Stanford vs. Headfirst

NCMtnBBDad, you have a PM

Stanford.

Just do a search on this site. My son attended last year and came away with more than just baseball.

compete89

My son went to the Headfirst camp last summer in Jupiter. Well-run, but the key would be to try to find out in advance which colleges will be there.

You'll find the Ivy's and some other prestigious schools there, but not lots of D1's.

Can't speak for Stanford, but I know the name itself caries lots of weight. So I'd agree to research it as much as possible first, and start to narrow down whether your looking for big vs small and D1 vs D2 & D3. Good luck with it!

Here's a link that will give you some Headfirst info.


http://www.playheadfirst.com/sports_national_honor_baseball.jsp#coaches

My son attended both (Stanford twice) and Headfirst in VA last August. In my opinion if you are targeting the more prestigious academic schools, HeadFirst is the better venue. There will be 60+ coaches from top academic schools in attendance and he will have the opportunity to talk with them in person. While the price for the camp/showcase may be the same, the cost of going to Stanford is much higher for YOU if you plan to accompany him. From North Carolina, you and your son can drive to the HeadFirst Showcase in VA.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the Stanford camp, Coach Stotz is wonderful, the weather and the setting are gorgeous, the coaching and instruction are first rate. But if pure exposure is what you are looking for, HeadFirst is the choice. HeadFirst is a true showcase - packed with games and coaches evaluating in a compact area, while Stanford is more of a camp and spread out across 4-5 campuses. HeadFirst resulted in more schools contacting my son, he went on three D1 official visits and received offers as a result, and ended up signing with a D1 that only saw him at HeadFirst. Like anything else, the outcome depends on your performance and while he played well at Stanford, he was unconcious at HeadFirst and thus got more notice.

It is true that there will be more D2 and D3 schools at HeadFirst than Stanford, but depending on your son's ability that may be a plus? In short I recommend them both, but if you have to choose, go to HeadFirst.

NCMtnBBDad... one caveat to my previous post - if your son is on Stanford's radar screen then it IS important to go to their camp if you can.

My Junior just received an invitation to the Stanford Allstar camp in June He has received email from them and has sent transcript info per their request. His grades are good (he will be in the 2nd quartile -at a competitive high school) but certainly not off the chart for regular admittance...Two questions: How do you know if the grades are good enough for Stanford and How soon should you sign up for the Stanford Allstar camp if he is able to go?

bballlove... send your son's transcripts and SAT scores to Coach Stotz and then email and ask him if your son's grades are good enough to be considered. He is very communicative and will shoot straight with you.

As for the camp, if your son wants to go I would not wait to get your application in. When we got ours we sent it back with a check via FedX.

Our son went to both camps two summers ago.

Both camps had much to speak for them.

Playing at Stanford was our son's fairy tail dream. When he received his invitation, he was thrilled.

The camp was well run. There was SPARK testing. Spark scores were posted during the camp. Players received an evaluation after the camp.

Players stayed in Stanford dorms, so they got a feel for what college dorm life was like. They ate at the dining hall. Our son and his friends ordered pizza or asked me to bring fruit, snacks, drinks, etc., as food was typical college fare, and they were typical hungry (11pm) teenage boys.

Many of the games were off the premises at other local fields. There were not always a lot of coaches at the off premises games. The coaches were not identified and not easily accessible to the players.

There were some of the very TOP national prospects at the Stanford class. It was clear who they were and they received a lot of attention. There were, obviously, a lot of California, Oregon, Nevada players. Many of those players were already known to many of the coaches and on their radar screen.

Our son is a pitcher and listed a secondary position. The sessions were set up so that pitchers could not easily go as position player to workouts (not unusual). Son got to pitch on the Sunken Diamond - was a thrill to see and he had the photo as a screen saver for a long while.

Going to Stanford gave our son a chance to see what the best competition would be like at an academic college. He left the camp feeling good about himself and had a pretty good idea of where he stacked up on a national level.

The Headfirst camp is more of of a showcase than a camp. It has grown, a lot, in the couple of years since our son attended, but I don't think that the format has changed much.

All of the fields (in VA, can't speak to other venues) were at one location. Players stayed at hotels. There was more of an opportunity to interact with coaches. The coaches wore uniforms, clearly identified, and were given a chance to talk about their programs, philosophies, institutions. They also stayed around between games and after sessions and talked with players, primarily, but parents, too. No evaluations were given.

Our son was not on anyone's radar going into either camp, but I got the feeling that he got a better look at the Headfirst camp. Not because he did better. If anything, he showed better at the Stanford camp. But it seemed, to me, that the coaches at the Headfirst camp were genuinely giving each player a good look.

