Should I Be Attending Showcases/Expos?
The big concern among parents and aspiring collegiate athletes is “Am I doing enough to get recruited?”
The simple answer is you can always do more to get exposure to college coaches. Emailing and phone calls are easy and free ways to get ahead in the recruiting process. However, if you are looking to do more, getting exposure is a fantastic way to be seen by a college coach.
Participating in club volleyball for starters is a great way to gain exposure. Due to collegiate seasons, scheduling, and convenience, more and more recruiting is happening outside of high school volleyball and more in club volleyball. This makes a ton of sense as a college coach can go to one club tournament on a Sunday during his/her off-season and watch 20 potential recruits versus attending one high school match during his/her season and only see one potential recruit.
Another way to gain exposure is by attending a showcase event, expo, or High Performance try-out. Here, you will be competing individually with the intent of making yourself stand-out among the nation’s best. Some helpful advice: do not be nervous and don’t expect perfection because you will only make yourself more tense. Instead, relax and enjoy the process. Make yourself noticeable to recruiters by communicating, be encouraging to other athletes, and be the hardest worker on the court.
The pros of attending these events are exposure to college coaches, making connections, and exposure to the nation’s elite and seeing where you match up. For me, High Performance and showcase events were a great learning experience as I had to learn to adapt to different coaching styles and drills in a short time as well as learning to play with other players from across the nation. One valuable angle I did get from attending these events was broadening my connections in the world of volleyball; it is amazing how many connections coaches have to each other and their connections can ultimately aid you in the recruiting process. If you live in a state where High Performance has their own region team, this is a great option is you have a stricter time schedule and are looking to train closer to home.
The unfortunate thing about gaining exposure is that it can be expensive and time-consuming. So the question begs “Is attending showcases/elite try-outs required to be recruited?”
Absolutely not. You do not need to travel across the country, spend lots of money, and take time away from school to get recruited. If you take the time to develop your play and make it a priority to contact coaches via e-mail and phone, there is no reason to break the bank.