Some of the college questionnaires want your High School coach to complete an section of the questionnaire. My question is how many of these are reasonable to approach the coach with? Is 5 or less a good number?
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Here's what we did. We filled out several (probably 5 or 6 at a time) and gave them to HS coach along with stamped, addressed envelopes. When others needed to be sent later, we did the same thing. He could fill them out as he had time, and send them himself without returning them to us. He never complained about it, and as far as I know they all made it back.
longtoss...i would make sure that you followup with all schools with an email explaining you filled out the evaluation and your coach will send it in. Make sure in the email you ask if they received it and that you are appreciative of their interest in you....you never know. If you do not get a response, it may mean they didn't get it or you are only on a mailing list. Alot of schools mail, mail and mail, but never respond to emails. My son personally took them off his list after 2 emails with no reply. He was looking for a school that was as interested as he was, not in getting a bunch of letters to build his ego. You will know if they are interested in their level of communication, not their mailing info.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
I would second the advice about contacting the college coach to let him know you gave his questionaire to your hs coach, who will send it in.
I got an email from a well known D-1 coach telling me that he'd sent my son's hs coach a questionaire, but that he had never returned it. When I questioned the hs coach about it, he replied that he threw it in the trash unopened. When I asked what the **** he did that for, his reply was that it wasn't his job to help the kids get to college. Only after I insisted that he complete another one did he do so, but we have no idea what he said on it. College coach was pretty understanding, but it was an embarrasing situation.
Not all coaches are the same, so you are well advised to follow-up with the college coach to help ensure that your information gets returned.
I got an email from a well known D-1 coach telling me that he'd sent my son's hs coach a questionaire, but that he had never returned it. When I questioned the hs coach about it, he replied that he threw it in the trash unopened. When I asked what the **** he did that for, his reply was that it wasn't his job to help the kids get to college. Only after I insisted that he complete another one did he do so, but we have no idea what he said on it. College coach was pretty understanding, but it was an embarrasing situation.
Not all coaches are the same, so you are well advised to follow-up with the college coach to help ensure that your information gets returned.
I have never had a player come to me with a quesionaire they always come to us and we sit down with the player and fill them out and then send them in. But if a player brought one to me I would do the same thing sit down with him fill it out and then I would mail in it. If he wanted to take it home to let his parents take a look at it to make sure that all the information was ok I would let him do the mailing. It is a coaches job to help in anyway a kid that wants to play at the next level. Of course we should be honest and of course we should help them anyway we can. IT IS PART OF THE COACHES JOB. How any coach would see it otherwise is beyond my comprehension.
Coach May, don't worry it is beyond my comprehension also, but there are other things we have trouble with when it comes to this coach. Some people coach for reasons I don't understand, but then some might think I coach for the wrong reasons, too. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who coaches and isn't interested in helping the kids move on, is doing it for the wrong reasons.
We did the same as topdogfan.
Coach May - I wish you were our son's HS coach...sure makes things easier for all when cooperation is part of the game. You sound like one of the 'good ones!'
06catcherdad - Thats an amazing story...although certainly not shocking to me. I sometimes think that up to 1/2 of the coaches out there are, lets say, not like Coach May. Sad.
Coach May - I wish you were our son's HS coach...sure makes things easier for all when cooperation is part of the game. You sound like one of the 'good ones!'
06catcherdad - Thats an amazing story...although certainly not shocking to me. I sometimes think that up to 1/2 of the coaches out there are, lets say, not like Coach May. Sad.
I would try to keep the coach from having the ability to control this flow of information. If I had ten to fill out then I would give him all ten and I would ask if he had time to do it now or would be OK to pick them up the next day. I wouldn’t give him the option of mailing them. How do you control the situation? I think tact and honesty works wonders here. Personally I did things a little differently. Sometime we would get the questionnaires and sometimes they would go directly to the school. On the questionnaires that went directly to the school, the coach would give me the questionnaire and I would fill in all the blanks since I was the statistician and had access to all the stats. I’m not sure how it happened but somewhere along the way I was the one that filled in the coach’s remarks. I would give the coach back the questionnaire completely filled out, he would sign it in my presence and return it to me and I in turn would mail it. He and I both knew I wasn’t doing it this way for the sole purpose of perpetuating my son but also to assist the coach with his “administrative duties”. The coach knew I was not going to lie or sugarcoat and this was the most efficient method of completing a task.
Fungo
Fungo
We made it as easy on our high school coach as we could by providing the stats and making sure that he had a stamped, addressed envelope for each. We also checked back with him periodically to make sure that he'd sent them in.
However, we also copied each before we gave them to him and sent a copy to the school. It was incomplete; but, at least they were aware of our interest and would have that much to put in their database.
Fortunately, our coach was happy to do all he could to help. The more I read this board, the more grateful I am for that.
However, we also copied each before we gave them to him and sent a copy to the school. It was incomplete; but, at least they were aware of our interest and would have that much to put in their database.
