Surprise late offer

[playball4]

Bear with me, but I had to share this. I visited this site a lot over a year ago when dd was on the recruiting trail and trying to find a match in a college with a preferred academic program and an opportunity to play softball. We, like a lot of softball families, got very frustrated with the one-way communication, traveling all over the country to play in exposure tournaments and never see the schools/coaches she contacted, etc. So at the end of last summer, she decided she was going to look at other schools that had the programs she wanted, but didn't have softball (we never considered some large schools near us because of this). She accepted an admission offer from such a school in January and life was good.

Then she had her last season of Varsity softball, and played lights-out every game, just enjoying every moment and playing for the love of the game. The team did very well, making it to the State finals and winning. 3 college coaches talked with her afterwards and offered her spots... One college was a school she had originally been interested in for softball over a year ago. She really wrestled with the decision, but when they offered her some athletic money too, she decided to go for it, as she knew they had a program she had researched. So... I had to share that sometimes the recruiting process can be full of twists and turns, and offers don't only come from playing travel ball. Sure, we know they were probably looking to fill out their roster, but a chance to play is a chance to play, and she is beyond thrilled now having fallen back in love with the game on her own terms.

 

[Cannonball]

That is a neat story! Thanks for sharing.

 

[3'sDad]

Thanks for sharing....good luck to her and to your family....it's wonderful that everything worked out.

 

[JAD]

Congratulations and good luck to your DD as she continues her softball career!

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

What a great twist. Thank you for sharing!

 

[softballjunkie]

Very cool. We just recently had a similar experience. My daughter had committed to playing for a local JC and not long before school started she had an offer come in out of the blue. She decided to honor her committment do the JC but we will be taking a trip to see the other school this fall sometime.

 

[sluggers]

First, congrats! IMHO, you and your DD will be glad it happened this way. She knows what she is doing and why she is doing it. Too many Daddies force their kids into playing in college, and the DDs don't take ownership of the situation.

Just a few points:

(1) Your DD played in the state championship. A few college coaches do show up for those games. But, few DDs will ever play in the state championship.
(2) Your DD kept playing and kept trying to find the right team. Perseverance is key in playing in college.
(3) Colleges tend to recruit the same few players. When those players choose different colleges, the remaining coaches start to scramble trying to find another player.