Thursday, December 13, 2012

Recruiting Video Highlight Reel

Recruiting Video Highlight Reel

There are some facts of life in recruiting - if you are in the top 25 players in the country they may not apply to you, but for the rest of the "prospective student athletes" there are some things you MUST do to maximize your recruitment opportunities.

One of these is obtaining a highlight video reel.  Most of your dads will say "Simple, I'll just take the video cam and shoot some footage, edit it down and send it out, and save all that money."  Unless your dad is a professional videographer who knows lacrosse very well and doesn't get excited and wave the camera around when you're about to score, this is a VERY BAD IDEA!!!

Pretend you're a lacrosse coach at a D1 (could be D2 or even D3) college or university, and in your daily mail are 50, 100, or more video reels and letters.  Having spent more than 15 years as a D1 coach, I can tell you that watching these for quality recruits gets mind numbing very quickly.  Poor quality, difficulty seeing the player being presented, shots of sky and grass, good play against weak teams, and on and on are just a few of the reasons for yanking a video in order to move on through the endless tide of arriving videos. 

What do you need to do to get the coach to sit up and watch your video closely?

1. Create an opening page with your main statistics - GPA, SAT, ACT, AP, Honors - If your record is good and you can pass Admissions he'll pay some more attention. 

2. If your size and speed are in your favor include them. If you're 5'8 and 130 pounds it might be better to let that wait a bit, but if you're 6'4", 220 and can run the 40 in 4.5 seconds this is good info to put up front.

3. Have your video taken by a professional if at all possible.  The best editor in the world can't fix bad shots.  Filming lacrosse is not easy and is best done by someone with both talent and experience to get the best sequences to demonstrate your talents.

4. Choose your plays carefully.  Remember the coach is going to tune out quickly and you have to capture his attention so put up just enough clips to demonstrate your ability is each aspect of your game.  Take your time and get outstanding shots.  Remember your video will be judged against the rest of the stack that day, that week, that month.  You are looking for the WOW factor to capture the coaches' attention.

5. Get your plays against top competition.  An experienced coach can tell in a few moments if your opponent is inferior, and your outstanding play is just the result of poor skills by your opponent. 

6. Put your contact information on the video.  Your letter of interest may become separated and you want the coach to be able to find you.

7. Prepare a detailed yet brief letter to the coach explaining your interest in his school.  After a while coaches can smell a form letter and that works against you big time.  If you don't know why you're interested in this school either find out or don't bother to apply. 

8. In you letter tell the coach what you offer to his team.  Without bragging, tell the coach about your achievements and personality traits that make you a good prospect.

9. Observe recruiting time lines.  If you're a senior and sending your video to one of the top ten schools your chances are not so great.  If you're in 7th grade it's still a bit early.  Recruiting is moving to earlier and earlier and if you're a rising sophomore it is not too early to get started.

10. As lacrosse expands throughout the country the pressure on coaches to find admissible, talented players has increased faster than travel budgets.  Recruiting highlight videos, properly done, accompanied by a well written letter, can do much to advance your options for college recruitment.


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Can You Beat the Lottery?

Did you hear the odds of winning the Powerball lottery last week- 500,000,000 to 1.  Yet, millions of people flocked to vendors and plunked down their money to challenge the odds. 

I have some odds for you that are almost equally daunting:

1. There are ______ slots each year in professional lacrosse. 

2. There are _____ slots each year in college lacrosse
                  __________ D1
                ___________ D2
               ____________D3

      Total: ________________

3. There are __________ slots in this year's graduating high school class:

4. There are _________ players in youth lacrosse as of

5. ____________ new players join lacrosse programs each year.

It would take a better statistician than I am to tell you your personal odds of becoming a college lacrosse player or a D1 college player.   But for sure the odds are about the same as being struck by lightening while sitting in the basement.

So why not give up?  -

The answer is that there is one crucial difference between winning the lottery or being struck by lightening - you can improve your odds. The first two are random evens and generally speaking each person has an equal chance of winning (or er.. of losing). 

So what are you going to do to change the odds in your favor?  Many will see the odds as too long and stop trying and content themselves with recreation , intramural, pickup games, but a few will take a dream, make a plan, follow the plan and find success.  If you are one of these we want to hear form you.

We are going to invite your comments - What are YOU going to do to beat the odds?  What are you going to do to win the lottery? 

When we receive two hundred responses we will pick a plan at random and award a Blue Chip Hoodie ...... and you'll be on your way to winning already.  Sit down and think about YOUR plan and let us know!