Our son got some interest from the Stanford camp, but it was the Headfirst camp that resulted in his placement in college.

Going to the Stanford camp was a blast and an experience that our son truly enjoyed. For exposure, from our perspective, I would say that Headfirst provided him with more opportunities. I enjoyed going to California with our son (although I didn't have to - it was set up so that a player could easily go by themselves) and I thought of it a a vacation (it was a great one).

I would suggest that you think of what you want from these opportunities and decide, for yourself, which suits your son's situation.

Good luck to your son and to you during this exciting time. Have fun!

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions that you think I might be able to help you with.

Could not have said it better P&CMom.

I hope you all don't mind if I modify the inquiry just a little. I know Headfirst has several camps throughout the country. According to their website, there are different colleges at the camps. And I don't know if their is any difference in the way any one camp would be run. If a player were going to pick only one HEADFIRST camp, which would you suggest. It seems to me like the one in VA is the one with the most colleges?

Anyone interested in this question might want to PM "Bordeaux" (hope she doesn't shoot me for this). Her son attended both, got to know both well and ended up pitching at Stanford.

She will have solid experiences and advice.

IMO, the Stanford camp was great. One of the very best experiences. I also know some of the Headfirst people and they are top notch. I would guess it would be hard to go wrong either way.

I am unfamiliar with Standford baseball camp. I am familiar with Headfirst. However, in the interest of fair disclosure, I must confess that I am bias as I greatly respect Headfirst baseball and what it represents. First, the director of Headfirst is a Stanford graduate and played professionally with the San Diego Padres (AAA Las Vegas). As for his staff, they are all legitmate highly respected in the collegiate community.

When participating in any clinic, please keep this in mind: BASEBALL IS A FULL TIME JOB. In my opinion, if your son has been declared good, "not by you the parent, but by the powers that be" then an ivy league school may not be the best option. In conclusion you must answer the following question:
Is your son aspiring to be a major leaguer or Major CEO. If you answer the latter, Headfirst provides what I believe is the best opportunity to showcase both.

My son is on Stanford's recruiting list, but I think at the request of his HS coach, who personally knows Coach Stotz. Coach Stotz has seen his grades and scores and is still sending him emails, so he must think his academics are good enough for Stanford. However, unless my son develops more power with his bat, I'm not sure he's Stanford material. He wants to attend a top academic school and one Ivy League school is very interested in him. This Ivy League school says his grades and scores are within the range for an athlete to be able to get in academically. I can't afford camps/showcases, so I'm trying to determine which of the two would be best. He also has interest in Duke, but Duke doesn't get invited to Stanford. They do go to Headfirst. I like hearing of the significant contact with coaches the kids may get at Headfirst. Thanks for everyone's excellent input.

If you go to Stanford, why not ALSO go to Headfirst's showcase near Sacramento immediatly after? That's what we did, and it was five days of massive exposure to coaches of all stripes.

My son went to Stanford twice and Headfirst once and my sentiments fall in the same camp as "Natural". Best advice is to figure out which schools your son is interested in and then go to the camp where most of coaches from those schools show up. You really cannot go wrong with either one of these camps.

Thanks everyone. My son did Stanford camp last year, and is definitely going again this year. I am also thinking about Headfirst, and so I really wanted to know if the Sacramento or the VA Headfirst would be more exposure. Sounds like any Headfirst would be great. Would appreciate hearing specifics on the Headfirst camp differences, if any.

The VA event is their "signature" event with the most coaches there and the most history behind it. If possible, I would go to that one. The Sacramento event was designed to get the coaches from the Stanford camp to come afterwards.

Natural: Thanks for this information.

You're welcome... that's what this site is for!

Anyone get their packet from Stanford yet? The baseball office told me they sent them out for distribution on Tuesday, but they weren't sure when that meant the packets would actually go into the mail.

Son received Stanford packet earlier this week. Not sure if he will attend.

My son also received his invitation last week. That's what prompted this thread.

I also want again to give props to PG's Academic Showcase. This thread focused on Stanford and Headfirst, but I think, based on my son's experience last summer, that PG's Academic Showcase was well worth the money. My son, although only a sophomore at the time, received quite a few letters from some of the quality schools who were in attendance.

Son Received invitation too; however we are trying to decide if his grades are strong enough to warrant attending. He will take the ACT in Feb. He is attending a college prep school and has a 89 average...thoughts?

Are there only DI coaches at the Stanford camp? Do they provide a list of coaches before the camp?

