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So how did you know it was the right fit

TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
We're always talking about the right fit for our players.
So how about you, what made you decide it was the right fit for you as the parent. Big Grin
For me it wasn't the field, it wasn't the football stadium, it wasn't 80K people packed into a town that normally holds 16K. Three things stuck in my mind that day. The orange paws on Lake Hartwell Bridge that led up to the back of the stadium, that Tiger Rag and the sand traps on the golf course shaped like the a tiger paw. Those three things did it for me plus the look on sons face all weekend like he just fell in love for the very first time.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiZ8IPDVFNs&NR=1

I know it's about them, but just for fun, what little things hooked you into where your son would go to school and play baseball.
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FungoFungoHighly Regarded and Beloved Old Timer
It is about what is right for HIM but the things we enjoyed in addition to that --

Spirit the Eagle: Spirit


The facilities: Named #1 collegiate baseball facility in the nation 2 of the 3 years he was there.




The town of Auburn: Packing 150,000 people into a town of 50,000 on football weekends.

The fine people of Auburn, Alabama

"WAR EAGLE!"
Fungo
Last edited by Fungo
Infield08Infield081,000+ posts
For us parents, it wasn't football (cuz there's not any) or the fraternities (cuz there's not any) or the vibrant campus life (cuz on a campus of 2,000, there are limited extra-curricular opportunities). Instead, we were blown away by the personal character and integrity that we sensed in the coaches, which was corroborated by many current players and their parents. The coaches put at least as much effort into the character and spiritual development of their players as they do baseball development. They have said on more than one occasion that their goal is to mold the players into wonderful future husbands and fathers, not just wonderful baseball players. That was the clincher for us!

(And it didn't hurt that they were a 2-seed in an NCAA Regional this past May! Wink)
Last edited by Infield08
KrakatoaKrakatoa1,000+ posts
In no particular order:

It had the student body size son said he'd be most comfortable with.

Top-tier academics.

Excellent baseball team with coaches that have respect far and wide, are able to place many of their guys in solid summer leagues, and build scouting buzz in their top performers.

Beautiful campus, great city.

A program where he was told he will likely be able to contribute right away.

Warm weather state.

Josh Beckett Smile
Last edited by Krakatoa
shortstopmomshortstopmom1,000+ posts
Known for being one of the hardest working teams in the state. No frills, just the necessities.
Coaches are go-to guys and well respected for what we considered " the right things ".
Development of the players was key,.....and with complete honesty,...they win.
( We never,
ever,
won in highschool,
...ever.)
Four years of loosing grates on the ol' nerves..
( Understatement of the year!- My head still twitches at times.-ha! )

The enthusiasm of the faculty.
The spirit and support of the town.

....and last, but not least, I'll admit it,..I too love those tiger paws!!!
Last edited by shortstopmom
FungoFungoHighly Regarded and Beloved Old Timer
quote:
Did you go watch him play or visit? If so, were there any particulars that YOU liked about HIS school and baseball program?


Good point! After all that was the question. Big Grin

By the way I have seen players that love their college, their team, and their coach and the parents hate all three. It fit the player --- but obviously didn't fit the parents.
Fungo
DE Double Eagle100+ posts
1) On non-baseball related visit he loved the campus. I was not present but I was told that the sun was setting over the mountains which framed the baseball field. Players were walking up from practice with smiles on their faces.
2)Great academics.
3)Intellect and reputation of coach.
4)Consistent winners - (it is so hard to keep spirits up when they consistently lose)
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
And my answer was it was a good fit for me because he wanted to be there.

In my mind all I, as the parent, need worry about is the fit with the checkbook, nothing more nothing less. After all it is his life not mine

No I never saw a single game but I heard very one on the internet.

His coaches, thought at other schools now, are still great friends of mine.


Hey !!! Isn't more important that the kid likes the school and baseball program rather than worrying a "fit" for the parent---to me it is!!!
J JT1,000+ posts
All I can say is "it just felt right...to both of us." I actually could visualize him playing on the field at the school. Sure it was in our town...but in 5 1/2 years I had never set foot on the campus, let alone seen the field. The coach was up front and laid it all out there for us...and we both felt he would get "an honest look."
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
There is no one here who doesn't preach more about the player lovin' where he is goin' more than I.

I just thought it would be nice to find out what parents enjoyed most about the school their sons are attending or attended. Or what they didn't like.

It's really a no brainer topic, meant for nothing else but for fun, not even for debate or arguments.
S SnowHillCatcher2410+ posts
Perhaps, a "good fit" for a parent goes way beyond baseball. For me it does. After just 3 weeks, I already see a tremendous amout of growth and maturity in my son. Sure, I love the game and the thrill of seeing my son step onto the field for the first time as a NCAA D1 student athlete, but more importantly,the whole experience is providing a strong foundation on which to build the rest of his life. Hard work, discipline, competition, success, failure too. They even have sessions on leadership development. All this will build character and real life patterns of success. That's a real good fit, from my perspective.

