IMG Academies, Florida

What is a PG year???
IMG is better known for golf and tennis teaching
of the young super stars to be.

mm...One of our websters from Illinois, TARatko, has a son, in his junior year of high school, currently attending IMG.

Give him a PM...He's usually around the Illinois threads and anything else that is controversial! (lol, Tom)

Thanks BeenthereIL. How do I pm someone?.
a PG year is a year between highschool and College. Gives the younger kids time to catch up.

The PG year is a year of catching up. Sounds like good work if you can get it. To send him to IMG for the year could add up to some coin. If baseball is his passion there are numerous American Legion teams that he is still eligle for. Down South or out West, I thought IMG sessions for baseball were two week or four week sessions. They did send a few invites to my son for a summer session eight week league his Junior year. Also I believe Bucky Dent has a similar set up in Florida for several age groups.

Thanks for the info. I received a brochure from IMG including info on a private school that does a pg year. Yes big bucks,but all these PG schools are, my son is a junior and just turned 16. He needs a school to catch up on grades and SAT scores and his passion is baseball. A talented player, not a super star, but talented. He has been playing Legion for 2 years, summer and fall, here, but not a great team. We're English and not very knowledgeable on colleges and what route to take. Would appreciate any help. Love this site - fabulous amount of into.

Hey Mate,
Spend six months on this site and you will become very knowledgable. Also there are many private schools in the south and out west that support baseball. He has two years he will catch up.

mmac,

I understand the grade situation, but why do you call that "very young"? Sounds like it would make him 18 when he graduates from high school, just what he should be.

Plus, be careful what you hear about the "school". I saw a lot about the physical and baseball improvements, but no quantitative data on the academic results. That is what school is for.

Gary,

mmac's son just turned 16 and is nearly a semester through his junior year -- I know the math in texas is inferior, but how would he turn 18 before he graduates in May or June of 2005?

-PD

Gotcha. My bad.

thanks so much for your input, TARatko, very helpful. I will talk more with IMG Academies and see if my son would be interested in a summer there. I understand that the academics at Pendleton are tough, he needs that. He did go to IMG on a HS spring break in March and liked it. Yes, he will be 17 when he graduates and wont turn 18 until end of Oct. He definitely needs an extra year.
How do I PM you. TARatko, would like to chat with you.

Taratko,

Would you please PM me. I have a question regarding IMG.

Boleks dad is a pitchin coach at my school during the spring very very good

So I'm dense.

I've looked all over the IMG website, can't find out how much coin it would take for a year there.

Anybody want to give me a ballpark?

Here is what I personally know regarding the IMG School.

First of all, they cannot play for the state tournament in Florida because they recruit players to their school. The FHSAA does not allow them to play - it is not by Pendleton's choice. However, they are very honest about this, and that is not a condemnation. I just wanted to state a fact.

Second, I understand the schooling and instruction are very good. The classes are small and the baseball instruction is very regimented and fundamentally sound.

However, the competition they play in the summer and spring seasons is below par. Most of the pitchers that go there are not top notch, which hurts the hitters. Also, most of the hitters are not top notch either, which hurts the pitchers.

Here is an example. A young man I know went to IMG this past summer and is still there. His dad asked me to watch him play at the PG Tournament in Jupiter. This young man has seemingly digressed since he started at IMG. He was a player who went there as a very good hitter and was completely dominated at Perfect Game. Why? He was facing outstanding pitching adn could not catch up. Why? Because he had not seen that at IMG.

I'm not saying IMG is not for everyone. But if you are a serious baseball player you need to face serious competition.

With IMG's superior training you would expect them to play better competition during the year.

Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com

Bob, you are going to take some heat for that post.

We have tried to set up games with IMG in the past, but with their older summer teams. It would not help us to play their 18-under teams as they are not strong enough. They will not let their older teams play us for whatever reason. But if they would schedule us games with their older teams we would also play one with their 18-under group.

I agree that the training at IMG is outstanding. I have heard nothing but positive things from the kids who have got there. But they all seem to feel that one year there is enough to get their fundamentals down pat.

The high school team legally recruits so that cannot play FHSAA. I will note point as to the teams they play during the Spring and note they are all good teams. But since this is a non-league game they genereally are not throwing their best pitchers out there. Still, the spring schedule is not too bad.

As for the young man, I hope you are right. He and his family are outstanding people and I hope he ends up doing well overall.

Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com

I received the costs for IMG and for a full year Sept. - May, Half day baseball boarding, it is $27,500, non boarding $19,800, and for all day baseball boarding its $35,200 and for non boarding $26,400. I don't know how they figure in the academics because this doesnt't include them. I suppose you pay half boarding and then pay for the Pendleton school on top. I have been trying to call them to find out full costs but have been playing phone tag. It looks like a lot of money!!

quote:

---

Originally posted by KellerDad:
So I'm dense.

I've looked all over the IMG website, can't find out how much coin it would take for a year there.

Anybody want to give me a ballpark?

---

posted November 16, 2003 06:30 PM
I received the costs for IMG and for a full year Sept. - May, Half day baseball boarding, it is $27,500, non boarding $19,800, and for all day baseball boarding its $35,200 and for non boarding $26,400.
To me that is some serious cash for "HS PG" and then to play some average teams/competition???
I would take that investment put up an addition with a batting cage, work out facility etc. Then get some high priced coaches to come over and talk baseball. For the academics there should be some monies left over for tutors.
Sorry but $35,200 is a bit extreme to learn the fundementals. Whew,I thought travel ball was a serious comittment.

