What we learned from the recruiting process
Apr 14, 2014 20:10:52 GMT -5
Soccerhouse, jack4343, and 5 more like this
Post by lovethegame on Apr 14, 2014 20:10:52 GMT -5
The thread from Isamom about whether an August birthday should play with her soccer age or her school age got me to thinking. My perspective is from being the parent of a girl, and I believe the process is a bit different when it comes to boys. Looking back, all worked out for my daughter. It's a good academic fit and a good soccer fit. It happens to be a smaller D1 program, but she also looked at D2 and D3. She is a strong player, but she's by no means a player that could play at the top programs. However, we play with some of those players and have seen how their recruiting process differered from hers. I am sure other parents can add to this. This is actually for parents of younger girls who are just starting to think about playing in college. Being the parent of a girl who was a year ahead in school of most of her teammates, we really learned through experience and mistakes.
1. First of all, it seems that girls who decide they want to play in college when they are in middle school first talk about UNC or a similar school. I can't tell you how many girls from my daughter's team had dreams of UNC. Probably none of them will go there. But, there is nothing wrong with having that dream as long as she also adds some realistic schools to the list. Those same girls on my daughter's team who were thinking of UNC during eighth grade or freshman year have found that other schools are actually a better fit. We were told to put together a list of reach schools and realistic schools. I just looked at the list my daughter put together a year and half ago. The process itself changed that list dramatically as she narrowed it down to what was realistic and what fit her and what fit our wallet. But, the list is starting point.
2. Sadly, it's never too early to start thinking about college. Eighth graders are making verbal commitments. I don't see how, but it is happening. If your child is a player that is getting attention on the regional or national level, freshman year isn't too early to start if she wants to go to a strong D1 program. Get on their radar early and see where it goes from there. My daughter went to a D2 ID camp during her freshman year simply because it was nearby and they invited her (by invitation, I mean the same generic letter most everyone else got). She just wanted the experience. Most of the players were juniors and seniors. But, her dream was to play at a much larger program. She went to their ID camp when she was a sophomore, and we found that most of the players at the camp were freshman and sophomores, with very few juniors and seniors. She went to a few more ID camps, and our experience was that the timing of the recruiting varies widely from program to program. The larger programs are identifying players much earlier than smaller D1, D2 and D3 programs. So, if that's her dream, go the the larger D1 ID camps during her freshman year and wait to go to the smaller programs she's interested in. You can't fit them all in, and they do cost about $100 a piece. One other thing I'd add, is don't go to ID camps unless she is really interested in the school, you will just spend a lot of money. But, do go visit the schools even if you don't talk with the soccer coach. It helps to actually walk around the campus. My daughter does play ECNL, so we have traveled quite a bit with her. We went to visit schools while at the events. At one point she thought she wanted to go far from home, but the reality of being a plane ride away from home set in, and she decided that wasn't what she really wanted.
3. We hear it all of the time, but it probably can't be said enough, don't go to a school just for soccer. What if they get hurt or decide they don't want to play? Will they continue and will it remain an academic fit if they are no longer there for the soccer? My daughter does well academically, but she has to work hard for her grades. We knew early on that playing for a larger school with lots of travel probably wouldn't be ideal for her. So, we encouraged her to look at medium sized schools with regional travel. Other girls handle things differently, but we encouraged her to look to the school that best fit her academically with soccer being secondary.
4. Ultimately, our daughter isn't Mia Hamm, and we know that. She is not likely to play after college. We also encouraged her to look to the program where she could probably play. She doesn't want to practice with no real chance of playing. Just be realistic along the way and recognize that the dream today may not be the same dream she has next year. Also, recognize that a program she's never considered may actually come on her radar, and it may be the perfect fit.
