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Hello!
I hope this Newsletter finds you healthy and happy. It has been a couple months since we have gotten a Newsletter out! We are happy to report we continue to be "crazy" busy and are now working with well over 100 Bay Area athletes. We must be doing something right as the phone continues to ring and our athletes continue to flourish. Thank you all so much for your referrals.
In an on-going effort to create the best experience for each family and athlete working with us, we are continuing to grow and continuing to find new and better resources.
Today I am proud to introduce the newest A4A team member and new A4A East Bay- Area Manager, Thomas Paroubeck. With Thomas on board that now gives us 5 A4A coaches. I am also happy to announce our two new resource partners, Westface College Planning and Prep2Prep.
Thomas Paroubeck
A4A East Bay- Area Manager
Tom has been involved in High School and College Athletics as a player, coach and mentor for over 35 years. Upon Graduating From Cal State Chico with a degree in Political Science and Communication, Tom owned and operated his own business for 20 years. This allowed him to coach basketball and baseball at many different levels over the years and in Tom's own words he has "helped keep kids on the right path".
The A4A program became very important to him as his son has benefited from the strategies the program implemented in securing him a Baseball Scholarship to Fresno State University. His goal is to help young student athletes realize their dream to play at the collegiate level and gain the benefits that he did by doing so.
Contact Info:
Thomas Paroubeck, A4A East Bay-Area Manager
650-576-1248
Westface College Planning
(San Carlos)
At Westface College Planning we work with families to help them plan for and navigate the "paying for college" process. We teach parents ways to pay less, tap into financial aid and prioritize their source of college funds.
Beatrice Schultz, CFP�, BSc, MSM, is a College Funding Specialist and the founder of Westface College Planning. Beatrice works with parents of college bound students every day and hosts workshops and webinars to educate parents on how to be highly efficient with their money while they enter into the most expensive time period of their lives, sending a child to college.
Sign up for a workshop or webinar and/or call to schedule a complimentary consultation.
Get the facts. Educate yourself to potentially save tens of thousands of dollars on a single college education. Parents of more than one child heading to college in the next few years, can save even more. You will learn how to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses, maximize financial aid eligibility, understand the best way to navigate through the process and protect your life savings!
Contact Info:
Beatrice Schultz, CFP�
http://westfacecollegeplanning.com/
bschultz@westfacecollegeplanning.com
650-587-1559
Prep2Prep
Prep2Prep is a media entity whose mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of high school sports, the vast majority of which is generated through the work of high school students. The students not only receive valuable work experience, but constant feedback and mentoring on their
work. Our coverage encompasses the CCS, with hopes of expanding to the NCS in the near future.
We are always looking for talented young journalist and photographers to join our team. Prep2Prep also loves content from our readers! Have a score to send us or photos of the team? Email us at info@prep2prep.com so that we can add them to the site! Shot some video footage of the team? Send it to us! We love creating highlight packages for your favorite athletes. Check us out today! http://prep2prep.com
Again, thank you all so much for your support. Beyond the April news, A4A continues to provide expert one-on-one coaching and mentoring, education, goal setting, marketing and the communication skills and organized personalized game plan necessary to help make all our athletes dreams come true.
Steve
Steve Britschgi
President
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What We Do
Advocates for Athletes (A4A) is a local, hands-on consulting and coaching business created to help educate and guide student athletes and their families through the college recruiting process, with the ultimate goal of obtaining a college athletic scholarship and/or admittance to a school of their choice because of their sport.
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From The Desk of:
Tim Dempsey, Athletic Fitness Director
The Riekes Center for Human Enhancement
In my conversations with parents and student athletes the topic of sport specific training often comes up. Almost every sport involves some type of running, jumping, kicking, throwing (or stroking for the water sports) so anything being done to improve those aspects could be considered sport specific training. In the past several years we've seen a paradigm change in the high school sports scene. In years past it was common for high school student athletes to play 2, 3, and in certain states even 4 sports a year for their high school.
I personally played 2 each year through high school and college. Nowadays most student athletes stick to just one high school sport, and schedules make it difficult if not impossible to play another sport. As soon as high school season is over, club starts, or "off season training" for the next year. This has also created the need for better strength and conditioning programs so that the risk of overuse injuries is greatly reduced. So if we use the traditional "sport specific training model" (Olympic lifts, plyometrics, agility drills, weightlifting etc. etc.) for strength and conditioning programs it is very possible we may be exacerbating problems instead of helping to eliminate them.
