<p>We have a situation suddenly come up and need to send a tape. DD has been varsity tennis for 3 years (#1 doubles, 2nd team all-league last year, don’t know this year) but we didn’t think she’s college varsity ready (no lessons, just came up in HS); wants to play club in school. She’s very keen to keep playing and did just register for Div III NCAA, just in case–I don’t know how any of this works. </p>
<p>Anyway, a school that is in great need of players got a report on her from a teammate and called. She filled out prospecitve athlete form. Coach requested tape. Time is of the essence. Coach will do tape, but no one seems to know the format. The season is over, so can’t send game tape. She’s going to have her coach hit with her. We don’t know how long it should be or if she can edit it. </p>
<p>Can anyone point us in the right direction. DD is out of her mind excited.</p>
<p>I think the best thing would be to call the coach (better to have your daughter do it though) and ask what he would like to see on the tape and how long he wants it. I would think that different coaches might like to see different things. You could even ask about what angle he wants things shot from: from the side, straight on, from the back, etc.</p>
<p>My son did a very home-grown version, with the help of a coach and an assistant, using our digital videocamera. He bought editing software, edited it himself (putting captions on) on the computer, and then copied onto a VHS tape to send to the coach. The tape was probably about 5 minutes of playing time plus about a minute of him introducing himself. (mom smiles tearfully at the memories). It was quite successful in getting him put on the recruiting list for the coaches who had not seen him in a tournament, but who had his name for one reason or another.</p>
<p>For tennis, you might need it to be a bit longer? Best of luck!</p>
<p>They will be looking for about a five to ten minute tape where they will see her serve several times, defend serve several times, and and do several vollies. Important that other player actually be able to make her perform. Editing is permissible but key is to get a sequence where she goes from the beginning of the particular activity to the end (like in a volley) where it is not edited in between.</p>
<p>thanks so much for the insights. And the one minute intro is a great idea. I’ll email this off and hope she finds time to get the tape done. It’s next sport season now.</p>