TeamFLC

Step 1: (Prior to and during High School) participate in athletic events outside of your local area and attend high-profile clinics in the sport of your choice. College coaches often attend these activities to evaluate talent. Freshman Year.....

Step 2: (Entering your Freshman Year) Get together with your High School counselor and design a college prep program to fit your needs. Picking the right core classes is important. Form a good relationship with your student counselor. They will put you on the right track and later in your high school career they will become very important during your local scholarship searches. IMPORTANT!!! You must put academics high on your priority list. You may be a great athlete but you will never be looked at or even considered if you do not have a good G.P.A. Maintain your grades, work hard on and off the field and the rewards will be great. Slacking off will only make things harder in the end. I have seen many great athletes fail to go to the next level simply because they did not pay attention in the classroom. Join as many clubs as you can fit into your schedule; top College's look at the overall you. They want well diverse people, the more sports you participate in, the better. Sophomore Year.....

Step 3: (Sophomore year) Begin to think about and evaluate the colleges of your choice. Make a check list of Pros & Cons without considering lacrosse. What type of school will make you happy? Big vs Small Campus not just physical size but total enrollment/population. How far from home will you go? Major/Career Interest? Cold vs Warm Climate? Once you have those answers look at schools that fit your choices and offer lacrosse. Begin taping your games and start your Video Library. Game footage - not yet a highlight film. The importance is to not make yourself look like the perfect athlete. All of us make mistakes sometimes - it is how you respond to those mistakes that is important. Coaches just want to see how you move and how athletic you are. Search for Videographers in your area. Your school may have a TV Production program or teacher/student that films other sports. Get to one recruiting Camp/Tournament in the Summer or Fall.

Step 4: (Junior year) The recruiting process begins. Due to budgeting issues more often then not, it is difficult for coaches to spend significant amounts of money to go out and recruit prospective student athletes. The exceptions are high revenue sports such as football and basketball. Knowing this, you become the initiator. Contact the college coaches of your choice. Show that you have interest in their programs. Formulate a letter of introduction (SEE BELOW). Send it along with a Bio letter (SEE BELOW) of your athletic/educational accomplishments and any press clippings. They will respond with some form of a reply. The process has now begun. Be it a bit early it is important to maintain contact with the coach. You need to show the coach and the College that you are interested in their school. Ask about setting up an "unofficial visit."  Continue correspondence with coaches with monthly updates on your accomplishments, press clippings, video, etc.  Video - Creating a highlight video of yourself is very vital to getting yourself seen. Create a professional looking video to show your strengths and skills. The video should try to be short (NO more than 15 minutes) and to the point. Coaches have very little time to watch every single hit you had and every catch you made.

Step 5: Academically: SAT's and ACT's should be taken at the beginning of your junior year. Take them often! The highest score in each category is the actual score when submitting for acceptance into a College.

Step 6: CAMPS/ALL-STAR TOURNAMENTS: If possible, try to attend as many instructional camps as possible. Ask your High School coach if he/she knows of any camps in your area. Also, some colleges even host their own Summer Camps. If a College you are interested in is hosting one, be sure to attend so that the coach can see you in action. Tryout for All-star tournaments held in "traditional hot-beds" where many college coaches can see you play.

SENIOR YEAR.....

Step 7: (Senior year). The recruiting process gets into high gear with those colleges interested in you and you in them. Time to take a visit. Visits can range from visiting the school at your own expense or the College taking care of all expenses. Athletes are allowed 5 fully paid visits. Visits determine if the fit is right for you and for the College.

Step 8: Athletic Assistance can be from getting you admitted to the College to a full athletic scholarship. We encourage you to do your homework on all the financial opportunities available to you. Explore with your high school counseling office the applications for financial assistance given out by local organizations, state and federal financial grants (grants are not loans, and do not need to be paid back). Coaches can also draw information from your resume and financial aid applications to draw money from their College to assist you with your financial needs.

Step 9: There are almost NO "full-scholarships" for lacrosse. Combining the above resources and athletic money, your College educational costs will be reduced.

Step 10: With the visits completed; your college chosen; financial decisions complete. The College recruiting process is complete.

Enjoy the next 4 years!