In today's world, making yourself stand out without appearing as if you're drawing undue attention to yourself is an important skill to have. That's probably no less true with trying to find a college track and field scholarship offer than it is anywhere else. So, how do you pull it off?
In this final installment of the series, I try to touch on some issues that have been brought to my attention during the process of writing these articles. Rather than try to rewrite this information into the original articles, I've included it in a "loose ends" kind of article here at the end.
The choices you make between now and August will have a great deal to do with how successfully you start out as a college athlete. Here are several things you want to give some attention to.
Most prospective student-athletes who go on a visit don't come with nearly enough questions to ask. Here are some questions you may want to think about asking.
Don't feel badly about trying to "size up" the coaches during the recruiting process; they're doing the same with you.
The implications of signing a National Letter of Intent are often not well understood, but they should be. It is a legal document that is binding on both parties.
For athletes who find themselves in the recruiting process, there are few--if any--sources of more confusion than the rules surrounding visits and coach contacts. I admit that I sometimes have trouble sorting it all out myself.
My grandfather's answer to the question posed in the title of this article would be to expect none and be delighted in what you end up with. There's a good deal of wisdom wrapped up in that answer, but it probably doesn't reflect a realistic assessment of why you took a second glance at this article.
It's often more difficult than you'd expect to get noticed by the college programs you want to take note. A little understanding of the process goes a long way.
If you dream of competing in college as a scholarship athlete, your dreams begin at the NCAA (or NAIA) Initial Eligibility Center. Free content.