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Recruiting is not about
waiting for opportunities,
it's about creating opportunities.
First of all, I want to congratulate all high school seniors everywhere. Whether you are going on to college to continue playing your sport or following your dream in music, math or psychology, the accomplishment is real, you have worked hard, you are on your way.
To all the Advocates for Athletes seniors, congrats and it's been fun! Whatever college or university you are going to I am certain that it is your best college fit. Whether it's USC, Santa Clara, Johns Hopkins, Babson, Dickinson or Stetson, you have gone through the recruiting process and learned what making a HUGE decision is all about. Never forget our Pro's and Con's list and my favorite saying of all time... "Preparedness leads to confidence and confidence leads to success". I can not wait to see what your future's have in store.
Once again, 100% of the A4A athletes that "worked" the process and those that wanted to go on and play, are!!! This year was a bit different having a couple athletes suffer career ending injuries and a few others decide that they did not want to play at the next level. To the injured, you have learned at an early age that life is not always fair but have bounced back beautifully. And for those who made the decision not to continue, I know it was a tough decision that was not easy, but very proud of you as well for standing up and making it.
And last but not least to the parents of our future collegians - congratulations, you too have done well!
Please take a look at the articles below this month...some new writers like Jon Folonis, basketball trainer extroardinere and Elizabeth Katz, the "academic" version of me, lol! Also, Susan Zaro with a an excellent visualization article talking about Steph Curry. Really interesting articles, some really good information!
Thank you all again so much for your referrals. It is a testament to the work we do with these kids as we do not advertise yet we are closing in on the 300 athlete mark.... and loving every minute.
Steve Britschgi
President
Advocates for Athletes, Inc
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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From the Desk of Jon Folonis, Performance Hoops
Player Development
Player development consists of improving physical athleticism, acquiring skills and building an understanding of the game and how to play it. At Performance Hoops, we concentrate on skill acquisition and performance enhancement training. The ability to sprint the floor, defend, finish with contact and then make an open shot on the next possession are non-negotiables for players seeking a career at the collegiate level. The foundation for player development lies in physical condition; the next step is to acquire and master specific skills relevant to position, size, athleticism and level of play. We identify strengths and weaknesses and then design a program to attack and improve them. The formula is simple: Train to Dominate.
The bottom line for players seeking improvement is industriousness. John Wooden said it best: "I have not known, heard of, or read about any individual anywhere who achieved real success without working extremely hard." Two Performance Hoops alums that epitomize hard work are Vanessa D'Amico and Henry Caruso. I have had the pleasure of training both of these players for the past 8 years and I have seen their hard work pay off. D'Amico worked her way into the 1,000 point club at Menlo College while becoming the school's All-Time leader in 3-point field goals made. Her dedication to her craft is evident every time she steps on the court; shooting the basketball is a skill D'Amico acquired over years of training; through improving technique and repetition at a high level of intensity she has become a certified sharp shooter. Caruso also created a legacy for himself at Serra High School, climbing his way to #2 on the school's All-Time scoring list. Caruso, now a 1st Team All League selection at Princeton knows that without hard work, none of his accomplishments would be possible. At Performance Hoops, we encourage players to train hard, however, the successful players that get the most out of their training are the ones that show up ready to work and earn their way through sweat equity. The baseline for improvement is not talent, size or athleticism; it is a player's eagerness to put forth his or her best effort every single time he or she steps on the court.
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From the Desk of:
Elizabeth Katz, Spark College Consulting
June is an exciting time for high school seniors - graduation, parties, and time with family and friends. It is also the time when rising college freshmen should start to prepare for the transition they are about to experience. It is the time to learn about their new college - academic requirements, social scene, dorm life. Here's my advice on how a new college student should prepare for the upcoming adventure.
Familiarize yourself with the general academic requirements of your new school, as well as the specific requirements of your prospective major. Take the time to learn about the advising system, including the location of the advising offices. Investigate learning support services available to you. Where can you go for help with writing or math? If you are interested in studying abroad, learn the requirements for the programs, so that you can incorporate them in your planning.
Join the Facebook page of the incoming freshman class. Communicate with your new roommate - decide who is bringing the fridge and who is bringing the printer. If you are interested in Greek life, find out when rush is and plan accordingly.
Make sure to provide proof of health insurance. Turn in your physical and vaccination record on time. If you have prescriptions, make sure to transfer them to the student health center or a local pharmacy. If you have an ongoing health concern, make sure to bring all medical records necessary.
Finally, stay on top of all deadlines. Your college will communicate with you by email, so make sure you check regularly! You don't want to miss an important deadline because you never opened the email.
Preparation will make this amazing transition exciting rather than intimidating. Best of luck to all of you as you head out on your college adventure.
Elizabeth Katz
Spark College Consulting
650-274-9924
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From The Desk of Susan Zaro,
Licensed Family Therapist and Sports Psychologist
The Value of Visualization Skills
In a recent Men's Fitness article Steph Curry of the Warriors was asked, "How do you mentally or emotionally prepare yourself for a game?" His response, "I take about five minutes before every game and I either try to be by the bench or somewhere near the court, where I can visualize what I want to accomplish that night...that way I can almost feel like I've been there before, even though I haven't. It can calm your nerves, and give you a sense of comfort when you're out there."
Visualization is a skill that takes time to train. Athletes at any skill level can develop thisskill by incorporating five to ten minutes of quality visualization four times a week into their athletic training program. Visualization is the process of seeing yourself performing or practicing a sport related skill in specificsituations. Through repeatedly visualizing yourself perform a skill with correct form and effective energy level you can enhance your performance by programming the appropriate responses to specific situations. For example: A basketball player who in close games experiences nervousness before a free throw through visualization practice over time can change the experience of the free throw into an opportunity to step up to the line with confidence in various game situations.
Visualization is a skill that compliments physical practice. Another part of Curry's routine is to take a lot of practice shots. He practices a wide array of shots and repeats them over and over again. Physical practice and visual imagery compliment each other as they use overlapping neural networks in your brain that create memory consolidation.
Susan Zaro, is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist and is Board Certified in Biofeedback. In her Sport Psychology practice she specializes in working with amateur and professional athletes of all ages on peak performance, anxiety management, recovery from injury and other issues related to sports. Programs are customized for individual athletes, groups and teams. For additional information regarding visualization or any other Sport Psychology issues contact Susan Zaro, LMFT, BCB for a free 30 minute phone consultation @ www.susanzaro.com
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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
****************
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
Pacific 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
Southern Methodist University
Williams College
University of Southern California
University of California, Santa Barbara
Dickinson College
Babson University
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