I am a recruited athlete to a d3 school and will be heading this fall. Last week i got a generic email from the swim coach stating that all recruits should train and compete for the summer otherwise they cant guarantee a roster spot. I am already accepted to the college and got recruited by the coach but unfortunately due to the coronavirus, all competitions have been canceled and therefore i can’t compete in any competitions to update the coach about my progress. i can still train though but I’m just worried that this would be a big problem for me from now on…should i tell the coach?
Yes, absolutely update the coach…you should not hesitate to be in touch with your future coach. Hopefully competitions will resume prior to the fall semester.
Most coaches send out a summer training packet that includes dry land and sport specific work outs. For my daughter’s sport (lacrosse) there aren’t many opportunities for summer play for those out of high school so they work on staying in shape and maybe coaching some younger kids. They had to report any tournaments or events they played in to make sure they were okay with the NCAA.
Lax is a spring sport. You can’t believe how many kids showed up slow and out of shape every fall, thinking they’d make up for it in the fall. My daughter did her summer workouts and did them at altitude. Those who did were the starters and the others were on the bench, because when you start out behind, it is hard to catch the others.
The coach is just making the point that if athletes come into school out of shape there will be consequences. Simply keep him or her informed. Tell him about cancellations and see if he has advice. He might view it as an opportunity to get a hard training block in right now and give you some ideas.
@twoinanddone is right: there’s usually a packet that outlines offseason workouts. My DD was surprised at how detailed and how hard her first D3 summer plan was. But she followed it faithfully and showed up in August (fall sport - VB) in terrific shape. Just because you didn’t go D1 or make an Olympic team doesn’t mean the expectations are low – most decent D3 programs demand a lot of work.
So stay in touch with your coach, maybe sketch out what you’ve been doing and ask for suggestions if that initial communication wasn’t very detailed. Coaches love athletes that make a plan and work at it, and if you’re serious about swimming for the team you’ll be happier with a good working relationship coming into the first season.
@MrDiaz are you an international student? If not, which LSC?