The first weekend of July generally brings the promise of fireworks and hot dogs, but some swimmers in the area will be home-bound, tethered to their phones. Under NCAA rules, July 1st marks the first day that college coaches can call rising seniors. Some athletes will be bombarded with calls from interested swim coaches the entire day.
North Creek’s Ellen Anderson is filled with nervous
Emily Lloyd swimming for the University of Virginia. (Photo from Emily Lloyd)
anticipation for this Friday, even though a handful of schools have already confirmed by email that they will call the rising senior at Gaithersburg. “It’s a bit overwhelming,” Anderson said at the thought of talking to coaches between work and practice.
“It is very exciting and stressful at the same time because you want to hear from college coaches but are also worried about which schools will call,” said Sully Station’s CJ Fiala, who went through the recruiting process last year and will be a freshman at UNC Wilmington this fall.
Both Anderson and Fiala started the college recruiting process long before July 1st. Anderson emailed coaches the summer between her sophomore and junior years and then whittled down her list of potential schools after the Tom Dolan Invitational in December. Fiala began even earlier – he filled out questionnaires and sent emails to prospective coaches during his sophomore year. “It’s never too early to start,” Fiala, an All-Met at Westfield, said jokingly.
Traditionally, July 1st marks the first day college coaches can call soon-to-be seniors. However, according to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), a new NCAA rule was overturned on Monday that would have allowed coaches to contact swimmers a full year earlier. As of publication of this article, the official NCAA 2011-2012 recruiting calendar for sports other than football and basketball (find it here) has yet to reflect any changes, and still shows that coaches may call athletes who are rising juniors as of August 1st, 2011. While the swimming community led the override, according to Bob Groseth, Executive Director of the CSCAA, not all sports are in agreement. “We may see the issue again,” Groseth said.
Both parents and coaches of swimmers voiced concern. Parents were particularly worried about increased distraction during an already strenuous junior year. “For those kids who are on the cusp, I think that the added pressure is inappropriate,” said Amy Hsu, mother of Poolesville‘s Elizabeth Pepper, an All-Met who will swim for Florida State next year. “They are not ready!” Even though recruiting athletes a year earlier could potentially help coaches, many were worried about lifestyle changes accompanying the increased calls. “We don’t have time to recruit both juniors and seniors, while also coaching the athletes on our team,” said Carol Capitani, an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. “Coaches don’t want it.”
As in the past, athletes are allowed to fill out questionnaires (which are often posted on university websites) their freshman and sophomore years. They can receive recruiting materials, such as pamphlets and emails, directly from coaches beginning their junior year. Finally, during their senior year, they can meet with coaches off–campus and make a maximum of five official visits, which are paid in full by the school. Swimmers may pay for unofficial visits at any time.
But personal contact by telephone is important. Just ask Emily Lloyd of SPY Swimming in Severna Park, whose conversation with her now coach, Virginia’s Mark Bernardino, was a strong factor in her decision. “Some coaches kind of rambled on but when I talked to [Coach Bernardino], it just felt normal,” said Lloyd, recalling her July 1st experiences. “I laughed so much!”
Lloyd, a 2010 All-Met at Severna Park, approached July 1, 2009 armed with a set of prepared questions, a notebook in which she jotted down impressions of coaches, and her twin sister’s recruiting expertise. In the winter of her junior year, Emily went on unofficial visits with her sister, Sarah, who was going through the recruiting process for women’s lacrosse. Sarah, also a swimmer on SPY, had already verbally committed to Princeton before Emily began talking to swim coaches on the phone.
After the first week of calls, Lloyd sat down with the notes she took while talking to coaches and determined which schools she wanted to pursue. After three recruiting trips, she settled on Virginia.
While nerve-racking for athletes, July 1st is duly taxing on college coaches. “It is brutal!” Bernardino said with a laugh. Coaches begin calling recruits in the morning and do not stop until much later at night. Bernardino tries to assess three qualities when talking to a swimmer: character, interest, and enthusiasm. “In the sport of swimming, it is virtually impossible to touch base with all the recruits,” Bernardino notes. “July 1st is just a beginning.”