Fortunately, our coach was happy to do all he could to help. The more I read this board, the more grateful I am for that.
What we did and I still advice the players to do, even is f they ask us, not the HS Coach to fill an evaluation out , is to give the coach a copy for his use and we kept the original.
We sent in the total package with a note that the coaches eval was forthcoming.
We sent in the total package with a note that the coaches eval was forthcoming.
06CatcherDad - That is very unfortunate. When I read those kinds of stories, I fell even more grateful for the HS coach my son had. I know that our HS kids all received a lot of questionnaires and I also know that coach filled them all out - very promptly and very cooperatively. We also just gave him a stamped addressed envelope. I had no desire to see what he wrote - we trusted him and felt his evaluation of my son was an important part of the puzzle for us.
My son received a couple of questionnaires right as he was beginning JUCO this fall. He actually gave those to his HS coach to fill out who still was gracious and cooperative.
Those kinds of coaches help to make the HS experience what it should be.
My son received a couple of questionnaires right as he was beginning JUCO this fall. He actually gave those to his HS coach to fill out who still was gracious and cooperative.
Those kinds of coaches help to make the HS experience what it should be.
I'm calling my son's coach today and inviting him to dinner. He brought every junior into his office last year for a conference on colleges, telling him what they needed to do and what he would do for them, which was anything and everything he could. Like Coach May, he gets it and understands that in the competitive college situation, kids need all the help they can get.
The advice here is great and I'm sorry for any family that has to deal with a coach who cares only about a stipend and not the kids in his program.
The advice here is great and I'm sorry for any family that has to deal with a coach who cares only about a stipend and not the kids in his program.
When our HS coach was asked to fill out questionnaires, we had no idea if he was following through. My son was in class with him every day, but felt like he was bugging the coach if he asked about the status of questionnaires. Remember, we still have a spring season left to play with the HS coach, and our son didn't want to irritate him.
Since the college coaches were calling each week, our son would follow up with the college coach to see if they had received the HS's paperwork. If not, then he made sure they knew he had delivered everything to his HS coach and it was (hopefully) forthcoming.
I was under the impression that HS paperwork was to come from the HS coach under seperate mail. Some schools even provided separate envelopes with prepaid postage for us and for the HS coach. I think college coaches are used to HS coaches who aren't as involved with recruiting as they could be. Just communicate with the college coach.
By the way, depsite uninvolement by our HS coach, everything worked out fine in the end. The HS coach is only a small piece of the recruiting puzzle.
Since the college coaches were calling each week, our son would follow up with the college coach to see if they had received the HS's paperwork. If not, then he made sure they knew he had delivered everything to his HS coach and it was (hopefully) forthcoming.
I was under the impression that HS paperwork was to come from the HS coach under seperate mail. Some schools even provided separate envelopes with prepaid postage for us and for the HS coach. I think college coaches are used to HS coaches who aren't as involved with recruiting as they could be. Just communicate with the college coach.
By the way, depsite uninvolement by our HS coach, everything worked out fine in the end. The HS coach is only a small piece of the recruiting puzzle.
If you have a coach who isn't supportive, it helps to have thick skin. A couple months after the questionaire incident, we had another interesting moment with the coach. When coach found out my son had been invited to tryout for the Area Code Games, he huffed "That's b*llsh*t, he doesn't deserve it". Nice guy, huh? Thankfully, professional scouts are the people who recommend players for Area Code, not high school coaches.
One more season of high school ball, then its off to college. Of course, everything we've done regarding college baseball has been done without any assistance at all from this high school coach. Some people coach for the wrong reasons.
One more season of high school ball, then its off to college. Of course, everything we've done regarding college baseball has been done without any assistance at all from this high school coach. Some people coach for the wrong reasons.
06catcherdad posted:
An odd answer from someone I assume teaches high school for the bulk of his income. Isn't preparing kids for college, among other things, the reason he is there at all?
quote:....his reply was that it wasn't his job to help the kids get to college.
An odd answer from someone I assume teaches high school for the bulk of his income. Isn't preparing kids for college, among other things, the reason he is there at all?
I would hope and believe this is the exception and not the rule. But, like some jobs they are there to get a paycheck. Unfortunate, but that is life.
KC Baseball,
Your story sounds exactly the same as our situation. We were told the Head Coach had to confidentially fill out his portion of the paperwork and send it back in a seperate envelope from the school. The paperwork never was sent in as it was thrown in the trash by a coach who said he would never play baseball beyond High School, so he wasn't going to waste his time. Every letter that came after that requesting the coach to fill out something, we crossed that school off our list. Just wasn't worth it. We were told a long time ago that HS ball would probably not play a major role in his career and we should not worry too much. Our story ended happily as he signed early to play college ball with scholarship.
