tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52478949432842014442024-02-19T22:32:30.618-08:00National Combine SeriesThe National Combine Series is a schedule of competitions around the country. It is through multiple rounds of testing under pressure, over a period of time, that help to gain experience and to prove consistent performance. These results will help College Coaches evaluate talent.Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-13043247950812034872010-07-09T21:39:00.000-07:002010-07-21T21:41:09.162-07:00National Combine Series - Aberdeen, NJ Regional - July 9, 2010<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Jersey</st1:place></st1:state> Regional Event</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:placename st="on">Matawan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">High School</st1:placetype> - <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Aberdeen</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">NJ</st1:state></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">July 9, 2010</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Sunny / 85 Degrees / 5 mph Wind</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Surface: Field Turf</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">It was picture perfect day for the National Combine Series New Jersey Regional Event as specialists from three states gathered at Matawan, NJ High School to compete.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special Teams Solutions, led by former Rutgers specialists Lee McDonald and Charlie Titus, ran the event. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Leading the way among College division 2011 kickers was Frank Freijomil of Delsea (NJ) High School who was a perfect 10 of 10 with a long of 52 yards from a 1” block!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Freijomol also proved to be a triple threat by averaging 62 yards and 3.4 seconds of hang time per kickoff and 39.5 and 3.9 seconds hang per punt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Frank has emerged as a legit combo prospect with plenty of upside,” says Lee McDonald, Director of STS.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Aiden Little of Millbrook (NY) High School went a solid 7 of 10 with a long of 47 yards from a 2” block while averaging 59 yards and 3.3 seconds of hang time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Aiden is new to kicking but his strong soccer leg and athleticism make for a bright future,” says McDonald.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Joey Roth of Ridge (NJ) High School proved to be the best punter at the event after posting a 44 yard per punt average and 4.4 seconds of hang time average.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Joey works extremely hard at his craft and has become one of the best punting prospects in the northeast this year,” says STS Punting Coach Charlie Titus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">In the Varsity class of 2012 division, Nick LaPerche of Methacton (PA) High School went 9 of 10 with a long of 52 yards from a one inch block.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Nick has really come on strong this off season and is ready for a breakout junior year,” says McDonald.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Ian Maltz of the Hun School (NJ) averaged 63 yards and 3.5 seconds of hang per kickoff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Ian keeps making strides and is just scratching the surface,” says McDonald.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the Junior Varsity class of 2013 division, Jim Cooper of Mainland (NJ) High School went a perfect 10 of 10 on field goals, averaged 63 yards / 3.8 seconds per kickoff and 41 yards / 3.9 seconds per punt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Jim is on the fast track to being a major college combo prospect,” says McDonald.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Markus Colin of Allentown (NJ) High School went 9 of 10 with a long of 42 yards 58 yards and 3.4 seconds hang per kickoff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Markus is starting to show he can compete with the big boys; look for much improvement down the road,” says McDonald.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-25443632767752724672010-06-26T17:32:00.000-07:002010-07-02T17:35:23.871-07:00National Combine Series - Charlotte, NC Regional - June 26, 2010<div>The National Combine Series hosted a regional event in Charlotte on Saturday, June 26th. Typical June temperatures of about 96 degrees combined with humidity and the field turf pushed temperatures over 100 degrees for the 9am start. The Charlotte region continues to show a great pool of talent with athletes coming from NC, SC, NY, and the VA area. The event, held at the Charlotte Christian H.S stadium, was a large group of talented kickers and punters. Dan Orner Kicking and Punting, with the help of local college kickers Adam Yates (USC), Patrick Long (Harvard), and Drew Stewart (Marshall), ran the event.</div><div><br /></div><div>The day was started off with perfect FG scores by 2013 kickers Wes Medeiros and Jefferson Lee, showing that they will make a push for the top kickers in the 2013 class. Robert Frame (2013) also posted a great FG score going 8 of 10.</div><div><br /></div><div>The varsity division was loaded with talent, kickers Brandon Page (2011), Lassiter Tollison (2011), Patrick Rawlings (2012) , Lawson Furr (2011), Austin Holland (2011), Sam Sharpe (2011), Dirk Pieper (2011), Patrick Toole (2011), Bradley Pinion (2012), and Jake Smith (Syracuse Transfer) all going either 8 or 9 out of 10 on FGs. The biggest KOs of the day came from Bradley Pinion (2012), Jake Smith (Syracuse transfer), Lassiter Tollison (2011), and Lawson Furr (2011) each having multiple KO’s sail out of the back of the end zone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sam Sharpe (2011) showed the best command of the skill out of the punters turning over multiple punts of 45 yards with 4.5+ hang times. Punters Van Patterson (2011), Jake Smith (Syracuse Transfer), James Coleman (2012), Worth Gregory (2012), and Bradley Pinion (2012) each showed some towering 50 yd + punts. Micah Martin (2012), the only long snapper at the event, left kickers/punters in awe with very accurate field goal snaps in the .4’s and punt snaps in the .8’s showing he has the ability to be a college snapper in the next two years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to all who participated and helped run the event</div>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-85896423683540875352010-06-17T13:28:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:32:26.934-07:00National Combine Series - Jacksonville, FL Regional - June 17, 2010<p class="NoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:14.0pt;">Sunny – 94 Degrees – Wind 5-10 mph, Surface – Field Turf</span></p><p class="NoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Once again, the National Combine Series has attracted new athletes to the </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jacksonville</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> area.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ProForm</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Kickin</span></span></st1:placename><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Academy</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> coaches Mike Hollis (retired 9 year NFL All-Pro Kicker), Jim Gaetano, and ProForm student (pro prospect and former AFL kicker) Massimo Scaccia, conducted this event and were very pleased with the performance of the new and returning athletes.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Most of the athletes who participated in this event were from the </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jacksonville</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> area and are currently kicking and/or punting for their high school.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The remaining athletes traveled from other parts of </span></span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Florida</span></span></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> including </span></span><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lakeland</span></span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ft.</span></span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Myers</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span></span><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ocala</span></span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lady</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lake</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and Chuluota.</span></span></p> <p class="NoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The young athletes started the competition and set the bar pretty high for the older athletes.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Daniel Krysalka from </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ocala</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, FL. started off the combine by hitting 9 of 10 fgs, with his only miss coming from 38 yards!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Then local </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Creekside</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">High School</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> sophomore Tommy Openshaw followed with 8 of 10 fgs!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Daniel continued to kick-off and punt very well…averaging 59.50 yards on his kick-offs and 37.70 yards per punt!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tommy also had an outstanding performance on kick-offs averaging 57.50 yards with an average of 3.55 seconds hang time!</span></span></p> <p class="NoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Local kickers Kurt Krier, Kyle Federico, and Chuluota, FL. native Lucas Wainman rounded out the Varsity class for this event.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Topping out this class was Junior kicker/punter Kyle Federico who pounded 8 of 10 fgs, averaged 66 yards and 3.48 seconds hang time on his kick-offs, and hit an average of 39.10 yards per punt with an average hang time of 4.02 seconds.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Kurt and Lucas both did very well on kick-offs averaging 60.00 and 59.33 yards per kick-off respectively.</span></span></p> <p class="NoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Finishing out the remaining athletes were 5 kickers/punters and one snapper from the class of 2011.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Just 3 locals, Banner Clark of Trinity Christian Academy, David Burdetsky also of Trinity Christian, and Luke Arnold of Mandarin High School; and Christopher Crowe from Lakeland, FL., RJ Peppers from Lady Lake, FL., and Zachary Douglas of Ft. Myers rounded out these remaining Seniors.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Topping the list for these athletes on fgs was Zachary Douglas who went 8 of 10 including a successful 52 yarder!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Zachary also was the leader in kick-off distance with an average of 65.67 yards per kick!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Other standouts for kick-offs were Banner Clark (62.50 yards / 3.52 hang) and Luke Arnold (59.50 yards / 3.70 hang).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">RJ Peppers blasted an average of 43.90 yards per punt with an average of 4.06 seconds of hang time per punt!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Banner </span></span><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Clark</span></span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> was close behind with 41.40 yards per punt with an average hang time of 4.21!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">David Burdetsky was very accurate and quick on both fg and punt snaps!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He averaged 0.42 seconds per fg snap and 0.81 seconds per punt snap, all with very good accuracy and laces!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p> <p class="NoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Great job to all participants of this June 2010 Jacksonville Regional National Combine Series Event!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ProForm</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Kicking</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Academy</span></span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> will host another NCS event on July 15</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> in </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jacksonville</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, with a 3-Day instructional camp to follow!