As the 2014 NCAA Women's Volleyball season progresses, I can't help but feel excited for what the future may hold for our sport. I remember less than 10 years ago sitting in my dorm room, scouring the internet to find out what games I could find online. At the time, most schools didn't have the ability to webcast, and those that did offer it typically charged for it. Effort needed to be made if you wanted to watch a match without actually being able to go to the games.
Fast forward to today, and getting access to matches has never been easier. For example, this thread on volleytalk shows how often matches are now being broadcasted. It's good for our sport financially because the more people it reaches, the better chances companies will want to hop on board as a sponsor as they have a much better chance of getting a return on investment. However, the other impact it may have is to give families a better idea of where their high school athlete will best fit in.
I find that most families I talk to have little to no information regarding what the difference between divisions are, as well as how they work. Here are some of the topics I go over when giving my seminar on the topic of the difference between divisions:
1) Division I isn't just about being an elite player - it's about being an elite athlete!
I am currently in the works of contacting collegiate coaches conducting a study to put concrete numbers on this. The reality is, if you're touching below 9'6, getting looked at as anything aside from DS/Libero is VERY rare. While it is only a handful nowadays, some freshman are coming in touching over 11' feet - unless you're touching 10', the odds of having a competitive Division I school look at you are not great - and that's not even discussing the actual volleyball skill-set an athlete is bringing to the table.
2) Talent aside, if you don't enjoy the idea of working hard and dedicating your collegiate years to the sport, you probably won't enjoy the culture of Division I Athletics.
A lot of families I meet at look at the Division I Scholarship as the golden opportunity for their child to pay their way through college - yet they almost seemed surprised when I tell them about the expectations their child will have in the event that they were to make it. 6am weights, class, individual practice, team practice, training room due to the body being worked so hard, mandatory study hall, away trips that will conflict with classes - players earn every penny of their scholarship. The offseason is fairly strenuous as well, with planned workouts in order to keep the athlete in shape. For many, it will be more physically demanding than anything the athlete has done before. If they don't enjoy the grind, the odds of them lasting are slim and none.
Truth be told, I watched how our girls did their 30 minutes of Athletic Development at practice each day, and talent aside, I would say at MOST 5-10 had the true drive it would take to handle the expectations a Division I program would put on its players. A very simple way to gauge this: If an athlete conditions differently when their coach turns their back compared to when they're watching them, that's not someone that's going to enjoy the grind.
3) If every institution used every women's volleyball athletic scholarship they were able to (which they don't), only 1.4% of high school athletes would have the opportunity to obtain one.
I covered the numbers on this in my blog Scholarships By the Numbers - there are far more players than scholarships, and most players will not have the opportunity to play for an athletic scholarship.
4) Division III is not 'bad volleyball' - and being an athlete does give the student a stronger identity when applying at an institution!
Many athletes tell me they only want to look at Division I/II schools. When I ask why, they rarely have a specific reason. Furthermore, when I ask if they've ever seen a Division III match, they almost always said no! Remember: While it can be good to use other people for information/advice, realize they do not always have the same assessments that you will have - make decisions based on YOUR assessments, not theirs.
Very rarely do these conversations come from athletes that are head and shoulders above Division III. Here is a men's volleyball clip of Division III Volleyball, as well as a women's clip of Division III Volleyball. While the quality of athleticism drops off from the higher divisions, the actual volleyball can be pretty strong!
Some people will argue that Division III is inferior because it doesn't offer the athletic scholarship. However, being an athlete allows you to avoid being a "Stealth Applicant" (someone who applies without speaking to/building a relationship with someone from the school) - it allows you to build a relationship with the coach, and have someone to use as a reference for the Admissions/Registrar office. If Student A and Student B have the same GPA and test scores, but Student A plays a sport and has built a relationship with the coach, they have a much better chance of getting the merit aid their profile warrants. The school then has a better idea of what the person is like and if they'll be a good fit. The person shows that they work well in teams, and they'll be an ambassador for the school.
5) There are 1500 schools out there - don't look for a school that "I can play volleyball at" - find a school that meets your wants/needs!
Of all the mistakes I see families make when looking at schools, it's that they don't narrow their scope of what their athlete wants from an institution - I made this mistake myself. There are so many schools that student-athletes have no idea exist. Many players try to get information on them by sending a profile out with a recruiting agency hoping that one of these schools will contact them. There are thousands of those profiles online - you have to separate yourself from the pack, and that means doing some basic research on your end! Before you even start looking at schools, having an idea of what you want from your learning experience is crucial. Do you have a geographic location that you prefer? What about a field of study? Do you prefer a specific school size? As an athlete, would you prefer to be on a team you could start for as a freshman even if they were a single digit win team, or would you be more comfortable being on a team competing for a conference/national championship even if it means more competition for playing time? These are things that people should assess before they start their search. Don't wait for schools to find you - in 2014, it's never been easier to go online and narrow your list of schools specifically to your personality - and contacting the coach directly will have a bigger impact than having a recruiting agency contact the school on your behalf. Find a school that will help you grow as a player/person over the next 4 years and will appreciate having you as part of their institution - it's out there!
This isn't even discussing the NAIA, Junior Colleges, Club, and Intramurals. There are many opportunities for people to play in college! Contact me at ProgressionVBConsulting@gmail.com if you'd like me to look at your profile and help set up a plan of attack to find the right school for you! Also, if there are specific topics you'd like to see more information on, feel free to request it. My goal is to provide as much information as possible where people need the most help!
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