Cherokeeplayer posted:Midwest Mom posted:Agree with Cabbage. My 2019 son attended his first camp at a school he was interested in the summer before Freshman year. He is also a fun kid (I think he's goofy), and also a team leader. I wouldn't overly worry about the goofiness -- once they get in that situation with a mix of so many kids -- many of them 2019s (and maybe some 2018s) -- and realize they're competing, they end up moderating and adjusting to the situation, unless they have no self control. These camps are serious and that atmosphere will come across. My son learned so much at that first camp, had fun once he could get the nerves out, got the opportunity to talk to coaches and performed well. Is he going to that school? No, but it's not because of that camp. It was actually really great preparation for what was to come. Please make sure to have a "practice" conversation with him, so he's comfortable if/when he has the opportunity to talk to the coaches.
JMO, but spending money and precious time going to a school you have no interest in seems counterproductive during sophomore year unless you have plenty of money and plenty of time.
Can you go into more about that practice conversation?
We never did a practice conversation per se, but my 2018 had spent a lot of time with adults, so as long as he remembered that coaches were just adults, he was fine. I would suggest he have kind of a general list of questions for when someone says "do you have any questions" and a prepared answer for "what are you looking for in a baseball program/college?"
At the beginning, it was hard. By the end, son would hang up phone and say "It's his first year, he needs to work on his calls. I kind of had to walk him through it."