Part I in a series: the recruiting process for the high school athlete — where to start?

The family summit is the bedrock for a recruiting road construction plan

Of course you’ve heard the term “summit” as it relates to holding a meeting of import. While most often referred to in regard to international leaders gathering to discuss far reaching matters of the economy, human rights and security, at National Scouting Report we believe that every serious high school athlete, that is those that desire to secure a college athletic scholarship offer, should follow this model and hold a family summit to focus on how they should and will approach the recruiting process. The family summit is integral to constructing a successful recruiting plan. Heading out blindly on the journey of a lifetime can derail any hopes of a safe and timely arrival.

To be sure, you are setting out to construct a roadway. It is unquestionably dotted with unsteady ground, hills, valleys, known and unknown obstacles. You want a smooth trip, but no road can be built without carefully examining the terrain ahead and learning what will be necessary to most effectively and efficiently build their road. Old equipment and archaic ideas about how to proceed will waste time, money and effort. You will need the most modern advances in technology coupled with expert advice from experienced recruiting engineers. Yes, your budget will establish boundaries, too, but like any undertaking, some risks will be involved. Which ones, though, will be acceptable? That’s to be determined.

The first problem is not where to start, but deciding where you want your own road to end? It is not someone else’s road. It is yours and yours alone. What others around you have done or are doing, and what they say about their journey as well as what they say that you should do on yours, will in the end have very little to do with the trip you take and the road on which you travel. Your uniqueness settles that argument. No one else can look into your heart and soul and declare with any amount of certainty what you should do. They share none of your same talents, qualifications, wants and needs. Even so, identifying your ultimate destination, along with the variables which impact, impede and expedite your plans to achieve your goal, is essential, and that is where you must start your individual plan. Answering these questions will create your staring point and will open your eyes wide to the direction which you will head:

• Do you really want to be a college student-athlete? Are you truly prepared for the demands on your time which college athletic programs typically require?
• Do you qualify academically? What are the academic prerequisites needed to play college sports?
• Are we, the family, willing to sacrifice financially to put our athlete in the best possible position to be noticed, evaluated and recruited by college coaches? What all is involved for that to happen?
• How does the recruiting process work? Who is best suited to give us the most current and accurate recruiting information?
• Realistically, how far from home are you willing to go to achieve this dream? An hour, five hours, anywhere?
• Finally, are you genuinely committed to the dream of playing college sports?

These are must-answer questions which in your family summit should seriously consider and explore. The answers will formulate your subsequent options which we will discuss in detail in Part II: How to get recruited.

At National Scouting Report, we teach high school student-athletes and their families to understand and then to successfully navigate the college athletic recruiting process. We are the best in the world at doing this. For 32 years, we have led the world by dispersing on-the-ground scouts to identify high school student-athletes that are uniquely qualified to advance to the next level. Once identified, we meticulously examine every aspect of an athlete’s athletic, academic and personal life. They have to be capable of playing college sports. They must have a solid academic history. And, they must have reputable characters. Therefore, the prospects which we choose to enroll and represent to college coaches locally, regionally and nationally are the most highly qualified coaches can hope to recruit. If you need help getting started, call NSR today. We can help.