Getting recruited during a Pandemic

Well it’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything. And what a hot minute it has been. So much has happened over the course of this year, yet it also feels like nothing has happened at all. It’s like being stuck in a game of limbo that is hurting your back and you’re not totally into.

This year has presented many challenges. As an athlete I’ve had my entire season taken away, which in the grand scheme of things hasn’t been that difficult to manage, as I’ve had many setbacks in my career. As a coach, it has taken away my role to interact with athletes as sessions on the court can be counted on one hand this season. I feel for all of the athletes who had their championships taken away, their seasons in jeopardy, their first year as a University athlete disappear, or their senior seasons taken away, and those young athletes trying to set themselves up for that next step, when that next step is harder than ever to accomplish with a higher number of unknowns.

So I wanted to write about it. To hopefully shed some light on the best practices that you can do as a high school athlete if you have dreams of playing at the college/University level. I’ve written about this before, but I figured it was time for an update because does anyone really know anything for sure about being recruited during a pandemic?

It’s the end of November. December is just around the corner. Naturally at this point high school seasons would be finishing up and preparations for the club season would have begun for the new year. Parents would be compiling film and hopefully within the next month you would be making your decision, signing a letter of intent or hopefully one step closer to making that dream a reality. And post secondary teams would be close to completing their rosters and signings for the following year.

The reality is that most school seasons didn’t exist, club volleyball has had a sweet taste of nectar of training for the last weeks or if you’re lucky months. But, here we are staring down the barrel of another lockdown as recreational sports are again put on pause in those parts of our country faced with stringent restrictions. So, if you are asking yourself what can you do to get recruited during such a strange year, or maybe you want to set yourself up for success the following year please read along. 

STEP 1: Panic.

I kid, I kid. No need to panic.

STEP 1: Collect

Collect your thoughts. Collect your film. And collect the contact information of the programs and coaches that you are interested in. This is the part where you do your research, begin thinking of your future plans and do the leg work so you can implement your plan of attack. Take initiative for your future. The earlier you start making plan A through C, the earlier you can hopefully settle on making a decision and get back to focusing on being in the present moment.

Things to consider: 

What academic programs am I most interested in and where is it offered? 

Athletically what team/program am I most interested in? 

How many current members of that team are in my position and in what years?

Do I want to be coached by a male or female? 

What athletic conference would I like to compete in or where do I envision myself having the most success? 

University or College? 

USports or NCAA?

Do I know people who have been through the recruitment process, and can I reach out to them for some mentorship?

I won’t be able to have an official on campus visit - will this impact my decision, and am I ready to sign at an institution without being provided that visit? OR am I able to visit a campus on my own time/dime to get a feel for the campus and make that decision having only met the team/coaching staff through online zoom calls?

Things to have:

1-2 videos of a FULL match. It’s ok if it’s film from last year - we understand, and any film is better than nothing! Coaches will have more time this year to really dive into the details of watching film on recruits so be ready to provide full game matches first instead of your highlight tape.

1 highlight tape. Keep this no longer than 5 minutes and clips should give context (for passing clips show the full serve. Attacking clips try to include the pass etc.) This should be used only to supplement your game film.

If you DON’T have any film ask your teammates or maybe opponents that you’ve played if they have specific video from a match - support local :)

Your GPA

Other highlights that are important to you (physical testing numbers, community service, high school achievements). 

As you begin to collect the necessary things needed to connect start thinking of how you want to present yourself. Consider this your resume, and if you haven’t written one before that’s ok, this will be a great lesson for the future.

STEP 2: Contact

Oh the beauty of technology. You are one click, or one email away from making that first contact with prospective University programs and the coaches that run them. On most athletic institutions websites, and subsequently their team page you are likely to find a recruitment questionnaire or prospective student athlete form - fill this out as early as possible to put yourself on the radar of coaches. After this see if you can find the information of contacting the head coach - maybe through your club coach/director if they have the contact information, or if you are using a recruiter maybe they have that information on hand.

Things to consider:

Coaches, and assistants can potentially be inundated with many emails from athletes - so as you are formulating the written portion of an email consider what you can share that will make you stand out, that makes your personality shine on paper. Without being able to recruit in person we as coaches really want to get to know who you are as an individual - be prepared for many zoom calls, phone calls and email exchanges as you try to get to know one another without that luxury of being in person.

Things to avoid:

I would caution against mass emailing programs with the same generic email that is cut and dry to the point. Also greater room for error here. 

Sending an email explaining interest in the program and then ghosting on the response for a week. Missing scheduled calls, or continually rescheduling due to poor planning. Stay on top of things, coaches LOVE athletes who are phenomenal communicators.

STEP 3: Compromise

This I don’t enjoy writing about, but it is the reality of the current state of many athletic programs across the country. In a perfect world through the recruitment process you are able to acquire a roster spot on the institution of your dreams, with the maximum amount of financial help in the form of an athletic scholarship (AFA). I’ll tell you this much. Athletic scholarships are few and far between at many institutions. Coaches are tasked with the difficult decision of who receives money, how much money an individual will receive and ultimately their hands are tied to a set number of AFA’s within a particular year. 

The tricky part of this covid year is the fact that athletes who are currently part of programs will not be using any eligibility this year. That means we will be seeing a higher return of athletes than normal who may wish to pursue higher education while having the chance to complete their senior season on the court. With less graduates you can imagine what that means - less AFA availability in some cases, less roster spots available in other cases, and a more difficult road to navigate in finding the program that both meets your needs, and where you fit as a piece of the collective puzzle. Coaches will have to be flexible in handling their rosters for upcoming years, and you as incoming athletes will need to be flexible in knowing that it may take longer than normal to see court time.

So when I say compromise I mean this. Be aware of the financial restrictions that you may be limited to, and keep in mind there may be financial restrictions of the institutions you are looking at. Understand that coaches want to honour individuals who have already been in their programs for years and support them, while also supporting you as an incoming athlete - but it won’t be as easy as years previous. What are you willing to give up to be a part of a program and school that you believe in? 

Things to consider:

‘Full rides’ are essentially non existent in Canada - tuition and mandatory fees are the maximum that a University program in Canada can account for vs the NCAA where tuition, housing, meals and sometimes other expenses. 

The hardest part here is deciding what is most important to you - is it finances, is it the coach, is it the academic program, or maybe it’s the city of the school. Find out what’s most important to you and let that guide your decision making. 

Things to avoid:

Compromising to the point where you feel undervalued or unappreciated. If something isn’t sitting well, or you feel like you need another phone call, or another meeting with the athletes, or clarification on something - ask for it. This is your journey, always, always ask for the things that you need, you may not be happy with the answer, but it’s better to have the answer than not.

I will leave you with those things to consider, few things to have and a few things to avoid. Recruitment is such a unique experience for each individual and should be an exciting time in your life. This is the best time for you to begin advocating for yourself as an athlete and an individual, try not to let mom and dad make the decisions or do the talking, but lean on them for their support. Be on top of your communication - don’t put things off, delay emails or postpone phone calls.

As you navigate this process continue to take time to reflect on what’s available to you, what’s important to you, and what feels of value to you. If anything I know the 2021 class will be a special one, because it’s the first class across the board that will have demonstrated incredible initiative, selflessness, and understanding in a group of athletes who went after and made their dreams happen.