</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-90913358969071214202010-06-05T14:17:00.000-07:002010-06-10T14:47:48.571-07:00National Combine Series - Dallas Regional - June 5, 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Dallas Regional - June 5, 2010</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Parish Episcopal High School</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well as luck would have it we received our first heat wave of the summer during our Dallas 1 Regional. It was 99 degrees outside and about 110 on the field. Got to love Texas. Winds were about 10 mph out of the south and it was a nice cool breezy, ha ha.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Several returning kickers and punters to the Dallas regional showing how they have developed since last year. Brett Rattan in the JV group showed his accuracy and consistency going 9/10 in field goals while Cody Wicker of the JV group blasted his punts hitting 4 over 42 and 2 over 50.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Joseph Pickett who competed in the Varsity group even though only being a sophmore showed that he is one of the top kickers in the country at his age level going 8/10 at the varsity marks and dropping his 52 yarder which would have been good from 60, not to mention hitting a 3.9 72 yard kickoffs.</span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We had some newcomers at the Regional here in Dallas that could turn lots of heads in the College division this year. Fabian Soldevilla of Skyline High School in Dallas, showed that he was not to be taken likely, a small frame with a big kicking package hitting his KICKOFFS deep in the endzone, while Dylan Culp from Henderson HS showed serious D1 potential on his field goals.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A new addition to KICKNATION is SNAPNATION and Coach Aaron King who made a guest appreance getting to work with the NCS regional long snappers at this event. Coach King made a couple of adjustments on one snapper Flowers and he was snapping the ball straight at his target showing the coaches and players great potential for years to come.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All in all the Dallas Regional was a success and we look forward to seeing you at the next NCS event.</span><br /></div></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-73698378504727740562010-04-19T17:54:00.001-07:002010-04-19T20:49:40.590-07:00Social Networks and Potential Pitfalls for Recruits<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Just about everybody is on one social network or another, if not all, these days. It is a great way to reconnect and/or stay connected with people. Facebook and My Space lead the charge with 150 million and 115 million users, respectively.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Being able to upload photos, videos, comments, etc. or being tagged in a video or photo is cool and fun. However, more and more colleges are using social networks, not only to communicate with prospects, but to do research and keep an eye on them as well. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">The internet alone can be image damaging for athletes. Michael Phelps and Matt Leinert anyone? </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">However, when it comes to college recruiting and potentially $100,000 in scholarship money, student athletes need to very cautious about what is posted on their profiles. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">I currently work with a college kicker who is graduating and hoping to get a shot at the pros. When I became his "friend" on facebook, I had the ability to look at his profile and all of his photos. I came across several where he had been tagged by others while attending a Halloween costume party. In several of the photos, he was holding a beer. He is over 21 and legal to drink alcohol, but I don't think that he would want NFL teams seeing photos of him partying...</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Both NFL and Colleges want to recruit athletes with integrity, good character, etc. The internet in general, makes it easier for everyone to find and see people. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">If you are actively using your social network profiles, exercise caution in what you post and be aware of what others may post about you. Ultimately, you shouldn't have to worry about if anything is posted or not about you if you are an upstanding citizen. However, high school athletes are still young and make mistakes from time to time. Believe or not, I made a couple in high school. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">When those mistakes are made, just make sure that they don't find their way onto the internet...Here is a <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/03/1s3p-preptu01527-athletes-start-see-online-profile/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 64, 124); line-height: 1.22em; ">good article</a> on this topic.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Be smart on the field, at school, at events and online.</p></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-49817094984649191792010-04-19T17:53:00.001-07:002010-04-19T20:55:58.238-07:00Recruiting and Social Networks<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div class="jive-blog-post-message" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; display: block; width: 948px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div class="jive-rendered-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; line-height: 1.22em; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: hidden; clear: both; position: relative; width: 938px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">The NCAA has been working hard to keep up with the advancement of technology as it relates to communication avenues and their bylaws.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">For a few years, phone calls from coaches were not allowed during Non-Contact period. However, coaches could sent text messages. Those were before the unlimited texting plans came out. I heard stories of prospects' parents getting phone bills for hundreds of dollars...</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">More and more, college coaches are relying on social networks to do their homework on prospects as well as communicate. As we join more social networks with cool new applications for communicating, I suspect the NCAA will continue to make amendments to their bylaws to ensure that coaches are not finding "loop holes" to contact student-athletes. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">With the meteoric rise of Facebook and others like MySpace, the ability to message people using their internal email platforms has become popular yet cumbersome at the same time. I find myself trying to remember if I sent a message through standard email or through one of the social network sites. Who is contacting me, where and how? It reminds me of the scene from the movie, He's Just Not That Into You, with Drew Barrymore when she mentions that she has to go around checking all of the different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies is exhausting.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Well, the NCAA has adapted accordingly. The NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.4.1.2, states that, "e-mail is not limited to a traditional e-mail service provided by an institution, Website or Internet service provider. Therefore, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to send electronically transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete using a social networking Web site's (e.g., MySpace, Facebook) e-mail feature. All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards (e.g., a user's wall) within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">For example, a coaching staff member with a MySpace or Facebook account may send electronically</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">transmitted correspondence to a prospective student-athlete's MySpace or Facebook account using the e-mail inbox feature located on that user's profile page. However, a coaching staff member may not send electronic correspondence to a prospective student-athlete via the comments feature on MySpace or the wall-to-wall feature on Facebook."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">It goes on further by adding that it is permissible for a prospective student-athlete's name and/or picture to appear on an athletics department staff member's profile page of a social networking Web site to identify the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" of the athletics department staff member. Institutions should note that the identification of the prospective student-athlete as a "friend" on an athletics staff members profile page confirms only the institution's potential recruitment of that individual. However, institutions are reminded they may not make any public comments about the prospective student-athlete's ability, the contribution that the prospective student-athlete might make to the institution's team or the likelihood of the prospective student-athlete's signing with that institution.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">The fact that colleges can contact you through social networks is good in that it provides another avenue for contacting prospects. However, it is a reminder to be careful about what you are posting to your social network profiles...College coaches are out there looking.</p></div></div><div class="jive-blog-post-details" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); height: 16px; "></div></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-18693951897302426902010-04-19T14:44:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:56:16.516-07:00The Importance of Video in the Recruiting Process<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In a recent survey, 100% of all college coaches responded that video is VERY import when evaluating talent. Especially when first assessing the athlete. Now check this out, in another recent poll only 2-3% of student-athletes have video readily accessible online for college coaches to view.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">College coaches like to coach, but part of their job is to recruit and find athletes that fit their program. That involves looking at video, traveling, etc. The cost of traveling has affected every college program. The smaller programs don't have the budget to travel and visit all of their prospects. What do they do? They rely on video. What is fast becoming the best way to view video? Online.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Having video online is one of the most efficient means for coaches. DVDs and VHS tapes have been the norm for many years. However, the time it takes to open the package, then the case, insert it into the computer, wait for it to upload and then finally view ONE person can take up a lot of valuable time for coaches. Let alone that it clutters their office. They often trip over the stacks, get mad and throw them in the trash.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I am not saying that DVDs are not valuable. They are, but only if they are personally requested by a coach. There are two types of video from a coach's perspective:</span></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Unsolicited videos (those that many athletes just send out to colleges with their "fingers crossed")</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Solicited videos (those that a coach has specifically requested and are looking for it to come in the mail)</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Why not make everyone's job easier and effective with an </span></span><a href="http://combineseries.com/profile.asp?id=865&eventid=1&gradyear="><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">online video profile</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Their are many great features that online video profiles can provide.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For athletes:</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The ability to constantly update your video</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Not having to produce additional DVDs and mail them out</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sending emails with links to your video profile</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tracking profile views by coaches</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Affordability</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For college coaches:</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Easily managing player videos</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Viewing video quickly of athletes</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Creating watch lists of favorite athletes</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Searching for athletes that meet their requirements</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Receiving notifications when athletes sign up</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How do you get video? There are many options to getting video.