College recruiting - general advice?

[Anonymous]

OP again. Thanks all. Appreciate you helping us navigate this.

Anonymous wrote:
the athlete needs to be pro-active and reach out to coaches and fill out the questionnaires. Cast the net wide. I don't think coaches are hunting down kids in most sports.

Well, the only reason this is on our radar screen is because a D1 coach reached out to the kid's HS coach and asked about them by name. We honestly weren't really even tracking sports in college otherwise.

[Anonymous]

In your case, where scholarship not important, let the following guide you:
Which schools with crew does your kid like the best?
Which schools offer your kid a very good chance of being in the first boat?
What school’s coach is most appealing - a good and fair person.
Which schools in the running above are objectively regarded as the best.
Don’t pick schools based on which have the best crews until you have answered the above questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks all. Appreciate you helping us navigate this.

Anonymous wrote:
the athlete needs to be pro-active and reach out to coaches and fill out the questionnaires. Cast the net wide. I don't think coaches are hunting down kids in most sports.

Well, the only reason this is on our radar screen is because a D1 coach reached out to the kid's HS coach and asked about them by name. We honestly weren't really even tracking sports in college otherwise.

That is great that happened but as someone who has been on this for a year- you might never hear from that coach again. If your kid is interested icollege sports- they need to be proactive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Thanks all. Appreciate you helping us navigate this.

Anonymous wrote:
the athlete needs to be pro-active and reach out to coaches and fill out the questionnaires. Cast the net wide. I don't think coaches are hunting down kids in most sports.

Well, the only reason this is on our radar screen is because a D1 coach reached out to the kid's HS coach and asked about them by name. We honestly weren't really even tracking sports in college otherwise.

That is great that happened but as someone who has been on this for a year- you might never hear from that coach again. If your kid is interested icollege sports- they need to be proactive

Fair point. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Is your kid a boy or a girl? The crew landscape is very different for men’s vs women’s rowing.

I have a senior who will be rowing crew at a D3 school next year, but who went on several D1 official visits and had several D1 offers.

Coaches all want to know two pieces of info: 2k time and height.

Unlike many other sports the best D3 colleges are substantially better than the worst D1 programs.

I recommend going on your first official visit to a college that isn’t their top choice to shake out the nerves and get a sense of the process.

Have them fill out the interest forms for any schools they are interested in. They are usually linked from their instagram pages.

Pay attention to what is and isn’t covered in scholarship offers.

If your kid is interested in a potential major, try to talk with someone on the team with that major. Some D1 athletics aren’t very compatible with being an engineering or pre med major. If there is no one on the team with your major or major area that’s a red flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get this book: https://rlopezcoaching.com/product/looking-for-a-full-ride-an-insiders-recruiting-guide/


You read it and have your kid read it. It’s a quick read. Be wary of any paid recruiting (NCSA is an example). Start pulling film, bio information, etc.

This book is a waste of time and money. I know first hand. Much of the info you can find for free on college confidential.

It also works for others. OP is starting from scratch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In your case, where scholarship not important, let the following guide you:
Which schools with crew does your kid like the best?
Which schools offer your kid a very good chance of being in the first boat?
What school’s coach is most appealing - a good and fair person.
Which schools in the running above are objectively regarded as the best.
Don’t pick schools based on which have the best crews until you have answered the above questions.

Agree as stated above - in addition to a good fit for the school team, make sure your kid is aware of the time and lifestyle commitment! D1 is intense and can’t be done casually like a club or lower division sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In your case, where scholarship not important, let the following guide you:
Which schools with crew does your kid like the best?
Which schools offer your kid a very good chance of being in the first boat?
What school’s coach is most appealing - a good and fair person.
Which schools in the running above are objectively regarded as the best.
Don’t pick schools based on which have the best crews until you have answered the above questions.

Agree as stated above - in addition to a good fit for the school team, make sure your kid is aware of the time and lifestyle commitment! D1 is intense and can’t be done casually like a club or lower division sport.

