The College Page: College Guide

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Playing Water Polo In College

The following is the first in a series of articles that are geared towards helping young athletes with the process of playing water polo at the college level. Various articles will discuss the recruiting process, how to find schools that provide water polo, working to get college scholarships, the benefit of playing Varsity or Club water polo, and many other topics pertaining to Collegiate Water Polo.

Knowing and Using NCAA Resources (Part II of A Practical Guide To The Recruiting Process)

Developed by the Illinois Water Polo Committee

Many high school students and their families are familiar with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, commonly referred to as the NCAA, through national championships with football and basketball. The NCAA also governs other sports including collegiate water polo. The purpose of the organization is to administer collegiate sports and protect the best interests of student-athletes. The NCAA plays an important role in recruiting and student-athletes and coaches must abide by the rules established by this organization. To learn more about the NCAA and its role, go to www.ncaa.org.

The recruiting process for the high school student water polo player and their parents can be daunting. But there is help out there and it’s free! The NCAA has prepared the “Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete” which contains comprehensive guidance for high school student-athletes considering the recruiting process.

You can find the guide at the following address on the web: http://www.ncaa.org/library/general/cbsa/2004-05/2004-05_cbsa.pdf

The guide is a PDF file for which you must have Adobe Reader (a free program that is downloadable to your computer – go to www.adobe.com). The Guide can be printed off or saved to your own computer for future reference.

The guide covers a number of topics of importance to the college-bound student-athlete. These topics include:

Academic eligibility
Core Courses, GPA, Tests, Special Conditions
NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse
Information for Parents and Guardians
Questions to Ask as You Consider Colleges
Details for High School Counselors
Recruiting Regulations
Glossary of terms
NCAA Student Release Forms

As you read down the list, it should become very clear that the NCAA is very concerned about grades. Its focus on core courses, grades etc. is meant to encourage the student athlete to take the scholastic part of their high school experience seriously. Further, the NCAA encourages high school athletes to take courses that will prepare the student to be successful scholastically at the collegiate level. Collegiate athletes will tell you that it is a challenge to balance school with practice time and games in a successful manner. The successful balance of classes and varsity athletics is a high point in the student’s first job resume.

It is highly recommended that families obtain “Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete”. This article is meant only as an overview and not as a replacement to the well written guide.

Academic Eligibility, Core Courses, GPA, Tests, and Special Conditions

Eligibility is based on various measures:

High school graduation
Required core courses
Minimum grade point
SAT or ACT test scores

The benchmarks are established for Division I, II, and III programs. There is also a question and answer section of frequently asked questions on academic requirements.

There is no getting around this – grades and academic performance are a material consideration in the recruiting process. The student-athlete should be encouraged to do their very best in high school.

NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse

There can be some confusion regarding this aspect of the recruiting process. College-bound student-athletes must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse in order to participate in the recruiting process. The NCAA Clearinghouse certifies a high school athlete’s eligibility based on the benchmarks discussed above. The athlete still must be accepted by the college of their choice based on the specific criteria at that particular college. In order to register, go to the following website for online registration: www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.

Student-athletes may also register via traditional mail and there are representatives available to help you through the process. There is currently a $30 fee to register (waivers are available).

There are worksheets in the guide for each Collegiate Division which can be used to monitor the athlete’s ability to meet the initial Clearinghouse eligibility requirements. There is also a Q&A in this section on frequently asked questions.

Information for Parents and Guardians

This chapter covers topics that will help parents guide and monitor their student-athlete while they search for the perfect collegiate water polo program. This chapter alerts parents to recruiting requirements and/or topics that are discussed in greater detail in other chapters of the Guide. Topics covered include:

National Letters of Intent
Recruiting rules (in appendix)
Agents
Scouting and recruiting services
Transfer student requirements

One interesting item discussed is the length of athletic scholarships. The NCAA emphasizes that athletic scholarships are one year in duration and must be renewed annually.

Parents’ role in the recruiting process is a delicate balance. The athlete must take the lead with coaches in the recruiting process (the high scholar will soon be on their own and will need to be able to communicate with college coaches, administrators, and counselors on their own). On the other hand, a high school senior may be apprehensive about asking tougher questions, especially the first time. But these questions must be asked. Sometimes parents can help with the tougher questions in a way that is sensitive to the student-athlete and college coaches developing relationship. Most importantly, parents will want to look after their athlete’s best interests within the context of letting the athlete make their own choices.

Appendix C – Questions to Ask as You Consider Colleges

It is so easy for the student-athlete to be awed and overwhelmed in the recruiting process. It is important to get past the surface stuff and make sure that the athlete really understand what it means to participate in a particular program. This section provides samples of questions athletes should ask all coaches who are expressing interest in the athlete. Questions are grouped as follows:

Athletic program and coaches’ philosophy
Academics
College Life
Financial Aid

These questions can be supplemented/replaced with personalized questions which touch on topics that are specifically important to the athlete. An effort should be made to ask the same questions of each coach so that programs can be compared on a point by point basis. The goal is to gain a good understanding of each program’s pros and cons so that decisions are made on facts and not on hopes.

Appendix D – Details for High School Counselors

This section is an excellent resource for high school counselors and covers similar topics previously discussed from the perspective of the high school counselor. In particular, this section provides guidance on the informational requirements that the high school must provide the NCAA Clearinghouse in terms of transcripts.

Appendix E – Recruiting Regulations

College coaches must abide by very stringent rules regarding the contact of a high school student-athlete. These rules are covered in this section. Athletes and their parents should read this section carefully, because it is important to understand that coaches are restricted as to how frequently they contact the athlete. If the rules are understood by all parties then the athlete will understand ‘no contact’ periods and limitations on contact times and not wrongly interpret the coach’s limited contact as a lack of interest.

The following topics are covered in this appendix:

Recruiting terms: Definitions which are used in the rules
Recruiting calendars: recruiting rules are summarized for each sport and each division for these contacts
Recruiting materials
Telephone calls
Off-campus contact
Official visits
Unofficial visits

Do not make assumptions. Athletes and their parents should take the time to review these rules.

Finally, there is a glossary and forms used in the process of registering with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

The NCAA website contains additional information which can be informative to the college-bound athlete. In addition to the indispensable “Guide”, there are articles on collegiate athletics overall and specifically on water polo.

Student-athletes and their families, who take the time to review this guide, will have a great foundation on which to begin their foray into recruiting.

Continue to look for additional articles on recruiting process and specifically on collegiate water polo recruiting!