5. The last thing I would say, because I've seen it happen. is not every really talented player is going to go onto play in college. Some players will burn out and others may have their heart set on a school that isn't a good soccer fit for them. My daughter is going to play, but I only know that she will play her freshman year. For all we know, she may decide that it's not for her. It will be hard when that last time on the field happens because it's been such a part of our lives for so long. But, it could happen much sooner than we think, either because of injury or because she's done and wants the life she hasn't been able to experience all of these years.
One more thing. We certainly don't know all there is to know about the process, but we do know more than we did a year or two ago. I wish we knew then what we know now, but it does seem to have worked out for her.
1. First of all, it seems that girls who decide they want to play in college when they are in middle school first talk about UNC or a similar school. I can't tell you how many girls from my daughter's team had dreams of UNC. Probably none of them will go there. But, there is nothing wrong with having that dream as long as she also adds some realistic schools to the list. Those same girls on my daughter's team who were thinking of UNC during eighth grade or freshman year have found that other schools are actually a better fit. We were told to put together a list of reach schools and realistic schools. I just looked at the list my daughter put together a year and half ago. The process itself changed that list dramatically as she narrowed it down to what was realistic and what fit her and what fit our wallet. But, the list is starting point.
2. Sadly, it's never too early to start thinking about college. Eighth graders are making verbal commitments. I don't see how, but it is happening. If your child is a player that is getting attention on the regional or national level, freshman year isn't too early to start if she wants to go to a strong D1 program. Get on their radar early and see where it goes from there. My daughter went to a D2 ID camp during her freshman year simply because it was nearby and they invited her (by invitation, I mean the same generic letter most everyone else got). She just wanted the experience. Most of the players were juniors and seniors. But, her dream was to play at a much larger program. She went to their ID camp when she was a sophomore, and we found that most of the players at the camp were freshman and sophomores, with very few juniors and seniors. She went to a few more ID camps, and our experience was that the timing of the recruiting varies widely from program to program. The larger programs are identifying players much earlier than smaller D1, D2 and D3 programs. So, if that's her dream, go the the larger D1 ID camps during her freshman year and wait to go to the smaller programs she's interested in. You can't fit them all in, and they do cost about $100 a piece. One other thing I'd add, is don't go to ID camps unless she is really interested in the school, you will just spend a lot of money. But, do go visit the schools even if you don't talk with the soccer coach. It helps to actually walk around the campus. My daughter does play ECNL, so we have traveled quite a bit with her. We went to visit schools while at the events. At one point she thought she wanted to go far from home, but the reality of being a plane ride away from home set in, and she decided that wasn't what she really wanted.
3. We hear it all of the time, but it probably can't be said enough, don't go to a school just for soccer. What if they get hurt or decide they don't want to play? Will they continue and will it remain an academic fit if they are no longer there for the soccer? My daughter does well academically, but she has to work hard for her grades. We knew early on that playing for a larger school with lots of travel probably wouldn't be ideal for her. So, we encouraged her to look at medium sized schools with regional travel. Other girls handle things differently, but we encouraged her to look to the school that best fit her academically with soccer being secondary.
4. Ultimately, our daughter isn't Mia Hamm, and we know that. She is not likely to play after college. We also encouraged her to look to the program where she could probably play. She doesn't want to practice with no real chance of playing. Just be realistic along the way and recognize that the dream today may not be the same dream she has next year. Also, recognize that a program she's never considered may actually come on her radar, and it may be the perfect fit.
5. The last thing I would say, because I've seen it happen. is not every really talented player is going to go onto play in college. Some players will burn out and others may have their heart set on a school that isn't a good soccer fit for them. My daughter is going to play, but I only know that she will play her freshman year. For all we know, she may decide that it's not for her. It will be hard when that last time on the field happens because it's been such a part of our lives for so long. But, it could happen much sooner than we think, either because of injury or because she's done and wants the life she hasn't been able to experience all of these years.
One more thing. We certainly don't know all there is to know about the process, but we do know more than we did a year or two ago. I wish we knew then what we know now, but it does seem to have worked out for her.
