8 TIPS FOR PARENTS ABOUT RECRUITING

1.       Recruiting has changed over the years.

Recruiting is not the same game it was when you were in high school. Offers are being made sooner each year which means many student-athletes are starting the recruiting process early in their high school career. They are also getting proactive and getting online. More coaches are evaluating prospects through online profiles and highlight videos. If your child does not have an online profile, we encourage you to visit www.allaccessathlete.com and have them start one today!

2.       Communicate with your child

Knowing what your child wants is important to any parent, so talk to them about their plans for college. Ask them if they want to compete at the collegiate level and how committed they are to that goal. Find out what steps they are taking to get themselves recruited, and then help them in whatever ways you can, both financially and through your support.

3.       There are certain rules college coaches have to follow when contacting recruits

Don’t worry if you don’t know much about the recruiting process; not many families do. But, don’t let that lack of knowledge prevent your son/daughter from gaining an athletic scholarship or the opportunity to play at the next level. Parents and recruits need to understand that certain coaches are restricted by the NCAA on when and how they can contact prospects. For example, student-athletes can call college coaches anytime throughout their high school career, but Division I and Division II coaches may only call recruits during a certain time frame.

4.       There are two main reasons to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

Many parents think their child needs to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center in order for coaches to start contacting them. This is not true. There are two main reasons to register: 1) a student-athlete must be registered in order to go on official visits their senior year. For this reason, All Access Athlete recommends registering during the end of your junior year. 2) Before signing a National Letter of Intent, a college coach will need to make sure you are eligible.

5.       Your child will not be “discovered” at a camp or showcase

Unfortunately, camps and showcases are not the correct avenue for student-athletes to try to get noticed by college coaches. Typically, college coaches are watching the players they already have a relationship with and are already thinking about recruiting. Therefore, parents should encourage their child to contact coaches they have relationships with and decide between those college camps.

6.       Treat advice and guidance of peers as just that

It’s important to listen to friends and family when they give you advice on how to help your child. But remember, a college decision is a student-athlete’s decision that will affect not only the next four years of their life, but the next forty. Everyone has their own preferences and priorities, so let your son/daughter make their own decision – not someone else’s decision.

7.       Role-Play with your child

Your son/daughter should be calling college coaches throughout their high school career to start building relationships and getting information. Help your child succeed by acting as the role of the coach and have your son/daughter ask you questions he/she would ask coaches. This way, talking to actual coaches will come naturally.

8.       Guide Your child

What your student-athlete does off-the field is just as important as his/her athletic performance. Academics and good character are also evaluated by college coaches when making offers to recruits. As a parent, you can help your child develop the skills they’ll need to be good students and respectful and responsible adults.

Parents, if you feel you could be doing more to help your son or daughter pursue their dream of playing at the next level, contact a All Access Athlete today by calling 717-307-8630.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAN COST YOU IN RECRUITING

Student-athletes need to behave appropriately at all times and in all forums. They should be particularly aware of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, or other emerging technologies. In fact, enough cannot

be said about the importance of being aware of these emerging technologies. Anyone can post a picture of another student, and an athlete whose exploits are publicized on Facebook might lose a scholarship offer.

 Follow these best practices when using social media:

1.) If you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it then Don’t post it.

2.) If you even hesitate for a second to post it, Don’t. There is a reason you hesitated in the first place.

3.) Make sure your default picture (and all others) are appropriate.

4.) Your Twitter handle and Facebook name and URL should not include profanity or slang.

5.) Privacy settings only go so far. Social media is public, always keep that in mind.

6.) Respect yourself and respect others. You are conversing on a public platform after all.

7.) The laws of the real world still apply in the world of social media, i.e.; underage drinking is against the law, harassment, hate crimes, cyber bullying, etc. Remember that teachers, coaches, teammates, peers, and other important influencers are watching and listening.

8.) ReTweeting profanity is no different than using it in your own original Tweets. Don’t do it.

9.) Avoid replying to, or ReTweeting Twitter users with vulgar names.

10.) Is who you are representing yourself to be online, who you want the world to see you as? Be a responsible social media user.

11.) Don’t allow a hater to bait you into a “social beef.” Ignore them and remember their actions are usually fueled by jealousy.

12.) If you don’t like something a media member wrote about you, your coach or your teammate, ignore it.  Engaging in a public Twitter of Facebook argument is a battle you won’t win.

