Heading out for our first round of visits

fishymom
Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:20:12 +0000

Hey fog, every coach we spoke with, from head to recruiting to novice, asked my daughter what other schools she was looking at. We decided to just answer honestly and tell them where else she was visiting. Some cracked jokes, “you have to whisper that name around here”, and the coach we met this morning told her to look at the rest, but remember they were the best. I thought that was cute! But really, all the coaches so far have encouraged her to fully explore her options and to keep them updated.

Mayhew, I love the comment about “second choices”, I like that coach already! And you are so right about the presentation. The recruiting coach we met yesterday was very nice, but quiet. Couple that with my daughter, who is a bit quiet herself and you have lots of awkward silences. Very different from the day before, where she and the coach chatted easily the whole two hour practice. And thank the good Lord that wasn’t her first visit! My daughter really liked the head coach though. They were getting ready for a travel trip and the head coach was really busy, but took the time to talk to my daughter before they went out on the water, explaining what they would be doing and then talked to her again while they were loading the trailers. She was very encouraging and that really helped. But the recruiting coach didn’t really have a whole lot to say, didn’t give her any specific information about times, scores, numbers. The one thing she did say was they like to recruit from warm weather states because the kids are used to training year round, I thought that was interesting. And they all love to recruit swimmers!

I have a little break in travel today and tomorrow since we will be here until Sunday. I am looking forward to some rest, we have had late nights and early mornings. So far, things have gone as I expected. My daughter likes the schools I thought she would and is a little cooler on the one I didn’t think she would like as well. It is just a lot bigger than what I think she is comfortable with, although the academic programs are awesome. And she really did like the head coach.

My daughter’s mood has been pleasant until this afternoon, so we headed back to the hotel a bit early. It is cold and blustery out, with gray skies, perfect for an afternoon nap. I think it is all a bit overwhelming for her and she is really pushing outside her comfort zone, meeting coaches, trainers, academic advisers, etc. I think this trip will be life changing for her in many ways.