| Parents who have invested money into their | | | | coach advocate for him or her in the admissions |
| children’s college funds are seeing it disappear | | | | office. Being recruited by a college coach is extremely |
| during today’s perilous economy. And, on top | | | | beneficial. |
| of that, some colleges and universities recently | | | | |
| announced they are admitting fewer students than in | | | | Most high school or two-year college student-athletes |
| years past, again…due to lack of funds. | | | | know little about how to wend their way through the |
| | | | | college sports recruiting process. How to get started? |
| What to do? For parents with athletic teens, there is | | | | How to know what to do? How to know which |
| a possibility they may want to consider: the sports | | | | sports programs match up with their college |
| scholarship. Over $1.2 billion is awarded each year to | | | | programs? It’s very confusing. |
| college student-athletes around the country, and | | | | |
| according to Penny Hastings, author of How To Win | | | | Penny Hastings and co-author Todd Caven are |
| A Sports Scholarship, these scholarships are not just | | | | mother and son. They wrote their book, How To |
| given to superstars. | | | | Win A Sports Scholarship, following Caven’s |
| | | | | graduation from Stanford University where he played |
| “Superstars are the top 1% of high school | | | | soccer on scholarship. “When Todd told me he |
| athletes,” says Hastings. “It’s not just | | | | wanted to play college sports but didn’t know |
| your superstars or blue-chip athletes who play college | | | | how a coach would know about him, we couldn’t |
| sports and get scholarships. The majority of the | | | | find out much information…at least not in a |
| more than 180,000 athletic scholarships available each | | | | cohesive way,” says Hastings. “So we put |
| year—more than twice that many if you consider | | | | together a game plan that caused Todd to draw the |
| that most scholarships are divided up between | | | | attention of college coaches and get them to start |
| athletes—are awarded to the other 99% of | | | | recruiting him.” |
| student-athletes skilled on both the playing field and in | | | | |
| the classroom.” | | | | Caven was recruited by every coach with whom he |
| | | | | initiated contact. He was offered four sports |
| As competition to be admitted increases, the | | | | scholarships and selected Stanford as his first choice. |
| applications of students with special skills, like | | | | He played soccer for four years and graduated with |
| athletics, can rise to the top of the pile by having a | | | | a degree in economics. |