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Your coach (if they film your games/matches)</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A parent (caution, the video can get shaky if they get excited while watching you perform)</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A friend (buy him lunch for every match he films)</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A professional videographer (you can split the cost with other teammates)</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Video is critical to getting your "foot in the door." It is worth the time and effort to film your performance and post it to an online. </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How are you going to do to separate yourself from the competition?</span></span></p></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-75025068526876518932010-04-19T14:16:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:56:35.942-07:00Marketing Yourself to Colleges<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><div class="jive-blog-post-message" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; display: block; width: 948px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div class="jive-rendered-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; line-height: 1.22em; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: hidden; clear: both; position: relative; width: 938px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">You have signed up with the NCAA Eligibility Center and identified you top 15 schools that you would like to attend. Now you have to let them know that you exist. Marketing yourself is vital if you would like to get on colleges' radar screens. If you are as good as Reggie Bush, stop reading this because you are good go. If you NOT Reggie Bush, you need to be positioned so that you separate yourself from the competition. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Where to start? First of all you need a resume. Now a days, having an online presence is vital. Many college coaches use the internet to get introduced to student-athletes. It is 1000x easier for them to view online profiles then to have to worry about getting paper cuts when opening your mail. Secondly, you need video. Having video is key in helping coaches during the recruiting process. In a recent poll taken by ActiveRecruiting.com, 100% of the coaches polled answered that video was very important. Next, you need to present your resume in a way that is user friendly for coaches. College coaches want to efficiently view your resume. If you make it hard for them or have incomplete/inaccurate information, chances are they will scratch you off their list. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">The reality is that there are several student-athletes that they could recruit who are on a similar skill level as you. Again, what you need to do is set yourself apart from the competition. How are you going to do that? Work smarter. Work your way to the front of the line. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Take advantage of technology to spread the word that you are their "Answer." Every college sports team has a web page. Besides D1 Football and D1 Basketball, you can easily find contact information, phone numbers and email addresses, for coaches in most sports and divisions. They want to be contacted.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Yes, the NCAA has restrictions on when they can contact you. However, there are no restrictions on when and how often you can contact them. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Start with an email to the coach</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Copy and paste a direct link to your online resume</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">This puts them one click from being introduced to you and viewing your video</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Follow up with a phone call (Student-Athletes make the call not the Parents)</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">When you reach them, chances are they are in their office and in front of their computer</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Direct them to you video profile</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Utilize this call to serve as an interview</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Be confident when speaking with them</p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Keep calling until you reach them</p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">My soccer coach used to tell us, "Keep shooting on goal. Eventually, you are going to score." I believe that this advice can be used in recruiting as well. There are hundreds to thousands of college programs out there. There will be several that will be a good fit for you academically as well as athletically, if you are willing to be flexible.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Sending DVDs can be helpful, but most coaches throw them away so they won't trip over them in their offices. These are called "unsolicited" DVDs and a waste of money. Think about the cost to produce and mail out DVDs to hundreds of schools? If you do have DVDs produced, wait until a college requests them.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">With an online video profile, you can consistently update your video without having to produce a new DVD. Signing up to an online recruiting site that allows college coaches to search by filters can only increase your odds of being discovered. However, you still need to be very pro-active in getting your name out.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">With the cost of gas, many colleges will cut back on traveling. However, they still need to recruit. Help make their jobs easier and increase your odds by working wisely in promoting yourself.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">No one is going to market yourself better than you and/or your parent. If you are serious about playing college sports, then be prepared to do whatever it takes...</p></div></div><div class="jive-blog-post-details" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); height: 16px; "></div></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-7439070943646838172010-04-19T12:17:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:56:50.015-07:00Recruiting Realities<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There have been many good articles written on recruiting over the years. However, in the New York Times, there were several about college recruiting and scholarship money. The series of articles definitely highlighted the somber tails that some student-athletes experience. Like anything else, we usually only get to hear or read about the top 1% who have success.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I believe that there needs to be a shift of thinking in the college recruiting process, both by parents and student-athletes. As athletes we have pride. Sometimes that pride serves us well and other times it can hurt us. Most of us expect or hope for scholarships to play in college. Parents definitely hope for it and think that we are the next best player since Tom Brady (Coincidently, he was a 6th round draft pick.)</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yes, college tuition is getting more expensive every year. Therefore, we feel that it is important to get a scholarship. I know that I was looking to get one to help my parents. (I was also hoping that if I got a scholarship out of high school, they would buy me a Suzuki Samurai with wood paneling on the side.)</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Neither happened. I ended up "walking on" at the University of Virginia and driving a beat up Ford Pinto with no A/C. The summer after I graduated high school, I received a call from Liberty University with an offer for a “full ride.” I respectfully declined.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It should not be about “show(ing) me the money.” I understand</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">that there are some people that cannot go to college for financial reasons</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">unless they get an athletic scholarship.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">However, for this discussion, the shift in mind set should be focused on the benefits of playing college sports. Athletics offer more long term benefits then tuition alone.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pursuing sports in college can increases acceptance opportunities. Once there, just a few of the traits you learn are:</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Time management</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Discipline</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Team work</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Self-Motivation</span></span></p></li><li level="1" type="ul" style="margin-top: 0.2em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How to deal well with pressure</span></span></p></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Those skills and a college degree will ultimately land you with a great job when you graduate. Many employers look first to student-athletes for the above mentioned traits when hiring. If fact there is even a website geared towards hiring student-athletes </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">out of high school: </span></span><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.athletes4hire.com/" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 64, 124); line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.athletes4hire.com</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Read the series of articles in the </span></span><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/sports/10scholarships.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ei=5088&en=a6608ef633587e7b&ex=1362888000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 64, 124); line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">NY Times </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Good luck!</span></span></p></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-73708723731323041652009-11-30T21:45:00.001-08:002010-04-19T20:57:09.781-07:00Finding the Right College<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Choosing the right college to attend is something that will take some<br /><br />time. You will want to find a school that fits you both academically<br /><br />and athletically.<br /><br />The first step is to make a list of 12-15 schools<br /><br />that you, initially, would like to attend. I would categorize them in this way:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dream schools</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Realistic schools</span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fall back schools</span></span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, there could be some overlap between the Dream and Realistic schools. Having simple categories will help to organize your choices as you start this process.<br /><br />Your Dream schools could be a big time college athletic program, like<br />UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas or Florida. Maybe you have grown up watching that program, members of your family have attended that school or you simply like their mascot and colors. There are many colleges that offer both big time athletics as well as incredible academics, Virginia, Cal Berkley, Boston College, etc. Therefore, attending one of these programs would appear to be ideal.<br /><br />However, you need to be "realistic" with your athletic abilities and decide if you would get significant playing time by attending one of these programs. If so, great. If not, then you will need to decide if just being on the roster is good enough for you. Otherwise, finding a program, athletically, that will allow you to get a lot of playing time might be at a "Realistic" School.<br /><br />Being a "Big fish in a small pond," is something that will provide for a great college experience. There are dozens of incredible academic institutions that play at smaller divisions, Amherst, William and Mary and all of the Ivy league schools.<br /><br />You have heard or you will hear that "College is one of the best times of your life." The great thing is that you can do many things to ensure that you have an incredible experience.<br /><br />Finally, have your "Fall Back" Schools. These are schools that you would still enjoy attending, but they are not necessarily the first ones that pop up in your head. They still combine the academics and athletics and offer the expected experience.<br /><br />Do your initial research on these schools, their location (Do you want to stay close to home or leave the state?), student size, academic offering, players at your postition (How many? When are they graduating?),etc. Your list and rankings may move around after your research. Some schools may drop out and some new ones may be added.<br /><br />Two sites where you can begin your research are:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><ul><li><a href="http://collegeboard.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CollegeBoard.com</span></span></a></li><li><a href="http://ncaa.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NCAA.com</span></span></a></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have to work just as hard off the field, to find the right school, as you do on the field.