I goofed when I said my son was going to Stanford camp. I should have said that we have sent in his application and deposit, and he will attend if accepted.


gimages: Yes, last year there were DI, DII and DIII schools in attendance. From what I have heard from friends who attended two and three years before that, there were all three divisions present those years, also. So, there would be no reason to doubt that all three would be present this summer, too. Yes, the provide a list of colleges shortly before the camp and with the packets.

bballlove: I believe a few years ago the NCAA required Stanford to open this camp up a bit - cannot remember the specifics. I would send in the application with the deposit and see what happens.

no11

Thanks. What is acceptance based on? What type of bat is used? We are hoping to be able to participate as we only live 5 miles from Stanford. A great chance to get some exposure and not have to incure heavy travel expenses. Not only that but the price compared to other events is very good for 4 days and lots of colleges in attendance.

gimages - We must be neighbors!

I don't know what acceptance is based on, but I know it has to conform to NCAA rules. And they use metal bats (unless that changed recently).

quote:

Originally posted by bballlove:
Son Received invitation too; however we are trying to decide if his grades are strong enough to warrant attending. He will take the ACT in Feb. He is attending a college prep school and has a 89 average...thoughts?

I'm not really sure what an "89" means, but I will assume a B+ which I will take the liberty to translate into a 3.3-3.5.

If so, then they are good enough to make it worthwhile. Might be a tad on the low side for Stanford, but certainly within range of many of the schools who will be there. I wouldn't send my son if his GPA was below 3.0.

quote:

Originally posted by MC415:
Son received Stanford packet earlier this week. Not sure if he will attend.

MC415 - Given your proximity to the campus, if your son's grades are decent and you think he has a shot at playing college baseball, I would send him.

Thanks justbaseball always apppreciate and value your opinion!

Thank you all for this thread. I continue to learn so much from everyone's expreriences.

After reading the entire thread I got out the Stanford All Star Camp application, completed the form and wrote the check. I will also send it in via FedEX on Monday.

Stanford is my son's top choice and they seem to be interested in him. But those weren't the final reasons we decided this was a good investment in him. The way you all spoke about the experiences and what your sons had from attending the camp really helped make the decision an easy one.

I will also take another look at the Headfirst brochure we have in the baseball file. Thank you again for the information.

quote:

Originally posted by Natural:
The VA event is their "signature" event with the most coaches there and the most history behind it. If possible, I would go to that one. The Sacramento event was designed to get the coaches from the Stanford camp to come afterwards.

I think HF-VA does get a few more coaches, but in our case the 'doubling up' of Stanford+ Sacto HF coaches from schools who were interested in my son certainly helped. They possibly got to see him a tiny bit at Stanford (if at all...because the fields are all spread around and the bulk of the coaches seemed to just hang out at Sunken Diamond and my son didn't pitch there)....though the ones that caught wind of him at Stanford were also able to see him in a more focused environment right away at Rocklin HF. That was the one-two punch we needed, son pitched great, and it looks like all will come to a head here very soon as admissions staffs meet to determine the next incoming class.

HF will let you know which coaches will be at which events. HF's Brendan Sullivan is an incredible guy...just shoot him an e-mail and ask him these questions directly. You'll get a prompt and helpful reply I'm sure.

Meats Dad: you have a PM

Krakatoa: Great suggestion. Thanks. I'll email the HF guys.

gimages: I have no idea what acceptance is based on, and perhaps "acceptance" is not the correct word. I know that not all get in, and maybe it's because they mail their stuff in later than others? I do know that Stanford makes sure they comply with NCAA rules, etc when they put their camp attendees together. They had a lot of teams last year - 24 if I recall correctly. They do everything to make a good mix of players on the teams, while at the same time trying to put kids on teams with others players they know, etc. It is absolutely top notch.

Thank you for the information. I'll have my son send in the Stanford application and hope for the best. Have a wonderful baseball season!

Yesterday son sent in form and check to Stanford. Even though we live very close to the campus he wanted to stay in the dorms. It cost us extra $$ to stay on campus, but he felt it would be more fun and a great chance to see what being at college is like. Any opinions or stories about son's staying on campus at previous camps? This is son's possible scheudle for this upcoming June - Summer team will be playing in the Pefect game BCS June 20-23 - Stanford Allstar camp June 25-28 - Headfirst June 29-30. The form seemed pretty straight foward and acceptance might be based on first come first served. Now the anxious time waitng for confirmation. I believe confirmation is via email. Anyway thanks to all for the insight.

justbaseball

Is your son in HS or is he in college? If still in HS maybe our son's have played against each other here in the pennisula at some age level.

Staying in the dorm is the way to go if you can afford it.

You have a PM gimages.

We just got the pamphlet late on the 19th so the application won't get into the mail until the 22nd.

I've heard that there were some problems with the mailing approach in the past and that they have to do it by lottery now. Anyone know anything about that?