介绍一些申请大学体育奖学金的情况

前言：

蓝调女士邀请俺介绍孩子申请大学体育奖学金的经验，俺高兴之余有点不好意思，因为俺就只有一个孩子拿了体育奖学金，经验不多.  

下面有三篇文章，是从网上找来的. 俺曾推荐给过给很多中外朋友. 第一篇是特别给高尔夫球的，第二篇是网球的，第三篇是介绍高效率使用时间的重要性。所有的运动都有相通性，申请大学体育奖学金的步骤大多相同，第一篇很详细，俺还作了些补充，希望对大家有帮助.

第三篇其实很重要，有孩子想到学校里当运动员的，在高中就得培养良好的生活习惯，学会自律和自制。因为在美国大学里，所谓的运动员都是业余的，他们都有自己的专业取向，意思就是说在大二结束前都要定下专业，如＂教育＂，＂电气工程＂，＂通讯＂等等，除了要训练和比赛以外，与一般的大学生无异. 所以对时间的掌握是非常重要的！

谢谢阅读！

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10 Steps to College Golf  (原文在此)

The Top 10 Steps to College Golf is intended to help junior golfers in their pursuit of becoming a college golfer. Use the following steps and other resources as a guide in preparing for college.

1. High GPA and Test Scores

A good academic record is more important than a good golf record. College coaches are reluctant to select a player that might have trouble staying eligible, so study hard and stay focused. Below are links to the SAT, ACT and TOEFL websites. All college bound high school students should take the SAT and ACT more than once since most students receive higher scores on their second and third attempts. Start taking these tests during your sophomore year, so come recruitment time you will have test scores to include in your resume.

SAT, www.collegeboard.com
ACT, www.act.org
TOEFL, www.ets.org/toefl/index.html  (International Students Only)

补充： 成绩好是硬道理。相信对老中来说这不是个问题。

2. Compete in Nationally Ranked Tournaments

Competing in the top tournaments not only gives you more exposure, the experience gained by playing against the best players on the best courses is invaluable. Cautiously select a tournament schedule that is challenging and fits within your budget. Some tournaments, although large and well known, can be very expensive. Ask other players and parents about tournaments they have competed in and find tournaments that are within your budget, conducted professionally and fun. Below are links to a few golf associations that conduct nationally ranked junior events.

USGA,  www.usga.org
AJGA,  www.ajga.org
FJT ,  www.floridajuniortour.org

Find other Nationally Ranked Tournaments at  www.njgs.com

补充： 越早参加大型或级别高的比赛越好。不管是什么比赛，参加的越多越好， 经验是慢慢积累的，比赛多了，总能挑些打的好的成绩留待申请大学时用。

3. National Rankings

Years ago college coaches would travel to many tournaments during the summer to find possible recruits, but now with so many tournaments and hundreds great players, they rely more on resources like National Junior Golf Scoreboard to locate the top players. Visit the links below to understand how the rankings are determined and select a tournament schedule that will maximize your ranking.

Improve your national ranking by excelling in Nationally Ranked Events

• Junior Golf Scoreboard,  www.njgs.com/rankings.asp
• GolfWeek,  www.golfweek.com/sagarin/boys.asp

补充： 同上，多参加比赛，多得经验，排名也容易上去。

4. Register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse

Register with NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse after your junior year grades have been posted to your transcript to be eligible for an athletic scholarship.

Players should register after the completion of their junior year in high school.
 www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

补充：高三再做这步，省得每年交年费，费银子。

5. Contact Colleges

After your sophomore year compose a list of all prospective colleges (at least 25). Include various different colleges by size, location, difficulty of entry, golf program, and more. Produce a letter of introduction, golf resume, and possibly a video to be mailed to all the coaches on your list. Below are some helpful points to consider on making contact with college coaches.

Contact coaches via phone, email, or letter before/during your high school years. Inform them of your desire to join their team once you graduate and ask the coach to follow your progress. Give coaches updates periodically, especially after any outstanding performances.

