Brynn's Story

Active Sara — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:58:42 GMT

UCLA '05 - Women's Volleyball

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to receive a college scholarship for athletics. I was an avid tennis player but thought I would give volleyball a shot. I tried out for the 7th grade volleyball team and made it. And surprisingly, I was really good at volleyball! Now came the hard part. Tennis and volleyball were in the same season. In order to be successful and achieve my goal of being a college athlete, I had to choose one sport to focus on. I opted for volleyball and went from there.

I played high school and club volleyball. The club volleyball was where I was introduced to the world of college volleyball recruiting. I was very fortunate to have played on the top teams in the nation, surrounded by stellar players. During tournaments, our court would be surrounded with college coaches who were watching and taking note of potential athletes. I can remember after my first major club tournament my freshman year in high school, my mailbox was filled with generic introduction letters from college volleyball coaches complete with questioners to be filled out. I didn’t care what schools the letters were from and I took the time to fill out the questioners so the schools could start an athlete profile on me. I didn’t know what the future would bring so I made a point to keep my options open. No matter what school it was, I was honored that somebody wanted me to be a part of their volleyball program.

The most hectic time of the college recruiting process was the summer of my junior year. This is when college coaches could actually call. I enjoyed getting to know the coaches on a one on one basis. I narrowed my choices down to 10 schools and let those 10 schools know that they were my top choices. It was great to hear from some of the schools that they were still interested in me, but it was also great to hear from some schools that they could not use me on their team. This helped me narrow my choices down. I was down to five schools that wanted me and who I in turn wanted to consider. My top five schools were University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Hawaii, University of Michigan, and University of Virginia. The first three schools were all top 10 programs, while the others were pushing to get into the top 25.

I continued to keep in contact with the schools and scheduled unofficial visits to the campuses. I was able to meet the entire coaching staff, players, and possibly view a practice at each school. By my senior year I had let USC, Michigan, and University of Virginia know that I had moved on in the recruiting process. I emailed each school thanking them for the opportunity and wished them luck in their upcoming seasons. I then went on official visits to University of California Los Angeles and University of Hawaii. Official visits are when the university pays for your entire trip and “sell” you on their school and athletic program. I loved everything about both schools, but had to make the most important decision of my life.

I choose to attend UCLA on a full volleyball scholarship. The coaching staff was everything I was looking for in a staff and the girls on the team were a great group with the same volleyball goals as I had. I felt a strong connection with the program. I wasn’t questioning my decision at all. I knew I had made the right one.

My Advice:

Keep your options open
Narrow down schools – make a list – 30 to 20 to 10 to 5
If coaches are not contacting you, don’t be afraid to contact them – MARKET YOURSELF
Make unofficial visits to campuses – make sure school is in session

Enjoy the process!

Brynn

For more information check out the Active Recruiting 101 special section.

Blake's Story

Active Sara — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:29:35 GMT

Cal State University ‘01 - Men's Soccer

As a soccer player coming from a high school where “football was king” it was imperative for me to make contact with the coaches of the colleges that I wanted to attend. I went to a high school that was not considered a soccer powerhouse. My coach did not have the same “connections” within the soccer community as other coaches had. He was definitely out of the soccer loop, and while his heart was in the right place and he was a good coach, his lack of soccer ties was not helpful in the recruiting process.

As a result, all hope of getting recruited came from playing with my club team and exposing my skills to college coaches at tournaments. Therefore, playing for a reputable club soccer team, the California Heat, was my primary medium to have my talent showcased for prospective schools.

In the end I narrowed my soccer choices down to two schools, a good D-I program and great D-II program with a phenomenal coach. My intention to graduate from school in four years was the determining factor as to what school I wanted to attend. At the D-I school I would have been “red-shirted” my freshman year while playing for the B team and serving as cannon fodder for a varsity squad that consisted mostly of juniors and a couple of seniors. If attending school for five or six years were a possibility for me this might have worked. At the D-II school, I would get the opportunity to see playing time on the field during my freshman year.

Ultimately my decision was an easy one, I chose to play right away and I think it was the right choice for me. By the end of the season I was even able to earn a spot as a starter, including starting a playoff game in the western regional. I would eventually become a four-year starter and serve as captain for two years, all while graduating on time.

Best of luck in the process!

Regards,

Blake

For more information check out the Active Recruiting 101 special section.

Blog Posts From From the Trenches Tagged With california

Brynn's Story

Blake's Story