IN THIS ISSUE....

Athlete’s Wanted Tips Pg. 3

Ask Coach Taylor Pg. 4

Upcoming Events Pg. 5

NEWSLETTER

VOL. 1 ISSUE 2

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!BY NEIL HAYES

THE NUMBER ONE MYTH FAMILIES HAVE ABOUT RECRUITINGBY CHARLIE ADAMS

For athletes, especially those who went straight from their fall sport into a winter-sport season, the words “Christmas” and “break” are equally tantalizing.

Christmas is ripe with meaning, even if that meaning may vary from individual to individual and family to family. When the holiday tournaments have ended, the break offers a welcome respite for mind and body. While basketball players will still want to get shots up, and wrestlers will be watching their weight, Christmas break is about spending time with friends and family. It’s about preparing for the rigors of the season ahead while catching up with whatever may have been neglected as the result of a student-athlete’s hectic schedule.With the New Year fast approaching, and signing periods for national letters of intent right around the corner, it

also time to get organized. A college education is a gift more valuable than anything under the tree. Earning a college scholarship should be atop your list of resolutions. The break offers an opportunity to help achieve that goal.

Is your profile as polished as it should be? If you haven’t uploaded your latest highlight tape now is the time. Be sure you are staying on top of your academics and your latest academic records have been posted. It’s also

My articles are built on countless interviews on recruiting with the purpose being to educate and motivate you to have success in connecting your young people with scholarships and opportunities to be

athleaders in life. I just came from talking to many Athletic Directors at the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association annual conference in Indianapolis. NCSA’s Amanda Rawson, who works with High Schools to make sure they have recruiting education, and NCSA Speaker Paul Putnam were also at this significant annual event.

Speaker Charlie Adams interviews AD’s about Recruiting

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“Since 1964 we have had two athletes go full ride D1. We are a 1A school. A lot of our kids think recruiting just happens. They have to understand they have to generate awareness, especially at a 1A school. Our volleyball team just won the State Championship, but not one is being recruited – even though they got all the publicity of making it to Indy. The parents assume the AD or Coach is contacting everyone, but I have too much on my plate. We have issues like Hazing, new transportation costs, sports like bowling on the rise. I don’t have the time to really help with recruiting. I told three of our best athletes that the scholarships are out

there, you just have to find them. ” Athletic Director, Indiana

“A myth some people have is that if they get a letter from a College program, they think they are being recruited. It could be a computer generated letter, but parents go berserk. They think their kid is being recruited by Notre Dame. There is also a lack of knowledge about the different kinds of scholarships athletes can receive.” Athletic Director, Ohio

In speaking in settings from Fairbanks, Alaska to New Orleans, I always ask the Athletic Director of the school what is the number one misconception their families have about recruiting. The OVERWHELMING response (and I have asked this hundreds of times to AD’s all over) is, “Parents and kids do not have a realistic view of where their daughter or son can play in College.”I hear that over and over and over again.There is a huge…no, make that gargantuan lack of knowledge about the levels of college athletics and where a child can truly play and have a great experience and get significant funding.

I talked to dozens of Athletic Directors from many states and asked them what myths their families had about recruiting. These insights will help you realize where you need to be more proactive and realistic.

“That all the kids will be D1″ – Athletic Director, Nebraska

“‘Why aren’t the College Coaches calling my kid because he or she is so good?!’” That’s what many of our parents say. We are a small Minnesota High School and if you talk to many of the parents, 4 or 5 of our seniors are D1, when in truth none are capable of playing at that level, but can at other levels. We are a 2A High School with 4A being the highest and many kids and parents say, ‘Why should we look at Saint John’s (a D3 in Minnesota) when we know we will play at the University of Minnesota?’ They don’t understand if the Gophers want you, they would have already been on you. The other misconception many parents have is ‘Oh, College athletics isn’t that much harder than High School.’” – Athletic Director, Minnesota

“A lot of our parents think that is the kid is good that people will knock our door down to get them, and so many of them think their kid is D1. Most of our parents believe it is the responsibility of the High School coach to do the recruiting work, until they hear from NCSA that the parents have to be more proactive with reaching out and making sure video gets done. We started hudl this year and it puts it back on the families. They can edit

hilite clips and not expect the coach to do it.” Athletic Director, Virginia

“A myth our families have is that it is okay to wait until senior year to do anything about recruiting, and that the High School coach can do it all or has all the answers.” Athletic Director, Virginia

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…if they get a letter from a

College program, they think they

are being recruited…

ATHLETE’S WANTED TIPS• “Becausefewathleteswillreceivefull

scholarships,understandingthefinancialaidprocessisvitalsothatafamilycansupplementpartialscholarshipswithgrantsandfinancialaid.”

• Evenifyou’reagreatathlete,rememberthatschoolshavealimitedamountofscholarshipstogiveout.Understandingthefinancialprocesswillmakeyourlifeeasierandputmoneyinyourpocket.

• “[Ina]studyonhowtobridgedifferentculturesandagegroups...thebestcommondenominatorformixingcultureswassports.[Morethan]clubs,restaurants,socialevents,andentertainment,sportsbrokethroughdifferencesinage,race,religion,andgender.”

• Athletescompetehard,butsportsalsobringspeopletogethermorethananythingelse!

• “Themorechoicesanathletehas,themoreleveragehe/shehas.Ifacoachknowsthatotherschoolsarealsorecruitingatopathlete,especiallyiftheseschoolsarerivals,he/shemightofferthestudentmoreinscholarshipmoney.Thissimplycreatesinterestintheathlete.Ifastudent’sfirstchoiceknowsthatitsrivalistryingtoscoopuptheathlete,theschoolwillbeevenmoreeagertoofferabetterscholarshippackage.”

an ideal time to sign up for a ACT or SAT prep course because there’s a coach out there looking for someone like you. An ideal situation awaits.The decision you make will have a huge impact on your life.

