Are athletes recruited like other colleges?

katwswim

katwswim

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I was reading from some post on twitter (they were from last year) how these girls had said "I couldn't be more proud to announce I have committed to swim for the USAFA".. and there are several like that, when I look at the roster their names aren't there? Does the AFA recruit like other colleges? Do you let the coach know you want to compete in your sport for the Academy?
 
Yes, the SA's recruit athletes!

I currently have two "appointees" that are recruited athletes. FYI...their overall packages are excellent as well.

IF your coach thinks you are "Division 1" material at an SA level, I tell candidates to have their coaches do the selling. One thing to know: ALO's, B&GO's, etc., are NOT NCAA recruiters! I don't talk recruiting to ANY candidate! If I did, could jeopardize THEM. So expect us to tell you to speak with your coach.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
flieger83 said:
Yes, the SA's recruit athletes!

I currently have two "appointees" that are recruited athletes. FYI...their overall packages are excellent as well.

IF your coach thinks you are "Division 1" material at an SA level, I tell candidates to have their coaches do the selling. One thing to know: ALO's, B&GO's, etc., are NOT NCAA recruiters! I don't talk recruiting to ANY candidate! If I did, could jeopardize THEM. So expect us to tell you to speak with your coach.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
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Well I will ask her club coach and high school coach to do this, thank you. How do you feel about the athlete contacting the coach at the AFA? They had been in communication but that seems to have dropped off. Also my daughter has been contacted by other D1 schools with offers. And on the 'how do I fit' on college swimming she fits right about in the middle. Her strengths lye in several events not just one or two.
 
Good to remember that 'recruiting' at civilian colleges brings the added incentive of a scholarship which wouldn't apply in the case of the SA. Many decide where to go based on helping to pay for their tuition and while there is nothing wrong with that, there is no tuition at any of the SA's. If you attend an SA and decide to drop your sport, you won't lose anything. SA coaches can have a certain amount of pull for athletes (how much depends on which sport and who you ask....lots of older threads on that), you still need to be 3Q and have a NOM to get an appointment.

Also, no one attends an SA to become a pro athlete, so good to see where your real career interests are in making a decision about which college to attend.
 
time2 said:
Good to remember that 'recruiting' at civilian colleges brings the added incentive of a scholarship which wouldn't apply in the case of the SA. Many decide where to go based on helping to pay for their tuition and while there is nothing wrong with that, there is no tuition at any of the SA's. If you attend an SA and decide to drop your sport, you won't lose anything. SA coaches can have a certain amount of pull for athletes (how much depends on which sport and who you ask....lots of older threads on that), you still need to be 3Q and have a NOM to get an appointment.

Also, no one attends an SA to become a pro athlete, so good to see where your real career interests are in making a decision about which college to attend.
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I did go back to see what 3Q meant, but didn't see, just a novice mom here :) But I will say this, as for her over all app, she is 4.10 GPA, NHS, made girls state but turned it down because of her commitment to swimming and her team, and it came during heavy training for championships. She is very active in community service, mainly working with special needs children teaching them to swim. Lets say one school offered her to swim, and the AFA offered her an appointment but told her there was no room on the team, she would pick AFA... Honestly it's all she wants: She serves as a member of the round table at her school to represent her swim team, also is the team captain. This is a recent article written about her.
I am leaving her name off...

Her name: of Cibolo Steele is the epitome of excellence, both in academics and in athletics. A senior, she is a district champion in a multitude of events and has placed as an all-region swimmer for four consecutive years. Her coach, Maria Fain, has said that, as team captain, DeZion was very instrumental in helping both her teammates and the coach adjust to one another as this was Fain’s first year with the Knights.

NAME. is incredibly studious and is enrolled in all AP classes at Steele High School. Her hard work has allowed her to become a part of the National Honor Society, and her dominance in the pool has not gone unnoticed. After graduation from Steele, her hope is to continue her swimming career at either the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. (Disclaimer, She has pulled her application from USNA.)

