The Athlete's Advisor-August 2006 Newsletter

Student Athlete Recruiting Education

Athletic/Recruiting Articles
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Nutritional Info
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August 2006 – Athlete’s Advisor Newsletter - Newsletter Home
Resources for College Bound Student Athletes and those that support them!

August 30th -

Football: Does your football helmet fit correctly Read Article

August 29th -
SAT - Scores drop most in 31 years. Length of exam cited.

State by State reports from the College Board. How is your area doing?

Baseball / Softball: I was on vacation for a bit this month but I did manage to drop into the destination Baseball and softball facility, Sports at the Beach in Georgetown DE. Nice complex that is starting to come into its own. If you have a team in the region, they are worth checking out.

Baseball: Remember Jeffrey Maier? The boy who stole the Orioles chances in 1996? Well he has graduated from Wesleyan (their all time hit leader) and I actually worked with him this summer for three weeks. Great guy, interned for Peter Gammons of ESPN this summer on the Cape as he scouted the top prospects for PG. Jeff's goal is to work in MLB and he is well on his way. Jeff has a great working knowledge of the NESCAC baseball scene, so if you have any questions, let me know and I will check with Jeff.

Cross Country: I am reading a great book written by a couple of college coaches

August 12th -

Softball - Good quotes from the ASA U16 National Championship in Seattle. Gives you an idea how coaches use the tourneys with players they are unable to speak with yet. Full article in the Seattle paper web site.

"You're only allowed to talk to juniors, '07 grads. Most of the kids are '08, '09s so you're just here watching, evaluating," said Lonni Alameda, head coach at University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Next to her stood Lisa Navas, head coach at North Carolina State.

"There's usually only a handful (juniors) that are at this tournament. It's just looking at '08s, '09s and there's even '10s here. It gives you a great list for way down the road," Navas said.

Yet another way coaches create recruiting "lists".

Volleyball - Penn State Coach has recruiting success with Club in Chicago area. Never a surprise that club volleyball is where the recruiting gets done, but never hurts to read about it again. Read full article in the C h icago Sun Times

“Certainly it would be impossible for me to go to high school matches in Chicago,” said Rose, who grew up on the North Side and went to Senn for three years before graduating from Fremd in 1971 and attending now-defunct George Williams College in Downers Grove. “For those of us out of state, when it comes to recruiting kids you really only have the time to look at the club programs because you play your season simultaneously (with the high school season).”

August 11th:
- Some interesting thoughts on TEXT Messaging. Particularly how the TXT messages put more pressure on scholarship hungry students. GO

August 8th:
Nutrition: New article of RD Nancy Clark. The Meat and Potatoes of Sports Nutrition GO

Cross Country: Good article about a runner at Marietta College. Decided to try Cross Country in college for the first time to prep for the spring outdoor season. GO

Marquette finalizes incoming class for XCountry and T/F in a story dated 8/3. Hard to tell how many of these admissions and commitments came over the summer. GO

Did you know running coach legend Hal Higdon keeps Blog? GO

General Running:
My wife was told by a running store associate that she should have two pairs of shoes to rotate because the shoes need time to rest and the cushion sort of "springs back to life with some rest". With that information I went right to an expert for an opinion on this statement.

Jen Flint who owns and operates two running stores called Runaway Success in the suburban Philly area had this to day:

" Well, MOST people only do one pair of shoes and it is fine. I think 2 pairs can become a good idea if 1) you are running 5 days a week or more, which means you have back-to-back days of running and 2) you are doing longer runs, more distance, etc.

The shoes doesn't really "recover" but rotating your shoes does help them last longer bc they can dry out in between and the materials might hold up better. But it is also partly perception because obviously if you rotate shoes, you only wear them 50% as often so of course they will last longer since they aren't being worn as much! Not to mention if you have a rainy day run, you have a dry pair waiting for you the next day! I also suggest 2 pairs for more advanced runners and runners doing higher mileage because they can keep a lighter weight pair around for shorter/faster workouts and a beefier pair around for their longer runs/recovery days.

One thing I also suggest is that if you are going to do multiple pairs, they should be different styles, not 2 of the exact same shoes. It is good to give your feet variety! Even if the difference is only slight, it is good to get your feet into a slightly different position, etc"

There you go. Thanks Jen.

Baseball:
This came from a baseball parent and was printed by my friend Dave at www.Varsityedge.com. She has a rather unfortunate situation to warn others with:

The gist of my story would be of a baseball player, my son, who was recruited to play baseball for a D-III baseball program in Southern California, which has a fairly solid reputation nationally. Last season he enrolled in this school with the intention and the promise to be a part of the baseball program. A decision to enroll by him was only arrived at after several visits to the campus, meeting the coach personally, letters of interest from several coaches at the school, including the head coach, several follow-up phone calls from the coaching staff, and personal note cards sent from the school's recruiter. He had offers to play elsewhere, but declined because of level interest shown by the coaching staff. He really thought he was going to have the opportunity to play, especially given that other schools that wanted him were D I and D II.

Almost three weeks into the fall season, my son told me that the coach did not need him, I subsequently called the head coach. I asked the coach why he recruited my son. His words to me, "Just because we recruit your son doesn't mean he has a spot on the team!" The coach went on to say that this was a difficult time of the year for him. I asked him why, and he said that he had eight other players that he recruited, which he had to inform them of the same thing (they did not have spots on the team). Nine players left the school after the first semester.

So, no matter how diligent you might think you are with the respect to the recruiting process, there are coaching staffs that feel compelled to utilize what I would consider questionable ethics when it comes to recruiting. I suspect that programs such as these will continue to be seen as successful in the eyes of the school administration, the general public, and the schools they play against.

Ray Lauenstein is the author of College Bound: The Official Guide to Playing College Baseball and The Making of a Student Athlete. He also holds a Masters Degree in Sport Psychology and gives seminars on Mental Skills Training and the Recruiting Process. If you would like him to speak to your team, booster club or other group please contact him via the online form or call 1-617-835-1836.