PoleVaultPower.com

I really like this columnist.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/c ... tty14.html

Self-marketing 101 is best course for most athletes
By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter


Q: How do I get my kid recruited?

A: If your son throws the shot 66 feet or your 6-foot-4 daughter averages 30 points in a good basketball league, don't worry. Recruiters will find you.

But if your son or daughter isn't a superstar but still has enough ability to play at a four-year college, he or she has to do some self-marketing. If you sit and wait for the telephone to ring, it won't.

This marketing involves letting college coaches know that the athlete is interested in the coach's school.

An introductory letter should include a photo and rèsumè with information such as height, weight, athletic honors, stats, overall grade-point average, grade-point average in "core" subjects, and SAT/ACT scores. Significant stats for your sport are important, such as 40-yard dash time in football.

The letter also can inform the coach where your son or daughter will be playing â€â€

rainbowgirl28 wrote:• "There are more good athletes in the Northwest than four-year schools to take them. There's a good chance you'll have to expand your search beyond the Northwest. Seventy percent of the colleges in this country are east of the Mississippi."

I did not know that. Interesting! That doesn't actually mean that 70% of pole vault scholarships are east of the Mississippi, but I do know there are not very many of them in Washington.

• "Ask yourself, 'What type of school fits me?' This involves from knowing whether the academic load at particular schools might overwhelm you. It also involves knowing whether you can cope with a different climate and being far away from home."

We've discussed this at length in the sticky thread in the college forum

• "When making your final decision, take a visit, attend a class or two, meet the coach and players, and, if possible, watch the team play. On this trip, make sure you, not your parents, do the talking. You introduce your parents, not vice-versa. Your parents don't have any college eligibility left, so it is your meeting."

Agreed about the parents.

• "If you're trying to play at an NCAA Division I or Division II school, you better not like your sport, you better love your sport. Coaches own you at these levels and expect 12 months of effort until your final game as a senior."

Agreed!!

rainbowgirl28 wrote: "If you're trying to play at an NCAA Division I or Division II school, you better not like your sport, you better love your sport. Coaches own you at these levels and expect 12 months of effort until your final game as a senior."

Agreed. Coaches expect you to give 100% dedication and effort and if you don't want to do that then you should not bother with trying to play a sport in college. Play IM or club sports instead.