Who Does The Recruiting In Your House....Parent or Athlete
Who Does The Recruiting In Your House....Parent or Athlete
Who Does The Recruiting In Your House....Parent or Athlete
As most parents know the high school years can be challenging, add to that the college recruiting process. I know first hand as we went through it with our daughter. Many times it is awkward for girls at this age to feel confident in putting themselves “out there” to be judged by anyone let alone college coaches.
The temptation for the parent is to take the lead and actually write the emails and make the contacts. Whatever you do ……..do not do this! It is however appropriate to encourage your daughter and help her set goals in the recruiting process. Sitting with your gymnast and making a list of schools she would be eligible to attend and coming along side her to guide her is a much better choice.
College coaches can tell if letters and emails have been written by adults or parents. I do not believe a college coach will turn away a recruit because of this issue, but it is much more encouraging to the coach if it appears the letter is coming directly from the heart of the athlete. This many times transfers over to great things in the recruiting process. Gymnasts who communicate, even if the letter has mistakes or is not eloquent, shows desire and maturity of the athlete. Coaches are looking for leaders and communicators. They understand it can be hard for high school girls to write or call but they can see past that.
I remember walking through this process with our daughter who was a soccer player. It was like pulling teeth to get her to write to a coach. She was a confident athlete and person. She had strong grades and knew what she wanted, but when it came to emailing a coach back or calling a coach, she really struggled at times. I often thought it would be much easier if I just emailed the coach back, but in the end I knew that would not be best. It was a process that she needed to experience and skills she needed to develop.
So I ask again “who does the recruiting in your house” ……….. make it a team effort with the bulk of the work being done by the athlete. In the end it is like anything else, she will feel great satisfaction in knowing she worked hard and learned many good things about herself along the way.
Jill Hicks is the founder of JH Consulting. Jill partners with club gymnast and parents in the college recruitng process. www.jhicksconsulting.com
The temptation for the parent is to take the lead and actually write the emails and make the contacts. Whatever you do ……..do not do this! It is however appropriate to encourage your daughter and help her set goals in the recruiting process. Sitting with your gymnast and making a list of schools she would be eligible to attend and coming along side her to guide her is a much better choice.
College coaches can tell if letters and emails have been written by adults or parents. I do not believe a college coach will turn away a recruit because of this issue, but it is much more encouraging to the coach if it appears the letter is coming directly from the heart of the athlete. This many times transfers over to great things in the recruiting process. Gymnasts who communicate, even if the letter has mistakes or is not eloquent, shows desire and maturity of the athlete. Coaches are looking for leaders and communicators. They understand it can be hard for high school girls to write or call but they can see past that.
I remember walking through this process with our daughter who was a soccer player. It was like pulling teeth to get her to write to a coach. She was a confident athlete and person. She had strong grades and knew what she wanted, but when it came to emailing a coach back or calling a coach, she really struggled at times. I often thought it would be much easier if I just emailed the coach back, but in the end I knew that would not be best. It was a process that she needed to experience and skills she needed to develop.
So I ask again “who does the recruiting in your house” ……….. make it a team effort with the bulk of the work being done by the athlete. In the end it is like anything else, she will feel great satisfaction in knowing she worked hard and learned many good things about herself along the way.
Jill Hicks is the founder of JH Consulting. Jill partners with club gymnast and parents in the college recruitng process. www.jhicksconsulting.com