A happy dad
Infield08Infield081,000+ posts
quote:
Sure, I love the game and the thrill of seeing my son step onto the field for the first time as a NCAA D1 student athlete, but more importantly,the whole experience is providing a strong foundation on which to build the rest of his life. Hard work, discipline, competition, success, failure too. They even have sessions on leadership development. All this will build character and real life patterns of success. That's a real good fit, from my perspective.


observer44observer441,000+ posts
.
quote:
Originally posted by Infield08:
quote:
Sure, I love the game and the thrill of seeing my son step onto the field for the first time as a NCAA D1 student athlete, but more importantly,the whole experience is providing a strong foundation on which to build the rest of his life. Hard work, discipline, competition, success, failure too. They even have sessions on leadership development. All this will build character and real life patterns of success. That's a real good fit, from my perspective.




44
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FutureBack.MomFutureBack.Mom1,000+ posts
(1) It was my alma mater so I knew the quality of education he would receive;
(2) It was close to home so we could follow his college career;
(3) It was a school where the coaches would give him a chance to make a place for himself early on, not pigeon holing him as the typical freshman, but actually giving him a chance.
(4) Did I mention it was my alma mater?
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
shortstopmom

The question would not have been raised if certain parents did not have concern that their sons choice was the same as the parents---just read the posts--- "my alma mater"; "it is close to home" etc

I could have sent my son to my alma mater, a 40 minute drive from where we lived in NY, but he wanted to go to Las Cruces , New Mexico---was momma happy ? --NO WAY-- was I happy YES--why? because had made a decision on his own and was truly comfortable with his choice.
J jbbaseball500+ posts
Somtimes you have to settle for less than the "ideal" (like in life)......

son's top 2 choice schools (DI's) had no baseball opportunities.

Son wanted to continue playing baseball in the worst way. Had some D3 opps that he wasn't interested in. Ultimately he received only 1 DI offer. Loves the baseball program, players, coaches, field, etc. But,,,,,,quite simply, he decided to compromise on the other items (social/academic issues).

Guess what I'm saying is that he didn't find the perfect fit, or some may question even the right fit. But, at least for now, it was the best fit.....time will tell how it truly plays out.
Last edited by jbbaseball
observer44observer441,000+ posts
.

A thought about the right/perfect fit...

Since (as rz1 has posted) this all stuff runs off a bell curve...

IMO while fortunate few do achieve the perfect 4 year fit...a nirvana where baseball, coaches, weather, academics, culture, cost, geography, girls...all are perfect from the "get go"...and the young man calls home the first day and every day for 4 years to say he is pinching himself...

I would submit that for parents who have not been there yet, seeing post after post about the perfect fit can be intimidating/frustrating...IMO it is good to remember there are many more fits (the majority) that are well thought out, well intentioned compromises of some sort...weighing and blending challenges and opportunities...not because they want to, but becausee they have to...hoping that the challenges do not "bite" to deeply and that the young man will make the most of the opportunities presented...that he will grow with his situation.

As this is the case, it is good to remember that for the majority there is a story to be played out...and I would submit that for many, they will not know if they found the perfect fit for some time...maybe after the first or second year...when you really have an opportunity to see how the young man faces his challenges and grows. What may seem like the perfect fit going in may not be so, and a compromise choice might indeed be the perfect fit in the long run...often for reasons one could never have predicted or planned for. Part of this is getting the right blend. Part of this is trusting your young man and the character you have instilled and encouraged in him...to overcome adversity, face challenges and deamons and situations that are not set up for him...and grow.

Certainly we all want the best, certainly we all want to set it up just right...But perhaps it's important to remember that in the end the right/perfect fit might just be your son most anywhere...maybe in the end its the man who makes the opportunity...not just the perfect opportunity that makes the man...

Cool 44
.
Last edited by observer44
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by observer44:
.

A thought about the right/perfect fit...

Since (as rz1 has posted) this all stuff runs off a bell curve...

IMO while fortunate few do achieve the perfect 4 year fit...a nirvana where baseball, coaches, weather, academics, culture, cost, geography, girls...all are perfect from the "get go"...and the young man calls home the first day and every day for 4 years to say he is pinching himself...

I would submit that for parents who have not been there yet, seeing post after post about the perfect fit can be intimidating/frustrating...IMO it is good to remember there are many more fits (the majority) that are well thought out, well intentioned compromises of some sort...weighing and blending challenges and opportunities...not because they want to, but becausee they have to...hoping that the challenges do not "bite" to deeply and that the young man will make the most of the opportunities presented...that he will grow with his situation.

As this is the case, it is good to remember that for the majority there is a story to be played out...and I would submit that for many, they will not know if they found the perfect fit for some time...maybe after the first or second year...when you really have an opportunity to see how the young man faces his challenges and grows. What may seem like the perfect fit going in may not be so, and a compromise choice might indeed be the perfect fit in the long run...often for reasons one could never have predicted or planned for. Part of this is getting the right blend. Part of this is trusting your young man and the character you have instilled and encouraged in him...to overcome adversity, face challenges and deamons and situations that are not set up for him...and grow.