When NAME. isn’t competing in the pool or studying, she can be found teaching special needs kids how to swim through the Kinect Kids program, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, or working at the local animal shelter. She is a well-rounded individual who has a passion for swimming and helping others in need. With all that she has accomplished during her time at Steele, she hopes that the lasting impact she leaves on her friends and family comes from her willingness and desire to help others.
 
3Q = Triple Qualified = Medically (DoDMERB), Scholastically, and Physically (CFA) qualified. USAFA will not let you know if you are 3Q, you just have to approximate. And your daughter sounds quite impressive!

Also, there's no requirement to stick with Div.1 sports at USAFA, some cadets go that route and then don't want the time commitment or get injured and so drop off the teams.
 
goforspaatz said:
3Q = Triple Qualified = Medically (DoDMERB), Scholastically, and Physically (CFA) qualified. USAFA will not let you know if you are 3Q, you just have to approximate. And your daughter sounds quite impressive!

Also, there's no requirement to stick with Div.1 sports at USAFA, some cadets go that route and then don't want the time commitment or get injured and so drop off the teams.
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Thank you, she did pass medical, and the CFA (by looking at the qualifications on AFA website) so she is 3q :) She really does want to swim for that coach, she believes he can greatly help her improve in her favorite stroke, the 1650..
 
I am not clear on what exactly you are asking. Originally you were asking what it means to be a recruited athlete and now indicate your daughter would attend USAFA even if she couldn't be on the swim team..
 
Is your daughter a current senior or junior? Have they asked her or did she take a recruiting trip?
 
time2 said:
I am not clear on what exactly you are asking. Originally you were asking what it means to be a recruited athlete and now indicate your daughter would attend USAFA even if she couldn't be on the swim team..
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Her desire is to swim on the AFA swim team, and for this particular coach for the reason his expertise is distance events...
I was asking because as I had posted in my original post that I was reading on twitter that people from last year were posting that they had committed to the AFA for the swim team, yet when I search the roster their names are not there. SO I was confused as to how the recruitment works compared to another D1 college. I think I understand now, they may be recruited but they still have to receive the appointment and pass the 3Q.... My daughter was told that she was a good fit for the team, but nothing after that, which made us wonder...
 
Sam2018 said:
Is your daughter a current senior or junior? Have they asked her or did she take a recruiting trip?
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She is a senior, no recruiting trip, started app. last July (2015) Her coach contacted the coach there, then they reached out to her via email.
 
I think you are more likely to get people on this forum with actual knowledge/experience about SA's. Random people on 'social media' might post anything/everything to make themselves more popular.
 
The reality of the SAs is that "recruited athletes" are not committed to anything until they have an appointment and make it through BCT/Plebe Summer/etc. (injury free). They may say they have committed to something on paper, but nothing is set in stone until they are on the actual team.
 
goforspaatz said:
The reality of the SAs is that "recruited athletes" are not committed to anything until they have an appointment and make it through BCT/Plebe Summer/etc. (injury free). They may say they have committed to something on paper, but nothing is set in stone until they are on the actual team.
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Thank you, after reading so much information I have to say it has been very helpful... On another forum she has been encouraged to write the coach but they haven't responded to her last email so she doesn't want to come across as pushy, never sure of protocol?
 
At the end of March, 2016 it is very late in the current application process for those who are now seniors in h.s. If she has had no other recent contact with the coach it would seem the window of opportunity has closed for this year.
 
I was a recruited athlete at USNA. It works sort of like a regular university in some regards. They follow NCAA rules, they recruit, they rack and stack athletes like a regular school, etc. The difference is there is no scholarship or National Letters of Intent, so a Cadet/Mid can leave a team and remain at school like anyone else. Its why the SAs do not announce recruits until I Day because there is no NLI. When a SA recruit signs their non-NLI at a signing day ceremony, it is just a piece of paper or their appointment.