A better solution is "counter sports specific training". This type of training still uses the traditional style sports specific model, but incorporates a larger percentage of the training time doing exercises that can prevent overuse injuries, such as working on landing instead of just jumping; teaching deceleration instead of just acceleration; doing movements in multiple planes instead of just one; strengthening shoulder external rotators instead of just internal rotators; and using cross patterning and other innovative techniques to stimulate the correct muscle firing patterns so the student athlete can adapt to different environments without excessive wear and tear on the body. These are techniques that we use in our classes at the Riekes Center.
Advocates for Athletes and the Riekes Center now have a partnership so that A4A students who enroll in RISE UP or Pinnacle classes will receive a 25% discount. We look forward to providing strength and conditioning services to help A4A athletes reach the next level. For more information please contact Tim Dempsey CSCS,NSCA-CPT,USAW,USATF,PES; Athletic Fitness Director at the Riekes Center. 650-860-8004 or tdempsey@riekes.org
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Who We are Talking To:
Below is a partial list of the colleges that our athletes are either attending, committed to or are speaking with:
Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Brown, University of Penn, Bucknell, Columbia, Georgetown, Fordham, Colgate ,Duke, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, Wake Forest, U Conn, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, LMU, Santa Clara, University of Washington, Washington State, University of Oregon, Oregon State, University of Portland, Portland State, USF, USD, UOP, Davis, Gonzaga, University of Denver, University of Nevada-Reno, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Fresno State, UCSB, Cal Poly, San Diego State, LSU, Clemson, Auburn, Ole Miss, BYU, TCU, University of Utah, Saint Mary's, Montana, Montana State, Boise State, University of Hawaii, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, American University, Elon, University of Florida, University of Alabama, Rutgers, Providence, Duquesne, Rice, UC Irvine, Eastern Washington, Cal State East Bay, Cal State Bakersfield, Southern Utah, Stony Brook, University of Massachusetts (Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell), Sonoma State, Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona, UCSD, Humboldt State, Cal State Monterey Bay, Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific, Seattle Pacific, Dominican, Colorado Mesa University, Western States College, Grand Canyon, Dixie State, Colorado State-Pueblo, Central Washington University, Northwest Nazarene, University of Puget Sound, Tufts, Williams, Amherst, Bates, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Kenyon, Haverford, MIT, Hamilton, Middlebury, University of Chicago, Springfield, Clark, Swarthmore, Colby, Vassar, Trinity (Connecticut and Texas), Brandeis, Smith, Lesley, Claremont Mudd Scripps, Pomona Pitzer, Occidental, Redlands, Whittier, Willamette, Western Oregon, Menlo College, Washington and Lee, UC Santa Cruz, Lewis & Clark, Westmont, Azusa Pacific, Point Loma Nazarene. |
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Interesting News From the NCAA.
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Board to reconsider texting, scouting rules.
By Michelle Brutlag Hosick
NCAA.org
The Division I Board of Directors will reconsider at its May 2 meeting legislation that eliminated the rule banning certain modes of communication (text messaging) and eliminating numerical limits on phone calls. The review will occur because the required number of schools - 75 - has requested an override of the rule.
The Board also will reconsider a new rule prohibiting coaches from scouting future opponents in person. The rule continues to allow coaches to scout upcoming opponents if they are participating in the same tournament or doubleheader event at the same site.
The request to reconsider the recruiting communication rule was not unexpected, as the Board met earlier this week and suspended two other rules related to recruiting - one deregulating who can perform recruiting tasks and the an be sent to prospects. At that time, Board members agreed to let the membership decide the future of the recruiting communication rule adopted in January.
Schools requesting an override of the legislation cited work-life balance for coaches and the possibility that prospects will be overwhelmed with recruiting communication as reasons for the override. Some specifically cited concerns in football.
"During the football season, coaches want to concentrate on coaching and interacting with current student-athletes. The proposal will force them to significantly increase the amount of time they spend calling and texting recruits during the season," one school wrote. "This rule will create additional distractions for high school student-athletes. Their phones will be inundated with calls and texts at all hours of the day from college coaches and staff."
