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Sports
(Click on the headings)
General
Information
FEMALE ATHLETES
THE INTERNET
COLLEGE CALL
CHECKLIST
General
Information
You will need to have a drive and determination to stay with your studies
while training and competing. Develop these skills while you are in high school.
Remember that of the millions of kids who play sports at the high school level,
only a certain portion of those make it to the collegiate playing field and an
even smaller percentage of athletes get to the professional level.
Membership on select teams, strength and
endurance training, summer sports camps and jobs are a necessity.
A teen wanting to play sports at the collegiate level needs to work closely with the coach and
strictly follow the rules of the athletic governing organizations covering your
sport and college – such as the NCAA. There are differing rules for the
different designations.
It is vital that you follow all the rules and meet all
the deadlines. These rules and
eligibility requirements and deadlines change --
so don't assume anything --
always double-check your information with your coach
and with the governing
bodies for your collegiate level and sport.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has several
divisions of regulation:
Division I -- you must register with
the NCAA clearinghouse.
-- has athletic tryouts
-- offers athletic scholarships
Division II -- you must register with
the NCAA clearinghouse.
-- has athletic tryouts
-- offers athletic scholarships, but not at Division I level.
Division III -- no athletic tryouts
-- no or low level of athletic scholarships
Other governing agencies are the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and
National Small College Athletic Association (NSCAA).
FEMALE ATHLETES
Take special care and preparation of
your knees. As more young women play sports, the rate of increase in females in
injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) have increased dramatically in
comparison to males. The current thinking in the field of biomechanics is that
the situations for the injuries are set up are due to the differences between
the sexes in the structure of the pelvis and knee. The muscle structure in the
legs also differs between males and females.
This is not an argument for women to stop playing
sports. It is a warning to young women to take extra care of their knees,
including supervised and specialized weight training and conditioning.
THE INTERNET
National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA)
www.ncaa.org
National Junior College Athletic Association
(NJCAA)
www.njcaa.org
National Association of Collegiate Directors of
Athletics (NACDA)
www.nacda.com
National Scouting Report
www.nrc.pair.com
Athletic Scholarship Information Search Techniques
(Sports A.S.I.S.T.)
www.athletes.com
American Sport Education Program
www.asep.com
COLLEGE
CALL CHECKLIST
What is the
graduation rate for athletes in your
sport?
Is tutoring
available, if necessary during the season?
What are the
scholarship provisions due to injury?
If you get hurt,
will you be happy at this college?
How many
freshmen actually play?
What are your
conditioning programs?
What is the
physical condition of the playing and training facilities, locker rooms, etc.?
For female
athletes, are there specialized conditioning programs available to strengthen
legs, etc. to reduce injury?
See Chapter 6 for more information and
instructions.
Click here for more information
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