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A sport can be so ingrained in some people during their formative years that they are drawn back to it as adults. Such is the case with National Scouting Report scout Rebecca Wood Bosma.
Volleyball was her irresistible pull.
Bosma was reminded how much she loved volleyball when she read the Facebook posts of NSR scouts across the country announcing the enrollments, progress, accomplishments and placements of their college prospects. Then when an old friend, NSR Eastern Washington area director Kari Chavez, tried to get her to join her team as a scout, the former NCAA Division I athlete gave in to her most basic of instincts: to help young prospects realize their dreams of becoming college student-athletes.
Bosma, then Rebecca Wood, grew up in Montana, where she played sandlot sports with her brothers and cousins. Baseball was her favorite. When her family moved to Spokane, Wash., she immediately joined local soccer, softball and basketball teams. Then, when she found volleyball, something clicked.
“I loved volleyball,” she said. “The problem was, I was bad at it.”
“The first U14 club team I played for barely let me play and didn’t teach me much, so I would go and learn skills from my brother’s girlfriend’s 12s team. That was a rough year of understanding I wasn’t good enough,” Bosma said. “The next year we switched clubs and I was blessed with a coach who showed belief in each of us. I recall a game in which I made mistake after mistake. I was waiting for him to pull me out. Finally, he called a time out and told me, ‘Rebecca, you’re staying in, so figure it out.’ That was the year I launched as a volleyball player.”
What probably allows Bosma to relate so well to her NSR prospects is not just that she went on to win three varsity letters in high school or she received a full athletic scholarship to play for St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. It is that she excelled as a student. Bosma was inducted into the National Honor Society in high school and named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team at St. Mary’s. That personal experience spurs Bosma to encourage her prospects to put sports into proper perspective and to strive for a healthy balance among athletics, academics, social and extracurricular activities.
After playing three years for the Gaels and suffering an Achilles injury and appendicitis, Bosma decided to move closer to home where her mother was experiencing failing health. She enrolled at Gonzaga University in Spokane, where she walked onto the volleyball team. Chavez was an assistant coach and the two formed an unbreakable bond.
“Being a part of a team and having a support group were vital those last couple years of my eligibility,” Bosma said. “My teammates and coaches were all there for me as I struggled with losing my mom. It was a hard couple of years, but volleyball always kept me moving forward. I learned that sports keeps you connected and teaches you so many lessons about overcoming adversity.”
It was a natural next step for Bosma to go into coaching. She served coaching stints in high school and became an assistant at Eastern Washington University, a Division I program in the Big Sky Conference. She also coach two club teams. The year-round commitment and grind finally took its toll and Bosma stepped away to reset her life.
After graduating from Gonzaga, Bosma took the corporate path. Making the transition from corporate world to the scouting world was something she had contemplated for a while. She finally made the leap after speaking with Robert Cagle, NSR’s National Director of Scouting, who coaxed her into training.
She has never looked back.
“I love everything about it — from scouting athletes at matches and tournaments to interviewing the athletes I choose in their homes,” said Bosma, who scouts in Western Washington. “I’ve lived the journey myself and knowing what I know now, I wish I had an NSR scout helping me during my recruiting process. I’ve been the player, the high school coach, the club coach and the college coach in charge of recruiting and camps. I’ve worn the hats and I put them back on during interviews to help parents understand where they are in the process of recruiting or where they’re not.”
Bosma says she enjoys advising parents and helping them work through the frustrations of seeing their daughters not always get what they deserve.
“I am my athletes’ advocate,” she said. “If one has a bad game, I can go to coaches, explain and encourage them to watch her again. That is something a parent cannot do.”
Bosma took great pride in seeing her first prospect recently make a college commitment.
“That was an exciting experience for me,” she said. “Of course, it was awesome for her!”
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.