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The Recruiting Game, a seriesPart 1 - IntroductionThe Recruiting Season is Here!by Donna Dye Overview - The Basics - What to Expect & Your Responsibility - Telephone Calls & Contacts - Campus Visits - Recruiting Activities Chart - Student-Athlete Eligibility - ACT/SAT Tests - Letter of Intent - Signing Period - 7/1/00-- The college recruiting season for the class of 2001 starts today, and with it come telephone calls and contacts from coaches. It's what you've been looking forward to since you were a freshman. But hold on. To make the recruiting experience a success, you need to understand how it works, what to watch for, and what you need to get that happy ending. We've put together a series of articles that will get you and your parents going. We're starting with an overview to give you a basic understanding. Then each week we will publish more detail on a specific topic An Overview1. July--The College recruiting process begins with a college coach approaching you about enrolling in their college and participating in sports. 2. July 1 and during the Senior Year--Telephone calls and contacts from college coaches and/or their representatives. 3. After Junior Year-- student-athlete registers and is certified as eligible by the NCAA. 4. During the Senior Year. Telephone calls and contacts with the college coaches. 5. During the Senior Year. An official visit to the college can be made to help narrow choices. 6. During the Signing Period--An official offer from a college to participate including a scholarship offer is made through a Letter of Intent. 7. No later than the end of the Signing Period. Once the athlete signs the Letter of Intent, the student is committed to that institution for one year. That is a very simplified view of the process. Now for some details. The BasicsCollege recruiting begins July 1 and ends at end of the last day of the Letter of Intent Signing Dates. There are two signing date periods: Early and Late. For Cross Country, Track and Field, the Early Period this year begins November 8 and ends November 15. The Late Period begins April 11, 2001 and ends August 1, 2001. As you may have heard or already know, there are many, many rules which govern the recruiting process. The National Collegiate Athletic Association otherwise known as the NCAA develops and monitors these rules. What you may not know is that the Letter of Intent process is governed by another organization, the Collegiate Commissioners Association also known as the CCA. You should also understand that not every college belongs to the NCAA, although most prominent colleges are members. Colleges and recruits that are not members of the NCAA are not bound by the NCAA rules. There is a lot of history to these rules and these organizations. More on the NCAA and CCA later. Because the NCAA is so much a part of the recruiting process we quote or summarize NCAA information in this series of articles. However, this article should not be taken as the final word. Consult your parents, high school coach, high school counselor and the college coach and/or the NCAA itself. The NCAA has a wonderful website that contains a lot of information and details on specific topics. It also includes telephone numbers and email addresses. I know from experience that they have friendly and knowledgeable staff manning the telephones. The web address is: www.ncaa.org. What To Expect And Your ResponsibilityThe rules for recruiting are determined by the Division membership of the college. There are three divisions in the NCAA: Division I, II, and III. The difference between the divisions is basically the number of sports that the college sponsors and the amount of athletically related financial aid a college awards to student-athletes. More on the divisions later. For all Divisions Once you become a recruited prospective student-athlete, of a NCAA college, the NCAA rules apply to your recruiting experience. According to the NCAA, "a student-athlete becomes a 'recruited prospective student-athlete' at a particular college if any coach or representative of the college's athletics interests such as a booster or representative, approaches you (or any member of your family) about enrolling and participating in athletics at that college. Specific activities that could make you a "recruited prospective student-athlete are: � Providing you with an official visit;� Placing more than one telephone call to you or any other member of your family; or� Visiting you or any other member of your family anywhere other than the college campus.Some other rules that apply include: � No alumni, boosters or representatives of the college's athletics interest van are involved in your recruiting. There can be no phone calls or letters from boosters. (Recruiting by alumni or others as part of a college's regular admissions program for all prospective students including nonathletes is allowed.)� You or your family may not receive any benefit, inducement or arrangement such as cash, clothing, cars, improper expenses, transportation, gifts, or loans to encourage you to sign a National Letter of Intent or attend an NCAA college.