If she has reached out to the coach and provided her times, she has done what is needed. The brutal reality of college recruiting is coaches interest will ebb and flow in athletes. At some point interest might be really high, but then a more desirable recruit might come along and move the other recruit down the list of interest. I have seen schools role out the red carpet for an athlete on an official NCAA visit then not offer a scholarship. Why? Well at the time they might have been the #3 person for that position/slot/etc. Well after #1 committed, the interest and need might not be there. The coach might have reached out to her coach to get some background info, see where her interests are, get some updated times, etc. It doesn't mean she will be tagged as a recruited athlete or even blue chipped. The SAs generally are pretty open about tryouts and folks trying to "walk on" to teams. I always caution candidates with big dreams that the reality is, this is extremely difficult. D1 sports are time consuming, hard, demanding, yet can be really fun. For those on the outer fringes of making a travel squad or for those sports with a JV squad, it is hard to put that time commitment in and not even travel or suit up for a meet or game. SAs tend to bring a large amount of recruits because of attrition and the prep schools. Football can start with 60-80 folks as Plebes. Generally 20-30 max will make it to senior year. At senior day you might know 10-15 of those names, the rest might rarely even suit up or make the travel squad. Basketball can start with 10-12 recruits a year. Basketball only travels and suits up 15. Some guys will play two years of JV ball and not suit up a single varsity game before hanging it up.
 
NavyHoops said:
I was a recruited athlete at USNA. It works sort of like a regular university in some regards. They follow NCAA rules, they recruit, they rack and stack athletes like a regular school, etc. The difference is there is no scholarship or National Letters of Intent, so a Cadet/Mid can leave a team and remain at school like anyone else. Its why the SAs do not announce recruits until I Day because there is no NLI. When a SA recruit signs their non-NLI at a signing day ceremony, it is just a piece of paper or their appointment.

If she has reached out to the coach and provided her times, she has done what is needed. The brutal reality of college recruiting is coaches interest will ebb and flow in athletes. At some point interest might be really high, but then a more desirable recruit might come along and move the other recruit down the list of interest. I have seen schools role out the red carpet for an athlete on an official NCAA visit then not offer a scholarship. Why? Well at the time they might have been the #3 person for that position/slot/etc. Well after #1 committed, the interest and need might not be there. The coach might have reached out to her coach to get some background info, see where her interests are, get some updated times, etc. It doesn't mean she will be tagged as a recruited athlete or even blue chipped. The SAs generally are pretty open about tryouts and folks trying to "walk on" to teams. I always caution candidates with big dreams that the reality is, this is extremely difficult. D1 sports are time consuming, hard, demanding, yet can be really fun. For those on the outer fringes of making a travel squad or for those sports with a JV squad, it is hard to put that time commitment in and not even travel or suit up for a meet or game. SAs tend to bring a large amount of recruits because of attrition and the prep schools. Football can start with 60-80 folks as Plebes. Generally 20-30 max will make it to senior year. At senior day you might know 10-15 of those names, the rest might rarely even suit up or make the travel squad. Basketball can start with 10-12 recruits a year. Basketball only travels and suits up 15. Some guys will play two years of JV ball and not suit up a single varsity game before hanging it up.
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Thank you, all the information is helping to understand the process...
 
If your daughter's #1 goal is to swim competitively in college, an SA may or may not be the best thing for her. Carefully research and make sure she understands what Academy life is like. It is not like "regular" college, and playing a D1 sport at an academy is very different that at other schools. Many recruited athletes at academies drop their sport due to time demands. There is no red shirting, and there are no "easy" academic schedules afforded ICs. The travel schedules for many sports can be the deciding factor for many cadets.
 
Blueblood1 said:
If your daughter's #1 goal is to swim competitively in college, an SA may or may not be the best thing for her. Carefully research and make sure she understands what Academy life is like. It is not like "regular" college, and playing a D1 sport at an academy is very different that at other schools. Many recruited athletes at academies drop their sport due to time demands. There is no red shirting, and there are no "easy" academic schedules afforded ICs. The travel schedules for many sports can be the deciding factor for many cadets.
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She has done due diligence in researching everything she can about her choices, she also has very good friends who are freshman this year. They have kept her updated on daily life. There are no rose colored glasses here . Watched YouTube videos on intake and life in basic training. Doesn't want a normal college life style. Eyes wide open!
 
Sounds like she has done her homework and good luck to her. The great part is if swimming works out great, if not there are so many clubs and intramurals she can participate in.
 
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