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Recruiting is not about
waiting for opportunities,
it's about creating opportunities.
After almost 6 years in business and after having placed athletes at over 125 different colleges and universities around the country with over a 98% success rate, people now often ask, "What's your secret?" My answer is, "There is no secret. We are simply different because we sincerely care and create a personalized plan for each athlete, then guide them and their family's all the way through the college recruiting process."
And, we don't have the words "no", "quit" or "lose" in our vocabulary. Our goal is to find every one of our athletes their "best college fit" whether it takes one month, one year or three. But if I had to use just two words to describe why...it would be: Relationships and Passion. We create relationships with our athletes then teach them how to create them with college coaches. And every one of the A4A "guys" has an absolute passion for wanting to win for these kids.
Below are the bios for just two of my guys, both of whom I have known for over 30 years, and like myself, have that "never say lose" mentality.
John Mylod - Area Manager - Peninsula
John's lifelong passion for sports, a degree in Radio and Television from San Francisco State, nearly two decades of sports broadcasting, and experience in mentoring students, are what led him to the Advocates for Athletes program.
John's sports-focused career began at KNBR 680 in San Francisco where he rose from intern to Executive Producer. He is currently Sports Director at KCEA 89.1, a radio station owned by the Sequoia High School District. With the cooperation of Athletic Directors and coaches, he and his recruited high school staffers have broadcast over 400 live games. This record is symbolic of John's dedication to his students and their goals.
650.346.8976; john@advocates4athletes.com
Fred Roper - Area Manager - East/North Bay
Fred is a former college athlete and is the parent of a recruited Division I football player. He understands the challenges that face student athletes (and their families) during the recruiting process as well as during their college athletic career. Fred has over 18 years coaching experience at the youth and high school level and is committed to helping student athletes find the right academic, athletic and social fit in college. In addition, Fred has an MBA in Finance and has spent over 32 years in the telecommunications and technology industries.
Advocates For Athletes provides Fred the opportunity to continue his coaching career and help student athletes achieve their potential on and off the field. He resides in Clayton, CA and works with athletes in and around the Moraga-Lafayette-Orinda-Walnut Creek-Clayton-Alamo-Pleasanton areas.
Please feel free to forward or pass on this email to anyone you know that might be in need, as all of our over 200 athletes have come from referrals.
Thank you!!
Steve Britschgi
President
Advocates for Athletes, LLC
650-255-0766
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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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S.H.I.N.E
For Sports
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Alarming increase in concussions in female athletes
Until recently, concussions were thought to be a problem experienced almost exclusively by football players. Recent research shows that concussions occur frequently in other sports as well, and are especially prevalent in female athletes. An article in the Washington Post attempts to raise awareness on the alarming increase in concussions among female athletes. The increase has largely been attributed to anatomical differences between male and female athletes, specifically, their head and neck size and musculature.
Most concussions are treatable; however, very few people know this, as demonstrated by a study conducted by Harris Poll. Young athletes tend to be under a lot of pressure to perform for college recruitment, tournament wins, and school pride, regardless of their mental or physical condition. However, ALL athletes need to become better aware of the symptoms and dangers of concussions, so that they can protect themselves from long-lasting consequences. There is a great write-up about concussions on the SHINE For Sports website about what a concussion is, what it looks and feels like, and what to do if you have one. Play safe, play healthy, SHINE For Sports
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From the Desk of:
Beatrice Schultz
Westface College Planning
Happy March Madness!
If you are the parent of a high school senior, March Madness has a new exciting definition. This March you'll be scrambling to finish your taxes early, update your FAFSA application, plus send tax returns, special financial circumstances explanations and more to your private colleges. By the end of March, you'll know all your college acceptances and financial aid awards and be down to your Final Four college choices!
This month's Featured Find article is a good discussion of why college costs are continuing to rise. How much of it is due to the "Chivas Regal" effect? Or is it simply the fact that colleges know that, whatever they charge, the government will help Americans to cover it with government backed student and parent loans?
This month's Senior Scoop discusses tax implications of scholarships. Will your grants or scholarships be subject to income tax? Not all scholarships are tax free. Be sure to read the Senior Scoop to learn more.
I love this time of year. Every day, I have the privilege to receive emails and phone calls from my many excited clients as their sons and daughters receive college offers.
That excitement also comes with trepidation of the impending expense for college. Whether you have a senior reviewing offers or younger students with college goals, we can help you take your next step on the path to creating a clear college funding plan. Sign up for a workshop or give me a call today!
All the best,
Beatrice Schultz, CFP�
Westface College Planning
(650) 587-1559
Beatrice Schultz, CFP� | College & Retirement Financial Planning
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From The NCAA:
Test scores.
When you register for the SAT or ACT, use the NCAA Eligibility Center code of 9999 so your scores are sent directly to the Eligibility Center from the testing agency. Test scores on transcripts will not be used in your academic certification.