For most athletes, this Friday represents just one stop in a sometimes long and arduous process adding to the stress of senior year. The NCAA encourages athletes to apply the “broken-leg” test when deciding on schools: would you be happy there if you couldn’t compete? Keep in mind that a coach or school that is a good fit for one athlete may not bode well for another.
Even if a coach doesn’t immediately show interest, it’s okay to send updates on small time drops and new test scores. “My school didn’t even call on July 1st– I ended up calling them,” admits Fiala, who received a partial scholarship. Given the money and time at stake, college recruiting can be a business-driven venture.
“It was rewarding to hear from coaches but you have to keep pushing,” Fiala said. “You can’t just give up.”
Want to know more? Here are some helpful websites:
http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=2071&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en
Danielle Schulkin is a rising sophomore at Harvard, where she swims for the Crimson.
Tags: CJ Fiala, Elizabeth Pepper, Ellen Anderson, Emily Lloyd, NCAA
my daughter is in this situation. She’s actually worried about missing phone calls from coaches while she’s at practice for Bethesda Barricudas. I expect she’ll be talking to coaches the whole time on her 25 minute drive home.
Elizabeth Pepper went to Walter Johnson…
Nice article. Many high school athletes have no idea how to approach the college recruiting process. You’ve given them some insight and encouraged them to be proactive.
Good storyDanielle, I was not aware of the rule changes.In the past, coaches were allowed one phone call in December of a swimmers junior year and one visit in March of their junior year and that was it.Then the recruiting would start in earnest beginning July 1 for rising seniors. It was an incredibly stressful time for the kids and that stress level stayed high until the signed in the fall. Between well meaning parents, club coaches and the college coaches some of the athletes I knew just fell apart because of the stress and expectations. I cant imagine adding another year to that.
Good luck to all the swimmers who will be waiting by their phone tomorrow morning and enjoy the excitement, you earned it!
You’re 100% correct. In this case, Dani was using people’s MCSL teams as opposed to their high schools as identifiers.
“I expect she’ll be talking to coaches the whole time on her 25 minute drive home.”
Thank you for sharing that with us. Your daughter must be an incredible swimmer, at least in your mind. However, I am not sure that training with the Bethesda Barricudas is the ticket to success in college swimming.
I was waiting for this..
Shallow swim fan..very apt name, “shallow” doesn’t begin to describe your comments..
and to “FLAMING”.. I suggest you exercise your right to not be bored this 4th of July and don’t read the article.
alright guys. chill. 1. i’m fairly certain that if you check your facts Q, i swim for the poolesville piranhas in the summer. so dani was 100% correct. 2. flaming viking, there’s no need to be rude. 3. shallow swim fan-july 1 is an important day for many sports, not just swimming, so even if she only practices with the barracudas for swimming, she could be recruited for other sports. also, it is a requirement by the bethesda coach that their swimmers swim in at least one practice per week, from what i’ve heard from people on the team. don’t be so quick to judge
shallow swim fan: did you ever think that the person who is training with Bethesda Barricudas could possibly be going straight from RMSC practice to her MCSL practice being that they are at the same location? My son isn’t of recruiting age yet, but he once attended a Rockville Rays practice one time after his RMSC practice. though, I won’t let him talk on his cell phone on our 30 minute drive home.
RMSC’s Sarah Haase’s phone is going to be ringing off the hook today. She is the top recruit in the area at #12 and it would be interesting to hear her impressions of the recruiting process.
She actually received her first call at 5:30am this morning. Good luck to all juniors!
GIVE ME A BREAK! Let the swimmers (AND THEIR PARENTS) think their ego is being stroked today, as I am sure thats the case. The truth is this is a dance which really doesn’t mean anything in the end because I have seen many fail in college who got 15 – 20 calls on july 1st. Which of the current crop will never make a NCAA cut or even final in their conference championship?