If your kid loves it and is willing to work super hard it is great. They should know D1 crew is a 6am start usually six days a week plus some afternoon lift and other team commitments with Travel on weekends during the season.

It is not for the faint of heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how D3 schools work as far as recruiting and money - specifically for track? Any chance of money being given?

Your kid should be contacting coaches at schools of interest early junior year. Coaches will want times (easily accessible via Milesplit) and grades, along with test scores as they become available if DC will be submitting them. If all is going well, you may be offered a pre-read the summer before senior year which will go into fall. The coach will also talk to Dc directly and suggest a campus visit; they will get to meet the team and potentially do a workout during the visit. If the school offers TO and your DC is planning to use that option, they will likely need to provide essays or writing samples in addition to the application and prior to the ED application due date.

At my DC’s pre-read, they received an indication of likely admittance if they applied ED and also if they applied RD; in our case they were fairly similar, but we did go ED. DC did receive merit aid of around $20K/year. We did not know that that was a possibility and it was purely a fluke that we did suggest DC check the ‘interested in merit aid’ box on the application. Just noting this because you will want to be sure to do that!

Good luck and do be aware that if DC will be doing both XC and track, they will have a more similar experience to D1 schools where the season never ends. It is a real thing—they really will be training all year so they should make sure that they really want to do that!

[Anonymous]

A question I am adding to my list now is: are there any impacts to your teams or rosters with the new changes? I heard recently some schools are considering getting rid of XC teams and putting more emphasis on track. I wonder for kids who signed this past year if any were more in love with XC than track and how this change impacts them. (I mean, I know they would leave the program but they haven't even arrived at the school yet).

[Anonymous]

OP, at this point there is only one question, and it is for your child: do they want to row in college? If yes, do they want rowing to determine everything about their college experience, or just a lot of it? The second decision will guide them to D1 or D3.

I was a D3 rower. Five days a week, all year long, I got up at 4:55 and ran 2.5 miles down to the river for practice at 5:30. Back on campus for 8:10 class, bringing my breakfast with me. Three days a week lift in the afternoon. And that was D3 25 years ago! It was every thing to me, but I could also still have any major or class I wanted, took a semester abroad without consequence, had time for friends outside of rowing.

My high school teammates who went D1 all quit after their freshman year in college. They wanted a college experience beyond rowing.

My son is about to go to college and will play a sport. He wanted D1 but didn’t get D1 offers that matched his academic needs, so he’s going D3. I’m relieved - I think it will make for a happier and longer college playing career.

The biggest thing to do is take a breath and slow down. Focus on what your child wants rowing wise and college wise, then make lists of schools that meet both. Be open! Then start the emailing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, at this point there is only one question, and it is for your child: do they want to row in college? If yes, do they want rowing to determine everything about their college experience, or just a lot of it? The second decision will guide them to D1 or D3.

I was a D3 rower. Five days a week, all year long, I got up at 4:55 and ran 2.5 miles down to the river for practice at 5:30. Back on campus for 8:10 class, bringing my breakfast with me. Three days a week lift in the afternoon. And that was D3 25 years ago! It was every thing to me, but I could also still have any major or class I wanted, took a semester abroad without consequence, had time for friends outside of rowing.

My high school teammates who went D1 all quit after their freshman year in college. They wanted a college experience beyond rowing.

My son is about to go to college and will play a sport. He wanted D1 but didn’t get D1 offers that matched his academic needs, so he’s going D3. I’m relieved - I think it will make for a happier and longer college playing career.

The biggest thing to do is take a breath and slow down. Focus on what your child wants rowing wise and college wise, then make lists of schools that meet both. Be open! Then start the emailing.

Yes…crew is kind of strange in that it has a very high quit rate among recruits, but then also a high walk on rate at the same time. This will likely change with the recent NCAA settlement where some schools are now moving to 100% scholarship for all recruits.

In general…sports that are basically always physically exhausting, compete usually well off-campus (not to mention practice) and have few students attending or caring about the event have very high quit rates.

