Recruiting, something to consider.
As the final recruiting period for Cross Country and Track and Field approaches, there are a couple of facts that are important. Only 1.3% of male High School Track and Field Athletes and 1.8% of female athletes go on to compete at the NCAA Division I level. Sobering numbers, so what can be done to increase the opportunities?
It starts with defining your expectations. What does the athlete expect from his or her career? Not the parents or the coaches but the athlete. Being good locally is not enough. There are a lot of former High School District, Regional, and State Champions working for minimum wages. To be seriously considered for collegiate recruitment a Track and Field athlete must meet the following criteria, athletic excellence, academic excellence, and character excellence. College Coaches look for the results that will help their program, but if an athlete’s grades are in the mid-range 2.5-2.9 GPA, there will be a pause. Barely making the NCAA clearinghouse does not help your recruiting profile. Under normal circumstances there will be no academic scholarships available for a basic qualifier. Has the athlete put in the work in the classroom and the track or circle to deserve an opportunity to compete in college?
Sadly there are too many athletes, club and High School Coaches, who ignore academics until the athlete’s junior or senior year. When a college Coach informs them that their grades or ACT of SAT scores are not sufficient, there is a 17- 18 year old left wondering if they were simply used by the school or the club. Athletes are led to believe they will get scholarships based on talent alone. As a result many don’t participate in other sports, don’t go to pay attention to academics and sadly have an opportunity to go to college. Preparation for academic excellence begins on the first day of the FRESHMEN year. Parents, and Coaches need to stress the importance of being responsible in the classroom. That first high school semester, when they barely did enough to get by will come back to haunt them.
For High School athletes who desire to compete in college, being responsible in the class room shows that you are a worker. It may not mean a scholarship offer but it can lead to an opportunity to walk on. No collegiate program is actively seeking a problem child. An athlete who repeatedly does dumb stuff is not an attractive recruit. It is imperative that the adults in the athlete’s life stress the need and importance of making good decisions.
In our instant communication world, one questionable tweet or Facebook post is enough for a college coach to loose interest and look at another athlete. Remember that there is a limit to the number of athletic scholarships. Unlike the revenue generating sports, Track and Field Scholarships are awarded to those athletes who have demonstrated the ability to positively contribute to the team’s overall success.
That is part one of the equation, now let’s look at another aspect.
The High School Athlete who wants to be a legitimate college Track and Field prospect, has a little over a year to produce the results that will attract the attention of Division I coaches. That time frame is about a year, (Indoor season Junior Year (January) till the end of Indoor Season of the Senior Year (March). If an athlete has shown promise and excellence before this time great! But the time to shine is the Junior Year.
Intelligent competition is essential. High School competition is out of the control of the parent and athlete. However, for a Track and Field Athlete participation in New Balance and USATF programs is critical. A lot of athletes learn that their athletic dominance is limited to practice or the small High School District. Competing in larger meets with deeper competition will provide invaluable experience.
As the saying goes, get in where you fit in. A good indicator of where an athlete’s performance ranks I recommend using the New Balance Indoor and Outdoor Championship Meet entry guidelines. If an athlete’s performance meets the Championship standard then it is a positive indication. If they have barely achieved the Emerging Elite standard as a Senior recruitment opportunities may be limited. Many developing athletes are not contacted until after non-athletic financial aid application deadlines have passed. So it is important to prepare and apply to colleges and not depend on an offer that may not come or will be far less than you thought. Ours is a non-revenue sport. So there are limited scholarships available. You can get a feel for where you will fit in a program without a visit. I recommend tffrs.org., check to see many athletes actually are currently competing in your event, how many are Jr’s and Seniors. Evaluate where your times and distances to those posted for the school and in the conference championship meets.
Go to a college meet where programs you are interested in are competing. Look at the interaction of the team are they a tight knit group who supports each other or are they just wearing the same uniforms? Is there is an event coach who is actively engaged with the athletes? Do the athletes respond to coaching with respect or resentment? Is the coach’s meet personality something that attracts you? Remember that this is a two way relationship you are entering into. Yes the College coach holds the wallet but do you want to work for him or her.
Some programs do not have specialty coaches. Yes someone may be tasked with “coaching a field event” but they do not have the experience or sadly the interest to effectively coach an event. This is dependent on the Head Coaches vision. Some coaches are focused on a specific group of events. They may concede events for dominance in another group of events. In these instances the un-coached athletes are left to figure things out for themselves. The question is now, does the High School Athlete want to improve or is the environment of the school more important. Spending your collegiate career being under coached, leads to frustration and has a negative impact on athletic and academic performance.
Parents can help their athlete most by being involved. Not just the booster club. One way to understand the sport is to become a USATF certified official. It is amazing the observations a parent can make while working a college meet. You have the opportunity to see up close and personal the practical philosophy of different coaches. For the throwing community, we will be drafted on meet day anyway. Might as well be in a position where you know what to do and not rely on a coach’s memory of how they have always done things.
Parents realize that track and field athletes especially the field events are evaluated not only on their results but technique. A decent throw with consistent technique is an indicator of an athlete who has potential. A great throw with bad technique may win a small meet but can the athlete do it when the pressure is on? Winning is good, progressively better performances are better. Help your athlete focus on progress, not performance.