I can't say this to the coach right? (Vent)

[Pea-n-Me]

Interesting since I'd say the vast majority of parents of athletes I know do expect scholarships as the benefit to playing sports. In fact, I've heard these parents state on several occasions that the primary reason for their kid's participation in sports was to net scholarships. Plus, my dd has spoken of the pressure her friends who are in sports feel from their parents to play well enouigh to get scholarships.

I remember one parent in particular lecturing me in a very condescending manner about why my dd had to play a sport to get a scholarship and how important it was to "invest" in sports

So your daughter doesn't play a sport?

 

[ZuZugal]

Golf is pretty easy to play in college though..besides, her options are working 3 jobs over the summer or working on her golf game, pretty easy choice for her. She doesn't want to play at a top 25 program or anything like that-she could, doesn't want to. The programs she is looking at have pretty easy schedules with tournaments close to the schools. She would spend less time playing in college then she does in high school.

I know girls playing golf in college and NONE of them would ever say that "golf is pretty easy to play in college". Many of them have classes in the morning only and then practice all afternoon, then study in the evening. Granted there is a big difference between D1, D2, D3, and NAIA. If your DD is being offered an athletic scholarship for golf then she is looking at D1 or D2, correct? D3 is academic money only.

 

[declansdad]

I know girls playing golf in college and NONE of them would ever say that "golf is pretty easy to play in college". Many of them have classes in the morning only and then practice all afternoon, then study in the evening. Granted there is a big difference between D1, D2, D3, and NAIA. If your DD is being offered an athletic scholarship for golf then she is looking at D1 or D2, correct? D3 is academic money only.

Sorry, you are wrong.

 

[robinb]

Granted there is a big difference between D1, D2, D3, and NAIA. If your DD is being offered an athletic scholarship for golf then she is looking at D1 or D2, correct? D3 is academic money only.

As I understand it, they also offer different scholarships within the divisions depending on the talent of the athlete and the needs of the team. For instance one D1 team may offer a full ride while another offers just academic for the same student. Then again, my DD is just in 7th grade so I have a few more years before I really have to worry about this stuff.

 

[Swan4Me]

Golf is pretty easy to play in college though..besides, her options are working 3 jobs over the summer or working on her golf game, pretty easy choice for her.

She doesn't want to play at a top 25 program or anything like that-she could, doesn't want to.

The programs she is looking at have pretty easy schedules with tournaments close to the schools. She would spend less time playing in college then she does in high school.

If she is that good why not?

It is amazing how much you know about how much the kids will practice before even knowing which college your DD "might" get a scholarship to!

 

[ZuZugal]

As I understand it, they also offer different scholarships within the divisions depending on the talent of the athlete and the needs of the team. For instance one D1 team may offer a full ride while another offers just academic for the same student. Then again, my DD is just in 7th grade so I have a few more years before I really have to worry about this stuff.

Absolutely. In golf, D1 schools have 4.5 scholarships to offer for the men and 6.0 for the women. The coaches can divide those $ however they see fit. You can add academic $$ to that as well, but it is rare that even a great student golfer walk away with a full athletic scholarship in golf. Doing your homework early is the best way to start the process.

I admit I know NOTHING about swimming and the # of scholarships available; I have golfers and baseball players.

 

[allison443]

Absolutely. In golf, D1 schools have 4.5 scholarships to offer for the men and 6.0 for the women. The coaches can divide those $ however they see fit. You can add academic $$ to that as well, but it is rare that even a great student golfer walk away with a full athletic scholarship in golf. Doing your homework early is the best way to start the process.

I admit I know NOTHING about swimming and the # of scholarships available; I have golfers and baseball players.

They have six scholarships for the whole golf team? How many are on the team? (i'm just curious-I don't have a golfer!)

 

[robinb]

I admit I know NOTHING about swimming and the # of scholarships available; I have golfers and baseball players.

9.9 for men, 14.0 for women.

 

[ZuZugal]

They have six scholarships for the whole golf team? How many are on the team? (i'm just curious-I don't have a golfer!)

Most teams take 6 to a tournament, but the team carries more players than that...usually 8 or 9. Just depends on the division and what works for each team.

 

[Kallista]

I guess that is a good way to put it...all of these elite kids LOVE the sport or they wouldn't be playing at that level but the ultimate goal whether expressed or not is to play past high school....

DD likes golf, she doesn't "love" golf, but she knows that it's a means to an end and it will help her pay for college. She has watched former teammates go through the process. Every girl from her team since she has been playing has been offered scholarships--not all of them took them because they chose other schools though. The ones that did are either on full rides or with a combination of golf and academic scholarships are paying nothing for college--she gets that, so do we. Then again, we have spent all of $250 on golf for her this year, $100 of that being new golf shoes. They get to play and practice free at their home course, if they play other courses they usually get commped green fees, the other $150 went for her summer tournament registrations. Oh, I guess we paid $90 for her activity fee at school too.

