Expoloring the 3 big myths about college sports.
Tens of thousands of highly talented high school athletes end up putting their sports dreams on hold when they go to college, assuming that they could never be one of the elite that earns sports scholarships. As the Coach is about to show you, however, this couldnt be further from the truth. Learn the facts behind the fiction by exploding the top three myths about winning athletic scholarships.
Myth #1: College coaches are the ones who initiate contact with most high school recruits.
Truth: Unless an athlete is an elite recruit someone who has already gained widespread state and national recognition college coaches rarely make first contact in the recruiting process.
Why is this so? Its because typical college coaches the ones we dont see coaching on television lack the resources to scour the nation looking for the best recruits. This is especially true at smaller colleges, which rarely have the financial means to scout athletes outside of their local region. Non-revenue producing sports at large universities (sports other than football and basketball), usually suffer from a similar lack of resources.
In other words, its up to you! Despite what most people believe, its the job of the enterprising student-athlete to recruit the coach, not the other way around. Most athletes who land scholarships are those who initiate contact with several coaches, market themselves well through written materials and highlight videos, and keep those coaches updated on their progress throughout the year.
Remember, just because coaches arent knocking on your door doesnt mean you cant knock on theirs!
Myth #2: To earn an athletic scholarship, an individual must be a star athlete.
Truth: Most athletes who receive college scholarships are not the elite athletes we often hear about in the media.
In 2001, nearly 200,000 students at the NCAA Division I and II levels received athletic scholarships worth a combined $975,000,000. Of these, only roughly 5 percent of scholarship recipients were the blue-chippers that were recruited on a national level. By our math, this leaves during any given year about 190,000 scholarships for the talented, competent student-athletes who may not be the standout stars. Furthermore, these figures dont even consider the thousands of student-athletes who receive scholarships from schools affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). In addition, nearly 150,000 student-athletes receive preferred admission and financial-aid packages at NCAA Division III or Ivy League schools, which do not offer traditional athletic scholarships.
For those who go about the recruiting process correctly, there are plenty of opportunities available for athletes who are talented, determined, marketable, and flexible in what schools they would like to attend.
Myth #3: Most athletic scholarships are a full ride awards that cover the entire cost of college.
Truth: Outside of NCAA Division I football and basketball, most athletic grants are partial scholarships covering only a portion of an athletes tuition, books, and room and board.
The percentage of tuition and expenses covered by partial scholarships cover varies on an individual basis and is determined by the university. An incoming freshman, for example, an incoming freshman might have half of his tuition covered, but receive no aid for books or room or board. A second athlete might have none of his tuition covered, but receive free room and board.
Why is this the case? Its because many coaches choose to divide their scholarships among several athletes. A swimming coach, for instance, might divide his allotment of 10 scholarships among 20 athletes by offering partial-tuition scholarships. Many coaches use this strategy because they believe they can recruit a better team with 20 half scholarships than with 10 full ones.
Exceptions to this rule are in sports such as football, for which only full scholarships can be awarded, and basketball, in which teams rarely have more players than the number of scholarships they can award, thus enabling them to offer each athlete a full scholarship.
While everyone would love to earn a full ride, the good news about partial scholarships is that greater numbers of athletes are getting substantial scholarship dollars to pursue their educational and athletic goals
Tags: Myths College Sports