* *<br /><br />One of the most important questions that you should ask yourself when trying to select the right college is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"If something were to happen that prevented me from playing my sport in college, would I still want to be at that school?"</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Leveraging your sport to go to college is a great way to be a starter, get an education and have an incredible experience that will set the foundation for the rest of your life.<br /><br />Once you have narrowed down your school options, the next step is letting them know that you are out there.</span></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-11047787323621126212009-09-30T17:40:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:54:48.640-07:00Recruiting 101 - My StoryGoing into my senior year of high school, I was starting to think about the hard decision that I would have to make in choosing the right college to continue playing football. Would it be Notre Dame or UCLA. I expected there to be a few other big players, but those were my top two choices. Do I go and play for Notre Dame and its elite program (at the time.) Or do I follow my calling to go out west to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> and play for the Bruins. Both offered so many positives...<o:p></o:p></p><p>I went to high school in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Hampton</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">Va.</st1:state></st1:place> The Hampton Crabbers, yes, the Crabbers, were a power house football team that consistently found itself in the state championship. I was All-State kicker two years in a row. We had won the state championship my sophomore and junior years.<o:p></o:p></p><p>However, we lost in the state finals my senior in a very close game to T.C. Williams (Remember the Titans.) So, I thought that the schools would be calling me non stop once the "contact period" began. So, I waited....and waited...and waited. They never called. The national signing day came and went. I was still without a college to attend.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I was completely unaware of how the recruiting process worked. I thought that if I kicked well and that our team was great, the rest would take care of itself. My parents didn't have a clue either. They just wanted to see me get a college education and hopefully see me kick at a few games. I found myself in the same situation that many student-athletes find themselves. I wasn't being heavily recruited, but I knew that I wanted to play at the next level.</p><p>What was I going to do? Where was I going to go?<o:p></o:p></p><p>Fortunately, I ended up walking on at the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Virginia</st1:placename></st1:place>. My coach, Mike Smith, had a big role in getting me there. I sometimes wonder if he funneled me there. I had a few smaller schools interested in me, but all of a sudden they stopped calling. I wasn't sure what happened. Why did they stop calling? I think that he told them that I wasn't interested.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Some coaches are great resources for their athletes. Most are not. However, there are many resources available today to help <b>YOU</b> to be pro-active in your search. One of them can be found at <a href="http://www.ncaastudent.org/" mce_href="http://www.ncaastudent.org/">http://www.ncaastudent.org/</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p>There are recruiting services out there that offer to help find you scholarships, but at a high cost. Then they end up giving you a booklet and proceed to tell you that in order to get a scholarship you have to do everything that is in the booklet. What's the secret inside this book? <b>YOU!</b><o:p></o:p></p><p>By using the work ethic that has allowed you to perform well on the field, you have to work hard off the field to find the right college. You need to take control of your future.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The recruiting process can be complex if you let others control it for you. However, you can simplify it by doing research. The internet is a great way to find valuable information. You can find the schools, their athletic programs and in most cases the necessary contact info for the coaches.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Here is what I recommend that you do:<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Choose your dream schools, realistic schools and fall back schools (Some may overlap)<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Ask yourself, if I wasn't playing a sport, would I want to go to that school? (Remember, there is an off-season)<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Find out the situation for your position at those schools<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Is the starter a senior?<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>What about the back ups?<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>How many people on the roster play your position?<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Make sure that you have video ready to show them<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Call the coach (You make the call, not your parents)<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Prove to that coach that you are a great fit for their program<o:p></o:p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; "><span style=" ;font-family:Symbol;"><span>·<span style=" ;font-size:7pt;"> </span></span></span>Be assertive and keep in contact (squeaky wheel gets the oil)<o:p></o:p></p><p>We all dream about going to a top ranked athletic program. Maybe you can go to one, but will you play? Find the college where you can play for 3-4 years and get a solid education. That positive experience will last a lifetime.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I wasn't heavily recruited out of high school and I wasn't drafted in the NFL. However, with some hard work, luck and resolve, I was able to get a great education and play in the NFL for 9 seasons.</p><p>What do you want to do?</p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-67055086393653716872009-08-09T15:40:00.000-07:002009-08-13T15:43:13.123-07:00Detroit Semi Final Recap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; ">One of the 2009 Combine Series Semi-Finals took place over the weekend in Detroit, Michigan. The morning and day prior to the competition was filled with some pretty bad storms and high winds but as soon as it was time for the competition, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and the competition was fierce!<br /><br />Mitchell Bredberg from Ada, Michigan (Forest Hills Central High School) started the semi-finals off with a bang going 10 for 10 on field goals. Michael McGowan from Sylvania, Ohio (St. Francis de Sales High School) followed and made his first 9 field goals before pushing his final 35 yard field goal wide right. All in all, the field goal portion of the combine was very successful for the 7 participants making 79% of their kicks (55 for 70).<br /><br />The kickoff portion of the competition was led by 2 guys from Loveland, Ohio. Matt Eltringham (Loveland High School) averaged almost 65 yards per kickoff and Joe Reifenberg (Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) averaged almost 63 yards per kickoff.<br /><br />In punting, Kyle Pignatiello, from Tipp City, Ohio (Tippecanoe High School) was at the top of the leaderboard averaging 42.5 yards per punt, followed by Joe Reifenberg's 41.5 yard average and Adam Schaffer from West Chester, Ohio (Moeller High School) averaged 40.7 yards per punt.</span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-69161583299425577532009-08-08T15:37:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:57:27.306-07:00North East Semi Final Recap<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">North East </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Semi-Final </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Event</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Matawan</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></b><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">High </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">School</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> - </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Aberdeen</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">NJ</span></b></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Saturday </span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">August 8</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, 2009</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></b></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Sunny / 80 Degrees / 5</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> mph W</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ind</span></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></b></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Surface: Field Turf</span></b></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: center; "><b><br /></b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;">More than thirty talented specialists from eight states gathered for the National Kicking Combine Series Northeast Super Regional at <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Matawan</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">NJ</st1:state></st1:place> High School.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special Teams Solutions ran the event which featured player instruction, a recruiting seminar and combine testing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Staff included former division I standouts Lee McDonald (Rutgers ’99), Charlie Titus (Rutgers ’99), Jim Cooper (<st1:city st="on">Temple</st1:city> ’84), Gerry McGroarty (<st1:city st="on">Buffalo</st1:city> ’08), Chris Hanly (Hofstra ’07) and current <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Lebanon</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Valley</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:place> kicker Matt Narache.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“The competition was fierce but several players separated themselves from the pack to show they are legit college prospects” said Lee McDonald, Director of Special Teams Solutions “I think the northeast will be represented well at the National Combine Series Super Camp in January.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Among the college division kickers, numerous players shined after hitting eight or more field goals.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Leading the way with nine successful kicks was Brad Prasky (Groton HS-MA).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The soccer player turned kicker showed good lift on the ball with a long of 52 yards from a one inch block.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After that, numerous performers hit eight field goals but top recognition has to go to James Devens (James Madison HS-VA) with a long of 52, Matt Maczura (Pittsburgh Catholic-PA) with a long of 47 and Jake Smith (Milford Prep-NY) with a long of 52 who were impressive in kicking off the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anthony Cavallaro (Delaware Valley HS-PA) headed the charge on kickoffs by posting a 61 yard and 3.5 seconds hang time average from a one inch tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Tyler Yonchiuk (East Brunswick HS-NJ) showed why several big time programs are in pursuit by averaging 43 yards and 4.5 seconds hang time per punt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Chris Mattos (Monroe HS-NJ) also dropped several bombs in posting a 44 yard and 3.8 seconds hang time punting average.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">In the class of 2011 varsity division, the top field goal kicker of the day no doubt was Michael Branthover (DeMatha Catholic HS-MD) who hit 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 52 yards off the ground!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Kyle Lawrence (Kecoughtan HS-VA) also went an impressive 9 of 10 with a long of 47 from a one inch block.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anthony DiPaula (<st1:place st="on">St.</st1:place> John Vianney HS-NJ) once again showed a solid leg on kickoffs with a long of 62 yards and 3.5 seconds hang time from a one inch tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Michael Branthover and Michael Beamish (Abington Heights HS-PA) finished 1-2 in punting by averaging 37 yards and 4.2 / 4.1 seconds hang time respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Among the underclassmen, class of 2012 kickers Eric Enderson (Phoebus HS-VA) and Jared Rondeau (Centreville HS-VA) both displayed great poise in connecting on 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 42 yards from one inch blocks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Enderson also averaged a notable 51 yards and 3.3 seconds hang time on kickoffs and 35 yards and 3.6 seconds hang time on punts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Class of 2013 performer Jim Cooper (Mainland HS-NJ) showed huge potential in hitting 8 of 10 field goals, averaging 53 yards/3.5 seconds hang time on kickoffs and 31 yards/4.0 seconds hang time on punts!