Most high school athletes have no idea what to do to get noticed by college coaches. Too many people falsely believe that if they have good performances, coaches will automatically figure out who they are and will be recruiting them.
But, that’s not how it works. You have to actively market and promote yourself in order to rise above the masses. Because the truth is, unless you’re making the final at Nationals, in the big picture you are a dime a dozen.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
When I was in high school I set the MA D2 Championship Meet Record in the 400. My high school PR was 48.8 (not bad for New England in the mid 1990s). I even got a scholarship to run at UConn, which was/is the top of the ladder here in New England.
And I thought I was pretty sweet.
Until I got to the first day of practice and realized I was the #5 *Freshman* 400 runner on the team. In my little world I was pretty good. In the real world, I was just another high 48. kid. I was a dime a dozen.
Coaches live in the real world.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you want to get noticed, the best way to do it is to get in front of the coaches of schools you might be interested in. If you’re interested in competing at the next level, there’s an easy way to get in front of these coaches who are doing the recruiting.
Go where they are. That starts with attending the 2013 Complete Track & Field Clinic.
After all, who do you think they are more likely to respond to: The athlete they saw and spoke to in person at the clinic or the one who filled out a questionnaire like every other potential recruit on the planet?
Here is a list of college coaches we have teaching at the clinic this summer.
Sprints
Kebba Tolbert – Harvard University
David Cusano – Wheaton College
Gabe Sanders – Boston University
Hurdles
Marc Mangiacotti – Harvard University
Mat LeMaire – College of the Holy Cross
Howard Powell – Williams College
Jumps
Ron Grigg – Jacksonville University
Reuben Jones – Columbia University
Moose Akanno – Dartmouth College
Rob Whitten – University of Rhode Island
Kathrine Bright – Wheaton College
Throws
Andrew Dubs – Harvard University
Michelle Eisenreich – Stanford University
Distance
Jason Saretsky – Harvard University
Of course, you can do nothing this summer and hope you get noticed.
You can go to one of those clinics where all the coaches work at the same school. Perfect if you only want to go to one school and you know you’re going to get in.
You can go to one of those clinics that has a lot of clinicians who won Olympic Medals. They have great stories to tell. But, Olympians don’t coach themselves, so you’ll mostly just walk out of there with stories, not new skills.
Or you can come to a clinic with a wide range of coaches working from D1 to D3 who have proven they know how to make athletes better.
I know where I’d want to be.
The 2013 Complete Track & Field Summer Clinic.
See you this summer!
Latif Thomas
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