Certainly we all want the best, certainly we all want to set it up just right...But perhaps it's important to remember that in the end the right/perfect fit might just be your son most anywhere...maybe in the end its the man who makes the opportunity...not just the perfect opportunity that makes the man...

Cool 44
.

Another homerun of many hit by ob44 Smile
H HitaHomer1100+ posts
Good post 44. I am hoping on that. My son is kind of like jbbaseball. He signed with what we all thought was a pretty good fit for him and he was totally happy with that decision - great school academically, close knit good sized campus, very highly ranked DII program etc. etc. Then the coaches leave to go DI, ask son to go with them, he goes. Now, its not as good academically, not as close knit a campus etc. He is thrilled with the baseball and school is fine. Through out the whole process I encouraged him to look at all the factors in each school. But he really just focused on the baseball, the coaches, the facilities. Though he is happy with the baseball, I think he is realizing that those other things were important. I think he is fine, will be fine, will "make the opportunity", but I also think he learned from it as well. People encourage those boys to look at the WHOLE package.
Sorry to say that there isn't a lot I love about the school other than the coaches, its a fun town, and he and his roommate are a GREAT fit.
FutureBack.MomFutureBack.Mom1,000+ posts
O44 ...

There you go again ... making sense of it all.

Thanks.

Our son was very fortunate because he found the best fit for him, and several of the reasons were the same as the first three in my list ... he was not 'sent' to my alma mater ... he elected to go there and had a wonderful time, received a quality education (to be continued), and had the chance to show what he could do and be a contributor from day one of his freshman season.

I know quite a few families whose sons thought they had the right fit but didn't, and it pained the parents deeply to know that it wasn't working out. Another example, I think, of why we as parents need to be so involved in our children's recruitment and decision-making process when it comes to where they end up. In my experience, even with players on son's college team, quite a few boys never truly find the fit, even when they think they have.

And for those who wonder, just because son goes to a parent's alma mater which is close to his home, it doesn't mean it is a bad thing. Every family is different, the dynamics play out differently, and I know that our son wanted to attend a school where he was close enough to home that we could attend his games. Some players want to get farther away from home (and for some, I can understand why) ... ours was not one of those guys. It makes neither decision right nor wrong ... just different.
DE Double Eagle100+ posts
Great observation 044 -- The follow up question might be, how many times was the perfect fit, not the "FIRST" perfect fit. The recruiting process is filled with so many roller coaster rides that those just starting might think we knew from the get go that where son ended up was the perfect fit. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The criteria listed by me is only meant to mean that those items combine to make his school "the perfect fit".
DaddyBoDaddyBo100+ posts
Watching my son go through about 8-9 months of the recruiting roller coaster (and appreciative of every minute)was an emotionally draining experience. Going from a prominent local junior college offer in hand at the beginning of his summer ('07), to being decently recruited by several D-1's in a matter of weeks was pleasantly overwhelming (for he and us). Dad would have been pleased with any of the choices he had...strong academic offer at a nice SEC school (with chance to perform), to fairly strong interest from a top-tier ACC team (alma mater, close to home, girlfriend going there), to even a top Ivy League school late entry.

In the end, the counseling, prayer and thought time given (for his present & future) seemed to pay off after the official visit...as his decision was made for one of the top academic institutions in America, one of the top leadership institutions in the world, and a chance to play for an up and coming D-1 program with a highly respected coaching staff.

Seeing HIM make this decision was what did it for ME (after also being blown away on the official visit Wink)

[GO ARMY!]
Infield08Infield081,000+ posts
quote:
The student/athlete will know when a school is the right fit for him/her. It is just a gut feeling that tells you that school XYZ is the place that you want to attend.


As others have said, many players choose the best fit out of the options that they have, but this doesn't necessarily mean it's the perfect fit. My son, for example, had significant interest in two D2 programs because of their baseball programs, campus atmosphere, academics, etc., but neither showed any interest in him despite his repeated contact and unofficial visits to both schools. Ironically, while the D2's ignored him, three D1's actively recruited him. One D1 was an absolutely horrendous fit, the second D1 was a good fit in some ways, and the third D1 was a good fit in other ways (but not in every way). The schools that probably would have been the best fits for him (in his mind, at least) were out of the mix, so he chose the best fit for him, given his options.

But isn't life like that? We marry someone who is wonderful in many ways, but not in every way. Perhaps hubby brings home roses every week, but forgets to take the trash out or regularly leaves his underwear on the floor. We choose a job that best utilizes our work skills, but perhaps doesn't offer optimal pay, the best benefits, or enough vacation time. Maybe a friend is always there for you in a crunch, but has an irritating habit that really grates on your nerves.

We all play with the cards we are dealt, and learning how to become content in an "imperfect" situation like college can help us prepare for the bigger challenges and curveballs that life most definitely will throw our way. Imperfect fits can indeed be the "best fits" of all....
Last edited by Infield08
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