March 19, 2024

Football – Freshman- May

 Recruiting Dream Team – Do You Have One?

What does the term ‘Recruiting Dream Team’ refer to and do you need one?

Your recruiting dream team is you and your parents or other interested and involved people that are willing to help you during all phases of your recruiting process. It could be one or both of your parents or even one or more of your other family members. Sometimes grandparents can even serve in this roll.

Absolutely, you do NEED a team of people who are willing to consistently help you manage your recruiting game plan as you move through your high school athletic career.

Getting an athletic scholarship is not an instantaneous one-shot event. There are many steps along the way, and help with school searches, the many letters and emails of introduction, meeting deadlines, creating athletic profiles and highlight videos, making school visits, and even negotiating with coaches will prove invaluable.

While you can keep up with the recruiting process yourself, it is much easier when you enlist the help and support of at least one other person who will be committed to your recruiting game plan efforts. You will be very busy with many activities including practicing and playing football and maybe another sport, your studies, a social life, and your family activities.

Here are just a few of the ways your recruiting dream team can help:

   They can gather college and athletic program information. They can also write letters or emails of introduction, help with your athletic profile, help create or pay for your highlight videos and they can handle countless other details.

   Your dream team can respond to coaches questionnaires, and other requests for information.

   Using a filing and tracking system, they can keep coach communication and your whole recruiting process organized. This is a huge job, and will become even more important as the different coaches express recruiting interest in you.

   Your parents or other members of the team can help you keep your head on straight when the calls and attention from coaches does begin. While it is exciting beyond belief, when all the attention starts, if can be overwhelming.

   Team members can keep track of your high school academic, extracurricular accomplishments, and athletic achievements, and they can give timely stats updates to the various coaches.

Gather together your Recruiting Dream Team now; you will be glad you did. Your parents and other interested family members or even willing friends can be so much more than a handy secretary. You need these people; they can both encourage you and help you keep your feet on the ground when the recruiting process heats up.

 

 

What is Procrastination?

How Can It Affect Me Academically?

Procrastination is putting off or avoiding doing something that needs to be done. This is a natural reaction. Excessive procrastination can lead to problems and can interfere with academic success.

In the spring of your senior year there are still many tasks that have to be done. Giving in to procrastination can affect your grades which will affect your GPA and which could affect your college acceptance. Colleges require a final transcript after graduation to look for these last minute grade drops.

How Can I Tell If I Procrastinate Excessively?

“If You Agree With Five Or More Of The Statements Below Then Procrastination Is A Problem For You…”

1. I often put off starting a task I find difficult.

2. I often give up on a task as soon as I start to find it difficult.

3. I often wonder why I should be doing a task.

4. I often have difficulty getting started on a task.

5. I often try to do so many tasks at once that I can’t do any of them.

6. I often put off a task in which I have little or no interest.

7. I often try to come up with reasons to do something other than what I have to do.

8. I often ignore a task when I am not sure about how to start it or complete it.

9. I often start a task but stop before completing it.

10. I often find myself thinking that if I ignore a task, it will go away.

11. I often can’t decide which of a number of tasks should completed first.

12. I often find my mind wandering to things other than the task on which I am trying to work.

 

Forms, Forms and More Forms

Understanding all of the forms you may encounter in finding  financial aid for college may seem like an impossible task.  Just when you think you have a handle on it another dozen or so new forms with new terms will be needed.

Below is a list of common forms and what they mean. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list – after all it wouldn’t be any fun if new forms didn’t pop up from time to time.

“What’s Inside?…”

 

