‘Tis the season for college recruitment. With September 1st creeping upon us, rising juniors are feeling the stress more than ever. For athletes looking to play at the collegiate level, recruitment can start as early as 7th grade. However, being that this is the last season before they can officially talk to college coaches, the current sophomores are scrambling to send out emails and trying to get coaches to come to their games.
THE STRUGGLES
Stats don’t lie; only around seven percent of high school athletes make it to the collegiate level. That means that the athletes who are looking to play college sports have to outwork 93% of all high school athletes. That puts an incredible amount of stress on anyone but especially those who are about to enter recruitment. Some of the hardest things to do as a future recruit is to not know. You don’t know who has you on their list, you don’t know if your top school wants you or not, you don’t know if there are going to be problems with finding a college. All of this you don’t know and that is a big stressor for recruits. This takes a huge mental toll on the athletes. Most of the time you see athletes’ performance in games struggle because they are in their head.
Comparison is a killer. Most, if not all, future recruits are on social media. They post clips of them playing and the awards that they are winning. This is a great tool for getting college coaches to continue to watch you; however, athletes might watch these other athletes play and start comparing themselves to them. Some thoughts that might run through the brain during this are, “Is she better than me?”, “Is he going to beat me out for a spot on this team?”, “I don’t have the same skills as him, am I not going to get recruited because of it?” While all these thoughts are running through these recruits’ heads, there is so much harm being done.
They put an incredible amount of stress on themselves to try and become an athlete they are not. Westhampton Beach basketball star Sandra Clarke said, “One of the biggest stressors is comparing yourself to others. Seeing other kids your age getting multiple offers can really mess with you. You second-guess your work ethic and question if you are doing enough.” No athlete should have to question if they are working hard enough because chances are, they are. Most of the time they can’t work any harder or they face exhaustion.
Some athletes might have a great mental game and the stress doesn’t really bother them but, it isn’t just internal stress that is killing, it is external too. Having supportive parents is amazing but sometimes parents who think they are supportive are really thorns causing the stress. They may not realize it but, they put so much pressure on their athletes to perform so that they can get a scholarship. The stress of constantly trying to get approval from your parents can be so mentally draining and can make you lose the love for the game. Westhampton Beach Lacrosse starter Caeden Dorn said having to feel like you have to work on your sport all the time leaves less time for fun things and focusing on schoolwork.
RELAX
Sometimes athletes have a tough time figuring out ways for them to calm themselves and really remember why they play the game. Caeden said, “Some of the strategies I have used are deep breathing because it helps me calm down and relieve stress.” Sandra said “Just stay positive and keep grinding because everyone’s journey is different and special and your time will come when God says it’s right.” Athletes, know your worth and continue to work hard because the school that you land on will be lucky to have you.
