8 Things to do on my return back to school.

1 – Make sure the core classes I have taken thus far are approved by the Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse
2 – Make sure the classes I am enrolled in are approved by the NCAA clearinghouse.
3 – Tell my guidance counselor that I wish to continue my athletic career at the college level
4 – Tell my coach that I wish to continue my athletic career at the college level and find out what help if any he or she will be to me.
5 – Commit to getting the best grades I can.
6 – Commit to being the best athlete I can be.
7 – Commit to being the best person I can be. There are few coaches that are interested in recruiting the bad apple, so it pays to be a good person who treats everyone around them with respect, including teammates, coaches, teachers, umpires, opposing team players and coaches and the stranger walking by the field!
8 – Spend a half hour less on myspace and facebook and a half hour more on researching different colleges and athletic programs each night. There are over 1,300 NCAA colleges, not to mention NAIA colleges as well as junior colleges and in order to find 10 or 20 you might be a good fit for, you are going to have to find 50 or a 100 that won't be a good fit for you to narrow down your choices.

ARTICLES
Did you catch the August 24th article in the Ny Time? Odd Jobs Help College Teams Stay afloat. The article focused on many D1 teams (in sports other than football and basketball) that have to go the extra mile just to raise money for their program, including car washes, bakes sales, cleaning up after other teams. The article included many teams that are perennial national contenders in their respective sport. READ ARTICLE

The trip to Kennedy Airport has become an August ritual for Carl Quigley. From the St. Francis campus in Brooklyn, where he has coached water polo for 32 years, the airport is only a 30-minute drive. But for the recruits he usually goes to meet, J.F.K. is 4,000 miles from home, and the sticky floor of Terminal 3 is the first American soil they have ever tread. READ ARTICLE

Division I student-athletes continue to perform well in the classroom, and more of them are graduating from college, according to the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate report.READ ARTICLE

ODDS N ENDS
I got a newsletter the other day and there was a quote that said – “the slower you start something, the faster you will finish it.” The recruiting process cannot be done in one day, so there is no point in trying. What you need to do is break down the process into smaller tasks that you can achieve day by day or week by week.

Just another reason why Tiger Woods is the best athlete on the planet. Mark Calcaveccia on whether or not he had a chance to win the Tour Championship paired with Tiger Woods on Sunday. “I’ve got to beat him by four. Not likely. It could be a race for second place.” This comment came after Calcaveccia shot a 63 on Saturday (3 shots better than Woods) to get into the final pairing with Woods. Calcaveccia’s score on Sunday paired with Tiger – 71

Show up at college and become an athlete. READ


Read a quote from a college coach online about making recruiting video’s. “Play hard, every play, If a kid takes a play off we throw the video out!”

How important is it to communicate with coaches on a personal basis. I Read an article online about a college coach who admitted she didn’t even have a VCR in her building to watch stacks of unsolicited recruiting tapes that had been sent to her in VHS Format from families that now probably have no chance of being recruited.

NEWS ON INDIVIDUAL COLLEGES
Boys will be boys, but! Millersville University canceled the fall season of its women’s lacrosse program after a team hazing incident.

The University of Detroit Mercy will add three varsity teams beginning in 2008-09. Detroit will field teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s tennis, raising its total number of sports to 19. The last sport the school added was golf in 2004. Once the teams are added, Detroit will be the only Division I institution in Michigan to sponsor varsity lacrosse teams.

Saint Vincent College is fielding a football team this season for the first time in 45 years after kicking off the season September 1 against Gallaudet University.

RPI will break ground on a new outdoor stadium, indoor stadium, and an indoor sports facility slated to be completed in 2009.

Indiana University East is now a member of the NAIA

Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA) will be adding football in 2009 along with a new 20,000 seat stadium. They also broke ground on a new 1,500 seat lacrosse and field hockey stadium in August.

University of Nebraska at Omaha Athletic Director David Miller announced today that the UNO Athletic Department will be adding men's tennis beginning in the 2008-09 academic year. Current UNO women's tennis head coach Bill Nichols will also serve as the head men's tennis coach. The official season for men's tennis season will begin in January 2009.

Portland State broke ground on a 70 million dollar Academic and Student Recreation center.

Mount Saint Mary’s University recently christened the Waldron Family Stadium, a 1,000 seat facility for lacrosse and soccer.

The Making of a Student-Athlete: Succeeding in the College Selection and Recruiting Process for High School Athletes, Parents and Coaches. ORDER TODAY