Chasing a Dream

Now that football is over, son can concentrate on baseball. He tried out for a summer team this past weekend, hopefully he was not too rusty, most of the other kids that were trying out play baseball year round. He has 2 camps and 2 showcases scheduled in the next 6 weeks. I have sent out letters and bios to most of the in-state colleges and have received questionnaires back and also some handwritten notes by coaches. After this semester is over (2 more weeks) we will start the clearinghouse process. He is sooooooooo excited to get back into baseball and so am I. Is there anything else we should be doing? We would appreciate any helpful hints.

Louisiana09, it sounds like y'all are on the right track! Here are some thoughts and suggestions:

* Hopefully, your son is already doing this, but make sure he he works out several times a week so he will be in tip-top shape for the camps and showcases. He could find a baseball teammate to do long toss and hitting with.
* If he hasn't already, have him fill out the questionnaires and get them back to the coaches promptly.
* One he gets the schedule for his spring season, have him send it via email or snail mail to the recruiting coordinators of the schools he's interested in.
* Once the season actually starts, have him email the coaches regularly with his schedule for the coming week or two. (By this time, he should have very specific information to share, like location of field, game time, etc.)
* Continue to do this all through the summer.
* Make sure to "cast a wide net" and contact many schools of all levels. It's better to have too many schools interested in you than not enough!

Best wishes as your son works toward his goals!

quote:

* * Once the season actually starts, have him email the coaches regularly with his schedule for the coming week or two. (By this time, he should have very specific information to share, like location of field, game time, etc.)
* Continue to do this all through the summer.

Thanks for the tip, we were doing everything else on your list except for this. I love this site, I have learned so much.

L09,

It sounds like your son has great support from you and he is very lucky. It also sounds like you are really enthused and enjoying helping your son with this process. You should enjoy it as much as you can, it goes by so fast (even when you are in the middle of it and time seems to stand still).

When our son started this process, his dad and I wanted to be as helpful as possible, didn't know what we should do for him and what we should let him do on his own.

We were given advice by a coach that I think made a huge difference in the outcome for our son. He suggested that we help our son organize how he was going to attack this process and then step back and let him take the initiative, the responsibility, and the outcome as his own.

I must admit that we were worried that things might not get done, fall through the cracks, and not work to our son's advantage and that our son did not have the time or energy to do justice to the process. He proved us SO wrong and it was great!

The man that I saw develop as our son took each step along the way took my breath away. Granted, the first conversation with a coach was painfully awkward and somewhat one sided, but, by the end of the process, he was more than comfortable talking with coaches, admission directors, older players, fellow recruits. He developed an organization system that helped him know where each school was in the process - who and when he had conversations, what was sent where, what was received, etc.

In the end, not only was he confident in his ability to take charge of his search, he was very comfortable with the opportunities and the decision he finally made.

Several coaches have told us how mature and conscientious our son was during the process. We are proud of the skill he was able to develop and would like to be able to take credit for those traits. In all honesty, he developed them on his own and the credit is all his. His confidence level took a huge boost and I think that is helping him deal with the challenges of his first year at college and college ball.

So, if you can encourage your son to be in charge of the communications with coaches, scheduling visits, answering calls, asking questions, (encouraging him to consult you where helpful), you may actually be able to enjoy this experience, and his last years of high school even more.

Best wishes.

P&C Mom

Great advice, son is taking steps on his own with me and his dad giving advice. He is the very serious type on the field and in the classroom but is quite a character in other areas. I feel the first conversions with coaches will probably be awkward, but I am sure he will gain confidence as time goes on.

Son has bought a file box, labeled the files and keeps all paperwork in order. He is very organized and always has been. I have no idea where he stole that trait from but it is not his Mom.

Thanks so much for the great advice. I will have him read this thread; I really think it will help ease some of the worries he has about communication.

L09,

Sounds like you and your son are well on your way. It is nice to hear that he has a little bit of a cut up in him. Sometimes that "character" can help you get through the rough spots.

I am grateful that my kids are all smarter than I am. (seriously!) I would like to think that it is not because I taught them everything that they know, but that I played some little part in teaching them how to pursue knowledge and how to think about what they have learned.

Sounds like you and your husband have given your son a strong foundation and he has taken it to the next level. Congrats to you and to him!

Still, the best advice that I have ever seen here, or anywhere else is: enjoy - it goes far too fast.