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DyeStat Scholar
Karen Freberg's Recruiting Diary, Part 6
A Visit to the Desert,
or Just Call Me Karen of Arabia!
by Karen Freberg
My latest recruiting trip took me to a completely different kind of landscape--the deserts of the Southwest. There are many natural wonders in the desert. Cactus, sand and red rock outcroppings abound and are highlighted by the beautiful red sunsets. It is also a great place to study the stars. However, my main job was to check out the man-made part of the scene. The university I visited was founded from a land donation from a rancher and get this--a local gambler. Hint! One of the odd things about my visits is that everywhere I've gone so far, I've experienced unusual weather--sun in the Northwest, warmth in the upper Midwest, and now rain in the desert!
On my arrival, the Throws Coach met me, and we had a busy schedule of campus and city tours, and meetings with academic advisors and the athletic staff. The Throws Coach is new to this university, so I was very interested in seeing how the athletes he inherited would react to him. They really liked him, even though he wasn't the one who recruited them. Everyone seemed to work well together at the afternoon's scheduled track workout. Coach really put them through their paces. As a former thrower, he has a good idea of how much work any athlete should be able to take. I also had a chance to talk to the athletic director. Sometimes it gets confusing to meet so many new people, but the AD is usually the guy with the biggest office! Everybody went out of his or her way to make me feel welcome.
Maybe this is a throwers' thing, but the coaches really try to feed you well on these visits. In the Southwest, this means Mexican food or barbecue, which is just fine with me. We had dinner at one of my dad's favorite restaurants, Pinnacle Pete's. If you wear a tie there, they cut it off and pin it on the wall! Coach had a huge steak, and told me the first bite was in honor of my dad, who can't eat steak anymore. We also had great deli sandwiches at Jersey Joe's. All the business people seem to be very supportive of the local athletes, and they really gave me the red carpet treatment.
My football streak is over--all three of the previous games were won by my host university, but not this time. The game was really close and exciting, though, coming down to the last few seconds! I'm not too sure about the cheerleaders from the other school--they had dyed their hair blue. Okay, it must be a cheerleader thing. The guys played very well, and it seemed like the teams were really closely matched.
On your visits, you should try to get to know the athletes as well as possible. After all, these will be your future teammates. I have always asked the coaches to let me stay with athletes in the dorms whenever possible instead of a hotel. I want to get a realistic view of student life. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not bringing my parents along on trips either. They won't be with me at college, so doing my trips on my own is good practice.
My roommate, Ruth, was a very nice person. She was a javelin thrower and gave me a lot of the inside information on the area and the school. She's a good student, serious minded and kind. I appreciated her hospitality. This brings up another hint--when you get home, remember your good manners and send out your thank you notes, even if it's an email. Lots of people have gone to a lot of time, expense, and trouble to give you a good visit, and it's just good manners to say thanks!
I now have one more trip before I make my decision. Do you have any favorites so far? Can you guess which ones I like best? My last trip is to Texas. After this trip I will be ready to decide. It has been a long process, but I am really glad that I have taken the trips, had the visits, written the letters, made the phone calls. Choosing the right school takes a lot of effort, but it's worth it.
I know that some of you are probably thinking that my experience is unusual because I'm getting all of these full scholarship offers. What's really interesting in talking with coaches is that they have "back up" people that they're looking at in case their first choice doesn't sign. They ask you who else you can recommend to them, which is your chance to help other athletes who might otherwise be overlooked. I think there are a lot more scholarship opportunities out there than kids realize--there are lots and lots of great schools and they all need athletes. Don't sell yourself short. One athletic director told my mom that she hoped I wouldn't choose the "wrong" school just because they offered me a scholarship. My mom answered by saying that any school that would give me a full scholarship is automatically the right school--if they care enough about me to give me a scholarship, they'll make sure I have a good experience. Go with the one who loves you.
Okay, here are your homework assignments. If you are a sophomore, it is NOT too early to write to the schools of your choice. You need to get on their 'radar screen' as early as possible. They can't talk to you but they can start a file on you and send you an 'interests' questionnaire. Juniors and seniors need to start hustling because the school you want may not need you in the year you become available, so you better have a set of choices you're willing to attend. For example, I know I could go to any of the five schools I picked. DO NOT wait for someone to notice you--coaches are really, really busy, and it's up to you to remind them of your interest. And have you put up your webpage yet?
Any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. GOODLUCK!! J
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