Did You Give It Your All?

Here are the facts of life and they may not be pleasant:  A coach friend of mine was considering a highly recruited goalie.   He had evaluated him for six months, watched him play, had goalie coaches and even professional goalies observe him, and the word came back: "He's the real deal."  The evals said, "nice kid, intensely coached by a world class coach since age 8, successful in every league including adult leagues at 14, highly motivated, driven to succeed, came early, stayed late"; in other words - a coach's dream.

His grades were solid B range with lots of honors and AP courses, but a few C's and even a D or two.  The victim of a hearing disorder,  his struggles in the classroom were real, and his mediocre grades belied his almost genius IQ and demonstrated standard test successes.

And you know the rest of the story - At this highly selective school with the support of the entire athletic department, his standing as the grandson of a prominent graduate of the school, the pleading of the coach with the admissions office... The team was in desperate need of a top goalie candidate, and the coach was convinced his team's next several seasons hinged on this successful admission. 

And here is the bottom line - the Admissions Office knew that his chances of successfully completing the academic curriculum with his demonstrated academic record were slim, and it would do that athlete a  disservice by granting him admission only to flunk out with major disappointment to him and the sports program both.

In this situation the moral is simple - there are situations where your ability, drive, coachability, commitment to the school, first choice for early decision, the need of a coach for a player in your position - aren't enough.

But... but.. when asked the question "could you have dug a little deeper on some classes," gone in for more tutorials," "made flash cards" tape recorded classes and so on just a little bit more could you have made the grade. You know the answer.

So, whatever your handicap, whatever your distraction, whatever the drains on your time, it is up to you to dig a little deeper for your goal, press a little harder, worked harder and make your dream come true so that when someone asks "Did you give it your all?" not just on the field, but in the classroom, the homework, the  rehab after an injury, your strong statement that "I gave it my all" will forever free you from the "if onlys" that will stay with you for years to come.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Getting On the Board

Every college coach keeps a record of prospective student athletes who may become recruits and possibly even move on to become contributors to his team's success.  This list comes from many sources: friends, other coaches, alumni, current and past players, web sites such as Inside Lacrosse and other online publications, newspapers, resumes and videos mailed in, and players he may see in camps and tournaments as he and his assistants scout for talent. Remember: a coach will have hundreds if not thousands of prospects to choose from.  However successful you are in the sport there is likely to be someone as good who may win out based on the intangibles a coach views.

Most often the coach is seeking players to fill current or anticipated vacancies in his program.  A team with three goalies all sophomores may not be looking to recruit another goalie in the next class coming in.  Coaches may have certain sets of traits they value particularly - size, speed, agility, aggressiveness, leadership, coachability, height, weight (or the lack thereof).  They may be particularly responsive to players with outstanding grades (and a low chance of academic failure), active community involvement, and a dozen and one other traits, skills, and talents.

Some things we know that EVERY coach is looking for:

1. Coachability - do you take directions well, do you modify your play based on coaching, are you able to take criticism, can you handle frustration without negative reaction. In other words, are you easy to work with; do you do what you're instructed to do with enthusiasm and commitment.  Do you keep your cool under criticism.

2. Family Support - Here's a secret you won't hear in many areas, but coaches are people too, and if they feel badgered by parents, if they are frequent recipients of second guessing calls from family; if they are emailed from parents about the playing time their son is receiving a college coach might find another player of equal ability minus the intrusive parents.  Conversely, coaches may value parents who are supportive, cheer games, support the team, appreciate his work.

3. Respect - A prospective student athlete who is surly on the phone, has wild facebook pages (and don't think coaches don't check),  shows a history of being in trouble, shows up for formal or informal visits poorly groomed and slovenly dressed is not going to enhance his chances to receive favorable evaluation in the competition to stay on the recruiting board.

4. Maturity - Coaches will admit that they want to hear form prospects directly.  Having all the communication come from mom and dad is a warning flag to a coach.  They are more likely impressed by a prospect who calls or emails directly, respectfully, and intelligently.  That doesn't mean what mom and dad shouldn't take part, but as the prospect you should be in the lead.

