Verbal committment - now what?

Congrats to your son! My suggestions:

1. Exhale
2. Smile often.
3. Do nothing else.
4. They will contact your son.
5. Maybe, at some point, son could ask about taking official visit this fall.

congrats again.

Get the formal application filed in time for Early Decision treatment.

Visit the fall scrimmages, esp. if one coincides with a home football game. (Can you say, free tickets?" Not to mention hotel and travel expenses if it's an "official visit".)

Talk up the program. You never know, someone in your neck of the woods may pick up on the vibe and get interested in joining your son. There are worse ways to bolster a recruiting class.

Tell your son he can enjoy his senior year without pressure -- he has to meet his own standards, which he should have, but if he gets a B+ instead of an A or somewhat lower SAT's than he was hoping for, not to worry.

Finally -- take care of him physically. Listen to any warning signs and err to the side of caution.

Although I didn't do it, because technically everyone at my sons school is on scholarship...

You could hand out cigars...

just a thought...

Thanks to all. A deep breath is probably the best, and most needed advice. As many on this forum indicate, the recruiting process surely was filled with highs and lows, flattering and frustrating, confusing but confidence building.

His school has indicated that once they complete their recruiting class that they want to have them all for a football game or basketball midnight madness, depending on the timing.

He's working out on the baseball program plan and we have continually emphasized that grades need to remain high. Admissions paperwork is now complete pending some school supplied information. I guess it is time to relax a little bit and enjoy the downtime!!

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Congratulations!

Beyond that...I have a different view...don't want to burst bubbles or throw water on the party...and congratulations...but competition never sleeps...

The competition will be tougher than your son expects, the players as much as 5 years older, 5 years more in the weight room, 5 years years more DI experienced...including collegeiate summer ball...

...way too many kids figure that they have alrady accompished soemthing and back off...all a freshman has is a chance...your son has a year to prepare for the toughest comeptition he has ever faced...

Don't let down now. Specifically ask the program for a wieght program, and areas of his game they would like him to focus on in the meantime...


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Freddy Fastball, Congratulation on sons acceptance to Star Fleet Academy. I hear their baseball program is out of this world.

quote:

Congratulations!

Beyond that...I have a different view...don't want to burst bubbles or throw water on the party...and congratulations...but competition never sleeps...

The competition will be tougher than your son expects, the players as much as 5 years older, 5 years more in the weight room, 5 years years more DI experienced...including collegeiate summer ball...

...way too many kids figure that they have alrady accompished soemthing and back off...all a freshman has is a chance...your son has a year to prepare for the toughest comeptition he has ever faced...

Don't let down now. Specifically ask the program for a wieght program, and areas of his game they would like him to focus on in the meantime...

Thanks, you're right and they have already given him the same program that they have their pitchers on. He is going to mirror what the team is doing as closely as schedules allow. They will modify the throwing portion later on as the beginning of the college season and high schools are different. They have told him they will cater it to his projected start. He also has some areas that he is specifically trying to improve mechanically. Its very exciting and I think he realizes that this is only the beginning. To see him jump into the workouts as he has is very encouraging.Of course, in due time, he'll have to still do it on the diamond!

I am posting a link to an article that is provocative, and is not written about baseball, but rather about football. Don't print it because its very long, and is a little disorganized from one point of view.

But the writer is a provocative thinker, and he delves into college athletics and recruiting at the Ivy level, with lots of illuminating observations, IMO. The article ends with a rant against Columbia football and athletics in general, but it is becoming dated at this point. He says a lot of things that people won't agree with, but he also makes a lot of pretty good points and encourages you to think about some things that people tend to take at face value.

http://www.johntreed.com/matsdad.html

The reason I thought about this is the comment about the competition being a lot higher level than you anticipate.

