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This marketing may be pretty common among top programs...but if my son had interest I would at least exlore it a little before I got cynical and passed it off.
You might pm ClevelandDad...his son played for CC and I am sure could answer most any question/concern you might have about the program.
If I had any real interest in the program, thought it would be a good fit for my son, I'd simply have my son call the coach and get a read on where he really stood, rather than pass off something that might indeed offer an opportnity. At the very least, a call ups the ante, and possibly puts your son on the aware list.
Lastly sometimes camps are actually great for player development, not only for marketing from the player side...or at least could serve a dual purpose....if it were a possible good fit, and my son/I had gauaged interest.
44
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This marketing may be pretty common among top programs...but if my son had interest I would at least exlore it a little before I got cynical and passed it off.
You might pm ClevelandDad...his son played for CC and I am sure could answer most any question/concern you might have about the program.
If I had any real interest in the program, thought it would be a good fit for my son, I'd simply have my son call the coach and get a read on where he really stood, rather than pass off something that might indeed offer an opportnity. At the very least, a call ups the ante, and possibly puts your son on the aware list.
Lastly sometimes camps are actually great for player development, not only for marketing from the player side...or at least could serve a dual purpose....if it were a possible good fit, and my son/I had gauaged interest.
44.
Carolinamom you have a PM.
Marketing is a two way street ...your son sending out resumes and showcasing ...and a school getting as many kids to perform in front of their coaches, and make a couple of bucks for the program. My son used to try to get an official visit out of the invite to try to gage the schools real interest.
Welcome to the HSBBW.
I am not sure what you consider a marketing ploy, but college baseball is a business and marketing their programs is part of that business plan. Yes, the marketing includes letters, hand written, typed and invites to their camp programs.
Camps serve different purposes but raising funds for their program is the #1 reason they exist. You do not have to attend any camp program to be a consideration if you have what they are looking for.
If your son has interest in a program, and has been invited to attend a camp, not to far out of the way, then attend. Make the most of the opportunity and it might pay off. One might even pick up some coaching tips, worth the fee alone.
I am not sure what you consider a marketing ploy, but college baseball is a business and marketing their programs is part of that business plan. Yes, the marketing includes letters, hand written, typed and invites to their camp programs.
Camps serve different purposes but raising funds for their program is the #1 reason they exist. You do not have to attend any camp program to be a consideration if you have what they are looking for.
If your son has interest in a program, and has been invited to attend a camp, not to far out of the way, then attend. Make the most of the opportunity and it might pay off. One might even pick up some coaching tips, worth the fee alone.
quote:Originally posted by observer44:
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This marketing may be pretty common among top programs...but if my son had interest I would at least exlore it a little before I got cynical and passed it off.
If I had any real interest in the program, thought it would be a good fit for my son, I'd simply have my son call the coach and get a read on where he really stood, rather than pass off something that might indeed offer an opportnity. At the very least, a call ups the ante, and possibly puts your son on the aware list.
Lastly sometimes camps are actually great for player development, not only for marketing from the player side...or at least could serve a dual purpose....if it were a possible good fit, and my son/I had gauaged interest.
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This is very good advice. The other comments in this thread are also right on point.
First - carolinamom - welcome to the hsbbweb!
Second - I am not quite sure why you posted what you did? Did you think something nefarious happened? Was your son harmed in some way? My son just completed a wonderful four years there and he never got anything in the mail from them so your guy is actually ahead of mine at this stage in time.
Look, I am not the spokesman for the University or the baseball program. I have been around baseball long enough however to have a pretty good idea what the "score" here is.
1) If you feel this is a purely marketing letter, throw it in the waste basket and pay no more mind to it - no harm, no foul. You get all types of mail everyday that is promotional in nature and I doubt you post on the Proctor & Gamble site or the General Motors site when they were trying to sell you something in the mail.
If you throw it away, this is what you might be doing....
2) What if... the coach saw your son, liked what he saw, made a note that he needs to see more of him, asked his secretary to generate the camp invite because he is busy out on the recruiting trail, and hopes your son shows the initiative to at least call and find out why he got the letter? What if?
If he attends a camp, there will be many other kids there. His job will be to turn the coaches heads and stand out amongst all the other kids there. Does you son have what it takes to go to camp and perform that way? What if?
Here is what the letter does for you/him. It allows you/him to call them and have your call taken more seriously than a cold call off the street....
"Hi - Coach Thomas I am calling on behalf of my son and would like to talk about the letter we received in the mail from Coastal Carolina. We were curious if everyone who attended ABC showcase got one of these letters or was there something in particular you noticed about our son? If there was something you liked, could you tell us what it was and what it was about our son's performance that caught your attention?"
Something like that.... if he hems and haws at the question, maybe your initial impression that your son was sent the invite based off nothing more than his "participation" at the showcase was correct. In other words, maybe they did not actually see him play.
If on the otherhand, he says "Oh ya, we saw him strike out three in a row at the showcase with a high 80's fastball. Although he is a little thin at this time, we expect him to fill out that nice 6-2 frame of his and increase his velocity down the road." If he said something like that, you might be inclined to send him down there for another look - eh?
At this point, it will only cost you or him a phone call. My advice is for you or your husband to make the call directly to Coach Thomas so that you can determine for yourself if there is genuine interest. If you think there is, you can then have your son contact them. Best wishes in the future.
Allow me to say this and know that I have no ties to the program other than I would like to see more of our players there.
I have known Coach Gilmore and his staff a na number of years now and I would not call them a "marketing machine"---they simple work harder than otthers to get what they want and they are a top contender every year due to these efforts
We will be on campus with our team in mid September and we are truly looking forward to the event---we have been there a number of times previous and it was always a great time except for the hurricane weekends but even then it was better than most events
I have known Coach Gilmore and his staff a na number of years now and I would not call them a "marketing machine"---they simple work harder than otthers to get what they want and they are a top contender every year due to these efforts
We will be on campus with our team in mid September and we are truly looking forward to the event---we have been there a number of times previous and it was always a great time except for the hurricane weekends but even then it was better than most events
It's fair to be wary about camp invitations. My son received a hand-written one to another school that gave him some hope, but it was clear when he got there that this type of invitation had been sent to many players.
In Coastal's case, I would tell you that my son went to two of their camps a couple of years ago, and while they were somewhat pricey, they were excellent for all-around instruction. The coaches are gung-ho and know what they're doing, and the kids leave there exhausted at the end of each day. I certainly felt like I got my money's worth in terms of what my son learned. One of the coaches also gave him a face-to-face honest appraisal of his skill sets at the end of the camp. It proved to be pretty accurate. He's entering his sophomore season at a strong D2 program.
There usually are coaches from other schools at the CCU camps as well. So I'd say go ahead and try it. At the very least, he gets good instruction and some solid exposure.
In Coastal's case, I would tell you that my son went to two of their camps a couple of years ago, and while they were somewhat pricey, they were excellent for all-around instruction. The coaches are gung-ho and know what they're doing, and the kids leave there exhausted at the end of each day. I certainly felt like I got my money's worth in terms of what my son learned. One of the coaches also gave him a face-to-face honest appraisal of his skill sets at the end of the camp. It proved to be pretty accurate. He's entering his sophomore season at a strong D2 program.
There usually are coaches from other schools at the CCU camps as well. So I'd say go ahead and try it. At the very least, he gets good instruction and some solid exposure.
Another thing to remember is that the value of a camp is only as good as the player's performance at the camp. The talent and hustle need to be there. If they do well enough they'll be noticed regardless of the reason they were sent the camp invite.