To Camp Or Not To Camp?

Most student athletes are confused on what to stay focused on during the summer months of their recruiting process. There are typically several options that present themselves to most student athletes across virtually every sport. It’s important that you not only take advantage of the options for exposure and training, but you also understand the timeline of the process in order to effectively take advantage of this time of year.

I would advise most families to seek out two camp opportunities over the course of the summer. Make sure to visit at least one schools camp that is actively showing interest. Make sure you read the signs to gauge just how interested a school is before you commit to any additional camps for the summer. If they’re reaching out on a personal level, whether that be phone (if NCAA rules permit, according to division level), email or personal hand written communications, make sure the coach wants you to be at his camp!

For the second camp or any other additional camps it’s ok to reach a bit to go see a higher level school, as long as you do the recruiting prep work before you attend the event. Most of the larger level schools will have smaller programs work their camps as well. Make sure to identify which additional schools may be at the larger camp you are planning to attend. That way you can reach out and introduce to those coaches before the camp and visit with them during the event..

I encourage every family to be fully educated on how to select a camp and recommend reading additional posts on this blog for more info.

In addition to selecting a camp, I recommend that each recruit understand what the normal recruiting pulse is for the summer. July tends to be a spotty month with contacting coaches. Coaches tend to have several obligations outside of the office during the summer months, so they may not be by their office phone or email account. I recommend that players remain patient when reaching out to coaches and leave plenty of time for follow up on the coaches’ end.

Once we leave July and head into August, recruiting will drastically slow down. Most fall sports will begin preseason camp at some point during the month, and naturally most coaches will focus their attention almost entirely on working with their current players to get them ready for the start of the season. I recommend that each high school recruit understand that it’s normal to have a slow August. During this time of the process you need to stay focused on having a tremendous preseason camp yourself. Stay healthy and help the younger players on your squad adjust and prepare to have a great year. If you and your teammates are playing well in the Fall, that will most certainly have a positive effect on your process.

Remember. The summers a great time to not only work on your game, but work on your recruiting process as well. Invest your time wisely, prepare to be a champion today!

July 14th, 2009 - by Rick McDole