SO YOUR KID WANTS TO PLAY SPORTS IN COLLEGE?

By Deena Paradiso, M.S. Ed.

According to the NCAA(NCAA.org) only 7% of high school athletes go on to play their sport at the varsity level in college and even less get offered scholarships to play. These statistics can be overwhelming, but if your child has the desire to play sports in college, the following information can help.

The first way to help a student achieve their goal of playing sports in college is to emphasize the importance of academics. Students and parents should familiarize themselves with these requirements, which include GPA and standardized test score minimums. They can do so by visiting www. NCAA.org and registering for an account and also by speaking to the school counselor about these requirements. Meeting these academics requirements may fulfill the NCAA requirements, but it may not be sufficient enough to gain entrance to certain colleges.

Parents and coaches can help the student by speaking to them open and honestly about their athletic ability. Have your child look up their stats and compare them to current players on rosters for teams they may be interested in playing for. Coaches can help by suggesting camps and college showcases for your child to attend. If your child wants to be a college athlete, work closely with their high school and travel coaches to help your child find the right type of college program to pursue.

You can also visit the following website for more information: www.NCAA.org www.princetonreview. com/college-advice/ student-athletes

Once a list of colleges that your child could possibly compete at has been made by them and their coaches, share it with their school counselor to find out what the academic requirements are and to see if it is a good fit all around. Students can then start to make contact with coaches and recruiting staff.

They can begin by writing emails to the staff and fill out the college athletic recruitment forms. Students can also prepare an athletic resume and a highlight video to send off to college coaches. Emails and forms should include athletic and academic highlights, GPA, standardized test scores and extracurricular activities and most importantly, why your child wants to play and attend that particular college or university.

If you plan on visiting colleges, have your child reach out to the coaching staff to see if they can schedule an appointment to meet with the coaching staff. The NCAA does have strict regulations for each sport on the timing of coach contact with potential athletes and official visits so check those out beforehand.

Hopefully in the end, your child will have some very important decisions to make and will have more than one offer from colleges. This decision, like any college decision, is a family one. Parents need to speak to their child about all aspects of this decision, including money. After 20 plus years of counseling I always ask my recruited athlete if the school they are looking at fits the “busted knee” test? Meaning, if they get hurt, or decide that they don’t want to play their sport anymore, would they still want to attend that college?

The most important thing to remember is you and your child are not alone in this process. Contact your child’s school counselor and coaches to find out more information about this process.

Deena Paradiso, M.S. Ed. is a Certified School Counselor for Grades K-12