Old Timer – Perhaps you have forgotten your manners or you prefer to hide behind your computer. Sarah is on the National Junior team – if you don’t think her phone will be ringing off the hook, you’re nuts. Any of the rising Seniors who have Sr. Nats cuts – which is quite a number of swimmers around here, can expect several phone calls today and this weekend.
“doesn’t mean anything in the end because I have seen many fail in college who got 15 – 20 calls on july 1st.” – So do you actually keep tabs on every PVS swimmer to know who got what calls and then follow them through 4 years of college?
The beautiful thing about swimming is there is a place for a swimmer of all abilities. You don’t have to be a world class athlete to have colleges want you. You do have to do a lot of growing up to recognize when a coach is honest and when a school is a good fit – regardless of their athletic program.
It’s a shame that an article about the recruiting process, which starts today, is slammed by such silly commentary as yours, and those from yesterday. This would have been a nice opportunity to discuss the potential rule change and to cheer on our local athletes – of all sports
Elizabeth Pepper, you are my hero. You have class beyond your years. You work very hard, swim really really fast and you are a great kid. Good luck the remainder of the summer and at school in fall. Florida State is getting an awesome swimmer and an even better person.
wow thanks dave!!!
It sounds like someone on this board may be stalking Sarah Haase. I’ve been on the phone all day with college coaches. So many choices, so little time.
Danielle, great article. Thanks for continuing to be a part of the area swimming scene. Recruiting is an exciting time, and I am sure that all of the rising seniors enjoyed getting the phone calls today!
Those of you that are trying to pick apart the area swimmers, should maybe think before posting.
Dani this is an excellent article. It really opens up the eyes of people who don’t fully understand the recruiting process. It is also great to see how college coaches feel about the the new rule change. Being able to get quotes from coaches at top notch schools such as the University of Georgia and University of Virginia is very impressive. Bravo!
To all those who feel it is necessary to post negative comments on here, it is completely unnecessary and extremely immature. If you have nothing nice to say, please just don’t say it at all.
Another great article, Dani! Swimmers get so little respect for all of their training and hard work that I’m really having a tough time trying to figure out why they’re on this board trying to tear each other down. We should all be excited for and supportive of our area swimmers as they enter the next phase of their swimming career. DC area swimmers rock!
In all fairness Old Timer does have a point. Their are a lot of kids who are stars and will get many calls but are not successful college swimmer. Being a Junior Teamer is no guarantee of anything and while nobody can keep tabs on all the pvs swimmers I can think of one off the top of my head that was a highly sought after rmsc national junior teamer that just graduated who never made NCAA’s nor had the college career that was expected.Same with a cubu swimmer that graduated last year that was a NJT member and did not make the transition.
It is an exciting time and ego’s get stroked just like any other sport. Enjoy it, don’t get stressed and pick the right school for the right reasons because their are no guarantees or crystal balls as to who or how an athlete will perform the next 4 years.
Hey WGR, I see your point.
From the Urban Dictionary:
“swimfan: one who exhibits stalker-like behavior”
Swimfan. . .what Cubu and RMSC swimmer are you referring to? They seem to have done well from what I can tell.
I heard Sarah Hasse’s top choice is Stanford
That’s what I’m talkin about.
LOL – Sarah’s older sister Colleen comes to mind for someone who hasn’t lived up to her potential in college…
old timer,
so i don’t know what colleen’s “potential” was and i would guess it is likely you don’t either. what i do know is she dropped under a minute in the 100 yard breast in college and was a ncaa division I “A” finalist with a 59.67. not to mention her 2:08.67 in the 200 br which is most likely makes her one of the top 25 fastest performers ever in that event.
as a community don’t you think it is about time we stop bashing these young adults and children on this forum. thank you “reach for the wall” for your hard work and coverage but maybe as suggested it is time that “rftw” removes or monitors the comment section because as a community we seem not to be able to control the anonymous posting of unchecked half truths and innuendo.
on a side note, tyler pham is a damn good swimmer and by most accounts seems to be a damn good teammate, bethesda is lucky to have him.
swim fast and have fun!