Been familiar with the IMG Program for many years having lived in the same county, I would like to relate that program has many faults that should not exist for the price paid. The scheduling and exposure is very poor. With the luck of admittance into a few tourneys in the spring, this will be the only way for the few quality players to be recruited, but besides that the teams scheduled seem to be the ones left with openings, rather than quality teams in the baseball-rich FL area. I have consistently been disappointed witht the talent that "comes" in each year, digressing from the year 2000 that had 6 legit D-1 players. Nowadays, IMG brings in players with money and the opporitunity to remain a paying customer. Its a sad occurence that high school baseball has become a business at a place like IMG. I am very familiar with the players there now and its a shame that the playing time is dictated by tuition payments rather than talent. I have been told by people very close to the team that players are being "shafted" already due to parent influence and money "issues". This is a shame, because it takes away the purity of the game that the kids enjoy so much.

I would not recommend the IMG program to any aspiring player. Take the time to find a good sport-specific work out regimen through baseball sources or the internet and invest in a club membership, much cheaper. Play everyday with as many good players as possible and you will find yourself with similar results and a balance in your bank account to help with college. If a player has the desire to excel in baseball, doing it without the IMG experience is the better route, they will be successful doing it the same way any other super star player today did it, through thier own hard work. If the payer has the true want to play at the next level, he will get it done no matter where they recieve instruction. I dont mean for my response to be taken literally, but I just wanted to express the true face of the IMG program. The good instruction at IMG is uncommon at this level but not worth the price, and not to mention a price that lacks the priveledge of playing good competition. IMG is a business, with the goal of profit, with a great example in that they bring in numerous college programs to rent out thier fields, rather than Pendleton having the priveledge of having a consistenct home schedule. They cannot use thier own fields as much as a normal high school program would beable to because of the profit trying to be made at IMG. Its a shame because those fields are beautiful. I could go on forever and if anyone has any qualms or questions please reply because I have first hand knowledge of what take place there.

Kellerdad - it's over $30,000 per year - like a lot of others have said "it's not for everyone" I do believe John McEnroe's son is a student athlete there - probably not baseball

TARatko, a webster, has a son attending IMG.

They/he loves it!

TAR...Where are you...again???

I am just curious; at $30K a year for high school, is the goal to get into a good D1 program or the pros? It would just seem to me that if the goal is college---save your money for college. If they are playing against Legion B teams in the summer--they arent seeing much competition.

Actually i am very familiar with the team. Justin did a great job yesterday. I even had a major league player/friend who was at the game to fill us in. He was even suprised, agreeing with me that some players are out of position during the game, namely the center feilder and shortstop, the corners and the left fielder. It is a funny coincidence that I have heard similar things from other coaches at the academy.

I actually attended the academy for 3 years prior to attending college where I was recruited to play, in which i can say that the academy had no part of in assisting. You must be a first year parent to have these first impressions. Truly ask the players or your son if the IPI program is how it is advertised. They have interns working out the players rather than the actual IPI trainers. The trainers actually work with the few pros instead (PROFIT), and to my knowledge, that is not how it is advertised. I was recruited by many top D-1 and D-2 programs (not as a result of attending IMG btw) and gave the IMG Baseball Director's name for contact purposes and was very suprised and embarassed to find that the coach was not at all familiar with this top ex-pro IMG director, and we are talking relatively local Florida college programs also. If the team has 6 D1 prospects,(which i don't necesarily dispute, but rather say its about 3: Quintero, Espino, Long), then I hope to see some pretty good signings by April. No knock against the talent, these kids can play, but will not be promoted well enough by the "elite" staff to reach thier potential. I can name a few that are scratching their heads because they have heard that all year from the Director and are still waiting for the calls. In a normal program these kids would stand out and not have to worry about where they are going to play at the next level mid summer after their senior year like I did when I was there.

I just wanted to give an insider/player point of view rather than what parents are told by the coaches or told by thier kids. And, to clarify, the College schedule blocking is done way before Pendleton gets games scheduled by the "office manager". I have heard straight from the horses mouth that college teams take precedent because that is what makes the money. The dates left are for Pendleton. Heck, the kids cant even practice there during the season becasue of the college teams use of the fields, they use the other complex in the spring. But, I had similar feelings when I attended the academy and my freinds who are still in the program have related similar comments to me when we talk. So i guess i may not be familiar enough with IMG by your standards but for others thats for them to decide. I have no axe to grind but only the truth to tell to those wondering. I can say i used the academy for its resources (weather, nice fields, batting cages, good coaching) but aside from that, many times I wished that I was across the steeet at Bayshore HS to get some sort of exposure when they play the other 3A 4A powerhouse teams. I can safely say I didnt get it at the academy, and thats what High School BBall is all about, facing other well known teams/players to get in front of the recruiters. That, you will soon find out is the truth.

No lights at a facility that generates so much income? That's hard to believe. In Florida where afternoon rain is quite common in the summer, lights are a necessity. All of our public schools in this county will have lights by then end of next year (many do now). Just an observation.

2/26/04 Pendleton 8, Bradenton Manatee 0

TAR

Shutting out a good 5A team is not easy for any school. Thats good work.

From the scores and results of games, the Pendleton/IMG team may be better than some people want us to beleive.