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Lee McDonald, Special Teams Solutions</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="mailto:lee@specialteamssolutions.com">lee@specialteamssolutions.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">732-406-6409</p></span><p></p></span><p></p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-81824615209503370012009-08-02T11:28:00.000-07:002009-08-06T10:18:00.109-07:00Dallas Semi Final Recap<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Lo</span><st1:personname st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">c</span></st1:personname><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ation – </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Addison</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">TX</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> – Parish Epis</span><st1:personname st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">c</span></st1:personname><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">opal </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Weather - Sunny /105 HOT </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Wind – 5 from the south</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Field – field turf runs south to north</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The National Combine Series showcased its Dallas Semi Final event, hosted by KickNation. Forty plus stellar kickers and punters from several different states took the field and put on a show to remember.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In the JV division, Max Coffin, who kicked very well in the Tulsa Regional, did it again at the Dallas Semi Final, demonstrating good height and pop on field goals, making 9 out of 10. Max, a rising sophomore, had big kick offs, putting his longest 68 yards deep into the back of the end zone. Josh Lambert, also made 9 out of 10 field goals and kicked off deep into the end zone with his 64 yards being his longest kick. It was great seeing them compete.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In our Varsity Division, there was great competition between Chris Moore of Plano, Beau Brady of Houston, Gray McCollough of Austin, new comer, Austin Sasser of Amarillo and Chase Thrasher of Rowlett. Thrasher went a perfect 10 out of 10 on the day. All five athletes displayed their D1 prospect ability as Juniors. New NCS participant, Chad Hedlund, of Argyle, gave a few head turning kick offs, consistently putting the ball 69 yards deep.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In our College division, there were several stand outs, too many to name, but a couple of guys that caught the attention of the NCS Coaches were Jake Craig of Lyons, Kansas and Cody Mandell of Lafayette, LA. Cody has committed to Tulane, but is some a competitor and athlete, he continues to participate in the NCS events.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Both put on a clinic in the punting competition with a few 4.9 and 5.0 hang times. Jake Craig even had a torn quadriceps and competed. Wait until he is 100% healthy. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mark Fritz, from Johnstown, PA, showed that he is a top prospect, averaging 44 yards on his punts while Chris Peoples from Vian, OK, boomed many kick offs, averaging 70 yards on the day. Returning NCS Finalist, Cameron Frosch from Rowlett, proved to be the most consistent on the day making 9 out of 10 field goals, averaging almost 44 yards per punt and 69 yards per kick off. Look for Frosch to be a top recruit in the class of 2010. </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The Dallas Semi Final was full of great talent and enthused parents who braved to hot temperatures. The event showcased the vast amount of talent in </span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Texas</span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> and surrounding states and set up what is sure to be another great year for the NCS in 2010.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Quck and Cool Facts:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Some of the top kickers at the Dallas Semi Final are from the same school, which should make for great competition in the fall. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">TJ JOHNSON (SR.) </span></span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CEDAR</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">PARK</span></span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> – </span></span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">AUSTIN</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> TX</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">GRAY MCCOLLOUGH (JR.) </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CEDAR</span></span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">PARK</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> –</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CAMERON FROSCH (SR.) ROWLETT HS – </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ROWLETT</span></span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span></span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">TX</span></span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CHASE THRASHER (JR.) ROWELTT HS</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> – </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ROWLETT, TX</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Furthest Traveled, Aron Aycock, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Waterloo</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Il</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Biggest Punt – Cody Mandell, 5.07 seconds/46 Yards</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Bicggest Kick off – Chris Moore, 80 yards</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Perfect of Field Goals – Chase Thrasher</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The National Combine Series and KickNation would like to thank the entire staff for the help that they provided throughout the day. Again, the talent and temperature was HOT! </span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Matt Fodge, NFL Free Agent</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Drew </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Bristol</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Missouri</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Southern</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Chris Winkler, Baylor</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Chris Robbs, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">University of Central</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oklahoma</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Kellis Cunningham, SMU</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Zach Robinson, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oklahoma</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">State</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Michael Reichenstein, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oklahoma</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">State</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ryan Williams, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">University of North</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Texas</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Randy Williams, Southlake</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jacob Shackleford, Coast Guard</span></b></li></ul><span style=" ;font-size:9pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Contact: Coach Chris </span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img width="234" height="73" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/Michael/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image002.jpg" shapes="_x0000_i1025" /></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Tahoma;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-family:Georgia;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; "><span style=" ;font-size:9pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">EMAIL: </span></b><st1:personname st="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CHRIS@KICKNATION.ORG</span></b></st1:personname><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; "><span style=" ;font-size:9pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">CELL: 214-543-5242</span></b></span><span style=" ;font-size:9pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></b></span><span><b> </b></span></p></span></b></span></div>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-25587995495174632082009-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:002009-08-06T11:29:33.551-07:00Tampa Semi Final Recap<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:7;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 55px; text-decoration: underline;font-size:48px;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:7;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 55px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; border-collapse: collapse; "></span></span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; "><div align="center" style="text-align: center; "><u><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">National Combine Series Super Semi Finals in Tampa Florida August 1<sup>st</sup> 2009</span></span></u></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; "><div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; ">The National Combine Series takes place in 23 cities over the entire United States. Starting with “Regionals”, thousands of athletes compete in a set format in the football skills of kicking, punting and long snapping. Those who qualify are advanced to a “Super Semi-Finals”. The Semi-Finals held in Tampa on August 1<sup>st</sup> 2009 at Jesuit High School drew top regional qualifiers from as far away as Virginia and Puerto Rico. Those who place high in the Semi-finals will be invited to compete in the Finals, which will take place in January of 2010 here in Florida. More information can be attained at </span></span><a href="http://www.combineseries.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(42, 93, 176); "><span style="color:purple;"><span style="color: purple; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">www.combineseries.com</span></span></span></a><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><u><span style="line-height: 115%; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Hot </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tampa</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">” Produces Super Hot Performances</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></u></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">College Division (includes College, Community College and rising 12</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> grade (class of 2010):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The big surprise of the entire combine was provided by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Johnny Simone</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Manatee</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Community College</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, who captured 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place in this division in field goals by pounding 9 out of 10 field goals through the uprights. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Connor Goulding</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> of </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Gulf</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Coast</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">High School</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Naples</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Florida</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and <b>Matt Cass</b>, from Hampton High School, Hampton, Virginia, also hit 90% to tie for 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> with </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Johnny Simone</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tyler Feely</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (Jesuit High School of Tampa Fl. took</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place honors hitting 80 % of his field goals.</span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tyler Feely</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> dominated the College Division Punting Competition amassing 813.5 points with an average of 41.6 yards per punt and 3.97 hang time average. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Austin Cannon</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> of </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Creek</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Side</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">High School</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, Fruit Cove, </span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Florida</span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> took 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place (punt) with 729 points, on a 35 yard average and 3.5 hang time average. 