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BLITZ KRIEG PUBLISHING Will Your High School Athlete Play in College? By Donna Gundle-Krieg January 19, 2009 Note: to comment on this story or other stories about education in Michigan, please go to Examiner.com Will your high school athlete play sports in college? How much college scholarship money is available for college student athletes?
The answers to these questions are
complex. They depend on the college, the sport, and the
individual.
Many high school students and their
parents are spending thousands of hours and thousands of
dollars each year, hoping that the efforts will pay off
once the student is ready to attend college.
My own family is guilty to an extent. My
son Steven, a high school senior, is a sports nut.
Throughout his high school years, he played AAA
baseball, which is considered “college prep.” For many
years, our family has sacrificed our summers and our
vacation budgets to encourage him in his sport.
When my son was younger, I couldn’t
understand parents who did what we are now doing. I
thought that they were crazy.
However, when Steven turned 13, we found
that the only way to continue with sports is to get
serious about them. The only options, even at age 13,
seemed to be the “college prep” teams. These teams
involve practice year round, and many weekend
tournaments with game times and places unknown until the
day before.
We justified all this partly because his
coach was a wonderful role model who expected his
players to do community service and mission work. Coach
Joe DeLisle of the Metro Detroit Stars wanted the
players to realize what a privilege it was for them to
be able to travel and play sports.
So it was wonderful character building,
and we don't regret it.
However, when it came down to college
searches, we realized that there are many more academic
scholarships than there are athletic scholarships.
Steven has found out that his future has more to do with
his Math brain and his computer science interest than it
does with his ability to steal bases.
Recently, due to his grades, he was
offered four-year full tuition academic scholarships at
both Saginaw Valley and Oakland University. These are
two of Michigan's best kept secrets.
Steven may want to play baseball in
college, and we haven’t ruled that out yet. However, he
found out that most freshmen and sophomores have to
practice at 6:00 a.m. every day for two years before
they get any playing time as upperclassmen. He is the
type of kid who loves to play, and does not love to sit
on the bench.
He is also very well rounded. He is
academic and social in addition to being athletic,
and found out that he can’t work a job if he plays a
varsity sport.
Last but not least, even though Steven is
an all star player at the top level possible, the
college baseball coaches have yet to return our
correspondence, much less offer him any money.
Yet the admissions officers at Saginaw
Valley recently invited all the top scholars to a
Scholarship Recognition Day, complete with lunch and
star treatment.
So as of now, Steven plans to snatch up
one of these wonderful academic opportunities, and play
sports for fun.
Mike Kostoff, a long time high school and
college coach, has written a book addressing some of
these issues. “Win All Four” helps high school athletes
and their parents prepare for the reality of their
opportunities. Kostiff stresses that athletes must be
balanced, and focus on academics. The purpose of his
book is “to give every high school athlete the
understanding and a plan to become a college
student-athlete.
"My hope is for the athletes to use the information to increase their chances of making their dreams a reality,” he said.
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Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg:
Education in the United States
Books With Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg
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