Overview
National Signing Day is a big day for many athletes nationwide as they take the next step in their athletic careers and sign The National Letter of Intent. The National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between the student-athlete and the institution, stating that the athlete will attend that particular college or university and compete in its athletic program. There are typically two signing days, one in the fall and one in the spring, for each class, allowing athletes two options as some may need more time to commit.
The Process
Getting recruited is a long and hard process no matter what sport you want to play. First of all, you need to create a profile for yourself and basically sell yourself to colleges because it is hard for coaches to come out and see you perform more than one or two times. From attending ID camps and showcases to sending emails and making highlight reels, the process is draining. In an effort by the NCAA to protect student-athletes, they have a rule set in place that doesn’t allow coaches to contact players until June 15th after their sophomore year. Moreover, typically once an athlete and college have found each other, the athlete makes a verbal commitment that publically states their nonbinding official agreement to play at the college. The agreement becomes binding on signing day when the athlete fills out paperwork and signs to close the deal for their spot on the roster. On this special day, the athlete’s family and friends gather to celebrate this accomplishment as it is a big deal.
Raptors on Signing Day
On Tuesday, November 7th (at lunch) two Raptor athletes signed and entered the next step in their athletic careers. Elaina Seymour signed to further her athletic and academic career at Columbia College to play softball in the NAIA, and Anna Hollister signed to further her athletic and academic career at the University of Miami to run cross country in the NCAA Division 1 conference.
I interviewed each athlete to find out a little more information. The questions are as follows:
- What was your recruiting process like?
- How many years have you been participating in your sport?
- Are you on a scholarship? If so is it athletic or academic or both?
- What other colleges were you talking to?
- What advice would you give to someone looking to be recruited?
Elaina Seymour
Elaina explains that she began her recruiting process at the young age of 14 when she played in her first college showcase and from there out she started attending prospect camps. Since Colleges cannot speak with an athlete until June 15th after their Sophomore year, Elaina comments on her tried mental state as it made the process feel even longer. She has been playing in showcases and going to camps for the past 4 years and explains that these experiences have helped her learn how to talk professionally to adults and have patience since she started so young. Elaina has been playing softball since the age of 6 and started club at the age of 10. She is currently on an academic and athletic scholarship! When starting to narrow down, Elaina had been talking to a few schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, but ultimately connected the most with the players and coaches at Columbia College. Columbia College was the first college that had spoken to her and invited her to an ID camp, from there on out they were at every showcase of hers thus showing their high interest. This constant attendance and personal conversation made Elaina feel very close to the coaching staff, influencing her to attend multiple camps and in the end committing. Lastly, Elaina’s piece of advice to anyone wanting to be recruited is to be patient and do your research, especially when it comes to the school academics because, at the end of the day, that is where you will be getting your degree from and it is important that they offer the field of study you are looking to major in. Additionally, do not sit around and wait to be invited to a camp or wait for a coach to email you; be proactive in your communication. And most importantly, never stop improving your skills and constantly getting better every day.
“Get 1% better everyday on and off the field.” -Elaina Seymour
Anna Hollister
Anna explains her recruiting process as stressful but manageable because she had a lot of people around her with knowledge of the process to guide her through it. Around springtime last year, Anna began working hard on staying in touch with coaches, setting up calls, and filling out recruiting questionnaires. Also last year during the month of April, she took a visit to the University of Miami and absolutely loved it. She spent the rest of the summer trying to stay in contact with coaches but sadly lost touch with UMiami because of them getting a new coach. Anna adds…
“My whole process revolves around running to get into the best school that I would enjoy.”
Not only has Anna been a long-time star in running, but a swimmer as well; she picked up the sport of swimming during her middle school career. She explains that during her Freshman year, she tried to participate on both the swim and cross country teams but was unable to make the time and ended up having to drop swim after a long sit-down conversation with her mom and coach. A fun fact is that Anna’s mom owns a triathlon store so she was introduced to the running community at a young age. Furthermore, when narrowing her list down, Anna’s top choices were NYU, Elon, Davidson, High Point, University of South Carolina, and a few others, but ultimately UMiami was and has always been her very top choice so when they offered her a spot she was far from hesitant to commit. Altogether, Anna’s advice would be to stay constant in reaching out to programs and simply be yourself around coaches because they care just as much about you as a person as they do about your competition times.
