by Jeremiah Smith

Created on: October 19, 2008

College athletics have certainly changed in the past decade, with widespread use of the Internet providing forums for recruiters and scouts to exchange ideas and evaluate talent. ESPN recently televised a high school football game between two of the nation's powerhouses, and the majority of those players are almost guaranteed a scholarship to an institute of higher learning, no doubt assisted by the fact that their school afforded them the necessary exposure to display their talents.

For those athletes who don't attend perennial contenders and only receive the usual, around-town media coverage, how are you supposed to attract the attention of scholarship-offering schools? There are several ways to garner more publicity for yourself and your skills, but we are operating under the assumption that hard work has been put in and you are capable for competing at some level of college athletics. Remember, if you accept a scholarship to a Division III school, that may be used as a stepping stone to get to a higher level of competition and education; you are not necessarily required to finish out your education where you started.

GRADES

Before going any further, it is important to note that good scores in your classes will never hurt your chances of achieving the goal of receiving an athletic scholarship. Maintaining high grades will only demonstrate your commitment to excellence, and show recruiters that you take everything you do seriously and as a challenge. It may even give schools the option of offering a partial academic scholarship, in addition to a partial athletic scholarship, to get you into their school.
More options never hurt anyone, after all.

AAU/SUMMER TEAMS

One way to bring yourself to the school(s) of your choice's attention is to participate in some sort of summer team in your sport. One of the methods of doing this is to join an existing AAU, or Amateur Athletic Union, team in your area. These teams travel around the country during the summer playing other AAU teams, usually in a competitive tournament setting. Since higher-level athletes generally make up these teams, scouts and recruiters will always be present to check out the wealth of talent these tournaments provide. You can go to the AAU website and check for teams in your area; if there are none, you also have the choice to start a new team.

GAME FILM

Along with giving recruiters and scouts more information, the Internet also allows students to advertise their skills in different fashions. One website, GoBigRecruiting, enables users to upload game film of themselves and send it to the schools of their choice. These schools then evaluate the film and respond to the student, thus not leaving the student wondering whether or not anyone has actually seen the film. Tapes of game play can also be uploaded onto free services, such as YouTube, for public viewing.

DIRECT CONTACT

The old-fashioned way of contacting schools, through letters or phone calls, will still get the job done in some instances.
If your coach has any connections in the world of college sports, ask them to put in a good word for you. Get contact information for coaches at the schools you are interested, and send them letters. Refer them to places to get more information on you, give them letters of recommendations. Sell yourself anyway you can. They may very well be willing to offer you a scholarship, but they just don't know about you yet.

Obtaining an athletic scholarship to attend college is a lofty and commendable goal. It can be done, but the hard work required extends far beyond the playing field.

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