5.Best Foot - Wearing a tie to an interview will not by itself get you a scholarship to a top D1 school, but dressing down could well reduce your changes.  Dress as you would for an important event, demonstrate that meeting a coach is an important event.  Sullen silence will not work in your favor.  A firm handshake with eye contact and a polite thank you for the coach meeting with you will create a good first impression.  Answer questions fully, (you may not get a second chance), bring out your successes without bragging ,.  Don't ramble on with irrelevant information.  Be prepared to tell the coach why you are interested in his school - be specific.  If being at his school is not important to you, you are less likely to commit the effort to stay and that is not a good thing for the coach so this point matters.  At the conclusion of the meeting, thank the coach for his time.  Ask him if you might keep him apprised of your schedule, and if there is any further information you can provide.  The point here is: look good, be respectful, be informed, be engaging, and seek a way to stay in touch.
These points matter whether you are meeting a coach at camp, at a clinic, in an informal campus visit or an official visit.

6. Line up Your References -You can be sure that coach will be talking to your high school and club coach.  He will ask about your attitudes, your coachability, your work ethic, your sportsmanship, your ability to handle losing, take criticism.. Lots of find players miss opportunities for bad relationships with school and club coaches. 

7. Back to the Board- Lots of outstanding athletes do everything right, captain of the team, great work ethic, strong skills, very coachable and more but yet are see by a college coach.  Here is the bottom line lesson:  there are a lot more players for coaches to find than there are teams in colleges that meet your goals.  Over my years in coaching I have seen hundreds of outstanding players not reach their school and team goals because they waited to be discovered.   Simply: unless you are in the top 1 or 2% of your national class of lacrosse players you will have to sell yourself - not the other way round.  Lesson Number 2 - If you wait it's going to be too late.  If you are a rising senior the best trains have left the station. If you're a rising sophomore, that's right - a 9th grader- it is not too early to begin to map your college search and plan to get on the board.

8. What price will you pay?  - Every day there are thousands of lacrosse players aiming at the same slots you are. They are up early working out, lifting weights, keeping their grades strong, working at learning new moves and perfecting old ones, working on their stick skills so it's second nature. They are evaluating colleges, looking for teams likely to need their skills.  They are prepared when the time comes to meet the coaches they want to reach - at camp, at a tournament, on campus.   These guys are the big time winners - the rest of the pack is wondering why no one discovered them.  Which are you?

The Blue Chip 225 Commitment

Every week there is another program announced to help your son be in the best spot to be recruited for the college of his choice.  As a result you may be faced with a bewildering array of choices with each touting the number of visiting college coaches, the quality of the athletes participating and so much more...

After 15 years of running Blue Chip 225 Lacrosse I have come to a conclusion that in chasing the holy grail of a college lacrosse scholarship, we run the risk of doing our sons and athletes a disservice. 

From an early age our young children find they are cheered for the success on the lacrosse field, valued by friends and praised by adults.  As time goes on the size of the crowds is larger; the newspapers add to the strength of the praise, peers lionize him for his sports prowess and promise a bright future. 

Enter coaches who paint pictures of rosy college carers, images of campus status, camaraderie, and scholarship support, frequently a portion of tuition, room and board, and rarely a "full ride" while seldom guaranteeing a four year term.

To pursue the dreams promised from an early age our sons (and face it ourselves as parents) are bought into the college dream, success, heightened self-image, social success, and more.  In one way or another, we support the pursuit of the dream

If I'm honest with myself as  a parent, I know that I don't cheer my son's violin progress, his strong report card, his new Boy Scout merit badge, his debate contest medal.  Our conversations about college start with majors and devolve quickly to which lacrosse team offers the shortest route to a starting role, the best scholarship offer, the most supportive coach and the friendly coach is a valued contact.

When we think about it we know that the future of our son's will depend on the items we've paid scant attention to: grades, group participation, values education, music and art and other items.  We pay more attention to the lacrosse record than the feel of the college, its values, and atmosphere.

We are all victims of this dynamic to a greater or lesser extent.  At Blue Chip 225 we have recognized the danger of becoming an unwitting part of this process.  We have chosen to commit to live up to our values of helping players make the most of their lacrosse skills and interests in achieving their life's goals. 

We are using our regular mailings to help players and families examine how to balance sports and other elements of developmental activities, how to learn life lessons from sports such as self-discipline, goal setting, commitment, teamwork, and how to work to establish life goals with an appropriate and balanced place for lacrosse. 

Additionally we commit to educate and inform players about the process of making the most of their lacrosse skills to become part of their goals in finding, being admitted, and finding success at the college of the choice. 

You will find as the year passes on that we will work on meeting what we believe is our broader responsibility to your sons along with the specific skills development and process awareness.

Please feel free to ask any questions.  We truly wish to see our alumni become successful men who have enjoyed lacrosse and benefited in many ways from their commitment to the sport in their lives.