Tory's Top Ten: Myths About the Recruiting Process

As we rush headlong into fall, we reach the time of year where recruiting is at its height. High school juniors are looking at their potential college choices and high school seniors are going on official visits to finalize these choices. As someone who went through the recruiting process, I have to say I am glad that I never have to do it again. However, being a collegiate rower doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with recruits – I am pretty sure that my housemates and I have hosted over 25 recruits in three years. I also work for a collegiate coach, and although I am not involved directly with the recruiting process, I have seen and heard many a horror story from my boss and other collegiate coaches. Although I admit that I wasn’t perfect in my recruiting behavior, it bothers me how relaxed some high schoolers are in their treatment of coaches, athletic department staff and the recruiting process in general. I am nowhere near an expert – and most of these rules apply to D1 and competitive D3 schools – but here are some of my observations from the inside. 

 1. It’s okay if I don’t get good grades or standardized test scores because rowing is going to get me into college.

This might work for a football player or a basketball player, but 99% of the time it won’t work for a rower. Coaches need to know that you can handle schoolwork and rowing. At DI schools, this is a huge commitment and it’s hard to balance. If you can’t handle the schoolwork, you’re going to become academically ineligible and you won’t be any use to the team anyway. You have to be able to prove you can at least somewhat handle the workload of a college environment. Also, good grades can sometimes translate into merit scholarships, which are a big help when it comes to paying tuition bills.

2. If I talked to a coach once, he or she is going to remember me.

Coaches, especially rowing coaches, talk to a lot of people throughout the year. Unless they’re looking at their notes, they probably don’t remember you. This is why it’s important to identify yourself clearly – with at least your name, crew program and how to contact you – every time. Be as specific as possible with everything and don’t get frustrated if you have to explain your situation more than once. Coaches are busy people, and the more you help them out, the happier they’ll be.

3. Being good at high school rowing should mean that I’m going to be good at college rowing.

People who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. Talent can get you places in high school rowing, but without hard work, it won’t do much in college. Standards for most collegiate teams – especially Division I – are much higher than most high schools. Even if your high school team was strict about attendance and work ethic, the temptation of partying until 3 a.m. before morning practice was outweighed by parental discipline. Without self-discipline, a lot of talented rowers end up on shore because there are always people willing to work harder. 

4. I really enjoy rowing, but I’m not in a good high school boat, so I don’t think I would be able to row in college.

I repeat what I said above…people who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. “B” boat rowers who like rowing and are willing to work hard will last longer in a collegiate rowing atmosphere than “A” boat rowers who are in good boats just because of talent. A love of the sport combined with a good work ethic will last athletes much longer than any natural talent.

5. If a coach from a school I don’t want to attend keeps contacting me, it’s better if I just ignore them or talk to them anyway rather than tell them I don’t want to go to their school.

Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting their classes. If you know that a rowing program is not for you, the polite thing to do is tell the coach. They can then spend their time with people who do want to row for them. Letting a coach think that you want to row for him and then telling him at the last minute you don’t is going to make him super frustrated. It’s the same as a relationship: cut the ties so both of you can move on to better things.

6. I’m pretty busy, so coaches will understand why my mom or dad is contacting them instead of me.

Remember what I said about self-discipline? This falls under that category too. Yes, you’re busy but so are coaches and they don’t want to talk to your parents. Juniors and seniors in high school who want to row for competitive colleges should have enough self-discipline to make their own contacts. Not only that, but your parents might not know exactly what you want from a school. Send your own emails and make your own phone calls. It pretty much goes without saying that if your mom is the one on the phone with your future coach, you’re not making a good first impression.

7. I don’t have to be super courteous to every rowing coach that contacts me, only the ones I want to row for.

Remember that crazy ride at Disney where you sit in a boat and tour around a world made of painted dolls singing “It’s A Small World”? There’s a reason you’re in a boat: the world of rowing is very small. Manners are important whether the school is your top choice or your last choice before living in your parent’s basement and working at McDonalds. Chances are, if you’re less than polite to one coach, other coaches will find out. 

8. I don’t really like rowing but I like being part of a team, so I’m going to row in college.

This is why intramural sports were invented. Rowing is far too huge of a commitment to join just for the team atmosphere. Think about the time this way: other students have full time jobs, rowers train. There’s no point in putting yourself through the pain of training and racing just to make some friends. There are so many other ways to foster a team atmosphere in college – intramurals, student government, clubs, Greek life, the list goes on and on – that you shouldn’t waste your time if you’re only in it for the camaraderie. 

9. I only picked the school that I picked because of the crew team, but that’s fine with me.

Now, there are some people who disagree with me on this one, so feel free to have your own opinion. I believe that students should pick a school where they like everything, not just the crew team. Even if the only thing you want to major in is rowing, school is too expensive to not get a good education. If you have the financial freedom, pick a school that has the programs you want to study and a student body you like in a place where you want to spend four years. Coaches don’t want to recruit you to a place where you’re not going to be happy.

10. If I don’t really want to row in college, I’ll just use it to help get myself in and then quit.

This is probably the worst thing you could do. You are doing nothing better than lying to a coach when you agree to row for him or her, knowing that you are going to quit. Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting and you have just wasted it. Worse, if you are on scholarship, you’re wasting money that could have gone to someone else who actually cared about rowing (and it will be gone by the next semester anyway). And even worse than that, your decision doesn’t just affect you. You can black list your high school program. This means that anyone from your program who actually wants to row in college for all four years probably won’t get a chance to be recruited by your school – or by a school coached by someone who heard about you. If you don’t really want to row in college, it’s that simple: don’t.

Recruiting can be a stressful time, especially for rowers because we are usually doing all of the work ourselves. However, don’t forget that it is also stressful for coaches, who are usually under a lot of pressure to bring in a good recruiting class. Make yourself familiar with the NCAA recruiting rules as well as my rules to make your recruiting process as painless as possible. 

Do you have more advice about recruiting? Personal stories? Feel free to comment or email me!