Your story sounds exactly the same as our situation. We were told the Head Coach had to confidentially fill out his portion of the paperwork and send it back in a seperate envelope from the school. The paperwork never was sent in as it was thrown in the trash by a coach who said he would never play baseball beyond High School, so he wasn't going to waste his time. Every letter that came after that requesting the coach to fill out something, we crossed that school off our list. Just wasn't worth it. We were told a long time ago that HS ball would probably not play a major role in his career and we should not worry too much. Our story ended happily as he signed early to play college ball with scholarship.
Dad04, the guy doesn't teach at our school. He has a seperate job and was hired just to coach our baseball team. There are actually quite a few schools in our area with this arrangement. Its sort of a double-edged sword. If you get a teacher that isn't a very good baseball coach, the players don't develop, and if you get a coach who, while he may know the game, is clueless about helping kids, you end up with a tough situation for the kids not on his good list.
I guess a positive development is that it has taught my son that he has to persevere when confronted with someone who is a negative influence.
I guess a positive development is that it has taught my son that he has to persevere when confronted with someone who is a negative influence.
Do the schools with uncooperative coaches have "Athletic Directors" that could help out? Maybe if you went to him/her they could either fill out the questionaire or put pressure on the Coach to do his part as that IS part of his job!
I have made this note a number of times but pumas post made me think of it again-- what we did was meet with the Guidance Counselor, Athletic Director and Principal, I bought the coffee and dunkin Donuts, when my son entered HS-- I said we may have something special here and I want to make sure it doesnt get screwed up--note I said may---they worked with me all four years and my son became the first baseball player in their HS history to attain a baseball scholarship to a major D-1 school--it was team work all the way
TR - Interesting story. I think where I live that if I tried what you did I would be told to "take a hike!"
I just stayed on top of things as best as I could.
puma1 - Our HS AD was pretty good at running the program...but I wouldn't have dared go to him with such a request. Our AD always seemed to be pretty skeptical that any athlete at his school would move on to D1...even though as the football coach he had 2 players move on to Pac-10 schools two years before our son and a swimmer move on to Stanford the same year as our son. When I saw him last year, he seemed genuinely surprised that our son had played as much as he did as a freshman. I always sensed a bit of doubt and a twinge of resentment.
I just stayed on top of things as best as I could.
puma1 - Our HS AD was pretty good at running the program...but I wouldn't have dared go to him with such a request. Our AD always seemed to be pretty skeptical that any athlete at his school would move on to D1...even though as the football coach he had 2 players move on to Pac-10 schools two years before our son and a swimmer move on to Stanford the same year as our son. When I saw him last year, he seemed genuinely surprised that our son had played as much as he did as a freshman. I always sensed a bit of doubt and a twinge of resentment.
justbaseball
As a footnote the AD is now at another HS and we talk regularly---he even sends us players every year from his program
I consider him a great friend some 12 years later
PS it didnt hurt that I ran all the youth programs in the town and after my son graduated he offered me the HS Baseball coaching position
As a footnote the AD is now at another HS and we talk regularly---he even sends us players every year from his program
I consider him a great friend some 12 years later
PS it didnt hurt that I ran all the youth programs in the town and after my son graduated he offered me the HS Baseball coaching position
I ran the youth leagues too and this did get us access to the field. The AD also had me on 2 of the past 3 coach hiring commitees. While overall a pretty good guy, he wasn't too keen on baseball in general and seemed somewhat hesitant to help with the college process.
It was ok overall...just couldn't expect much support and I knew that...we worked around it.
It was ok overall...just couldn't expect much support and I knew that...we worked around it.
just
I will be the first to admit that we were very fortunate with how it worked for us-- the AD was not a baseball guy--he was a great football coach before coming to our HS as the AD and his son was a College Lacrosse All American at Syracuse and played in the Pro Lacrosse League
I will be the first to admit that we were very fortunate with how it worked for us-- the AD was not a baseball guy--he was a great football coach before coming to our HS as the AD and his son was a College Lacrosse All American at Syracuse and played in the Pro Lacrosse League
Interesting and true stores of high school coaches. I worked for one as an assistant. I created a program for him so we could build a baseball program that others would envy. When our 1st group of seniors were ready for our help, he told me and them that it wasn't his job and he threw plenty in the trash. I advised parents to speak to the principal first, then the AD and then hand the questionaire's to the coach filled out. He ended up doing some. I made some phone calls for the kids and gave some positive feedback. I promptly left that school after 5 years of building the program and getting no credit for it. I am one of those without a degree, so I have to be hired solely as a coach. I have been a head coach for private schools, but cannot be for public schools.
Coachric
Coachric
coachric
you say you have JUCO experience--why not go back and get your degree?
In this day and age it is a must !!!
you say you have JUCO experience--why not go back and get your degree?
In this day and age it is a must !!!
My Juco experience is as a volunteer assistant. The coach really wanted me there, but I have never attended college. I now run a very successful company, and I coach, train and scout in my free time.
Coachric
Coachric