Letter of Interest
• Introduce yourself; include a brief personal history and your desire to attend the college.

Golf Resume
• Include goals in college, golf accomplishments, upcoming schedule, school accomplishments, and other interests.
• Sample Resume: (Sample Resume)

Video
• Short and simple video (5 minutes) including full swings with Driver, long iron, short iron, some short wedge shots, bunker shots and holing some putts.

Follow Up/Thank You Letter

补充：
高一开始收集心仪学校的资料（是NCAA Division 1, 2 or 3？属哪个比赛的联盟？历年比赛的成绩?）；
高二开始与大学的教练联系（通过信或电邮，介绍自己的基本情况和比赛成绩，表达你有去那学校的愿望。老美一般发的比较多，十几二十的是正常，反正都是双向选择，没到签NLI那刻都不算定）；
高二及高三的下学期（约三月时），将夏天比赛的行程表寄给大学的教练，他们要是对你感兴趣的话，会抽时间去看你的比赛。

6. Campus Visits

Once a school shows interest, discuss a visit with the coach. An official visit is when the college pays for majority of the expenses related to the visit. If a coach is interested, but doesn’t want to use an official visit, try to set up an unofficial visit. Before a visit do some research on the school and prepare many questions to ask the coach and players.

When traveling to tournaments try to stop by campuses you are interested in. At least drive through the campus and see if its a place you would like to go.

Visit schools on your final list. Meet with the golf coach and tour the campus.

Students are allowed five official visits during their senior year.

Advice during visits:
A visit to a campus could be the most important step. Coaches want to get to know you and see if you'll be able to adapt to college life and most importantly, fit in with the other team members. Talk with and ask questions to players on the teams. Try to be very open with the coach, ask questions, and show excitement. Remember; coaches spend most of their days around kids just like you, so relax and be yourself.

补充：
大学是孩子将要在那度过四年光阴的地方，除了每天训练老在一起，出去比赛时常常得同住一房（２－３人），跟教练和队友是否对得上眼很重要。
看学校时，除了专业的选择，课程的设置，着重看训练的场地，从住处到训练场地的交通是否方便，因为每天都得来来回回的。

7. National Letter of Intent

A National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a letter that is basically a one-year binding agreement between you and the college. Once a NLI is signed and submitted you shouldn’t receive any additional recruitment information. A NLI is not necessary, but is recommended. For more information regarding NLI’s follow the links below.

Sign a National Letter of Intent once a school is chosen

 www.national-letter.org

FAQ on National Letter of Intent/Financial Aid

补充：签了NLI后就不能后悔了。后悔的结果是一年之内不能在同一个联盟的学校拿奖学金。一年后可以转学，申请奖学金就不再受限制，但一般没有第一年容易。

8. Financial Aid

College can be very expensive, especially if you attend an out-of-state school. Coaches have a limited number of scholarships to disperse and usually they award partial scholarships to players that earn them through performance. Don’t assume or rely on an athletic scholarship; apply for academic scholarships, grants, and if necessary, loans. Meet with a financial aid counselor for more specific information regarding scholarships, grants, and loans. Follow the links below for more information on financial aid. Remember to apply early!

Take advantage of the many types of financial aid

Golf Scholarship
• Discuss with the coach how scholarships are distributed to the players.

FAQ on National Letter of Intent/Financial Aid

9. More Resources and Guides

Utilize the many resources available to ease the college preparation process. Below are links to the most widely used resources.

Ping American College Golf Guide (highly recommended)  www.collegegolf.com
Red Numbers Golf   www.rednumbersgolf.com
Junior Golf Scoreboard  www.njgs.com
AJGA   www.ajga.org
NCAA  www.collegegolf.com

10. Don’t Lose Your Eligibility!

Eligibility is not something to take for granted. Be very cautious when presented with gifts or awards for your golf ability. The FHSAA, NCAA and USGA don't share all of the same rules, so be sure to refer to each of them.

