Advanced Mini-Camp  

(College ID)    July 29-31

I hope the summer has been both enjoyable and productive for you.  As we look towards preseason training with our team in August we are also preparing for our last recruiting event of the summer.  

Our Advanced Mini-Camp (College ID) runs July 29-31.  This 3 day camp includes great instruction from college coaches, an opportunity to be seen by our entire coaching staff as well as other college coaches, and a chance to challenge yourself against some of the best players in the nation.This session is for High School age players only.  We also hold this camp at the end of the summer to give players who are involved in Regional Championships or other events an opportunity to experience the excitement of UAB Soccer!

This camp is also a great way to prepare for your fall season.  Much of the camp is spent playing with and against our current players at UAB. 

We still have a few openings so come and join us for a great weekend!  You can register online or find more details at www.uabsoccercamp.com.

Mike Getman Head Coach, UAB

Justus Griffin Asst. Coach, UAB

Joel Wallace Asst. Coach, UAB

Michael Biggs Asst. Coach, UAB

Paul Conway Head Coach, Lambuth Univ. (TN)

Rob Cummings Head Coach, Cal St. Monterey Bay

Kerem Daser Head Coach, Georgia Military College

Wulf Koch Head Coach, Auburn Univ. Montgomery

Vitalis Otieno Head Coach, Principia College (MO)

Ernie Yarborough Asst. Coach, Indiana Univ.

Brett Teach Asst. Coach, Virginia Commonwealth 

Ryan Pratt Asst. Coach, Virginia Commonwealth  

Sean Bray Asst. Coach, Rio Grande Univ.

Tyler Smith Asst. Coach, Miami of Ohio

Bruce Dietterle Asst. Coach, Univ. of Montevallo

Glenn Townsend Asst. Coach, Faulkner Univ.

Matt Cannady Asst. Coach, Virginia Commonwealth

www.collegecupsoccer.com 

Hopefully you have already read, in past newsletters, the steps to take in the recruiting process.  If you missed any of these, click here to access archived issues of Whats A Blaze.

There are several ways to visit colleges when you are trying to find the college with the right fit for you. 

The most comprehensive way to visit a college is during an "Official Visit". But Official Visits must be set up through the soccer program and coaches will only bring in their top recruits.  An official visit can only occur during your Senior year. During an official visit, the college or soccer program may cover some or all of your expenses.  You can only take 5 "official visits" and no more than one per college.  Official Visits must last no more than 48 hours.  

During an Official Visit you will spend time with some of the players, meet with the coaches, tour campus, and usually meet with some of the academic support staff.  There is no better way to learn about the college and soccer program.  

You can also arrange for an "Unofficial Visit" with the soccer coach.  This type of visit will allow you to learn about the Soccer Program and will give insight into how you might fit into the team.  You will need to contact the coach and ask if you can arrange a visit.  This type of visit can be done at any age or grade but the college can not cover any of your expenses. This is becoming one of the most important tools in recruiting because coaches can meet with players at a younger (any) age.  These visits can last 10 minutes or all day. 

You can always call Admissions and arrange a campus tour. Almost every admissions office hosts prospective students, gives tours of campus, and answers general academic questions.  While this type of visit will not give you much info about the soccer program, it will allow you to see the campus and figure out if it is a good fit for you outside of soccer.

Visiting a college campus is an important part of figuring out what school is the best fit for you. Most players will start to make visits during their Junior year so they can have plenty of time to see and learn about all of their potential choices.  Start by visiting schools that are close by and as you learn more about what colleges have to offer, you can also figure out more about what is important to you.  Once you have this base knowledge, you can really start to research different Universities and expand your search.

Our next issue will discuss some of the questions you should ask when on campus.