13.) Consider opinionated topics off limits. Avoid commenting on sexual orientation, race, and religion.

14.) There are many other teams and student-athletes at your school. Take the time to give them a shout-out when they do big things.

15.) What happens in the locker room stays there. Things that are said in private team settings should never find their way onto social platforms.

16.) Don’t tweet or post during class. That’s like disrespecting someone (in this case, your teacher) behind their back. Always be mindful that your teachers may be monitoring your social accounts.

17.) If your coaching staff and/or athletic administrators give you guidelines to follow for Twitter and/or Facebook, be sure to trust and follow them closely. Your team and staff has your long-term best interests in mind.

18.) Your athletic compliance office is monitoring your social accounts. The NCAA has acknowledged that it monitors student-athlete activity on Twitter as well. Even if you don’t compete in a major conference or a revenue sport, don’t be fooled into believing nobody is paying attention.

19.) Multiple mentions of the same business could be considered an endorsement, which is impermissible according to NCAA legislation.

20.) Act as a representative of your sport and your team and always maintain a professional profile.

 

140 characters of trouble: Professional athletes aren’t the only ones getting themselves in online pickles over social media

 

MY LIFE LESSON THROUGH SPORTS

Written by Steffert Spencer ’14

I was always that skinny little boy in the family that tried every sport but never stuck to one. I went from Karate to Judo, then on to Track & Field, Tennis, Acrobatics and finally Swimming. We went to the beach a lot so my parents decided to take me to swimming lessons. At first I fooled around because I thought it was pointless and I hated the water. But then I started to like it more and more and I got my swimming diplomas in no time!

When my parents divorced it was hard for my mom to pay the monthly fee and take me to the aquatic complex during the week. So I didn’t swim for a long time. A few years later I read about lifeguard classes in the newspaper and I signed up immediately. I took the classes and passed all 3 levels in a year. In Curaçao, there is no work as a lifeguard so after that I was bored at home again.

My cousins moved to the USA to play baseball and softball and I wanted to go too. My family would only allow me to move if I was competing in a sport as well as a good student. So I started to practice in a competitive swimming club. By the end of my sophomore year my Aunt told me that I could go to the USA.  I practiced swimming only 3 times a week and I thought it was a really easy sport!

In August 2012, I arrived in the United States and I joined my school swim team as a Junior. We practiced 4 times a week and practice was easy! My coach saw me improve every day and suggested that I join a club swim team. I talked to my mom and after the high school season ended I joined the YMCA Sea Dragons.

There it became a lot tougher. We practiced 8 times a week and I had “no life”. We had morning practices as well as after school practices. After school, I had to go home, eat really quick and run to practice. After practice I had to go home, eat, study and sleep, so that I could go to practice and school the next morning. After spending the holidays in Curaçao I came back to the U.S. with a list of goals for the year. Writing down my goals to make the Senior Champs and pass my first year in the U.S. with good grades  helped remind me that if I want something I had to work hard for it, just as I did when I wanted to come to the U.S.

To reach my goals I had to make sacrifices. When my friends were watching TV or playing video games after school I was at practice or doing my homework. When my friends were out on the weekends, I was preparing for the week ahead so that I had time to attend practice and still excel in school. Dedication, hard work and discipline started to play a big role in my life. I practiced really hard and made Senior Champs! And I also made sure that I passed 11thgrade extremely well! I did this for myself and also for my family, because I wanted them to be proud of my accomplishments. I learned that there are no limits; if you work hard you can reach your goals. I think swimming helped me find myself and motivated me to achieve whatever I wanted!

Swimming is a great sport and I’m glad I chose to do it. I put in 100% effort to swim the best I can every single day.

3 THINGS TO LEARN IN HIGH SCHOOL TO PREPARE FOR COLLEGE

When I was in high school, I thought I was more than ready to take the leap and be a college student-athlete.  I played multiple sports, had good grades, and never had any issues making time for a personal life. But, I quickly discovered playing two sports in college and having a full course load was more than I was ready for.  There are three things that I could have done differently in high school to prepare me for the shock of how different college is: learning how to study, learning how to effectively write, and developing proper time management skills.