1. CFAA: College Financial Aid Application

2. CSS Profile Application: Form to order CSS Profile

3. CSS Profile: Financial Aid Application used by private colleges and universities

4. CSS information return sheet: Forms showing all data placed on CSS Profile

5. FAFSA: Processes student and family financial aid data for SAR

6. Renewal FAFSA: Processes financial aid and family data for returning students for SAR

7. SAR: Student Aid Report that determines family’s contribution

8. Corrected SAR: SAR where estimased income figures are replaced with actual income figures

9. Final SAR: SAR with actual income figures that generate your final EFC

10. State Loan Application: Document requiring questions to be completed for State loan funds

11. State Loan acceptance/denial: Form stating amount eligible for or reasons why denied

12. SEOG Grant: Grant recipients with lowest expected family contribution

13. SSIG Grant: State Student Incentive Grant given to student as additional financial aid

14. PELL Grant: Grant, need based for families with low incomes

15. State Grant Application: Application requiring certain information to determine eligibility

16. State Grant acceptance/denial: Letter stating amount and disbursements or reasons denied

17. PERKINS loan: Perkins Loan acceptance form (loan application handled by college)

18. STAFFORD loan application: Student signature only application to receive Stafford funds

19. STAFFORD acceptance: List amount minus P & O fees and dates funds to be dispersed

20. STAFFORD loan denial: Document stating specific reasons you are not eligible for Stafford

21. School financial aid award letter: Financial aid the school determines student qualifies for

22. Parent PLUS Loan Application: Form requiring family and student data and amount required for the year

23. PLUS Loan acceptance/denial: Tells amount of loans and disbursement dates or reasons denied

24. Supplemental STAFFORD Loan: Unsubsidized Stafford loan given to student when PLUS Loan denied

25. Verification Form: Colleges require this form to verify family and student information is correct

26. Forbearance Form: Form to request loan payments be deferred 1-3 years due to financial hardship

27. Financial Aid appeal letter: Letter sent questioning and asking for Financial Aid consideration

28. Special Circumstances form: Letter requesting explanation of and reconsideration of awarded aid

29. Deferment Form: Request loan’s interest and/or principle be suspended for a period of time

30. Tuition Prepayment plans: Normally offered by colleges during late spring for upcoming year.

 

Developing The Will To Win

Everyone acknowledges the importance of being a team player, but we all also know there are times when you must decide to step up and be singularly demonstrate the unstoppable urge to win?

While there is no “I” in “Team”, there is a definite “I” in “Win”, and in the game of football, it takes a team of individual players; all of them having the will to “Win” to out score opponents game after game.

We have all seen games where an athlete hangs back hoping that a teammate will step up and make the play.  This usually does nothing to  win the game and typically contributes to a loss.

Do you have the will to win?  What are some of the things you can to summon the courage to display the will to win?

   Give yourself permission to win, to excel, to demonstrate your talents even if it does make those around you envious.  Did you know that when you show your will to win you encourage those around you to behave like winners also.  You actually give them courage to win.  The will to win is contagious!

   Use  rejection, judgment and jealousy to help you aspire to greatness.  Regardless of how uncomfortable you make your teammates, you will never be happy or enjoy real success downplaying your skills, talents, and accomplishments in an effort to make others feel more comfortable.

   When people put you down and say you can’t do something, channel your frustration and anger and let it spearhead your drive into the elite levels of competition.

   Develop a winning attitude.  It is simple to cultivate a winning mindset, simply determine to complete every task, regardless of what it is, to the very best of your ability.  Deciding to aspire to do your very best, regardless of the nature of the job, will almost automatically give you the inclination to succeed in everything.

 

 

Arkansas Football Coach Fired

The recent firing of Bobby Patrino, head football coach for Arkansas, should give all potential football recruits reason to take pause and consider what should be the reasons why they want to be recruited by a certain football program.

It is a well-known fact that many recruits are enamored by the idea of playing football for a famous coach, but as is evidenced by the doubt and confusion among the 25 newly signed 2012 Arkansas recruits, the loss of a head football coach for any reason could prove disastrous to the program depending upon several factors including how long it takes to hire a new head coach and who is actually hired.

Many of the 25 recruits were attracted to Arkansas because the football program, coached by Patrino, was said to be in position to win the National Championship next year.  Without a head coach, the Razorbacks may not fair so well.  In addition, if Jeff Long, the AD, doesn’t fill the position soon, 2013 recruiting will also be hurt.

What Can You Learn From This?

   Avoid signing with a school based on a certain coach being there.  Remember, you are accepting an athletic scholarship from the school, not the head coach.  Do not let all your hopes and dreams be smashed with the fate of a coach.

Sign with a school that will give you an education that you can plan a career around besides football.  Overwhelmingly, college football players do not go on to the pros.

Sign with a school where you will feel comfortable attending even if you get injured, the head coach leaves or the football program goes south.

Your top priority should be to use your football scholarship to pay for your college degree.  Regardless of how alluring the limelight is for any college level football player, that should be secondary to your education.  You will be in college for 4 to 5 years, but the preparation you make in those years can prepare you for a life’s career.