In studies, the sports with lowest quit rates are basketball, field hockey and baseball…though usually the quit rates for these sports are most determined by lack of playing time (or injury…but that’s less discretionary).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, at this point there is only one question, and it is for your child: do they want to row in college? If yes, do they want rowing to determine everything about their college experience, or just a lot of it? The second decision will guide them to D1 or D3.

I was a D3 rower. Five days a week, all year long, I got up at 4:55 and ran 2.5 miles down to the river for practice at 5:30. Back on campus for 8:10 class, bringing my breakfast with me. Three days a week lift in the afternoon. And that was D3 25 years ago! It was every thing to me, but I could also still have any major or class I wanted, took a semester abroad without consequence, had time for friends outside of rowing.

My high school teammates who went D1 all quit after their freshman year in college. They wanted a college experience beyond rowing.

My son is about to go to college and will play a sport. He wanted D1 but didn’t get D1 offers that matched his academic needs, so he’s going D3. I’m relieved - I think it will make for a happier and longer college playing career.

The biggest thing to do is take a breath and slow down. Focus on what your child wants rowing wise and college wise, then make lists of schools that meet both. Be open! Then start the emailing.

Yes…crew is kind of strange in that it has a very high quit rate among recruits, but then also a high walk on rate at the same time. This will likely change with the recent NCAA settlement where some schools are now moving to 100% scholarship for all recruits.

In general…sports that are basically always physically exhausting, compete usually well off-campus (not to mention practice) and have few students attending or caring about the event have very high quit rates.

In studies, the sports with lowest quit rates are basketball, field hockey and baseball…though usually the quit rates for these sports are most determined by lack of playing time (or injury…but that’s less discretionary).

For rowing, I think quitting is also related to 1) 5:30 am practices each and every day, because that is when the water is flat, and 2) not being able to row if you are an “extra.” In most sports you can do your sport even if you aren’t on the game roster. You still can run if you don’t race, hold a lacrosse stick in practice, etc. But a boat only has so many seats, and if you don’t make one you’ll be doing dry land training, or if you are lucky they’ll have singles. But that is a totally, totally different experience and takes a certain mental make up - a screw loose, really, and I say that as a sculler! Being in a boat is wonderful. Wanting to be in a boat and not making one is miserable and not worth the pain of continuing for lots of people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, at this point there is only one question, and it is for your child: do they want to row in college? If yes, do they want rowing to determine everything about their college experience, or just a lot of it? The second decision will guide them to D1 or D3.

I was a D3 rower. Five days a week, all year long, I got up at 4:55 and ran 2.5 miles down to the river for practice at 5:30. Back on campus for 8:10 class, bringing my breakfast with me. Three days a week lift in the afternoon. And that was D3 25 years ago! It was every thing to me, but I could also still have any major or class I wanted, took a semester abroad without consequence, had time for friends outside of rowing.

My high school teammates who went D1 all quit after their freshman year in college. They wanted a college experience beyond rowing.

My son is about to go to college and will play a sport. He wanted D1 but didn’t get D1 offers that matched his academic needs, so he’s going D3. I’m relieved - I think it will make for a happier and longer college playing career.

The biggest thing to do is take a breath and slow down. Focus on what your child wants rowing wise and college wise, then make lists of schools that meet both. Be open! Then start the emailing.

Yes…crew is kind of strange in that it has a very high quit rate among recruits, but then also a high walk on rate at the same time. This will likely change with the recent NCAA settlement where some schools are now moving to 100% scholarship for all recruits.

In general…sports that are basically always physically exhausting, compete usually well off-campus (not to mention practice) and have few students attending or caring about the event have very high quit rates.

In studies, the sports with lowest quit rates are basketball, field hockey and baseball…though usually the quit rates for these sports are most determined by lack of playing time (or injury…but that’s less discretionary).

They quit rowing because it’s boring and it’s the easiest hook to get them into a decent college

I don’t think any one works hard enough at it to get recruited that doesn’t enjoy certain aspects of the sport.

However, there is something to the psychology of having an exterior goal (ie college recruitment) in HS, while unless you are Olympic caliber, that no longer exists in college.