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place was earned by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Connor Goulding</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> of </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Gulf</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Coach</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">High School</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kick off honors went </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to Matthew Cappleman</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (</span><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Place</span></st1:address></st1:street><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">) of West Orange High School of Orlando with 583.1 points and a 60.17 average distance; </span><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Place</span></st1:address></st1:street><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was won by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Connor Goulding</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, and 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Johnny Simone. Danny Adams</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, St. Thomas Aquinas, won the title for long snapping and field goal snapping.</span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Varsity Division ( rising 11</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> graders):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Out of nowhere came an unknown from Jesuit High School of Tampa, Fl. named </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kyle Bellini</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> who captured three places in the Varsity Division. Kyle, who is </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tyler Feely’s</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> team mate at </span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jesuit</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">High School</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tampa</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, earned a 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place in Kick Offs and Punts and also a 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place in Field Goals. 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place for field goals was earned with a stellar performance by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kaden Kerns</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, of </span><st1:placename st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Braden</span></st1:placename><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">River</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:placetype st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">High School</span></st1:placetype><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in </span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Florida</span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kaden</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kerns</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> had 9 out of 10 field goals for 310 points, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tyler Gilbert</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> out of </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Orlando</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><st1:state st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Florida</span></st1:state></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, tied for first with 90% on his field goal production and also had 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place in punting. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bellini</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> had 80 % on field goals, for 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Robbie Amor,</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Jesuit High School of Tampa, took 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place in long snapping and field goal snapping.</span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">JV Division (rising 10</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> graders):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Brooks Abbott</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span><span style="font-family:";color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Episcopal High School of Jacksonville Fl. earned two 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place honors and a 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place to stand out as the best JV Division kicker/punter. With 531 points in Kick offs and 702 points in punting both good enough for first place honors. In field goal he connected on 80 % good for runner up. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jake Englishbee</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> hit 90% of his field goals for the JV Division 1</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">st</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place title. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kyle Federico</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> from Pointe Vedre, </span><st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Florida</span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> collected two 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> places and a 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place honors.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:";color:black;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Two first place honors went to </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nick Feely</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in the Freshman Division. Nick Feely, who will be attending Jesuit High School this fall went 90% on his field goals, earned 486 points on kick offs and 578 points in punts, good for a 2</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">nd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> place finish. Also hitting 90 % on field goals was </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rhett Waldron</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> of Brandon Florida. Rhett was the runner up for kick offs and took third place in punts. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sean Young</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was the freshman runner up in field goals and took first place in punting. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Brandon Buck</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> took 3</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in both field goals and kick offs.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></b></p></span><p></p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-35515825815206308852009-07-24T13:50:00.000-07:002009-07-31T13:52:16.802-07:00Boston Regional Recap<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Boston</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">MA</st1:state></st1:place> Regional Event</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Kraft Field</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">July 24, 2009</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Sunny / 80 Degrees / 5 mph Wind</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Surface: Field Turf</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Some of <st1:place st="on">New England</st1:place>’s top kicking prospects came through in the clutch at the National Kicking Combine Series Boston Regional Event.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special Teams Solutions, headed by former <st1:placename st="on">Rutgers</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> and Arena Football kicker Lee McDonald, ran the event at Kraft Field (named after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft who donated the field) in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Brookline</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">Massachusetts</st1:state></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Luke Faust of Roxbury Latin School (MA) showed a big leg on field goals among the class of 2010 kickers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Faust hit 7 of 10 kicks with a long of 52 yards off the ground and proved to be the best overall performer of the day after averaging 59 yards and 3.3 seconds hang time on kickoffs and 37 yards / 3.6 seconds hang time on punts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Erich Perfetti of Shrewsbury (MA) High School finished second by connecting on 6 of 10 field goals off the ground with a long of 39 yards.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Brad Prasky of Groton High School (MA) displayed a strong leg on kickoffs by averaging nearly 58 yards and 3.4 seconds of hang time per kickoff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>John Gardner of Darien High School (CT) was right there with a near 55 yard and 3.4 seconds hang time kickoff average.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Among punters, Prasky averaged 38 yards and nearly 3.7 seconds hang time and Perfetti nearly 37 yards with 3.7 seconds hang time per punt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Arthur Azatyants of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Brookline</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:place> proved to be a solid punter as well by posting 35 yards and 3.8 seconds hang time per punt.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Among the class of 2011, Tim Weinclaw of Kellenberg High School (NY) proved consistent by hitting 8 of 10 field goals with a long of 52 yards off a two inch block.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He also averaged 53 yards with 3.4 seconds hang time per kickoff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Joe Uglietto of the Governors Academy School (MA) turned over several punts and averaged 35 yards and 3.7 seconds hang time per kick.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Class of 2012 kicker James Lincoln of Ocala High School (FL), a summer visitor to <st1:place st="on">New England</st1:place>, was perfect on the day by hitting all ten field goals with a long of 42 yards.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lincoln</st1:place></st1:city> also averaged 54 yards and 3.3 seconds hang time per kickoff.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Lee McDonald, Special Teams Solutions</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="mailto:lee@specialteamssolutions.com">lee@specialteamssolutions.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">732-406-6409</p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-33189119549737588172009-07-16T13:54:00.000-07:002009-07-31T13:56:30.621-07:00Pittsburgh Regional Recap<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Pittsburgh</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">PA</st1:state></st1:place> Regional Event</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">McKeesport</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">July 16, 2009</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Overcast / 60 Degrees / 5 mph Wind</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Surface: Field Turf</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The weather as tough as steel at the National Kicking Combine Series Pittsburgh Regional.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special Teams Solutions, with the assistance former Rutgers punter Charlie Titus and former <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Buffalo</st1:placename></st1:place> kicker Gerry McGroarty, ran the event which was plagued by cool temperatures and rainy conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Despite a rain delay, severe thunder storms held up long enough for several local kickers to show they have what it takes to compete at the next level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Among the class of 2010, Matt Maczura of Pittsburgh Central Catholic (PA) High School was almost perfect after hitting 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 52 yards from a one inch block!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anthony Chiappetta of North Hills (PA) High School, Patrick Donoughe of Forest Hills (PA) High School and Sean Zippie of Hickory (PA) High School each finished a respectable 7 of 10 on field goals off a one inch block.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On kickoffs, Zach Christensen of Bishop Hoban (OH) HS lead the way after averaging 54 yards and 3.7 seconds hang time per kickoff from a one inch tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Without a doubt the top punter was Levi Reihart of Tyrone Area (PA) High School who turned over numerous spirals and averaged 38 yards a punt with 3.5 seconds hang time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Reihart’s best punt was a 49 yard / 4.22 seconds hang time effort.