Pedropere,
Very interesting link. Thanks for providing it.
I wonder about the relevancy of that link to 2009 Columbia athletics.
Our son was recruited as a possible 2 sport athlete by that staff. He was told he would not be considered as a quarterback if he played 2 sports and was the #2 recruit for Middle infielders so the decision was pretty much made for him.
Since the last information in the link, the AD has been replaced, the head coach has been replaced twice, I believe, and Columbia is now quite competitive in all major sports in the Ivy League.
This isn't a coincidence, I don't believe.
If you look at the head of the Columbia trustees and examine his background, you will see he was the captain of the last Columbia football team to win an Ivy league championship. That was in 1961.
He coached at Columbia.
He is now quite successful outside of football.
Last week, the National Football Foundation Hall of fame named its major award in his honor. The award will annually be given to the college football player who performs at the highest level on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The goal is to readjust the public view of what the student/athlete experience in college should be and to help all who are involved,colleges, student athletes and those of who are fans/parents, recognize we should not be putting the Heisman at the pedestal for college student athletics.
Last week I attended a function kicking off the award. Many in attendance played football at Columbia from 1974 to 1979 and were recruited/played for Bill when he was the head coach. Some of the speakers did too.
When I contrast their glowing comments with those in the link, one truly realizes the importance of the college experience and, especially, the Coach our son's choose as part of that experience.

infield dad.

Good comments.

Yes, the relevance is probably in question. Basically written 10 years ago. I posted it mostly because its a smart (if curmudgeonly) Dad from a major hs program in California giving some observations about the differences in athletes at various levels of play. And also regarding the comments on playing time, etc.

I think the current Columbia AD has a different view of how to do things. Plus Pres. Lee Bollinger may have concluded that being a perennial winner in the way he was at Michigan wasn't so bad.

This is taking the thread OT, but the same website (JohnTReed.com) also has some articles about coaching youth baseball that I thought were provocative. He's clearly not a guy that everyone will like, but he'll make you think.

Pedro - I skimmed though most of his comments and found them interesting as well. On one level, he is biased like any parent and touts the virtues of his son while downplaying the virtues and skills of others. He had a low regard for the coaches and their ability to evaluate and make play calls. He also gave some bad advice imho about redshirting kids in first grade and routing them into small high schools. He even said "he" should have sent him to Pomona instead of Columbia - like it was entirely "his" call to make. I don't believe parents should be viewing themselves as puppet-masters who pull all the strings in their kids' success, for example.

On the other hand, at times he seemed quite objective about his son's physical skills/limitations and the skills of others. I thought his comment of playing down one level might have had some merit for some players who otherwise were not getting much playing time at the level they were at. He seems convinced that racial biases exist. I would think if his kid were lots faster than the other kids, he would have stood out and his skin color would not have mattered. The guy basically journaled his son's entire athletic career. At times he was objective like a journalist ought to be. At other times, he was highly biased like many parents are toward their own kids. In general, I don't think people should take themselves as seriously as this guy seems to have done.

Pretty good summary.

I bought his books on pop warner coaching some years ago, and found them insightful. And opinionated. Having things put out in a black and white way is useful sometimes, even if you think he's wrong. I liked how he recounts anecdotes about players who people thought were D1 upper talents and who then struggled in the Ivy's. Not out of enjoying someones failure, but as the poster above noted.....at the next level everything is way more competitive than anyone can imagine it will be.
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Apologies to Freddie the OP.

I have a question. Did your "likely" letter come from the admissions office? I was under the impression that they were used only by schools with a regular admission date of April1, or maybe an early admission date of Dec 15 or so. Is that the case with your school?

quote:

I have a question. Did your "likely" letter come from the admissions office? I was under the impression that they were used only by schools with a regular admission date of April1, or maybe an early admission date of Dec 15 or so. Is that the case with your school?

yes - the likely letter came from admissions. The early decision date is Nov 15. They also used the letter to explain what items they needed and what they waived. For example, they waived the app fee, interview and teacher evals. They still need an essay and the official copies of transcripts and SAT's. I think they do it to give it a more of an "official" feel. Up to that point, the coaching staff did all the pre-clearing with admissions before offering. It also helped us expedite with our high school guidance to put us at the front of their line regarding all the kids they work with.