The Rules Working Group proposed the rule change with the belief that over-communicating with recruits would not prove to be an advantageous strategy. The group also believed the measure acknowledged both the increased use of text-messaging by prospects over the last several years and the growing difficulty of distinguishing between text messages, email and messages sent through social media. The rule also could relieve a significant monitoring burden from the shoulders of compliance administrators.
The prohibition on live scouting, originally proposed because of the vast improvements in video technology and the belief that live scouting could have a direct impact on fair competition, generated some concern because coaches in some sports believe they won't have the same access to quality video. Other schools said they believe the ban is contrary to the deregulation effort.
"It is inconsistent with the NCAA deregulation theme and is biased against certain sports, particularly large field sports such as soccer, lacrosse and field hockey," one school wrote. "Finally, it would call for added administrative oversight."
The Board of Directors has several options. It can maintain its action on the proposals, which will send them to an online override vote of the entire Division I membership. It can agree with those requesting the override, which would rescind the proposals. The presidents could also amend the proposals in some way, such as suspend them and refer them for further study which would subject the action to another 60-day override period.
The Board meets May 2 in Indianapolis.
other lifting restrictions on what recruiting materials c |
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Testimonials
Steve:
Conner and I wanted to send you our hearty thank you's for all your help with Conner's college application/positioning, and more importantly, for the enormous role you played in the successful results he had in his process! As you know, he used this process to finalize his choice (he got into his first two; and decided not to apply to any more, with glee), to finalize the size/division of school to go to, to develop relationships with coaches at several division levels, and to narrow down his search to the school that really hit him in all the right places.
The steps you helped him through, as well as your personal involvement, were spot on. Conner may be one of the more stubborn humans on the planet, but he followed through really well on this. He succeeded in the early application process in getting great coach support (along with good grades and exceptional SAT's), and being completely done with the madness of college admissions at about the same time most of his friends were just starting with the frenzy. He is extremely excited about both school and baseball at Lewis & Clark. We recommend anyone thinking about college and athletics, at D1, D2, or D3 levels, to talk with you as we have an extremely high level of trust in you and in the process you took Conner through. It helped in a broader way than just the nightmare of the college application process, and as a parent I have huge appreciation for that.
All the best-I am happy to talk to any perspective clients about the good work you do.
Best, Bob
***************
"A4A was a godsend to our Student Athlete. Steve provided invaluable guidance on the recruiting process, advice throughout and the all-important ongoing check-ins with our son. We had no idea how long and how difficult the journey of getting recruited to a Division 1 football program would be. Steve and A4A helped us objectively evaluate our son's potential and match his goals to achievable results.
You definitely need an "Advocate" in your corner during the recruiting process - and they don't get any better than Steve and A4A. We can't thank you enough for being there for us day or night, and making it all happen. The end result of all of the hard work is that our son, Shane, committed to play Defensive End at the United States Naval Academy. We are all very happy with this result and highly recommend A4A!"
Steve and Tammy Artim
***************
"We wanted to take the time and let all of you know how grateful we are to have spent the past year working with A4A.
Steve, never would I have imagined that a word, "Process" would ring so true in regard to helping our daughter navigate the NCAA/Academic institutions.
As a result of A4A's extensive knowledge, patience and understanding, our daughter Lilly will be attending and swimming at a division one school in the fall of 2013!
Your knowledge and guidance created a low stress, less worry atmosphere in our household thus allowing our family to enjoy the college journey. The consistent support and advice you provided to our daughter along the way has made her more confident and smart about her choices. The experience has taught all of us that patience, persistence and following the "Process" pays off in the end.
Thank you for believing in our daughter and for providing such a valuable and knowledgeable service."
All the very best,
Robin and John Nelson
Redwood City, Ca
***************
"Navigating the student athlete college recruiting path can be a daunting and confusing process. We were fortunate to have A4A's services to help with this process for our daughter who plays soccer. Steve was very professional and extremely flexible in working one-on-one directly with our daughter, while keeping us abreast of current activities. Steve was also extremely helpful in the final stages of discussions and negotiations with the top schools on our list. The process was ultimately successful in that we had several options available for our daughter to play soccer in college at both the Division I and Division II level. I would recommend A4A's services for anyone looking to get professional guidance and assistance with the recruiting and college selection process."
