Now that you read Part 1 and Part 2, all your questions are answered right?  Ya - I didn't think so. Let me try to to answer some of the questions my kids and I needed answered. 

 

The short answer is yes, if you really want to run in college you can. There is a misconception among many high school athletes that college running is at a whole other level and only the "State Level" athletes can move on. That's true to a point when you look at the top Division 1 schools, but there are college track and cross country teams that span a much wider range of abilities.  I've seen kids that never ran varsity in high school go on to have an enjoyable college team experience. The key is finding a school and a team that fits you and your abilities.

 

The internet is a wonderful thing, and every college team in the country has a website. Most colleges have a college website (i.e. LMU.edu) and an sports website (i.e. LMULions.com).  To learn about the team, google the college and sport ("Cal Poly Cross Country") and you will find it right away. You will want to spend time on both sites to learn about the academics and athletics.

 

Once on the sports site, find the team and go to the roster.  There you can look up the performances of freshmen doing your events, and many school will have their high school performances listed.  You can also look up the high school performances of your potential future teammates on TFX. Comparing these performances to your own, you can get a feel for where you fit. Will you be back of the pack? Mid-pack? Competing for the #1 position? The answer doesn't necessarily dictate your choice, but it gives you a good sense of where you will fit. For my older kids, we looked for a team where they could start out in striking distance of a top 7 "travel team" spot, but would still be challenged.

 

I knew a state champion athlete a few years back and in May of her senior year, I asked her father about her college choices. He said "the coaches haven't called". Don't make this mistake - Contact Them!  My two older kids got multiple partial offers, but only one was from a coach that initiated the contact.

 

You can generally find a coach's email address either at the bottom of the team's roster, or in a directory section on the main athletic site.  When you email them, tell them a little about yourself (event & marks, GPA, SAT, and academic areas of interests).  Most importantly, ASK THEM some questions.  They can be about training, the team, or anything else you can think of. They want to find good athletes as much as you want to find a good team, so the dialog is easier that you might think. The key is to get it started.

 

So when do you make the contact?  Generally I recommend you make contact your junior year. Depending on your times/marks, you may be ready to do this as early as the Fall, or you may want to wait until you've turned in some good results before you do so. It's a judgement call exactly when, but I would say by the summer before your senior year you should have established a list of colleges you are interested in and initiated contact with the coaches.

 

And what response should you expect?  The responses I've seen have been all over the map. I've seen my kids ignored by coaches even though they could be their #1 scorer as a freshman. Then I've seen D1 coaches in top programs respond with a thorough response even though the recruit's marks were far below their core team's marks. You want to make sure you are talking to enough schools to have options, and keep those options open as long as possible.

The vast majority of scholarships are academic scholarships offered by the college themselves. Private colleges offer a lot of scholarships and it is quite common to get your out-of-pocket cost down to a comparable level as a public institution. Generally the only way to know if you qualify for one of these scholarships is to apply. 

 

As for athletic scholarships, there are certainly a lot out there in varying amounts. Very few kids get full scholarships for track or cross country, and those that do are generally "state champion" caliber performers (and typically not even then). Some colleges are "Fully Funded", meaning they can offer the maximum number of scholarships allowed by NCAA rules, others are partially funded, while still others are not funded at all.

  

How do you know if you might be eligible for a scholarship?  Every school is different, but one rule of thumb I have found to be reasonably true is this: If you have the potential to be a scorer for the team as a freshman, then you have the potential to get a scholarship.  This goes back to the question "is a college is the right level for me?" above.  If you are not competing near the range of the teams scorers when you are a senior in high school, then you aren't likely to be in the range for a scholarship.

 

Still, colleges differ widely on athletic scholarships. Some college vary their scholarship amounts year to year (hopefully an increase), while others offer them only to freshman. You don't want to open your questions to a college coach on this topic, but it's fair to broach it once you have gotten to know each other.

  

Get your paperwork done. You will need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) before you can take any visit.  You also want to make sure to take your PSAT and SAT (and ACT if desired) as early as possible (and you may want to take it twice). You also want to complete your FAFSA as a senior to have the best options for financial aid (and it will be required if you are to receive any type of scholarship).

 

I hope this answered some of the questions you might have. As overwhelming as the process may seem at first, my kids and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If you have more questions, please post them in the comments below or email me at [email protected].

Happy Hunting!