Chico Escuela posted:If your son plays summer and fall travel ball (like my kid), then I assume that there are only a couple of open weekends. This fall was pretty typical: two weekends with no tournament scheduled in September and October (reduced to one weekend after a rainout and a make-up event). It turned out there were no camps of interest on that one weekend.
I don't think son's coach would get bent out of shape if he skipped a typical weekend tournament to go to a camp at a school that was actively recruiting him, but I don't think son would want to do that more than once in a season. (I'm not aware of other players on the team doing it. Could be I just didn't know why they were gone on a particular weekend.) My son has gotten some notice from college coaches who saw him at tournaments. Otherwise his in-person contacts were at Headfirst--after the summer season had ended--and he may do a similar multi-school showcase after the fall season ends.
I've been involved in a few threads here on camps... but I still feel like I'm missing something, because I don't really get how camps could be a major element of recruiting.
Timing, targeting and cost all seem to weigh against them. If XYZ University is recruiting your kid, is nearby and their camp happens to be on a weekend when your son hasn't already committed to play with his travel team--then sure, why not? But mostly the camp invites don't seem like useful recruiting tools to me.
Hey Chico, just checking your logic on this, particularly the bolded...
Sounds like your son is with a good travel team that is getting him to events where he is getting notice. That's awesome. But, isn't that one of, if not the primary purpose of travel ball when a player is recruiting age? ...to get seen and recruited?
Admittedly, the "camp" world covers the full range of purpose and effectiveness, mostly being as is so often stated here - a fundraiser for school and assistants. But, often, they are used as a follow up, confirmation step, school tour/interview or offer opportunity when there is mutual interest. I don't understand why you would be concerned about missing more than one travel weekend a season for a camp where he is being actively recruited. That should be the goal for both the player and the travel org., right?
Of course, there should be reasonable commitment and good communication to the travel org but remember the purpose. They should be excited for you when those opportunities come up, IMO, and properly prepared to fill the void for those players getting those desired opportunities.