The end of the school year signals the start of summer water polo. For many scholar athletes summer is a time to relax, but for those thinking about attending college AND playing water polo, summer is a time for action. There is an old adage that If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is a brutal, but honest statement with regard to preparing for college and especially true for scholar athletes who are considering playing water polo in college.
Athletes who are entering their senior year of high school are able to speak with collegiate water polo coaches come July 1st. Some of you athletes have been waiting for this moment, yet many have not planned that far down the road. Perhaps we can stir you into action and help incoming Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors prepare for what is ahead.
The fact is that there are a limited number of collegiate water polo roster spots, unlike high school. In 2010-2011 there will be 42 men’s NCAA collegiate programs and the women will have 69 programs nationwide. The NAIA has 5 schools participating in both men’s and women’s water polo. There are tens of thousands of high school water polo players in the United States and just over one thousand spots on collegiate rosters. With such a small percentage of athletes playing collegiate water polo, we would like to share a few things that you as an athlete can do to stay ahead of the game known as college recruitment.
First, you need to gather information early in your high school career on which schools and academic programs are of interest. Picture yourself at a school even if you were no longer playing water polo. It does happen that athletes enter a school intending to compete and do not end their college careers as an athlete. Consider which water polo programs and coaches you gravitate towards. As an athlete you may contact coaches prior to your senior year for more information on the school and program. Many college programs have online or hard copy questionnaires for athletes to fill out and return. This shows initiative and interest. Coaches are not allowed to solicit athletes until July 1st, so if a coach is short, do not take it personally as they are not allowed to speak to you at length.
The obvious pieces are test scores and grades which we can say, “the higher, the better.” with respect to grades and scores. The less obvious pieces are applications and essays. Essays should be started in the summer between your Junior and Senior years and registering for the common application is suggested (www.commonapp.org).
The water polo portion is a key factor. A resume, although you are not in the working world, that highlights your educational prowess, extracurricular activities and athletic achievements will give the coach a glimpse into your life. Do not forget that they are also making decisions on team make-up and how all the athletes will fit together. As your resume changes, make sure you update the coach or coaches at the schools that interest you. Show them your enthusiasm for their institution.
There are numerous fee based college recruitment websites that allow you to create an electronic profile to send to coaches.
www.berecruited.com
www.captainu.com
www.collegerecruiting.com
www.rivals.com
A word of advice; be careful about what you post online. I am sure many of you have social networking profiles. Note that many college coaches and officials do too. Water polo is a small community and you would not want your collegiate career jeopardized by a poor posting decision.
The Junior College system is a fantastic stepping stone for NCAA and NAIA water polo programs, but again, is limited. Do your research, contact coaches regarding their schools and programs. Athletes that may not be ready to step onto a four year college campus can take two years to make adjustments, hone water polo skills and refine scholastic goals at a junior college.
At the JO Expo ’10, we are pleased to welcome college admissions expert Billy Downing, who through his years of working with students, athletes and families has developed tools and insight into how to approach the college admissions game. Be prepared to get involved in this interactive and info packed session where we will explore what colleges are looking for in students, how to prepare for standardized tests, and how to craft the all important personal statement. For more information on the JO Expo and "Understanding the College Recruitment Process" session please visit www.usawaterpolo.org.
I hope this has prompted you into action and helped those that are already on the move towards playing water polo on the collegiate level.