Click on the links below for FHSAA NCAA Rules Regulations, Bylaws, and Eligibility Requirements.

NCAA 
http://athleticscholarships.net/ncaaeligibility.htm 
www2.ncaa.org/legislation_and_governance/eligibility_and_conduct/
www2.ncaa.org/legislation_and_governance/rules_and_bylaws/

FHSAA
www.fhsaa.org/rules/handbook/01bylaws.htm
www.fhsaa.org/rules/go.asp
FHSAA Rules (PDF Format)

USGA
USGA Rules of Amateur Status for Juniors (PDF Format)

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How to Get Recruited by a College Tennis Team (原文在此)

Step1
Collect newspaper articles regarding personal and team achievements. These articles provide colleges with an unbiased review of the athlete's skills.

Step2
Ask for letters of recommendation from coaches. Any recreational tennis coaches, school coaches and trainers can write a letter of recommendation. These letters should evaluate the athletes skills and ability to continue competing at the collegiate level. Of course, the letters of recommendation should be positive.

Step3
Return information requested by the college quickly. This holds true both for the athlete and their coaches. The majority of schools only request information if they are interested in the athlete. Returning the information quickly speeds up the decision process and many times leads to the athlete being recruited by the college.

Step4
Attend camps offered at the college. Any tournaments sponsored by the college are a good idea, too. Head coaches are usually in charge of camps and tournaments, so it's a great way to make an impression and get recruited.

Step5
Videotape personal performances. Get a family member or friend to videotape a match. This video is a great way to show the college tennis skill sets. Compile a few of these videos so that they have more than one performance to view.

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How Important Is Time Management for Student-Athletes at the Collegiate Level（原文在此）

Learning to be organized and efficient with your time is the key to success
by John Brooks

Successful collegiate golfers are extremely effective time managers. There is no choice in the matter. When you consider the amount of time in a day that must be allocated to sleep, cooking and eating, attending classes, studying, doing laundry, running any necessary errands, and hopefully having some free time for a social life, you will quickly realize that a college student-athlete has very little time (no more than 3 to 4 hours daily) to invest in the training and development of his golf game. And that is assuming he does not have multiple exams and/or projects on the horizon, he is not traveling to or from a competition, and he is not facing any real surprises, such as getting sick or having his car break down.

Once you matriculate in college, it is critical to learn how to get more results out of less time. Rarely will you have the opportunity to stand on the range, beat golf balls for hours, and chip and putt until you get tired or hungry. More likely is the scenario that you will have to get your short game practice in for 45 minutes between your two morning classes and hit golf balls just before dark following your qualifying round and immediately before dinner and study hall. You will be on the go constantly, always trying to stay caught up in school while also finding a way to improve as a player. This is challenging for those who enter college as poor time managers.

Now is the time to improve your organizational skills so you can become a more effective time manager. These skills will benefit you tremendously as a college student-athlete.

Key Suggestions:

1. Always keep an academic and golf calendar with key dates and deadlines

2. Make a daily “To Do” list and constantly refer to it to make sure you are on task

3.Minimize your social time until you are caught up in school and with golf practice

4. Plan ahead at least two weeks in advance, anticipating key academic deadlines before they arrive and keeping in mind that you may be traveling

5. Know what you want to accomplish in practice before you arrive at the course

6. Set one day per week aside to take care of your time-consuming errands and chores

7. Learn to prepare some of your own meals, do your own laundry, and set your own schedule while in high school—this will prepare you for the next level

8. Eat healthy foods and make sure you get enough sleep so you can focus the next day

9. Listen to your parents and coaches when they are trying to help you—this will save you time in the long run

10. Finish your tasks and handle your responsibilities today—do not procrastinate

I worked very hard to assist my golf team with these and other organizational and time management skills because I knew they were vitally important and would have a significant impact on their success both in the classroom and on the golf course. The sooner you learn these skills, the better prepared you will be to make a smooth and successful transition into college.

Good luck!
Coach Brooks