Has anyone heard of, or have one of their son participate as a mentor or mentee with this organization? It looks like a program that connects D1 athlete (the mentor) to a youth athlete (the mentee), and allows the mentor to earn money in the process. Wondering if there's any experience and/or feedback.
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It’s interesting concept and is proof that anything can be monetized.
I don’t know anything about this program but can attest that some of my son’s best sports life coaching came from his coaches and higher-level players he was privileged to meet.
Teenage boys can have their unique challenges, and sometimes seem to discount anything coming from the parents. It can’t hurt to have someone who has “been there, done that” give them pearls wisdom.
My baseball son was more on the rebellious side of the spectrum than his computer science brother. In HS it seemed if I liked it, he was going to find a way to hate it and vice versa – so I mostly kept quiet - lol. His HS mentors were his supplemental instructional coaches (2 former MLB players and a P5 OF/DH). Their advice shaped his athletic/academic life and came with a lot of credibility. I believe this mentoring is or should be included with the fee you’re paying for the coaching (assuming the coaches care beyond the pay). However, I’ve seen some kids that won’t listen to anyone regardless of their credibility or experience.
I don’t know if paying for a college mentor is any different than paying for a physical skills coach. So, if you don’t get tied into a long contract, where’s the harm?
I would just add that everyone is different. My son was always a very good ballplayer, but not a high-profile kid. He did the work, but it wasn’t like he was on a mission to be the very best baseball player he could possibly be until his HS junior year (and that was all him). I’m likely in the minority, but I’ve always believed it’s sad for a kid to be technically as good as possible at a young age with the only upside being physical growth. I understand it for a world class gymnast, but I can’t imagine there’s a lot of outside experiences in that athletic path.
I don’t know the age of your son, but my point here is the supplemental skills coaching you’re likely already paying for should come with some mentoring (assuming you haven’t hired Kenny Powers) and the road to high level baseball should be fun and without pressure until the athlete is ready to make the internal commitment.
@atlnon posted:Has anyone heard of, or have one of their son participate as a mentor or mentee with this organization? It looks like a program that connects D1 athlete (the mentor) to a youth athlete (the mentee), and allows the mentor to earn money in the process. Wondering if there's any experience and/or feedback.
Yes. However, my son's experience was internal to his program. His college baseball program had current players tied to alumni and former baseball players from his University. My son was a mentee, and now he is a mentor in that same program. There is no money involved.
Over the years, several HSBBWeb people had commented to me that their son was involved in a similar (internal) program. I think it makes a lot of sense, and I think more programs should do it especially now since college sports has became a giant game of musical chairs. This could be a tool for coaches to keep players. Coaches can simply match up current players with alumni in their majors, and follow up to make sure it is working as intended. I honestly don't know all the details except I know my son is still active in it which tells me everything I need to know.
If I was looking at various programs and weighing offers, and a coach told me about an internal mentor program I would be all ears. This is all about developing a young man for an adult world. As @JucoDad said, "Teenage boys can have their unique challenges, and sometimes seem to discount anything coming from the parents. It can’t hurt to have someone who has “been there, done that” give them pearls wisdom." Exactly! My teenage boy's challenges were very different from most. His college mentorship program provided a different adult voice telling him a lot of the same things my wife and I had suggested. Suddenly, my wife and I weren't nearly as stupid as we looked. ;-)
Just my experience.....