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Kevin Wood of Knoch (PA) High School was a close second after averaging nearly 35 yards and 3.5 seconds hang time per punt.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Among the underclassmen, class of 2012 kicker of Beaver Falls (PA) High School stood out after connecting on 8 of 10 field goals with a long of 42 yards and averaging 51 yards and 3.6 hang time per kickoff with both skills off a 2 inch tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Lee McDonald, Special Teams Solutions</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="mailto:lee@specialteamssolutions.com">lee@specialteamssolutions.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">732-406-6409</p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-70804678025909999392009-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:002009-07-20T16:31:53.492-07:00Recruiting Tip #2: Finding the Right CollegeChoosing the right college to attend is something that will take some<br />time. You will want to find a school that fits you both academically<br />and athletically.<br /><br />The first step is to make a list of 12-15 schools<br />that you, initially, would like to attend.<br /><br />I would categorize them in this way:<br /><ul><li>Dream schools</li><li>Realistic schools</li><li>Fall back schools</li></ul><br />Of course, there could be some overlap between the Dream and Realistic<br />schools. Having simple categories will help to organize your choices as<br />you start this process.<br /><br />Your Dream schools could be a big time college athletic program, like UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas or Florida. Maybe you have grown up watching that program, members of your family have attended that school or you simply like their mascot and colors. There are many colleges that offer both big time athletics as well as incredible academics, Virginia, Cal Berkley, Boston College, etc. Therefore, attending one of these programs would appear to be ideal.<br /><br />However, you need to be "realistic" with your athletic abilities and decide if you would get significant playing time by attending one of these programs. If so, great. If not, then you will need to decide if just being on the roster is good enough for you. Otherwise, finding a<br />program, athletically, that will allow you to get a lot of playing time might be at a "Realistic" School.<br /><br />Being a "Big fish in a small pond," is something that will provide for a great college experience. There are dozens of incredible academic institutions that play at smaller divisions, Amherst, William and Mary and all of the Ivy league schools.<br /><br />You have heard or you will hear that "College is one of the best times of your life." The great thing is that you can do many things to ensure that you have an incredible experience.<br /><br />Finally, have your "Fall Back" Schools. These are schools that you would still enjoy attending, but they are not necessarily the first ones that pop up in your head. They still combine the academics and athletics and offer the expected experience.<br /><br />Do your initial research on these schools, their location (Do you want to stay close to home or leave the state?), student size, academic offering, players at your postition (How many? When are they graduating?),etc. Your list and rankings may move around after your research. Some schools may drop out and some new ones may be added.<br /><br />Two sites where you can begin your research are:<br /><br /><a href="http://collegeboard.com/">CollegeBoard.com</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ncaa.com/schools/default.aspx?id=638">NCAA.com</a><br /><br />You have to work just as hard off the field, to find the right school, as you do on<br />the field.<br /><br />One of the most important questions that you should ask<br />yourself when trying to select the right college is <b>"If something were to happen that prevented me from playing my sport in college, would I still want to be at that school?"</b><br /><br />Leveraging your sport to go to college is a great way to be a starter, get an education and have an incredible experience that will set the foundation for the rest of your life.<br /><br />Once you have narrowed down your school options, the next step is letting them know that you are out there. The most efficient way is to create an online video profile with <a href="http://www.activerecruiting.com/players/1165">www.activerecruiting.com</a><br /><br />Good luck!Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-32694898474647830732009-07-15T11:55:00.000-07:002009-07-15T12:01:25.823-07:00College Recruiting Tip #1: NCAA Eligibility<p>So you want to play sports in college? Whether you’re an All-American, All- State, All- District or just a starter because you were left off those lists by mistake, in order to play at the next level there are mandatory procedures.</p><p>The NCAA considers a Prospective Student-Athlete as “someone who is looking to participate in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution in the future.” To play in college ALL Prospective Student-Athletes must sign up with the<a href="https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/" target="_blank"> NCAA Eligibility Center</a>.</p><p>As of August 1, 2008, NCAA Division I will require 16 core courses. Division II requires 14 core courses, but will increase to 16 core courses beginning August 1, 2013. View the <a href="http://www.iplayers.net/marketing/NCAA_Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf" target="_blank">NCAA Freshman Eligibility Standards Quick Reference Sheet</a> for more information on these requirements.</p><p>This important step allows for college coaches to verify that you are eligible and provides them academic information on the student-athlete. You are encouraged to submit transcripts and test scores (SAT/ACT) for their review. You will be assigned a pin number that they can use to confirm this information.</p><p>Just like there are rules to follow in games, the NCAA is all about rules and guidelines to better serve student-athletes and their parents.</p><p>Once you have registered, it is time to let them know that you are out there. The internet is a great way to create exposure. Creating an <a href="http://www.activerecruiting.com/players/293" target="_blank">online interactive video profile</a> is a solid way to make that all important introduction to college coaches. </p><p>If you haven’t registered with the eligibility center, do so ASAP.</p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-38960329947565360742009-06-26T09:39:00.000-07:002009-08-24T09:40:57.669-07:00Northern Virginia/DC Regional Recap<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">D.C.</st1:state></st1:place> Regional Event</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Centreville</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:place></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><st1:date year="2009" day="26" month="6" st="on">June 26, 2009</st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Partly Cloudy / 90 Degrees / 10 mph Wind</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Field Surface: Grass</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>The nation’s capital proved to be the perfect backdrop for a high pressure situation as more than twenty kickers gathered for the Washington, D.C. National Kicking Combine Regional Event.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Special Teams Solutions, with the assistance of former VA Tech kicker Matt Felber and Salisbury State University all conference kicker Tommy Kowalick, hosted the event at Centreville, VA High School.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">Class of 2010 kicker James Devens from <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Vienna</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">VA</st1:state></st1:place> (James Madison HS) proved to be the leading candidate after connecting on 10 of 10 on field goals off the ground with a long of 52 yards!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just short of the top 2010 field goal nomination were Ian Durham of Wilmington, NC (Hoggard HS) who hit 8 of 10 field goals (long of 44) off the ground and Matt Cass of Hampton, VA (Hampton HS) who also split the pipes 8 of 10 times (long of 47) off a 1” tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On kickoffs, Eric Smith of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Ft. Lauderdale</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">FL</st1:state></st1:place> (<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Pinecrest</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> ‘10) got great lift on the ball by averaging 3.8 hang and 55 yards a kick from a 1” tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Devins also showed he is a capable kickoff weapon by averaging nearly 3.5 hang and 58 yards a kick from a 1” tee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The top 2010 punters included Devins who posted 42 yards and 3.7 seconds hang time a punt and John Macomber of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Vienna</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">VA</st1:state></st1:place> (Georgetown Prep) who averaged 36 yards and 4.1 seconds hang time per punt.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The leading nominees among the underclassmen kickers were Jacob Gibson of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Reisterstown</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">MD</st1:state></st1:place> (Franklin HS ‘11) and Kyle Lawrence of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Hampton</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">VA</st1:state></st1:place> (Kecoughtan HS’11) who both went 9 of 10 with a long of 47 off the ground and a 1” block respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Michael Branthover of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dayton</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">MD</st1:state></st1:place> (DeMatha HS ’11) confirmed he was the best punter of the day after posting a 40 yard and 3.9 seconds hang time punting average.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He also showed good pop on kickoffs by hitting several into the end zone with more than 3.6 seconds of hang time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Among the class of 2012, Eric Enderson of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Hampton</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">VA</st1:state></st1:place> (Phoebus HS) and Jared Rondeau of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Clifton</st1:city>, <st1:state st="on">VA</st1:state></st1:place> (Centreville HS) both connected on 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 42 yards.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Colby Cooke of Sandy Hook, VA (Goochland HS) displayed the best leg overall on kickoffs with a long of 55 yards and 3.5 seconds hang time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Lee McDonald, Special Teams Solutions</p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a href="mailto:lee@specialteamssolutions.com">lee@specialteamssolutions.com</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">732-406-6409</p>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-35068207330536274802009-06-19T16:23:00.000-07:002009-07-20T16:29:02.742-07:00Raleigh Regional Combine Recap<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Raleigh, NC Regional Event</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ravenscroft School</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">June 19, 2009</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mostly Sunny / 95 Degrees / 5 mph Wind</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Field Surface: Grass</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A small but talented group of specialist gathered at the Ravenscroft School</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Stadium field in Raleigh, NC on June 19th. Special Teams Solutions, with the help of local division one college player Corey Tedder (NC State Long-Snapper), ran the event. As temperatures approached the mid 90’s, the competition on the field heated up as well.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Brady Harrington ‘10 of Richland (NC) high school showed everyone why he is a</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">legitimate division one prospect. Harrington struck the ball extremely well and generated great height on his field goals, connecting on 7 of 10 attempts with a long of 52 yards. Harrington’s kickoffs, however, are what ultimately set him apart by averaging nearly 60 yards and 4.1 hang time with a one inch tee. He also finished first in punting with a near 36 yard / 4.3 second hang time average per punt. Robert Schick of Hunt (NC) high school was right there in the mix after hitting 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 47 yards off the ground. The 2009 high school graduate also averaged 59 yards / 3.7 hang time per kickoff. Michael Mugler ’10 of First Colonial (VA) high school also showed tremendous accuracy and consistency by making 9 of 10 field goals with a long of 47</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">yards from a one inch tee.