Announcement
Originally published on StudentSportsSoftball.com, this article by nationally reknown softball recruiting expert Cathi Aradi dispels some key recruiting "myths".
Check out her web site for the latest news and insights on recruiting.
- I constantly hear about the elusive four-year "guaranteed" scholarship. When it comes to athletic scholarships, they must be renewed every year. While the expectation is that you will keep your scholarship, there are no guarantees. Your coach has the right to take it away at any time. If you hold up your end of the bargain--e.g., you produce on the softball field and in the classroom and stay out of trouble--it's unlikely this will ever happen. But before you sign a National Letter of Intent or agree to accept an athletic scholarship, be very clear about the conditions attached. This way, if you do lose your funding, you won't be unprepared. Note: Academic scholarships are sometimes guaranteed for four years (but usually you must maintain a certain minimum grade point average). That's one advantage of getting academic funding as part of your scholarship "package." If the softball money is cut for some reason, you should still be able to keep your academic-based aid. Cathi Aradi's book covers the recruiting process and how to avoid the myths that hurt many players and their families.
- Another myth that parents often believe has to do with Title IX. Many assume that because Title IX has been taken more seriously over the past fifteen years, there are suddenly a whole lot more schools that have softball programs. Opportunities for women in collegiate softball have grown, but so has competition for spots on those teams. There are only so many colleges in the U.S., and there are still less than 1200 four-year schools fielding teams. And that number isn't likely to grow significantly in the future. Some schools have increased their commitment to softball, built great facilities, and so on, but chances are this has less to do with Title IX and more to do with the school's overall commitment to athletic excellence. Parents also often think that Title IX forced every school to provide big bucks for scholarships. First of all, the NCAA limits Div. I and II schools to a certain number of softball scholarships. (Div. III schools cannot offer any athletic-based aid.) Div. I teams can have a maximum of 12 scholarships, and Div. II teams are allowed to have just over 7 scholarships total. Even at a "fully-funded" school D-I, with 18 players on the roster, it's mathematically impossible for everyone to get a full ride. When it comes to funding, most colleges have their own priorities as to which teams get the biggest chunk of existing scholarship dollars. If a school doesn't have much scholarship money for any sport, or if softball is a low-priority sport at that school, without serious legal action, Title IX probably won't have much of an impact here.
- This leads into the third myth, and that is the one that makes people believe that all Division I softball teams have 12 full rides. Parents are sometimes outraged to hear their player isn't being offered a full-ride by a specific Division I school. What you may not realize is that just because a school is Div. I, this does guarantee it has 12 softball scholarships. There are around 260 Div. I teams, and I would guess that as many as 20% of these schools have a 3 scholarships or less to offer. Another 30-40% probably have somewhere between 3 and 10 scholarships total, and the remaining teams are fully-funded. However, this means that some Div. I teams may not have any more scholarship money than a fully-funded Div. II program. And whether you coach a Div. I or a Div. II team, with just 7 scholarships, it's going to be tough to justify giving full rides to any players. Parents must understand the majority of girls getting athletic money are on partialscholarships. (Of course there are other sources of aid, and it's often possible to combine athletic, academic and/or need-based money to put together a terrific funding package.)
- The fourth myth I see is the belief that college coaches can work miracles. This applies to financial aid and academics as well. Some parents insist that if a coach really wants a player, he or she will find the money. (See above myths.) Those same parents may also believe that even if their daughter has a 2.1 GPA and an SAT of 790--e.g., she's not NCAA academically eligible--somehow the coach will get around this. While a coach may--at some schools--be able to get a player admitted who has not quite met the school's admission standards, coaches cannot bend NCAA or NAIA rules when it comes to eligibility.
- There's one myth that only rarely has any truth to it, but that everyone insists on believing. That is the myth that if you are a really, really good player, you will be discovered and recruited.....just because. Unfortunately, too many athletes (or their parents) believe that just because you're the best player at your high school or in your league or on your travel team, this guarantees college coaches will come knocking on your door offering scholarships. Under some conditions, this might be true. If you are the best player on one of the top five travel teams in the state, and you're very visible to coaches because your team competes where those coaches scout, and you are a true clutch performer, you may well be noticed and recruited. The problem here is that every parent wants to believe this description fits his/her player, when in reality it describes a very elite handful of athletes. It doesn't hold true for 85-90% of all players who hope to be recruited. Don't take a chance. Conduct an aggressive college search, and you'll ensure you're one of the lucky young women who gets to put on a college team uniform each year!
- The final myth is (somewhat) tongue-in-cheek. While a coach does inherit the parents when he signs an athlete, it's only the player who gets to suit up. No matter how excited you as a parent may be to think your daughter will be playing college ball, she must be the one who wants it more than anything else. If your athlete isn't self-motivated, doesn't want to talk to coaches, and so on, the odds are good you want it more than she does. And, Mom or Dad, no matter how terrific a ball player you may be, if you have a daughter old enough to go to college, you're too old to sign your own National Letter of Intent! 3) This leads into the third myth, and that is the one that makes people believe that all Division I softball teams have 12 full rides. Parents are sometimes outraged to hear their player isn't being offered a full-ride by a specific Division I school. What you may not realize is that just because a school is Div. I, this does guarantee it has 12 softball scholarships. There are around 260 Div. I teams, and I would guess that as many as 20% of these schools have a 3 scholarships or less to offer. Another 30-40% probably have somewhere between 3 and 10 scholarships total, and the remaining teams are fully-funded. However, this means that some Div. I teams may not have any more scholarship money than a fully-funded Div. II program. And whether you coach a Div. I or a Div. II team, with just 7 scholarships, it's going to be tough to justify giving full rides to any players. Parents must understand the majority of girls getting athletic money are on partial scholarships. (Of course there are other sources of aid, and it's often possible to combine athletic, academic and/or need-based money to put together a terrific funding package.)
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