you before the event! Always personalize correspondence. Don't just send out generic "Dear Coach" type letters. Show the coach that you have interest in their school by showing that you know something about their program and their school.
Send info to AT LEAST 10x the number of options you want to have. So if you hope to have 3-4 schools to choose from, make sure you send stuff out to at least 30-40 schools. Not even half of the people you contact will show any sustained interest in return. If you get 10% to show interest and 5% to show SERIOUS interest, you're probably doing pretty well. Marketing is a numbers game. The more you put in, the more you get out. The more people you reach, the more opportunity you have.
Of course, your grades and performance also need to be up to or above par! Even if you are the best hitter in your state, there are 50 others like you in the country in any given graduating year. How do you then differentiate yourself from the other 49? Being the best on your team is certainly not enough.
Take unofficial visits. Take as many unofficials as you can...this will help your daughter get an idea of what different colleges "feel" like. That way, even if she doesn't get to visit one, she can read/learn/ask questions about that particular school and much of what she learns will match up with something she's actually experienced on an unofficial visit. She can use that to help her think through whether or not that school will work.
If you're going DI or DII make sure you register with the Eligibility Center by the end of this school year (Jr year).
Remember that most coaches want to talk to your DD and get to know her, not you. You are not the one they have to work with for the next 4 years. If your DD isn't comfortable talking to adults, get her into more situations where she can practice! She WILL need to speak for herself in just a few years.
She can even call/leave messages for other colleges that she's a little interested in just as part of her "practice" in calling and talking with or leaving messages for coaches.
If she does go on a visit, official or unofficial, see if you can set up a time to have your daughter spend some time with the coaches/team and once you get there see if you can get her some time with some of the players. Ask the players questions about what their recruiting process was like for that school, why they chose that school, was there anything that coach promised that didn't quite work out, if they had to do it all over again would they still choose that school, what was the hardest thing about their first year in college there, what do they like most about being there, etc.
Find out from the coaches what kind of info they like, what kind of footage they like to see (practice vs game, DVD or online video okay? etc). Make it easy for them. Give them what they want.
Sometimes your in is not the head coach. Sometimes assistants are the ones that pre-screen then recommend to head coach. If you start at head coach, you may not get where you need to be.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Dec 28, 2008
- 387
- 0
A few things that weren't mentioned:
1. Be sure that emails and visits are personalized to them and their school and demonstrate some research: "I am pursuing blah-blah and I noticed that Sally Sue Smith is also in that major. Would I be able to audit one or two of her classes with her when I come up for my visit so I get a real feel for what the classes will be like and talk to her about the professors."
2. She has to really dig deep and figure out honestly what coaches in her career have brought out the best in her and which ones she failed to do her best when she played for. Then she has to really research by attending as many of that schools practices/games/training sessions as she can on her visits and by talking to as many of their players as possible. Also be honest and ask the coach after you've seen them in action in both good and stressful situations. Every coach is a great person when they win 10-0. How do they behave on the field, in the dugout when they are down by several runs and the umpire makes a bad call or a player makes a horrendous error? If you are just looking for money to help pay for school and she doesn't really care about performing or improving then take any offer you can get. But if she really wants to utilize those 4-5 years to become the most amazing "her" she can become, then she needs to realize she needs the time to study them just as much as they are studying her.
3. Emails, profiles, videos are great to send the coaches. But they don't demonstrate one of the most important and key ingredients ... personality. While the coaches can't always answer the phone based on situation or return calls based on age, the ones they do answer enable them and your daughter to begin really finding out about each others personality. "Amy Beth and Sydney are so close in talent but I really love the fact that even on the phone Amy Beth sounds like she's always smiling, and is always asking me questions."
1. Be sure that emails and visits are personalized to them and their school and demonstrate some research: "I am pursuing blah-blah and I noticed that Sally Sue Smith is also in that major. Would I be able to audit one or two of her classes with her when I come up for my visit so I get a real feel for what the classes will be like and talk to her about the professors."
2. She has to really dig deep and figure out honestly what coaches in her career have brought out the best in her and which ones she failed to do her best when she played for. Then she has to really research by attending as many of that schools practices/games/training sessions as she can on her visits and by talking to as many of their players as possible. Also be honest and ask the coach after you've seen them in action in both good and stressful situations. Every coach is a great person when they win 10-0. How do they behave on the field, in the dugout when they are down by several runs and the umpire makes a bad call or a player makes a horrendous error? If you are just looking for money to help pay for school and she doesn't really care about performing or improving then take any offer you can get. But if she really wants to utilize those 4-5 years to become the most amazing "her" she can become, then she needs to realize she needs the time to study them just as much as they are studying her.
3. Emails, profiles, videos are great to send the coaches. But they don't demonstrate one of the most important and key ingredients ... personality. While the coaches can't always answer the phone based on situation or return calls based on age, the ones they do answer enable them and your daughter to begin really finding out about each others personality. "Amy Beth and Sydney are so close in talent but I really love the fact that even on the phone Amy Beth sounds like she's always smiling, and is always asking me questions."
clintonR71weir
Banned
- Sep 14, 2011
- 7
- 0
2013 would make her going into her junior year of High School. Unfortunately at that age its hard for them to decide what to wear to school much less where to go to school.
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