~John and Kim Miller
Parents of Lauren-committed to Cal Poly Pomona-Aug 2012
***************
"Thank you for all your guidance and help throughout this process. We couldn't have done this without you!! "
~Karen Bruneman
Mother of Brooke-committed to Lesley University-Sept 2012
*************** "Steve, I am a true believer in your program and in A4A and what you have done. If you remember we came to you late in the game. Bemi was a great athlete in football (All-Conference as a junior and senior) but had zero, I repeat zero, interest from any school. More importantly, he had no one helping him or telling him what he needed to do even to have any colleges look at him.
You sat down with us over lunch, laid out a very simple game plan and then you pushed to execute it. From the basics on what to do with ensuring Bemi focus on improving his SAT scores, to making a highlight video and then mapping out the schools that fit a major that he wanted to do with his life. I was impressed by how much 1-1 time you committed to with Bemi, how you coached him on what to do, how to send the emails to the college coaches, how to talk to the coaches, and how to follow-up. More importantly, you stayed on top of everything. You have a "failure is not an option" attitude and its contagious. It is also clear to me that you really care and you work to ensure that the kids you take on are successful and get a chance at a scholarship and more importantly a future education.
As you know we just got back from a weekend trip to Western State College in Colorado where Bemi has received a scholarship offer to play football there. There is no doubt if anyone wants to go to college to be a student athlete, your program is the way to get them that visibility and a chance. I will be happy to recommend your program to anyone. Please send any doubters my way.
Thanks again for all your efforts".
***************
"When our son decided that he wanted to play sports in college, we weren't sure of how to go about getting information out to college coaches. After countless hours of searching and feeling overwhelmed by the whole process, we decided to seek help, and that is when we contacted Advocates for Athletes (A4A).
After our first session with A4A, we felt like a huge weight had been lifted. A4A gave us so much information that we would have never been able to obtain on our own. With the expert knowledge and information they provided, and the one-on-one help, it made the whole recruiting process a lot easier. A4A gave our son the confidence and tools not only to sell himself to college coaches, but a confidence that he will be able to use throughout his life.
Thanks to the great service they provide, our son has signed with a great college, and is looking forward to being a college athlete. I would recommend A4A to any high school student that is interested in playing sports at the next level. Working with A4A was one of the best things that our family has ever done."
~Mother of a former St. Francis High School Football player recruited to University of San Diego
***************
"The A4A program has helped my son tremendously. My son has given a verbal commitment to Fresno State this past summer as a Junior, and has already taken an unofficial visit to the school.
The program that A4A customized for my son utilizing the Advocates for Athletes playbook has been a huge help during this crucial time in his life. If I could summarize the changes that I have noticed in his approach to everyday life, his time management would be number one. The A4A program has really helped him prioritize his day to day activities. I have noticed that he is "goal setting" much more than before and incorporating many of the strategies that Steve and my son worked on.
The program works and Steve's diligence and genuine caring for his student athletes is very apparent."
~Tom Paroubeck
Father of Senior Baseball player at Serra High School who has committed to Fresno State
***************
"I wanted to share with you our family's appreciation for the service that Advoctes for Athletes has provided us. A year ago the task of selecting the right school for our daughter was overwhelming. Frankly, once we met with Steve and learned about the extensive research he had done on this issue and the process he had developed based on his findings we knew we made the right choice. An important side benefit in all of this is that our daughter has taken ownership in what will become her future. It has been a great lesson in learning for our family and his deliberate approach has taken much of the anxiety out of what is an othewise difficult and complicated process. You can count us among the "advocates" for Advocates for Athletes."
~David Bartoshuk
Father of Megan Bartoshuk. Committed to Carnegie Mellon
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Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to read our A4A Newsletter. If you have any questions or comments please contact us.
Please forward this Newsletter on to anyone you feel might be in need of our services or interested in the college recruiting process.
Sincerely,
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A4A Resource Partners
*The Riekes Center for Human Enhancement
*Michael Romano, "Mr. Test Prep"
*BAWSI, Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative
*Susan Zaro, LMFT, Sports Health Counseling
*QWERTY Education Services
Westface College Planning
Prep2Prep
Performance Hoops, John Folonis
The South Bay:
Extreme Fitness&Sports(Campbell)
Crossfit Los Gatos
Tutoring Club(Almaden,Cupertino,Los Gatos and Willow Glen)
For details and contact information on each of our Partners please visit our website @ www.advocates4athletes.com.
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