Take it from somebody who knows. I was a farm kid growing up outside a town of 200 in rural Illinois and dreaming of being a sportswriter. I went to Northern Arizona University to wrestle. When the decision was made to drop the program after my freshman year, I loved the school and the region so much I decided to stay. I met my wife in Flagstaff, Ariz. One of my best friends to this day I met in a dorm, another gave me my first job in the newspaper business, covering high schools sports, sometimes on the Navajo reservation.

Experienced newspapermen mentored me, taught me the business. I went to college to be a wrestler and graduated a sportswriter. I only wrestled for the coach who convinced me to attend a college half a continent away from home for one season but he changed my life, just like a coach will play a major role in changing yours.

The holidays also offer an opportunity to reach out to coaches who have reached out to you and wish them well this holiday season. I’m not talking about firing off a text or an e-mail, either. Personalize it. Buy stationary, pick up a pen and write a thoughtful message to someone who could help change your life. Even in a digital age, nothing can replace a hand-written note.

Tell them what I’m telling you: I hope you have a great season.

Neil Hayes is the author of “When the Game Stands Tall: The Story of the De La Salle Spartans and Football’s Longest Winning Streak” and the co-author of “The Last Putt: Two Teams, One Dream and a Freshman Named Tiger.”

Happy Holidays Cont.

If you do not have a realistic 3rd party evaluation of your child athletically and academically, you are headed towards frustration. You could miss out on significant scholarships and opportunities. You get ONE SHOT at the recruiting process, and then the window closes. You HAVE to be educated on the process.

Charlie Adams is an award-winning sports broadcaster and international motivational speaker.

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ATHLEADERS OF THE MONTHALEXZANDRA HILLYERBasketball2012VolunteerfortheGirlsEmpowermentProgram

MATT CHASMAN Soccer

2013Ultimate

Achievement:ToplayontheUS

NationalTeam

JALEN RICHARDFootball2012Bestadviceevergiven:Stayhumbleanddon’tforgetwhereyoucomefrom.

MITCH VEJVODAFootball

2012Motto:Don’ttake

anythingforgranted.Lovewhatyouhave

anddon’tbackdownfromanychallenge

thatcomesyourway

Dear Coach Taylor – What grades do I need to play in college?

There are minimum academic requirements for Division I, Division II, and NAIA athletics. Division I uses a sliding scale – as your GPA gets higher, your test score requirements get lower, and vice-versa. These are just minimum requirements – you will still need to be admitted to any college where you want to play. Division I RequirementsA. Graduate from high schoolB. Pass these 16 core courses:4 years English3 years Math (Algebra I or higher)2 years Natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school)2 years Social Science1 year Your choice of additional English OR Math OR Science

4 years Any of above OR foreign language OR non-doctrinal religion/philosophyC. Satisfy the GPA and test score requirements on the Division I sliding scale

Depending on your standardized test scores (you can take the SAT or ACT), you will need a GPA between 2.0 and 3.55 to qualify. You cannot play Division I athletics with a GPA below 2.0. For purposes of athletic qualification, your GPA is calculated using only the 16 core courses listed above.

A note on the ACT: a “composite” score averages the score of the four ACT sections (1-36); the “sum” score is the total of the four sections (4-144).

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ASK COACH TAYLOR

RECRUITING MAILBAG

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Division II Requirements

A. Graduate from high schoolB. Earn a 2.0 GPA or better in these 14 core courses:4 years English2 years Math (Algebra I or higher)2 years Natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school)2 years Social Science1 year Your choice of additional English OR Math OR Science3 years Any of above OR foreign language OR non-doctrinal religion/philosophyC. Earn an SAT score of at least 820 OR an ACT sum score of at least 68. Division III RequirementsDivision III does not have a uniform set of eligibility requirements. NAIA RequirementsA. Graduate from high schoolB. Meet 2 of 3 of these requirements:1. 860 or better on the SAT OR an ACT composite score of 18 or better (see explanation of ACT scores above)2. Overall high school GPA of 2.0 or better3. Graduate in the upper 50% of your high school graduating class

SOCIAL CORNER

UPCOMINGEVENTS...1/5 - 6:30 PM Global Youth Charter HS CAJulian Jenkins Antelope, CA

1/5 - 6:00 PM Northeast HS Phil Clarke Oakland Park, FL

1/11 - 7:00 PM West HS Paul Putnam Salt Lake City, UT

1/16 - 7:00 PM Los Banos College Recruiting Workshop Julian Jenkins Los Banos, CA

1/18 - 7:00 PM Fremont HS Paul Putnam Plain City, UT

1/18 - 6:30 PM Tokay HS CA Julian Jenkins Lodi, CA

ANewYearisanewopportunitytostartfreshbymaking(andsometimes

breaking)NewYear’sresolutions.It’stimetolookaheadtotheNewYear.Areyou

reflectingonthechangesyouwantorneedtomake?

Share your 2012 New Year’s Resolution on our facebook wall! Or tell us why you’re not making one at all.

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Do you have recruiting questions? Tweet@NCSAtohaveyourquestionsansweredandpossiblyfeaturedintheNCSANewsletter.#NCSASPORTS

MEET THE PEOPLE answering your questions and keeping you informed of all things going on here at NCSA!

Sarah Lindner - NCSAAaron Sorenson - NCSA

Join us every month for news, athletic recruiting trends, upcoming events, and more! CLICK HERE to subscribe to our weekly newsletter or to learn more about NCSA.

Enjoy our holiday video

Happy HolidaysBest wishes for a wonderful holiday season & a happy New Year!

Cheers!The Team