A combined SAT score is calculated by adding reading and math subscores. An ACT sum score is calculated by adding English, math, reading and science subscores. You may take the SAT or ACT an unlimited number of times before you enroll full-time in college. If you take either test more than once, the best sub score from different tests are used to meet initial eligibility requirements. If you take the current SAT before March 2016 and then take the redesigned SAT at a later date, the NCAA Eligibility Center will not combine section scores from the current and redesigned SAT when determining your initial eligibility. The NCAA Eligibility Center will only combine section scores from the same version of the test. Because the redesigned SAT varies in design and measures different academic concepts than the current SAT, a numerical score on the current test may not be equivalent to the same numerical score on the redesigned test. If you take the SAT or ACT test after you graduate high school, the NCAA Eligibility Center may ask you to confirm that you have not yet enrolled full-time in college, by completing and submitting a student matriculation letter.
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Testimonials:
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your guidance and insight on the college recruiting process. You helped make a dream come true for Peter. As a parent of an athlete, we did not know how to attract attention and help our son achieve the goal to play basketball at a Division 1 school. Your advice and process was instrumental in helping Peter figure out which school was the best fit for him. You advised us on the best way to approach college coaches, respond to their inquiries and ultimately achieve multiple offers to play Division 1 basketball. Academics was a high priority so your emphasis on working hard to maintain a good GPA was motivating and ensured that Peter was a good candidate for many programs.
You are incredibly responsive and you were always able to answer our questions and provide a process when decisions needed to be made. Peter is going to UC Davis in the fall to play basketball and we believe this is a great fit for him athletically and academically.
Thank you again for all your help, support and advice.
Sincerely,
Ann and Jon Hewitt
Parents of Peter, committed to UC Davis 2016
*************
Advocates for Athletes helped our son secure a place playing soccer
for Johns Hopkins. They worked with him but always making sure that he
played a central role in the process which allowed him to not just
feel ownership of it but also to mature and learn valuable lessons in
his interactions with coaches. A great process and a fabulous outcome.
Thanks for all your help, we really appreciate it,
Katherine and Roddy
MacFarquhar, Parents of Matthew committed to Johns Hopkins University Fall of 2016
Last year our son Riley decided he would like to play football in College if it was at a very high level academic school. We didn't know how to make this possible on our own and really wanted to make this happen for our son because he had such a strong interest in playing in College and worked so hard to achieve this goal. We had heard about Steve's company Advocates for Athletes, LLC. and contacted him.
Steve came to our house, met with my wife and I and our son initially to plot things out. After that Steve met exclusively with Riley and they went through a whole process of matching his academics and playing ability level to the many different schools he had interest in. They met several times and finally came up with a workable list of schools to contact. At that point Steve wrote a template email tailored for Riley that we could send out to these schools along with who to contact (coaches).
After the initial email blast, Steve was there every step of the way for both my wife and I and all our questions but more importantly for Riley. You could tell this was more than just a business for Steve by the passion and energy he brought to the process. It was a long drawn out process with the emails, calls, Junior Days at the various schools, Summer Camps and was really nice to have Steve as a sounding board to bounce our questions and ideas off of as the recruitment went on. When there was any doubt on something, we would just say to ourselves and our son " ask Steve " what to do.
After many months, we got the answer we had hoped for. Riley got accepted into MIT to play football there. Frankly, without Steve and Advocates for Athletes, LLC. this wouldn't have happened. The fee we paid Steve was well worth it and we can't say enough good things about Steve and his company. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Steve and his company Advocates for Athletes, LLC.
Feb 8, 2015
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your guidance, mentoring, clear process, and discipline. You transformed a mysterious and potentially daunting multi-year recruiting process into manageable steps with clear goals. As parents trying to navigate the complex world of DI football recruiting, we were so glad to have you there at every step along the way. Your confident, can-do, upbeat approach made us feel like we had a calm and competent coach in our corner at all times. You helped Ben set goals, develop a list of target schools, understand the many NCAA rules and regulations, draft letters to coaches, and create a great resume and highlight reel. We appreciated your advice on the myriad of football camps and junior days, and so much more. You were phenomenally responsive and always happy to answer our questions and offered a calming influence when things heated up and decisions needed to be made. Without your experience and wisdom, we would not have had a clue where to start and we are confident it would have been a much more stressful process. In the end, Ben had four Pac-12 offers, numerous Ivy League offers, and many other options.
Thank you Steve and A4A for your help!
Mary Lea Kirven and Busy Burr
Parents of Benjamin, U. Washington, Fall 2015
Advocates for Athletes, LLC
February 2015
I highly recommend Steve Britschgi, his valued team, and Advocates for Athletes. Often times as a parent of an athlete, there is a great deal of information in the market as to what is the most appropriate plan to gain exposure for your student athlete. Plainly stated, it is very confusing.
Steve Britschgi and Advocates for Athletes truly offer a value added program that guides the athlete in the most efficient way to gain market visibility which is turn will provide results. The ownership of responsibility is put upon that student athlete, which clearly provides a goal oriented path as to what the athlete claims he or she wants to be a part and parcel of. The individual sport in not the main concern - The process is.
His coaching around identifying schools, sending out letters, and the follow up associated with that is wonderful. Indeed Steve and his team are advocates for your student athlete.