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Rounding out the combine was a standout class of 2011 long snapping prospect.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Curtis Struyk of West Carteret (NC) high school showed good zip and accuracy on field goal snaps by averaging .48 per short snap. Further, his ability to get the laces out will make him an asset to any college program. The 6’0 220 lbs. Struyk also averaged .82 seconds per long snap from the college distance of 14 yards.</span></div>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-22922617869455023122009-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:002009-08-24T12:34:30.536-07:00Jacksonville Regional Recap<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jacksonville Regional Event</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Julington Creek Plantation Park – Jacksonville, FL. June 18</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">th</span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, 2009</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Sunny – 88 Degrees – Wind 5-10 mph, Surface – Field Turf</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Going into the second annual Jacksonville Combine Series Event, we had a variety of new talent. Most of the athletes who participated in this event were from the Jacksonville area and are currently kicking/punting for their high school. Only two kids were from areas like Lake City and Tallahassee Florida. ProForm Kicking Academy coaches Mike Hollis (retired 9 year NFL All-Pro Kicker) and Jim Gaetano conducted this event with hopes that all these kids will do well and advance to the next round.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The young athletes started the competition and set the bar pretty high for the older athletes. Brooks Abbott of Episcopal High School (Jacksonville) began the field goal competition and went 8 for 10. Ponte Vedra High School’s Kyle Federico matched Brook’s field goal attempts while Nathan B. Forrest High School’s kicker/punter Jake Enghlishbee topped them all going 9 for 10! Brooks and Kyle topped the kick-off distances averaging 58.83 and 59.33 yards per kick-off respectfully. Other notables…Kyle Federico averaged 38.30 yards per punt.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The only “Varsity” attendant was Fernandina Beach High School junior kicker/punter Robby Phillips who was 7 for 10 on field goals, while he averaged 58.17 yards on kick-offs. He averaged 36.40 yards per punt.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Topping out the class of 2010 was senior kicker/punter Austin Cannon of Creekside High School who averaged 58.50 yards on kick-offs and 46.00 yards per punt! Chase Varnadore of Florida High School in Tallahassee also performed very well averaging 58.67 yards on kick-offs and 40.46 yards per punt. Local Nease High School senior punter Tim Contic averaged 38.60 yards per punt. Other notables…Colin Tull of Bishop John J. Snyder High School averaged 58.00 yards per kick-off.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Concluding the second annual Combine Series Jacksonville Regional Event was a 2 hour Mini-Camp conducted by ProForm Kicking Academy. This short camp primarily focused on any issues that affected a kicker’s performance during the competition.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mike Hollis’ ProForm Kicking Academy</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jacksonville, Florida</span></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">mike@ProFormKicking.com - (904) 625-5893</span></span></p></span>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-13858121223761765972009-06-16T16:31:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:57:47.318-07:00College Recruiting Tip #1: NCAA Eligibility<font class="Apple-style-span" face="arial" size="10px" style=" line-height: 16px; "><h2 face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="17pt" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: normal; line-height: 19pt; clear: none; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana" size="13px" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 16px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">So you want to play sports in college? Whether you’re an All-American, All-State, All-District or just a starter because you were left off those lists by mistake, in order to play at the next level there are mandatory procedures.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">The NCAA considers a Prospective Student-Athlete as “someone who is looking to participate in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution in the future.” To play in college ALL Prospective Student-Athletes must sign up with the<a href="https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/" target="_blank" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 64, 124); line-height: 1.22em; "> NCAA Eligibility Center</a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">As of August 1, 2008, NCAA Division I will require 16 core courses. Division II requires 14 core courses, but will increase to 16 core courses beginning August 1, 2013. View the <a href="http://www.iplayers.net/marketing/NCAA_Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf" target="_blank" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 64, 124); line-height: 1.22em; ">NCAA Freshman Eligibility Standards Quick Reference Sheet</a> for more information on these requirements.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">This important step allows for college coaches to verify that you are eligible and provides them academic information on the student-athlete. You are encouraged to submit transcripts and test scores (SAT/ACT) for their review. You will be assigned a pin number that they can use to confirm this information.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Just like there are rules to follow in games, the NCAA is all about rules and guidelines to better serve student-athletes and their parents.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">Once you have registered, it is time to let them know that you are out there. The internet is a great way to create exposure. Creating an online interactive video profile is a solid way to make that all important introduction to college coaches.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; ">If you haven’t registered with the eligibility center, do so ASAP.</p></font></h2></font>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-69773892570513128242009-06-16T16:20:00.000-07:002009-06-16T16:29:28.277-07:00A Playbook for the Rest of Your Life<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:arial;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; font-size: 13px; "></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Through my experience playing in the NFL and being a union<br />representative for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I saw first-hand what<br />happens to athletes when their playing days come to an end and they<br />haven't prepared for their second career. A very small percentage of<br />athletes make it to the pros. Of those who do, a smaller percentage<br />play long enough to retire comfortably for the rest of their lives.<br /><br />In the NFL alone, the average career is only 3.5 years. You don't qualify<br />to become an unrestricted free agent (where the big contracts are<br />usually signed) until you have played four years. <br /><br />There are a lot of sad stories about pro athletes who didn't prepare themselves<br />enough for life after their sports career is over. Don't let that<br />happen to you. It is a long shot to play professional sports. However,<br />going to college, playing the sport you love and getting a great<br />education will provide you with an incredible experience that will carry<br />you through the rest of your life.<br /><br />No matter what sport you play, your coach develops plays that you use to help the team win. Most<br />teams have a playbook. Being a student-athlete and trying to have a<br />game plan for college requires its own "playbook." The NCAA has done a<br />great job trying to take the burden off of athletes and parents by<br />creating a game plan to follow. The process to get into college can be<br />overwhelming. However, using the </span><i style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> is a very smart thing to do.<br /><br />Have you gone to NCAAStudent.org site? It is a really cool interactive site.<br />It is essentially a playbook with information about being an NCAA<br />student-athlete.<br /><br />The site itself was designed to look like a playbook. It is a three-ring binder that "is dedicated to helping you<br />understand the balance between academics and sports required of every student-athlete for a successful life in school, and out. Here you can learn about the NCAA, download the </span><i style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, and discover how you can go pro in something other than sports."<br /><br />When you go to the site, the first words that you read are: There are over<br />380,000 student-athletes, and just about every one of them will go pro<br />in something other than sports.<br /><br />I really enjoy the emphasis that the NCAA has put on "going pro" in something other than sports. The<br />inside folder pocket has an envelope with pictures that open to the<br />television commercials they have played.<br /><br />I certainly was not aware of the </span><i style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />when I was in high school and there wasn't an interactive website for<br />me to review. The site and its design effectively simplify the<br />information. <br /><br />This playbook discusses:<br /></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 26px; line-height: 1.22em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Amateurism-Eligibility Requirements</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Academic-Eligibility Requirements</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Core Course, GPA, Tests, Special Conditions</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">NCAA Eligibility Center</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Questions to Ask as You Consider Colleges</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Information for Parents and Guardians</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Details for High School Counselors and Athletic Administrators</span></li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.22em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Recruiting Regulations</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />The media gives a lot of emphasis to professional athletes and thus every<br />kid wants to grow up to be one. I can tell you personally that although<br />it is a great experience, it sometimes is not all that it is cracked up<br />to be. <br /><br />So check out the site, read it, download the playbook<br />and follow it. I am confident that if you follow the plays in this<br />playbook you will be successful.</span></span><p></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div>Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5247894943284201444.post-19471510380375718982009-01-13T16:00:00.001-08:002009-01-13T16:00:53.789-08:00Tony Dungy, Great Man, Great CoachI just got off the phone with Tony Dungy. I had called my old special teams coach Joe Marciano, who is now the special teams coordinator for the Houston Texans. I left him a message asking for Tony's cell number so that I could contact him. Joe called me back and told me that he had just got off the phone with Tony and that Tony was looking for my number. That is a "Goocher" in my book.<br /><br />Tony has decided that he is ready to move on to the next chapter in his life. It was great to hear Tony's voice. It had been some time since I had spoken with him. Espn wrote some great articles on Tony. One in particular was about me and how he handled a slump that I went through in 1997 when my mother was dying of cancer: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-7-74/A-Dungy-story-you-may-not-have-heard.html <br /><br />Being an athlete and/or a coach is demanding enough. However, how we handle both victory and defeat provides the opportunity to demonstrate character. The NFL is a "machine" and I have seen many people change under its grips. I have heard coaches tell our team one thing, only to have something else happen. That was never the case with Tony. With the amount of money and pressure that is found in the NFL, Tony never allowed it to control him. His faith in man-kind is strong. His faith in God is stronger. This man "Walks the Walk."<br /><br />I will forever be grateful to Tony not only for how he handled my situation, but how fortunate I am to have him as a friend and the impact that he has had on my life.Michael Hustedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12700852109259995368noreply@blogger.com0