GET NOTICED WHEN SPORTS ARE CANCELLED
When the world took an abrupt halt in March of 2020, we thought it was temporary. Things would certainly go back to normal sooner than later……. Until it didn’t. The announcement of high-profile leagues postponing sports came as a huge surprise and left athletes and coaches scrambling. Once the reality of a new norm and ultimate shift in sports settled in, the new questions came. Now what? How will I get recognized if I’m not playing? What can I do to be seen? What can I do differently from other athletes? How will we move forward from here?
While listening to an interview within the recruiting and coaching profession, the question of “what advice do you give to athletes looking to get noticed and not being able to play?”. The answer left us hanging for more. There really wasn’t a direction and limited advice. We feel we have to put together a list of FIVE bulletproof ways to GET NOTICED in a time when sports are “cancelled”.
Stats – Sport Specific, Athletic Stats and Biometrics
Gather up stats from your most recent season. Not only will you need to know your sport specific stats, but you will need your biometrics and overall athletic stats. Sports specific examples would be rebounds, 5k times, assists, receiving, RBI, completion percentages, etc. Athletic stats would be a range from 40/60-yard dash, squats, deadlift, etc. And for biometrics, it’s important to record your height, weight, overall body measurements, etc. If you have never taken the time to document these stats, you need to start NOW. Here is a convenient downloadable checklist to make sure you are documenting all you need. It’s important to track your progress as coaches will want to see how you have developed and grown. Which leads us to the next topic, how have you progressed with all the downtime……
What did YOU do during Covid to take your skills to a new level?
It was easy to get sucked into relaxing days at home. We filled much of our time with casual strolls, homemade dinners full of comfort food, movies and games. The best part of that, we had a chance to grow as a family….and our waste line. As an aspiring athlete, down days are what will set you aside from others. If you took the time to practice drills, improve athletic stats and elevate your game, you are moving in the right direction. Let’s say you took some down time and maybe took on a few of the quarantine 15, you have no time to waste. What you do in times of adversity will ultimately impact the norm. If you are looking for a few key exercises to help you get back in shape, check out our resources section. You can also access some sport specific drills here.
Videos
Gather up your most recent footage relevant to your high school career. Ask coaches, friends, family. Its key to have options, angles and variety. Consider gathering footage from club sports or scrimmages to help build a library. Compress, cut and create a video between 1-2 minutes highlighting your best attributes.
College Search Switch Up
You had your heart set on a school, you were getting great traction, but now with the new landscape, you might want to consider other schools. One way to really dig deep into your college search is to solicit the support of a college bound coach. These coaches can help you expand your search through a series of interview questions, personality and aptitude testing, ACT/SAT preparations and more. Expanding your search will allow you more opportunities for networking. Speaking of networking, how will you set yourself apart from others trying to do the same thing? Have you ever considered creating a marketing strategy?
Marketing strategy
This is similar to a resume but the flexibility to share more of your interests and desires. For example, a resume shares your accomplishments while a marketing strategy shares your desires, competencies and skills. The goal around a marketing strategy is to clearly identify what you are looking for from campus life, academia, and athletics. You also have the ability to outline some of your key resume accomplishments. This strategy is something that can be used for a network beyond recruiters/scouts. You will share this with current coaches, teachers, guidance counselors, family and friends. When you have a clear outline of what it is you want, you will increase your chances of landing in a place that fulfills more than a purpose of participating in a particular sport.