� Letters from coaches, faculty members and students (but not boosters) aren't permitted until September 1 at the beginning of your junior year."Telephone Calls and ContactsFor Divisions I and II. There are rules about telephone calls and contacts. College coaches and faculty may telephone you or your parents once a week. There are some exceptions dealing with planning a campus visit but we'll go over that later. You can make a collect call to a coach or use a toll free number after July 1 after your junior year. Enrolled student-athletes may not call you. But enrolled nonathlete students may call you if it is part of the regular recruitment for all prospective students. A contact according to the NCAA is "any face-to-face meeting between a college coach and you or your parents, during which any of you say more than' hello.' And, any face-to-face meeting that is prearranged or that occurs at your high school or competition or practice site is a contact, regardless of the conversation." A coach may contact you off the college campus three times. For Division III. Coaches and athletic department staff members, alumni or representatives of a college's athletics interests such as boosters or representatives may contact you in person off the college campus after your junior year of high school. There is no limit on the number of contacts or the period when they may occur. You may not tryout for a Division III college's athletics team. Campus VisitsTo help you narrow your decision you may want to make an official college campus visit so that you can see the facilities and meet the athletic team. An official visit is one that is paid by the college. You may make one official visit to five Division I and II colleges. You may make one official visit in Division III. But if you initially enroll in a Division III college you may make as many official visits as you need and can arrange. So five official visits is the limit unless you enroll in a Division III college. You can make as many visits to college campuses as you like if you pay for the trips, such trips would not be official visits. Snapshot Of Recruiting Activities
Student-Athlete EligibilityLike recruiting, eligibility is determined by the division membership of the college. The NCAA Clearinghouse determines and certifies eligibility of student athletes to participate in NCAA sports. In general, for all divisions test scores, grade point average and specific classes successfully completed are used to determine eligibility. The kinds and number of courses, test score minimums and level of grade point average separate the divisions. Determining eligibility is a complex and often controversial. The only way to know for sure about your eligibility is to register with the NCAA. You will be advised about your eligibility. You should register after your junior year so that you will have the certification for the recruiting purposes. To register, you need to fill out a student release form and mail or fax the white copy to the clearinghouse along with the $25 fee. Give the pink and yellow copies of the form to your high school counselor . The counselor will send the yellow copy along with an official copy of your high school transcript, to the clearinghouse. The high school keeps the pink copy for their files. The fee can be waived; see your counselor. The chart below provides a quick first level view of the eligibility criteria. These criteria apply only to Division I and II. The college, conference and other NCAA regulations guide division III. These criteria apply to the classification of "qualifier." There is also a "partial qualifier" classification. We will discuss "partial qualifier" later. Or, you may find information at the NCAA website.
*For Core Definitions-See NCAA Website ACT/SAT TestsYou should take one of the required tests as soon as possible. The following chart provides test dates. Some dates have limitations or restrictions. Check the application material or the test administrator's website: SAT at www.collegeboard.org and the ACT at www.act.org . See your high school counselor for an application or visit the test administrator's website.
Letter of IntentThe Letter of Intent is the official offer from the college. When you sign the letter of intent, you are agreeing to attend the college for one academic year in exchange for the collage awarding financial aid, including athletics aid, for one academic year. You are not guaranteed renewal. However, by NCAA rules you must be notified each year whether your athletics aid has been renewed. You don't necessarily need to sign a new letter of intent for each year. More on the letter of intent later. Signing PeriodThe Letter of Intent must be signed no earlier than 7:00 am. (local time) on the Initial Signing Date or before the end of Final Signing Date. For Cross Country and Track and Field The Following are the Signing Dates: Early Period-Initial Signing Date-November 8, 2000 Final Signing Date-November 15, 2000 Late Period-Initial Signing Date April 11, 2001 Final Singing Date August 1, 2001 TO BE CONTINUED! This completes the first part of the DyeStat Guide to the Recruiting Game. Coming: More Information About Recruiting; Making a College Choice, Things to Think About; Questions To Ask, Ask the Coach and For Parents.
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