college recruiting services?!?

[newbievaulter]

my friend told me that he signed up with a college recruiting service for a lot of money (i think he said around a $1000). they claim that they can provide way more chances of getting an athletic scholarship... has anyone heard of these kind of programs and if they're worth the money.

[RoySloppy]

i knew a kid who did that but he played baseball...they like put his stats and pic on this website...but now hes on heroine and not going to school...i dont know..... youd think if you were good enough you wouldnt need that cause your accomplishments would merit the attention of coaches...also remmber track and field scholarships are not just thrown around either theres not that many.....all in all invest the $1000 in a pole vault coach and practice your a** off and then you wont need a website.

[rainbowgirl28]

Save your money. Do a lot of research on the schools you are interested in. Spend a little time putting together a sheet with info on yourself. Send it to all of the coaches at the schools you are interested in. Take the time to call the coaches and whatnot.

All a service like that will do is get a bunch of schools interested in you that you are not interested in probably.

But hey if all you want is the biggest scholarship possible, with no regard for coaching, academics, or location, then go for it. I know some schools in the middle of nowhere Iowa that are looking for vaulters

[Skyin' Brian]

i wouldnt count on getting an athletic scholarship(unless you are a guy jumping above 16 or a girl above 12 or can do another event) of course i dont know a whole lot about how athletic scholarships work, not being on one myself.

if you are looking for an athletic scholarship try football. if you are looking for money for college get good grades in high school and try to get academic scholarships.

just my $0.02

[ashcraftpv]

i agree...save your money....

those services just mass mail a profile of you out to all the major universities. All it does is get your name, picture, and stats out there. Any school that would give you money would already be contacting you if you performed well enough to receive a scholarship based on your performance. Schools are pretty tight with their money, so you'd better put up some impressive numbers in order to get any kind of $$$.

[achtungpv]

If you really are needy apply for regular good ol' financial aid. It's a helluva lot more stable than an athletic scholarship.

[SlickVT]

What do you mean? Athletic scholarships are pretty stable... They dont just get up and walk away. If you are on scholarship, you will be on scholarship till you graduate...

[rainbowgirl28]

What do you mean? Athletic scholarships are pretty stable... They dont just get up and walk away. If you are on scholarship, you will be on scholarship till you graduate...

Depends on the school. An athletic scholarship is a year to year contract. Your coach is not legally obligated to renew it.

Most coaches are somewhat nice about it, but if you come in on a big scholarship and end up sucking, most schools are going to at least reduce it.

[vaultin chris]

A guy from my HS paid $150 for something very similar to this. He was a state standout, but his skills wouldnt take him farther than that. So he subscribed to this recruiting data base and still went to an in state school that was recruiting him before he signed up with the service.

In the vault there are people at every school or at least in every state watching national results like a hawk. So take that $1000 spend on a few camps, or take a trip to USATF Junior Olympics, Reno, or any other big meets and if you perform well, then that thousand will be better spent.

[UNCW Vaulter]

Do a lot of research on the schools you are interested in.

Great advice. Make a list of the schools you want to attend and why you want to attend them. If your sole purpose for college is to be a pole-vaulter, keep in mind that some schools may already have a squad full of vaulters who vault higher than you. Not everyone who is on a T&F team necessarily travels with the team. My buddy at UF was on a squad with several 5meter plus vaulters. There were 15-foot freshman that did not travel to all of the meets on that team. So be sure to do your research before you decide where to attend.

Save your money. Spend a little time putting together a sheet with info on yourself. Send it to all of the coaches at the schools you are interested in. Take the time to call the coaches and whatnot.

You should be your own media guide. Get in touch with the coaches. They will help you decide if there is the University and track team are right for you.

[Peepers PV]

Depends on the school. An athletic scholarship is a year to year contract. Your coach is not legally obligated to renew it.

Most coaches are somewhat nice about it, but if you come in on a big scholarship and end up sucking, most schools are going to at least reduce it.

i was told that you couldn't lose your athletic scholarship unless there was either a medical or character problem (like never going to practice)...? am i wrong here?

[Lord of the Poles]

they give you an Athletic scholarship because you excel in your sport and they want you to play for their school to improve the team with your great skills... but why would they be forced to keep you on the scholarship if you're not as good as they need you to be?