The Road Trip: College Visits and Athletics Recruiting

Last summer I wrote an article entitled Recruiting 101 that focused on the basic ingredients of college athletics recruiting. I received a number of kind comments, but one in particular stood out. Steve Maxon, who lives in Seattle, Washington e-mailed me and complimented the article. After visiting my website, he asked if we could setup a time to talk about my service and discuss his daughter Victoria’s chances as a college lacrosse player.  

Victoria Maxon is currently a junior at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, Washington and a member of the varsity lacrosse program. She is a midfielder, but not you’re every day midfielder by any stretch of the imagination. She displays exceptional talent, and college coaches are beginning to take careful notice. Her “A” list of potential college choices looks like a “who’s who” of US News and World Report’s “Top Colleges in America.” With the likes of Princeton, Stanford, Penn, John Hopkins and Stanford knocking at her door, Victoria is not only considering her 4 year college experience as a lacrosse player, she is looking further down her career path. Victoria clearly understands the potential impact the college experience has for her future professional plans, and she and her family are searching for the “complete package.” 

Recently I had the opportunity to catch up Victoria and her dad on their East Coast Spring break tour of 6 major D1 lacrosse programs. Below is a brief interview with Victoria and Steve and their personal comments on the college search:

 
Kovic: You have had the opportunity to meet with some of the top lacrosse head coaches in the country. What have you learned so far?

Victoria: You need to be prepared and ask the right questions.  I was somewhat nervous at first but as the trip progressed I felt more comfortable.  

Kovic:  What type of questions did you ask them?

Victoria:  I started out asking them what it was like to be a lacrosse player in their program.  What type of issues do the incoming freshmen have? What type of support do you have for student-athletics? How much do you travel? What type of positions are you recruiting for? What is your recruiting timeline? 

Kovic:  What was the reaction to your questions from the coaches?

Victoria: The coaches were very positive and honest.  They answered all of my questions and told me what to do for the next steps.

Steve: The coaches were very professional.  Each one had a different personality that reflected the goals of their lacrosse program. It was an amazing experience. 

Kovic: What else did you learn from the face-to-face?

Victoria:  Chemistry is very important. You can pick that up in the first five minutes. Some of the programs were not the right fit for me and for the coach. You need to get over that and move on to the next interview.  The only way you can tell this is by talking to the coach one-on-one.  I was talking with one coach and I knew that this was not a good fit by the way the chemistry was going, but she gave me a great tip about writing down the  pros and cons from each meeting.  So I took a negative and turned it into a positive.

Steve: Victoria was well prepared. It’s very exciting to see a confident 16 year old taking lacrosse with some of the best D1 coaches in the country. 

Kovic: What else can you tell me about your Spring Break LAX trip?

Victoria:  Traveling from the west coast to the east coast for one week was not easy. We flew ten legs, visiting six states and speaking to total of twelve lacrosse coaches at six colleges.  You get very little sleep and your normal training schedule is turned upside down.  One flight was delayed for 6 hours and we didn’t get to the hotel until 3 AM.  But with that being said I would have not changed anything. I had a great time with my dad and it opened up a new world to me. I had the opportunity to see two great D1 lacrosse games.  I’m going to work even harder to reach my goal.

Kovic: What kind of follow-up is required?

Victoria: The coaches want to know what tournaments I will be at this summer. I need to send my updated transcripts and test scores. I should have a good feeling around July 1st to see where I potentially fit in and plan my Official Visits.

Kovic:  Anything you want to say to the future recruits who will follow behind you?

Victoria:  Don’t’ be discouraged. Always be yourself. Do your homework. Set your goals high. Pick your schools based on your interest and academics. 

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college coach and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence, an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com