Contacting XC/Track Coaches

UrsaMajoric
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:49:20 +0000

Riverrunner, it’s fun ‘sparring’ with you, and hopefully out of our debate Editor is picking up some helpful thoughts. I think we’re very close; please note my qualification “if Editor’s daughter’s times are magnificent, they should speak for themselves and no interference by the coach should be necessary”.

My suggestions are only for those situations where “the stop watch and tape” do NOT tell the story enough to break her out of the pack, or where some additional information may assist the college coach in assessing the runner’s (a) potential [where her current times alone may be misleading due to injury, etc.], and/or (b) genuine interest in that particular school.

As to point (b), college coaches of course are loathe to invest a lot of interest in an athlete where the athlete has the skills and academics to go to a hundred different schools, and there’s no particular reason other than the athlete’s ‘say-so’ to believe that she is particularly interested in his school. The athlete may lie and there’s absolutely no repercussion against the athlete. But, if a HS coach says, “I know this kid and she has told me fifteen times that Riverrunner University is her top choice” and the Riverrunner U. coach holds a spot for her and she ends up elsewhere, the HS coach’s credibility with that college coach takes a hit. So, a college coach will devote a little more time on the athlete whose HS coach is willing to stick his or her neck out that way.

As to the possibility of posting a YouTube video, I mentioned that in passing without any notion of whether they are commonplace in track or not - certainly they are in baseball. And, no, it shouldn’t be a video of nothing but the athlete running around the track. Rather, it’s a chance to give the college coach an opportunity to see the athlete and get a better picture of her in a minute or two, and no longer. In baseball, the video generally begins with the player looking into the camera and reciting something like, “Hi, I’m Joe Schmoe of the Class of 2012 at Majoric High School in Yourtown, Georgia. I’m a pitcher and catcher and hope to continue playing baseball at a [state parameters of colleges you’re looking at]. I’ve [state major athletic accomplishment], and my grades and SAT scores are X.” The video may show her running or crossing the finish line, or perhaps even working out, either after or over the athlete’s voice comments. Then fade out - I’ve seen 8 minute videos but my sense is that anything over three minutes will start to test the patience of a coach. Because running is - as you note - such a time-focused sport, a minute-long introduction to the athlete may be all you need.

This of course presumes that the athlete makes a good presentation; you don’t want a mumbling teenager or a gum-chewing girl talking in ‘Valley-girl’ speak. Remember, this coach will - if your child enrolls at his or her school - will spend more time over the ensuing four years with your child then you have over the past four years, and you want to reassure the coach that this is a person that he/she will want to be around. Put a face on your child so that she’s remembered as something beyond a set of numbers on a page. Conversely, if your child doesn’t come across well on the video, maybe you’ll want to scrap the idea.

Keep it simple and direct. Generally, music is a no-no. (And if you play the theme from “Chariots of Fire”, you’ll be blackballed for sure.) It shouldn’t look too slick, but it should be recorded with something a little better than a camera phone. I’ve taken the liberty of chopping down and sanitizing my son’s three-minute baseball recruiting video to less than a minute to give you an idea of what an amateur but well-received initial recruitment video can look like in baseball. You can look at it here: [UrsaMajoricSampleRecrVideoD1.wmv - YouTube](- YouTube)

(Others’ baseball recruiting videos of varying degrees of effectiveness can be found in the right margin.) I’m not saying your video is necessary or that it should look like ours, but one may help your daughter be remembered.