Don't
miss your chance to hit the college-playing field
by getting put in the NCAA "penalty box."
Find out how to avoid disqualifying traps.
Play By the Rules!
By Gina LaGuardia
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Looking to
get recruited? Well, if you thought the two-point
conversation fake and infield fly rule were confusing,
wait'll you get a load of this. "College athletic
recruitment is complicated," explains Hilary
Abramson in Student Athlete's Guide To College
(The Princeton Review, 1999). But, if you play by
the rules, you can be a winner! Read on...
Contact. Defined by the NCAA as any face-to-face
meeting between a college coach, and you or your
parents where more than a "hello" is said.
For Division I and II, you can only receive letters
of interest from athletic departments beginning
September 1st of your junior year. In addition,
"coaches cannot visit or call you whenever
they choose," explains Abramson. This is in
fairness to staffs that don't have the means to
recruit competitively. In all sports other than
football, coaches can contact you (in person) off
campus no more than three times; for football, it's
seven times. Keep track of your meetings to avoid
ineligibility.
Phone Calls. For Division I football and
all other Division I and II sports, you and your
family can contact coaches whenever you want, but
they cannot call you until July 1st after your junior
year. Plus, they can only call you once a week,
unless it's the five days before your "official
visit," the day a coach is coming to visit
you, or during the initial signing date for National
Letters of Intent through two days afterward. For
Division II football, phone calls from coaches are
prohibited before August 15 after your junior year;
after, they may call as often as they wish.
Special Benefits. For both divisions, you
and your family cannot receive any gift that encourages
you to pick one school over another. "Anything
in the way of travel arrangements, cash, clothing,
and promises aren't allowed," says Abramson.
Evaluation. This is defined as an "off-campus
activity used to assess your academic qualifications
or athletic ability." The number of times each
coach can evaluate you per year varies with each
sport. Surf NCAA
for specifics.
The Official Visit. You are allowed to embark
on five, one-time-only "official visits"
to college campuses once you've submitted your transcript
and test scores. During this visit, which cannot
exceed 48-hours, the school can pay for your round-trip
transportation, meals, lodging, and admission to
athletic events. And, although your "host"
cannot buy you anything under the "Special
Benefits" provision, he or she is allowed to
spend a daily stipend of up to $30 on you. |
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·
These "Sports
Specific Shapeups" will
teach you to tone your body and trim
your weaknesses.
· For more recruitment reads
and athletic advice, check out The CollegeBound
Network's Sports
department.
· Is your athletic awesomeness
scholarship-worthy? Find out and learn
how to Score
a Sports Scholarship. |
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