I am so grateful that I can pay for college for my kids without worrying about sports.

 

[WDWBlue]

Actually, if you are that "elite" at soccer you aren't trying to get into a U.S. college. If your goal is to compete with the best of the best you are trying to get into the youth team/academy of a European club. Most top pro soccer players are getting first team call-ups at 17 or 18 even if just for early rounds in cup competitions. Going to college in the U.S. is a hindrance to playing at clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and the like because 22 is considered old to start a pro career with the those caliber of clubs. Guiseppe Rossi, for example, moved from NJ to Parma in Italy at 12 to get into their youth system and was in Manchester United's youth system at 17.

Soccer isn't fed by colleges, it is fed by an academy system. There are some exceptions, like Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride, but that isn't the norm. Most people aren't that caliber but if we are talking prospective pros that really should be the goal with a college scholarship being the second choice IMO.

If you're in the US you are.

 

[WDWBlue]

It's great that all of the kids in your program play just for the love of the game and have no designs on playing at a higher level but for the vast majority of the kids across the nation in ALL sports, not just soccer, that play at an elite level the ultimate goal is to get recognized by college, Olympic and maybe even professional coaches/recruiters. Having had these conversations with parents over the years as a varsity coach as well as just talking with friends and other parents, it is very much the goal to get college scholarships, us included with our DD and golf--it will be a way to pay or help pay for college--why not if they have the talent. There is nothing wrong with it but people do have to be realistic too. It makes zero sense to pay $150K to play at an elite level in hopes of getting maybe $50K in scholarship money, which was the point of the one example I posted.

Now, with that one example I posted, while she has the talent to play, she isn't likely to get any offers because she has a bad attitude, is not a team player and her parents are the thorn in the coaches side---college coaches ask about this...

I think your numbers are a bit of a stretch.....

The ultimate goal of these parents, I suspect, is to have their child reach his/her full athletic potential, whatever that might be. Good for them.

 

[jrmasm]

9.9 for men, 14.0 for women.

Any idea how many swimmers are typically on a college team? I didn't swim in college but from elementary on up through high school, all my teams were huge!!

 

[jrmasm]

If you're in the US you are.

Yeah and what about girls?

 

[mumom95]

I used to coach varsity volleyball back when I taught full time (so it was over 10 years ago) and very few of my parents had the plan for their daughter to play in college. We were a small school and not a volleyball powerhouse, so we would have maybe one girl every couple of years get a scholarship. When I moved to California I was the assistant to the varsity coach. That program was a much stronger program and still we maybe had two girls a year get scholarships to college.

So it's been a while, but my experience is that most parents don't have college sport scholarships in mind. My kids are only 10 and 12 but they play sports and pretty much all their friends play sports. As far as I know only two sets of the parents ever talk about their kids playing in college. Everyone else just seems to say their kid plays the sport because their kid likes the sport.

 

[sam_gordon]

All three of my kids are in sports.

DD(13) played soccer for a couple years, got tired of the running and is now playing softball (travel ball & middle school). Also tried swimming one season.
DS(7) has played soccer for four years, is on an academy soccer team (step between rec & select), will play basketball in the winter (rec) , and tried out baseball (little league) this past spring.
DD(5) is on her first soccer team (rec) now.

My goal for all my kids...
1) Be on a team with all the associated benefits of working with others, new friendships, etc.
2) Get exercise.
3) Learn time management.
4) Be able to CONTRIBUTE to the team (ie: playing time because they've earned it instead of it being automatic) at the HS level (assuming they're still playing then).

That's it. Now, do I *WISH* the kids will get an athletic scholarship? Sure. But I'm not counting on it. In other words, I won't turn one down, but I'm not pushing the kids to play because of possible money.

 

[robinb]

Any idea how many swimmers are typically on a college team? I didn't swim in college but from elementary on up through high school, all my teams were huge!!

The University of Wisconsin looks to be about 19 for the men's team and 24 for the women's team. My DD's club team has over 200 kids on it! Her summer rec team is just as big!

ETA: We have money set aside for my DD's education so a scholarship would be a bonus for us and like the PP I wouldn't turn it down .

 

[jrmasm]

The University of Wisconsin looks to be about 19 for the men's team and 24 for the women's team. My DD's club team has over 200 kids on it! Her summer rec team is just as big!

ETA: We have money set aside for my DD's education so a scholarship would be a bonus for us.

Thanks!! I just assumed college teams were large too. But the smaller team numbers make the number scholarship available seem more reasonable.