Sincerely,
~Steve Papapietro
Father of Christopher, committed to University of Pacific 2015
Hi Steve!
Just wanted to say hi and thank you again for all your help! I have been at Carnegie Mellon for two weeks now and today was our season opener. Check it out at http://athletics.cmu.edu/sports/wsoc/2014-15/releases/20140829hpgpi0. It has also been great to play with Megan Bartoshuk again - she is the one that referred me to you! Anyway, I really believe this is a fantastic fit for me, for school and for soccer, and I really appreciate your process that brought me here.
Hope all is well,
~Sienna Stritter
Hi Steve!
I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful fit UCLA has been for me! I absolutely love the campus, my swim team, and the education I am receiving. I am really happy to say that I am sure that I made the right choice in choosing this school. I am definitely looking forward to swimming my sophomore year too! Thanks again for all the help you gave me, I can truly say I would not be here if it wasn't for you.
~Rachel Owen
Previous A4A Student Athlete
Graduated Spring, 2013
Steve,
Thank you for all your guidance and help in assisting my son find his way on to a college campus with a ball in his and a scholarship in his bank account!!
Your attention to detail and your true desire to help him made the world of difference in his life. While Zayn is a smart, strong, quite young man who is silently confident your guidance and coaching helped him to openly and willingly be confident to speak highly of himself, sell himself, and take ownership of his achievements. These are enhanced skills he will take with him throughout the rest of his life.
Your willingness to meet him near his school and job and accommodate his very busy schedule was appreciated. Also your efforts of continuing to check in and make sure he was on track was one of the keys to his success.
Zayn achieved his dream of transferring to a university that would afford him the academic excellence he demanded as well as be a part of a system were he could be a key contributor.
I have to also thank you for all the talks you had with me and your prompt communication throughout the who process. I was often unsettled and concerned about his future and you never gave off a negative or discouraging message.
Your faith in Zayn and his abilities academically and athletically will never be taken for granted or forgotten.
I am envious of your position to help families and student athletes achieve their dreams because I know there is a demand for this. I am now your advocate! I will do anything I can to help you if you ever need it... and will recommend you to everyone I know going through "the process".
Wishing you continued success,
~Susan Kirkendoll
Mother of Zayn, Carroll College
***************
Dear Steve,
I am so grateful to you for giving our daughter Rachel the confidence to go after UCLA. She is going down for orientation this week and she is still thrilled with her choice. This last weekend at a swim competition, it was fun to share with another swim parent the value you added to the college search experience. Without your assistance, I don't believe we would have found the complete match in both school and team.
Thank you again,
~Alicia Owen,
Mother of Rachel- UCLA, Fall 2013
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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
~Robert A. Sick
Managing Director
White Oak Capital, LLC
***************
"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
Parents of Lilly, Duquesne University, Fall 2013
***************
"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- Cal Poly Pomona, Fall 2013
***************
"Thank you for all your guidance and help throughout this process. We couldn't have done this without you!! "
~Karen Bruneman
Mother of Brooke- Lesley University, Fall 2013
"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".
~Mario Paniccia
Intel Fellow & GM
Silicon Photonics Operation
Intel Corporation
"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 Jordan, the 69th pick of the San Diego Padres in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.
***************
"I wanted to share with you our family's appreciation for the service that Advocates 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 otherwise difficult and complicated process. You can count us among the "advocates" for Advocates for Athletes."
~David Bartoshuk
Father of Megan Bartoshuk. Carnegie Mellon, Fall 2013
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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
Performance Hoops, John Folonis
S.H.I.N.E. for Sports
For details and contact information on each of our Partners please visit our website @ www.advocates4athletes.com.
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Where are the A4A Athletes
going to College?
Here is a partial list.
(#) How many at that school
Colleges
The U.S. Naval Academy
Providence University
Princeton University (2)
UCLA (2)
Amherst
Tulane University(2)
Loyola Marymount University(2)
Lewis and Clark University(2)
Dominican University(2)
Western State College of Colorado
U.C. Berkeley(2)
Texas Christian University
Brown University (2)
University of Utah
Cal Poly Pomona
Claremont Mudd Scripps
Georgetown University(2)
Carroll College
Tufts
Chaminade University
Kenyon College
U.C. Merced
U.C. Davis(4)
Carnegie Mellon University(2)
Pomona Pitzer University(3)
Duquesne University
Southern Illinois University
Fresno State
University of Redlands (4)
Notre Dame De Namur University
University of San Diego
University of Colorado at Boulder
Colorado College(2)
Cal State East Bay University
Washington State University
Trinity College (Conn)
Leslie University
Willamette University
Rochester Polytechnic Institute
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Dennison University
U.C. Santa Cruz
Chapman University
Sacramento State
San Jose State (2)
University of Washington (2)
Lafayette University
Arizona State (2)
Davidson University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
University of Pacific
Cal Poly
University of Puget Sound
University of Hawaii
San Diego State
Holy Names
St Mary's
Santa Clara University
Johns Hopkins University
Harvard
NYU
Columbia University
SMU
Williams College
USC
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