By Eric Bugby, Swimming World Contributor
Congratulations, you’ve made the decision to swim in college. Swimming in the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, or CCCAA is an opportunity and feeling like none other. It combines the best of club and high school. The people you meet and friends you make will last a lifetime.
Everyone will offer you advice. “Respond to every email and phone call.” “Fill out questionnaires.” “Find the right fit.”
It’s a daunting process and can be a rollercoaster. It’s full of highs and lows. Unexpected turns. It has the ability to turn you upside down. All while providing a great thrill that you can’t explain. You have to experience it for yourself.
Now what? Maybe you’ve been in competitive swimming since you were five years old. Maybe you just found your passion in high school. Do you want to attend Stanford, Ouachita Baptist, South Carolina, West Point?
Before you dive into the unknown, avoid making the following mistakes that could derail your future before it begins.
1. Writing the wrong coach’s name or school in an email
Photo Courtesy: Eric Bugby
Emailing 101.
“I know what I’m doing.” That’s not always true. The number of swimmers that begin an email with the wrong coach’s name is high. The swimming community is small and I bet the coach you are emailing will know or even contact the other coach.
“I don’t make mistakes.”
That’s definitely not true. The other grave error is writing the wrong school, possibly a rival school. If you want to swim for Stanford, then don’t tell the coach how excited you are to be a “Golden Bear.”
2. Having someone else write your e-mails
Emailing 102.
You’ve graduated “Emailing 101” and proofread anything you send to coaches. But something seems off. Your correspondence is too formal. Greetings, word choice, and grammar do not match.
This is a common mistake. Coaches want to hear from you, who you are, and what you want. That’s the only way to determine the right fit.
3. Non-disclosure
Mistakes happen. It’s called growing up for a reason. Detentions, suspension, it’s all a part of life and maturity occurs at a different rate for everyone. Getting kicked out of practice is almost a rite of passage nowadays.
Injuries happen. Everyone has a friend that was bitten by the injury bug right before a championship meet. Maybe that was you.
Coaches hate surprises, especially after you sign a national letter of intent (NLI) or appointment. It could lead to a broken relationship before you arrive on campus.
4. Leaving money on the table
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A common mistake is not studying for the SAT or the ACT, especially the first time around. “I want to get a feel for the test.”
Prepare.
This is free money. Performing poorly can lead to anxiety over the next test. It can immediately remove schools from your list. It can reduce the amount of financial aid you are eligibility to receive.
Coaches prefer if every student-athlete doesn’t have to pay for school. You can do this with a combination of athletic aid, academic aid, and need-based aid. A “100 percent scholarship” is not just what the coach offers. Don’t limit yourself.
Prepare!
5. Being someone else
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You do you.
This circles back to No. 3. Full disclosure includes being yourself. It’s a tip you here for interviews, dating, and any social situation. Don’t be the recruit you think a coach wants.
Coaches know and expect everyone to have their own personality. It tells your story: where you’re from, what you believe in, what’s most important to you, etc.
“I want a good combination of athletics and academics.” Wrong.
“I want to see how far I can go in this sport.” Wrong.
“I like hanging out with friends.” Wrong.
Don’t melt into every other recruit. Stand out and be true to who you are.
6. Apathy
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
We all procrastinate. Writing a paper, texting back a friend, responding to a post. It happens and we are all guilty (including coaches).
Recruiting is not the time to procrastinate. Don’t gamble with your future. You’ve spent countless hours in the water. It’s a grind. Remember, you don’t “play” swimming.
A. Do your research: Whether it’s on your own or you take advice from others, start the process early. Figure out what you want and what each school and team offers: division, combined gender, conference, location, international presence, graduation rate, job placement. The list goes on and on.
B. Market yourself: Unless you are Katie Ledecky and breaking world records before your senior year, get your name out there. With thousands of swimmers coming out of high school each year, it’s easy for a coach to overlook some of them, possibly you.
Send an email, fill out a questionnaire, or (dare I say) pick up the phone.
July 1 used to be a national holiday for swimmers. Coaches would actually call recruits. Recruits would actually call back coaches. You knew who was interested in you.
Today? Who uses their phone for phone calls?
As Louis C.K. eloquently puts it, “just a few years ago, nobody had ‘their phone,’ it was just ‘the phone.’ It was this thing, ‘the phone,’ that was in a room, in your house.”
Make an effort and show coaches why they would be insane not to have you on their team.
7. Regret
If you can avoid the above six “sins of recruiting,” then you are off to a good start. The worst thing you can do in life, not just the recruiting process, is ask yourself, “what if?”
Spend the extra time to do research. Answer your emails. Ask questions. Compare schools. The more you prepare, the more confident you’ll be.
Your college decision can dictate your life for years to come. Don’t be remembered for the wrong reasons.
Payton Silburn
Gwynne McBride