Inside Look on FHS College Sports Recruitment

Senior Katie Peterson signs her commitment papers in Fall 2022 to finalize her decision.

Mr. Peterson

Senior Katie Peterson signs her commitment papers in Fall 2022 to finalize her decision.

The big question for high school athletes, “Are you playing in college?” is bombarded at family dinners. It’s such a loaded question in such few words. 

The world of college sports can be enticing and intimidating to FHS students that are looking to take their sports careers to the next level. Here is a deep dive into the preparation and considerations to take into account in making this exciting decision with advice from senior Katie Peterson, who committed to Division 1 Lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Preparation and dedication are necessities in the recruiting process. ID clinics and emailing are the key sources of communication between a curious player and a college coach. 

ID clinics, differing in intensity, are either run by an organization, or a specific college of choice and run for approximately 3 hours. In this time period, an individual is given the opportunity to showcase their talent in various drills against other passionate individuals. Katie Peterson advises making “good hustle plays or assists” as being a “ball hog” isn’t as appealing or recognizable to the average college coach. 

It’s hard to adjust to the schedule of just waking up and lifting and then going to 2 hour practices that are a lot more intense then you’re used to.

— Katie Peterson

As for emailing and showing consistent interest, persistence is key. Starting early, Peterson joined a recruiting platform her freshman year and emailed a total of 90 colleges by the fall of her junior year. Peterson advocates for sending colleges persistent emails with, “updated highlights and stats” as well as tournament information so the coaches had the opportunity to watch her play with the familiarity of her own team. 

Organized into divisions, college athletics offer D3, D2, and D1 programs based on the size of the college, athletic funding of the institution, and competitiveness of the program, yet the division does not indicate the skill of the team in certain circumstances. Peterson acknowledges the common misconception that D1 schools are always drastically more skilled than D3 schools. 

After narrowing down her options Peterson prioritized the team’s atmosphere, the reputation of the coach, commitment (in hours) to the team’s training, and academic opportunities offered at each college. 

Peterson recognizes the intensity that comes with the D1 sports commitment as she states, “it’s hard to adjust to the schedule of just waking up and lifting and then going to 2 hour practices that are a lot more intense than you’re used to.” However, Peterson is aware and, “up for the challenge”.

FHS senior and 2022 Girls Varsity Soccer Captain Bridget Leo, who went through the strenuous commitment process, seeks to take a different route, college club sports, that can be equally appealing and rewarding for students passionate about sports but not interested in such a massive commitment. 

Girls Varsity Soccer teammates embrace senior captain Bridget Leo after scoring an amazing goal (Geoffrey Zub)

Leo states that there are, “endless opportunities in college for playing sports” as Club programs can be competitive and selective in themselves. Intramurals, another outlet for playing sports, are the least competitive and are considered more lighthearted scrimmages.

Sports can therefore be utilized as a way to showcase talent and challenge oneself, while also being a creative way to socialize in the intimidating environment that is college.