Before You Spend a Dollar on a Camp or Showcase, Read This

Summer recruiting season means one thing for most families: camp and showcase season.

And with it comes one of the most consistent and most expensive mistakes in the entire recruiting process.

Families spend thousands of dollars sending their athletes to events without first asking the most important question: will the coaches from our target schools actually be there?

A showcase with 400 athletes and none of the coaches you care about is not an opportunity. It is an expensive workout. And by the time most families figure that out, the summer is over and the money is gone.

Today we are going to fix that.

not all exposure is the same

The word "exposure" gets thrown around in the recruiting world like it means something on its own. It does not. Exposure to the right coaches at the right time means everything. Exposure to nobody on your list means nothing, regardless of how your athlete performs.

This is the fundamental mistake families make when evaluating events. They look at the marketing, the names of schools listed as attending, the promises of college coaches in the stands, without digging into whether those coaches are actually recruiting at their athlete's level, in their sport, for their graduation year.

Before you register for anything, you need to ask six questions.

the 6 questions to ask before any recruiting event

1. Will coaches from my target schools actually be there? This is the only question that ultimately matters. If none of the schools on your list are sending coaches to this event, you need to seriously reconsider attending. Do not assume a school is attending because they are listed on the promotional materials. Contact the coach directly and ask.

2. Is the event invite-only or open to all players? Invite-only events tend to produce better results simply because the coach-to-athlete ratio is tighter. When there are fewer athletes competing for the same eyes, your athlete is more likely to get meaningful evaluation time. Open events can work, but the volume of athletes can make it very easy to get lost.

3. What level of competition will your athlete face? Coaches are not just evaluating whether your athlete can play. They are evaluating whether your athlete can compete at their level. Getting lost in a field that is too advanced does not help your case. Neither does dominating a field that is clearly below the level of competition at your target schools.

4. How many athletes attend and will they actually get seen? An event with 600 athletes across 10 fields is a very different experience than an event with 80 athletes on two fields. Smaller, more focused events often produce better recruiting results than the massive multi-field showcases that feel impressive on paper.

5. Is the cost justified by the exposure opportunity? Run the math honestly. A $1,500 showcase that puts your athlete in front of three coaches from target schools may be worth every dollar. A $400 event with no relevant coaches in attendance is not a bargain. Cost should always be weighed against opportunity, not evaluated in isolation.

6. Have you already contacted the coach who is going? This is the question most families skip, and it is the one that makes the most difference.

why pre-event coach communication changes everything

Coaches are watching dozens of athletes at every event they attend. In many cases they already know who they are there to see. If your athlete is not on that mental list before the event starts, they are competing against the crowd for attention they may never get.

Here is what you should do for every showcase your athlete attends. Before the event, send the coaches from your target schools a short, professional email. Tell them your athlete will be competing, what team they will be on, what number they will be wearing, and when their games are scheduled. Attach a highlight film. Invite the coach to come watch.

That email does three things. It shows the coach your athlete is serious. It makes your athlete easy to find on a crowded field. And it starts the relationship before you even arrive.

Coaches respond to families who communicate like this. It is not aggressive or inappropriate. It is exactly what recruited athletes do.

a quick word on elite college camps

Elite camps hosted directly by college programs are powerful tools, but they should be reserved for schools that are realistic top choices on your athlete's list. Attending an elite camp at a school two divisions above your athlete's realistic range is not a strategy. It is an expensive hope.

Be strategic about which program camps your athlete attends. If the school is on your real list and the coach has shown some level of interest, a program camp is one of the best investments you can make. If it is a long shot, that money is better spent elsewhere.

your action step today

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