Parents who believe their children should get scholarships

Didn't the NYT's do this last summer? Following a few college coaches as they wade through the emails, mailed tapes, college showcases and subsequent meeting with admissions, etc to target a few recruits.

 

I did a series on junior golf one summer several years back and included a sider on what kids needs to do to get exposure. I quoted several college coaches and area pros -- none of them said to make sure the local paper writes two stories a week about Johnny three-jack.

 

The key in every sport, and especially if you don't play on a glitzy traveling team, is to be proactive. Send letters, film, photos, a bio, a pocket schedule, anything that's not ridiculous that would get a coach to come to your game and scout you. Being aggressive got me a scholarship many years ago.

Not one newspaper article helped, sadly. And not one newspaper reporter gave me advice, because it wasn't his job to.

 

I agree newspapers will not be the biggest reason why a kid gets a scholarship. I'm sure the best it can do is get the kid's name out there more often. I wrote a story last month about a football player who got shot then played in a game three days later. The story discussed how he had not really changed and wasn't looking over his shoulder despite the fact the gunman had not been caught. It even went into detail about the incident.

Apparently, (I found out several weeks later) the father thought the story would get his kid a scholarship. That remains to be seen, but the kid is a dynamite talent and probably would have gotten one anyway. If anything, the story will open eyes about how the kid can deal with adversity. Maybe that will convince a college coach if he is on the fence that this kid deserves a chance. Maybe it won't.

The scholarship wasn't the point of the story, but maybe this is a case where a newspaper story can raise some awareness about the kid.

 

Look, I'm not trying to say this kid is going to get a scholarship because of it, I certainly did not write it with that in mind. I should have gone into more detail I guess. Maybe the details of the incident will be more believable if a coach sees them in print.

 

Just wait ... it will.

 

Every summer for the past few years one of Hillbilly High's assistant coaches, an insurance salesman by trade, holds a seminar for parents on how to get Billy Hotshit a college scholarship.
Last year, we sent a reporter to cover it.
Among his tips: Setting up your own (athletic) website; putting together a highlight tape; and of course, collecting all media clips for a presentation package to send to target schools.

I didn't attend, but I would love to go - simply so I could pen a column about how actions - not media clips and packaging yield scholarships.

 

We don't give out the schollys but to say we don't have any influence is kinda crazy.
Maybe my experiences have been a little different, but I know for sure of high school players who got schollys because of coverage. In one case, a local booster convinced his alma mater to take a flyer on a small-school player, who went on to an All-American career at an SEC program because the booster read all the coverage, went and checked him out and told the coaches he was really good.
In my personal experience, I played football in college and an old teammate is now an assistant for a mid-major D-I. He used to call me and ask who was worth checking out. When I went to work in another state, he tracked me down and asked who was good. I know he signed a player based on what I told him. And recruited hard a dozen or so more who ended up signing with other programs.

 

Had a dad call me a few years back asking me if I could write a letter of recommendation for college for his HS golfing son.
I asked him, "Have I ever seen your son play golf?"
He says, "No."
I asked him, "Have I ever met your son?"
He says, "No."
I say, "Sir, if I've never seen your son play golf or met him, I cannot in good conscience, write a letter."
He says, "OK, I figure it couldn't hurt."
That's the mindset what you're dealing with today.

 

I would love to see a nice meaty enterprise package tackling this, talking to the parents who are insistent -- INSISTENT! -- that little Johnny get that scholarship.

What makes them feel that way? Why should Johnny get it? Survey all the parents on your school's teams and see how many think that way. It'd make a big ass out of folks and might make some get a clue.

 

You know, while we're at it, let me take this one step further.

I know a lot of these parents are overbearing, and obnoxious, and don't understand our job. Believe me; I've dealt with them too.

But a lot of us also don't take the time to think what an athletic scholarship means for a family. Getting one totally turns a family's financial structure on its ear. It can have a domino effect that goes on for generations; a kid becomes the first one in his family to get a college degree, he becomes a professional, his kids are much more likely to follow the college track.

So don't roll your eyes every time the words "college scholarship" come up.

 

Why would it be wrong for me to mention in a conversation with parents that they should mail tapes of their children's playing to college coaches when they bring up the matter of my coverage leading to scholarship offers?