Photoessay #952 - Recruiting visit

For the first time (probably in my life) I don't have anything that I *have* to do on a daily basis. I've always had a whole bunch of kids or a job and usually both. But right now, at age 57 and being laid off and most everybody grown. Not desperate for another job at this point. Well, bob's your uncle.

But I don't want this time to go to waste. Projects around the house with the theme of "let's say you wanted to, say, move", what about all that *junk* and *stuff* that you have around the house. hmmmmmmm? That's been there forever? That probably belongs to one of your kids. Or not?

Plus, I have pictures everywhere which I have been culling down. Which means I find things long buried. Including the work related pictures I took in Rochester in 2002 and then never circulated? I just scanned them and sent them to my (former) work-mate today.

This picture has a context. Susanna's official recruiting visit in Oct 2002. The full-blown major conference NCAA Official Visit. Collegiate softball recruiting has changed a bit since then with colleges encouraging unofficial visits (why not, it costs YOU and not THEM) and earlier commitments. And plenty still use the 'official visit during the fall of the senior year/offer" model.

So this image is from Susanna's official visit to the University of Oregon. Pac 10 softball. Though the talent has been in the process of becoming equalized across the country, Pac 10 softball still reigns supreme. Coach A had made the official recruiting contact in August (whole other story), we had made an unofficial visit in September. The first thing the coaches did on the unofficial visit was to invite her for the Official Visit. Which was my goal. We could choose football weekends or the weekend later when softball would be playing their fall game. Surprisingly, we were the only ones that chose the softball weekend.

For those unfamiliar with Official Visits. The visit lasts 48 hours. The school may pay the recruit's transportation plus room, food and reasonable entertainment (like football tickets) for recruits and parents during the visit. Nothing else. The player usually stays with a team member and the parent in a hotel. Usually involves meetings with the academic side, including advisors in the recruits interest and, in our case, the disabilities people. The player also goes to class with team members.

The recruits are treated like tender soft flowers. Tended very very carefully. They laughed when Dani, her player host called desperately upset "I've lost my recruit!!" It was ok because the plans had changed and Dani was ok. The best side is always shown to the recruit, no derogatory things allowed!

But I have also heard about abusive visits especially when the player host has abandoned the recruit, drugs and alcohol were involved or generally nasty behavior. NOT GOOD!

The offer, if there is one, can come during or at the end of the visit. An offer is something in writing NOT idle talk. Some families are misled, they think they've gotten an offer when they haven't. A coach saying "I'll get you a scholarship" is NOT an offer. In this case, the offer was made at a leisurely breakfast off-campus breakfast.

You are allowed 5 official visits. Hardly anybody takes all of them. I knew that Susanna would not tolerate much of this nonsense. She went on visits to U Oregon, Bowling Green in Ohio and Western Washington.

Here she is during practice at Howe Field. The coach sitting on the bench behind the plate. Susanna sitting next to her. It was all so very exciting....