1.       Learn How to Study

Academically, high school was relatively an easy experience for me. I took AP classes and honors classes and never seemed to struggle with the course load or material.  My study habits would include looking over the textbook, notes, and trying to memorize key terms the night before a test or exam.  This is how I studied, and I never had an issue with my results. When I got to college, this style of studying would not be acceptable, and I had to quickly shift my mindset of what effective study habits were.  Here are some things I started to do to study effectively. First, I started to give myself more than one night to study! I also practiced writing out my answers, made note cards, found a place in the library where I could focus, and I made sure I kept up with the reading. I also learned how to study in a group and learned how to ask questions to the teachers.  All of these steps played a major impact in my confidence when taking the test as well. Learning how to adapt to a situation is part of being an athlete but taking these steps at the high school level now will only help prepare you for college.

2.       Learn How to Write

Being a successful college level writer is much different than getting good grades in your high school classes. Learning how to write effectively in college was by far my biggest academic challenge.  When I got to Lawrence University, I found out very quickly my writing ability was not up to the standards they were looking for. This was a very discouraging moment for me in college because I had no idea how to write and I felt very lost. Luckily, I had a very good support system with my basketball team where a teammate stepped up to be my tutor.  Overtime, I was able to understand how to effectively write a college level paper. So, my advice to any athlete is to challenge yourself now in high school if there are writing classes. Having the skill and confidence to write a term paper or a research paper will make your life so much easier once you are in college.

3.       Time Management

Going off to college and being on your own for the first time will demand some time management skills. But being a student-athlete who is entering the college life is even more important.  The student-athlete will have to manage taking 18 credits, studying, completing projects, participating in study groups, going to workouts, practice, games and traveling. This can overwhelm anyone who is not prepared. Most student-athletes will have help planning their schedule out and most are creatures of habit anyways. But, it will never hurt to have a plan. I used to make up my own due dates for projects and papers to insure I would be able to have them done in time. I would set goals to get school work done and my reward would be free time. There are many tricks to having effective time management skills as a college athlete but knowing the importance and developing these skills earlier on will make you more successful  college student-athletes.

Walk On Guide

THE WALK-ON GUIDE FOR COLLEGE ATHLETES

What is a walk-on?A walk-on is a rostered player who does not receive an athletic scholarship freshman year. They may or may not receive one later.

What is a recruited/preferred walk-on?
Recruited/preferred walk-on is a commonly used term to decide an athlete who is recruited by a college coach but is not offered an athletic scholarship for freshman year. These athletes typically have a lot of communication with the coaching staff and are usually offered a roster spot before tryouts.

Can a walk-on sign the National Letter of Intent?No, a walk-on cannot sign the National Letter of Intent.

Should I accept an offer to walk on at my favorite school?
This is a very personal decision. Walking on has risks. You may not actually make the team and even if you do, you may not receive all the same attention and privileges as your teammates. It is important that you ask a lot of questions and know exactly where you stand so you can make an educated decision.

Walking on can go either way – you have probably heard stories of walk-ons in football who ended up as “tackling dummies” for the starters. On the other hand, there are also plenty of athletes who join the team as a walk on, make a name for themselves and even become stars.

Ultimately, you have to decide whether attending the school of your choice is worth the risk of potentially not receiving a scholarship. Even if the coach promises you a scholarship down the road, anything could happen in the meantime: an elite recruit at your position could join the team, the coaching staff could change, or you could be injured.

What questions should I ask coaches if I am considering walking-on?

1. Am I a preferred or recruited walk-on?
2. How many walk-ons do you take per year on average?
3. How many have been invited to walk on?
4. How many walk-ons do you plan on taking this year?
5. How often do your walk-ons actually see playing time?
6. Will you guarantee that I will earn a roster spot?
7. Is there potential for me to earn a scholarship in the future? If so, what will this be based on and can you put it in writing? (Having this in writing is good, but it still lacks the binding nature of an NLI – it’s just the coach’s word)
8. Will I have access to the academic support systems available for scholarship athletes, such as tutors, preferential course registration, etc.?
9. Will I receive the same equipment, clothing and access to the training table as scholarship athletes?
10. Do I report to campus at the same time as the scholarship athletes?

In the right circumstances, walking on can be a great choice. Weigh all your options carefully and don’t play the “name game” – remember that 80% of college opportunities are outside of the Division I FBS programs, including at excellent schools like Williams College, Harvard and the University of Chicago.