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Have I mentioned that Grades Matter? Well they do. Most parents have no idea that a 3.5 GPA could be worth between $5000 and $10,000 or a 4.0 could be worth $10,000 to $20,000 right of the top of a college's tuition. Or that a 3.5 and 1800 SAT/28 ACT could get you into almost any school in the country if the coach for your athlete's sport wants them. And, if your athlete has below a 3.0 it limits the number of schools that they are eligible for by over 50%?
If it were up to me I would have every high school freshmen take a first semester class that draws up a plan for their future, and shows them what grades and what test scores it will take to get into the colleges that they aspire to go to. One that shows them what a good GPA could get them dollar wise. And for those that are interested in pursuing a sports scholarship or even using their sport to help get them into a college, a seminar or a class on what it actually takes.... grades, ability, size, speed, character, passion and desire to attend that school.
With the surge in national sports media attention, more and more high school athletes want to pursue their sport at the collegiate level. Can they? Do they really know what it it takes? Do they know what to do or how to do it? That's why A4A, we educate on the process, devise a plan, set goals to get there, research colleges to find the best fits, create a marketing strategy, then guide and mentor throughout. Fun, interesting and ultimately rewarding! And by the way, Grades Matter!
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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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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A4A Parent Testimonial
of the Month
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 with any of your prospective clients about the good work you do.
Best, Bob
Robert A. Sick
Managing Director
White Oak Capital, LLC
www.whiteoakcapitalllc.com
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Interesting News From the NCAA. |
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Great article from the NCAA website. A must read! Sheds great light on D111 sports, football in particulair compared to D1
The pitch to Wash. U. athletic recruits
One week ago, the college football landscape was fixated on one of its favorite days of the year: national signing day. Top recruits around the country donned caps with their new school's logo, ready to play in the spotlight for some of NCAA Division I football's best programs-from the University of Alabama to the Ohio State University to, apparently, the University of Mississippi-beginning next fall.
While that was happening, Washington University football coach Larry Kindbom followed along, knowing that his recruiting cycle wasn't even close to done yet. As you might know, there aren't scholarships or letters of intent in Division III college sports. If people want to play at Wash. U., they have to get accepted like everyone else.
So Kindbom's recruiting season gets really interesting around March, when regular-admission students begin to get their acceptance or rejection letters. And that wait can lead to a problem with certain recruits.
"Our timeline doesn't always jive with Division I," Kindbom said. "And not just Division I, but the scholarship schools, and other schools like us that are now using the admissions tool, saying, 'We can get you in if you say yes to us now.' That's not Wash. U.
"Signing day was this past week, and [they] would rather go to Washington University if they can get in. So these kids are pressed with some very, very difficult decisions because the calendars are so very different."
Kindbom's no stranger to the recruiting process of college sports' biggest showcase. He worked at Ohio State as a graduate assistant from 1977-79 before serving as an assistant coach at the University of Akron from 1979-83. Not surprisingly, things are a little bit different at those places.
"The difference," Kindbom said, comparing Wash. U. to those two schools, "still came down to 'when you come here, understand that football was first.' That had to be understood."
And that mentality is what ultimately led him to the Division III level-first for six years at Kenyon University before starting at Wash. U. in 1989.
"Now, my feeling is, when I was [at the Division I level], I understood that was what it was all about. For me to say 'I just didn't believe in that'...when I was there, I had to believe in that. And I didn't want to be in that situation. Part of the reason I am where I am is because I didn't think that I was most comfortable working in a situation where football was the No. 1 thing."
And while football, or whichever other sport, is the No. 1 thing for thousands of recruits across the country, the pitch of the Wash. U. coach makes the sport a priority, rather than the priority.
Volleyball head coach Rich Luenemann, for instance, has had his share of recruiting seasons to work with-and thanks to the pedigree of the volleyball program and its 10 national championships, he often is making the Wash. U. pitch to Division I-quality recruits.
"On occasion, prospects who are being recruited by Division I universities elect to matriculate to Wash. U.," Luenemann said. "They do so because of the incredible academic opportunities, the student-centered university focus and the fact athletic participation here isn't a job or lifestyle."
Kindbom echoed a similar sentiment, celebrating the success of his players to be able to excel at football and also have the same college experience here as anyone else.
"We want guys who want to play for championships. We're playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, and that's a selling point-[but] you'll still be able to do the things that you want academically."
Kindbom pointed out that the top major on the football team last year was biomedical engineering, and Luenemann noted that the "proof is in the pudding in that our student-athletes exhibit the same dissemination of majors as the non-athletes, and their GPAs are very similar."
There were more parts of the appeal, such as the fact that athletes like football players are able to go abroad in the spring where they wouldn't be able to at a scholarship program. And this has worked out well for student-athletes and coaches alike-Kindbom has asserted that his players who go abroad have been able to contribute even more than before as they've stayed dedicated to the program when not in St. Louis.
"They know that to win a position, they've got to come back in better shape. They've got to come back ready to go," Kindbom said. "This is a competitive program. They feel so good about it in the first place-those guys almost always come back bigger, stronger, faster."
Ultimately, that theme ties into what Kindbom seemed to define as the all-encompassing Wash. U. recruiting pitch to quality student-athletes. Athletes who head into high-level scientific research or get jobs on Wall Street or are accepted to medical school aren't exceptions-they're students.
"It's cool that a Wash. U. student can do [those things], but the fact that the Wash. U. athlete not only can do that but does that...how cool is that?" Kindbom said. "And that's across the board, in all sports. And that's what I think makes this place special. I think it just means that, of those athletes, they can do that in their college careers, and it just makes them want to play even harder."
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Recruiting Question:
What is the difference between an "official" and "unofficial" visit?
An official visit is paid for by the college, an unofficial visit is paid for by you. Official visits, (except for basketball) can not be made until opening day of classes senior year Unofficial visits may be made anytime from freshman year through senior year. The NCAA allows 5 official visits to D1 and D11 schools. Limited to one per college. You are allowed an unlimited number of unofficial visits.
On an official visit the NCAA allows a school to pay for meals,entertainment, transportation and lodging. The school is not allowed to pay for parents, so if you stay on campus with a member of the team your parents hotel will not be covered.
What about D111 schools you might ask? You can take an unlimited number of D111 officials, however most do not have very limited budgets and are not able to pay for transportation, lodging, etc. Some do not even offer them at all....just depends on the school.
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Testimonials
"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 DE at the Naval Academy. We are all very happy with this result and highly recommend A4A!"
Steve and Tammy Artim
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"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
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"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
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"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
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"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
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"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
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"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
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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