REACHING YOUR GOAL MAY REQUIRE SOME HARD CHOICES by Catharine Aradi www.fastpitchrecruiting.com
Your college search will be full of choices, not the least of which will be deciding if you even want to play softball in college. Although I can't address every possible dilemma you may face during this process, I’d like to touch upon issues that often come up for athletes. When you start thinking seriously about college, it's a good idea to recognize that you may have to make some tough choices along the way. Hopefully, this will help you be better prepared for the unexpected curve ball!
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY
Your biggest decision, whether or not to play in college, may be one that changes as your college search progresses. Based on what you learn about the realities and the demands of college softball, your desire to play may get weaker or stronger. Your other collegiate needs and interests—those not related to softball—will also figure into this decision because they are part of the same picture. Your heart may be set on going to a big "rah-rah" D-I university—perhaps where Mom or Dad went. But you may find the softball team at that school is too competitive or doesn't need your position the year you graduate. Or you might prefer to stay closer to home and attend a local college, but you can't find a team that wants to offer you a spot. If this happens, it will be time to examine how much you really want to play college softball.
Although you may want softball to be a big part of your college life, you also have to consider your academic goals, along with your social, personal and financial needs. Thousands of high school athletes say they want to play in college, but most of them will let go of this dream by the time they graduate. Some won't be able adjust their softball expectations to fit their personal softball reality, while others will simply see their priorities change. Since it's getting a college education that will be your number one priority, as long as you can make that happen, your college search will be a success!
HOW TO BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE
Another dilemma athletes sometimes face during their college search is how to do two equally important things at the same time. For example, the SAT is scheduled for the same weekend that you have a major travel ball tournament. You know you need to take the test, but your coach is saying you've got to throw the first game because the other pitcher will be out of town…or is injured…or just because he wants you to throw it.
There is no easy solution to this problem. You’ll have to look closely at your personal priorities. You need to take the SAT, but do you have to do it right now? For example, if you've booked an October test date but know you could also get into the December test without any conflicts, go ahead and switch your test dates. On the other hand, if you're a senior and you have to get a test score for your college applications, then the SAT must take priority.
In this situation, it's the long-term goal of getting into college that must take precedence over the short-term goal of winning a particular game. This may be hard for some travel coaches to understand, but it doesn’t matter how good an athlete is if she can't get into the colleges recruiting her because she never took the SAT or ACT.
Another problem often faced by students is how to schedule college visits when they conflict with travel ball or high school sports. Again, there is no easy solution. Because I tend to think of the individual athlete's needs first, I would probably lean towards the visit. This may be an unpopular viewpoint, but since a high school senior expects to be a college freshman in less than a year, she has to do the things that will take her from here to there. Loyalty to your team or your school is very important, and it may seem unfair to have to make this choice. But the recruiting process (like life) is not always fair or easy.
It may happen that your travel or high school team has a game or tournament scheduled for the only time a certain college coach can have you come for a visit. Your team is depending on you, and you really care about winning and about being a team player. By the same token, this college coach is offering to pay for part of your college education, and you're really interested in his or her school. This might be your last chance, or it might simply be your best chance. What do you do?
I can't make this choice for you—no one can. If the college coach absolutely cannot reschedule your visit, this may be one of those times when you have to think of your future rather than your present. It probably won’t help much, but if you're getting pressure from your coach or teammates ask them, honestly, what they would do if it were their decision (or their child's decision)? They may find it's not quite so easy to say they would automatically put the team first.
YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO
Another not uncommon dilemma is what to do when the schools that are actively recruiting you aren't necessarily your top choices. Is it okay to string these coaches along so they'll still be there if your top colleges decide they're not interested? My usual answer to this question is NO! You need to be a responsible recruit. Do your homework and be realistic. Find out where you stand with your "dream" teams. Make sure those coaches know who you are, and if necessary, phone them and put them on the spot. Most of the time, if you are one of their top prospects, they'll let you know. And if it turns out you are, terrific! You can kindly and politely say, "Thanks, but no thanks," to the coaches at those other programs.
However, if it turns out that the coaches you really, really want to recruit you are focusing on other prospects, then you have a decision to make. You could try to walk on at your dream college knowing that if you didn't make the softball team at least you'd know you were where you wanted to be--albeit without softball. Or...you could take another look at the big picture and listen seriously to what the coaches who really want to recruit you are saying!
TOUGH CHOICES ARE RARELY EASY These are just a few of the choices you may have to make if you want to play college ball. There are many others you make every day and every week. Do I go to the mall with my friends or go to my pitching lesson? Do I go to the beach with my boyfriend's family or go to a tournament? Do I run my mile today or sleep in? Unfortunately, the decision often boils down to do I take the easy way or go the hard route? Each choice you make will impact your life in some way, be it big or small.
Ultimately, you will have to choose which college to attend, whether to play softball and which team to play for. These may be the toughest decisions you make at seventeen or eighteen. But hopefully you will be prepared by having made wise decisions (or learned from unwise ones) throughout your entire college search process!