I purposely did not give names because some posters seem to take great satisfaction in certain athletes having difficulties. My point was being a record setter, superstar, junior teamer whatever you want to call it in middle school or high school does not always translate into success down the road. You can get injured, burned out from swimming 8k practices 6 days a week since you were 12 years old, realize their are other important things in life or just not get any faster.
Conversely, you can not get a ton of phone calls or go to a top ranked college, (like Towson )and still develop into an NCAA finalist.
Athletes need to not judge their value or future development based on how many phone calls they get.
And on a side note,Colleen has had a great college career at a terrific school .
If your yardstick for success are Olympic medals then you are either delusional, a crackhead or know nothing about swimming and kids
True on Colleen, but that was all as a freshman – all downhill after…
I’m not bashing anyone, just pointing out the facts and its crazy that articles are written about the college recruiting efforts and people getting calls at 5am. It happens in every sport, but does it really have to? Anyone get some type of college attention and scholarships should feel a sense of accomplishment, but when the HELO-PARENTS read this article and their kid is in Kent’s RMSC group in 8th grade, they will remember this in 3 years… Bad precedent…
Dani;
Thanks for the informative article! I am sure your article is very helpful to swimmers and their parents that are of a talent level to be recruited for top-level college swimming.
However, let’s try to keep things in perspective when we discuss an athlete’s ability to fulfill potential. We can discuss potential if certain Redskins or Wizards don’t reach their potential. One because of the hype that is involved in pro sports and two because of the salaries involved. Those athletes deserve to be praised or criticized because of the money and fame involved. However, to single out one swimmer is very unfair. Colleen Haase has become a beautiful, poised young woman. She is a great swimmer and a great person! Her parents and siblings are wonderful people. Keep that in mind when you talk about fulfilling potential!
the point is that you nor i know all the “facts” of each swimmers situation that contribute to those “facts”… by the way, i am pretty sure that colleen was a sophomore when she did those times…and it is very rare for me to have an 8th grader in my group since i coach 12 and unders.
i do believe that you were not purposely trying to bash anyone and that your general opinions about the recruiting process are worthy of thought and discussion. but i would submit a well written article with some insight into that process is not a bad thing, only an informative piece that could help stimulate that civilized valid debate.
so as a community when commenting on an article it would be nice if we could discuss the merits of the topic and do our best to cut the rhetoric and singling out of certain young athletes out of that discussion.
WOW, can’t the kids just enjoy it.
It is THEIR time to shine (not their parents) and some of you need to remember when you were 17 years old. It was kind of nice for someone to want you.
I’m sure most of these kids don’t have big ego’s (I’ve found that to be rare in swimming) but hey isn’t it nice for them to get their ego stroked once in awhile. Swimming is a tough sport to make it to that elite level where you might have the opportunity to swim in college and they train harder than most athletes.
I agree 100% with mom2two who said “most of these kids don’t have big ego’s (I’ve found it to be rare in swimming”". Being contacted and be recruited means being paid to go to a school (for swimmers it usually means a partial scholarship since rarely has a full one been given out) or being admitted to a good school (in case the swimmer is borderline of meeting the admission’s requirement). Being able to swim in a Div. I college is very rewarding for the athletes who trained so hard year-round and studied just as hard. Unlike athletes of money-generating sports , such as football or basketball, swimmers must have good grades and good times. Most will receive a partial sports scholarship and a scholastic scholarship or grants. They and their parents will have to borrow loans or to pay for the rest of the tuition using their own money. Of course, there are some with super fast times who will be recruited by swimming-powerhouse schools and who probably will receive close to a full ride.
I wouldn’t describe it as not reaching their potential in college, but rather that the 20 hour a week training schedules some of these kids got on when they were 12 caused them to reach their potential at 14 rather than when they hit college. Let’s face it, the local elite programs pound their juniors pretty hard and there are only a few (particularly girls) who hit college with a lot of gas left in their tank.