The life of a student-athlete can get pretty hectic, to say the least. As summer sails into the sunset and the school year takes shape, the craziness can really start to build up. But never fear: the NCSA Events Team has your back.

Putting on hundreds of events across the country every year to help student-athletes understand the recruiting process for their sprot is no small feat. Doing it the way this crew does it week-after-week is nothing short of miraculous. From packing, shipping, lugging, set-up, hosting, educating, and everything in between, the NCSA Events Team not only takes their work seriously. They do it with some major swagger, and a little fun along the way.

(Side note: If you’re interested in learning how you could become a part of our events team, check out our career openings.)

Take a look at the top tips in organization to stay cool under pressure from the masters of NCSA events.

Keep a list handy

“Start everyday with a list. No matter how long or short it may be, listing things out and then checking them off upon completion goes a long way in staying organized and on top of things. Also, I always set aside some time to take a walk or run to clear my head and stay focused on my goals.”
–Kat Wilson, Event Logistics Coordinator

Don’t let yourself be surprised

“No matter what mountain is ahead of you – a big assignment, a rivalry game, a job interview – do your research and show up prepared. Preparedness will not only give you peace of mind, it will show others around you that you mean business and there is no situation you can’t handle. Like Kat, I also believe in the power of making lists and taking notes on each event so I can find ways to improve for next time. Stay confident in yourself and your abilities.”
–Jaclyn Thomas, Event Marketing Director

Stay true to yourself

“I have three pieces advice I’ve lived by and have found success in at NCSA.

1. Know your seat on the bus (your own responsibilities) and trust that the others around you do as well.
2. Find your happy place; find a hobby or activity that will allow you to be alone and clear your mind.
3. Know your teammates off the field; connecting with your teammates off the field will help you gel together on the field, guaranteed.”

–Dane Clark, Football Events Manager

The post How To Stay Cool Under Pressure This School Year appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Everyone who works at NCSA Athletic Recruiting believes in the transformative power of sport. With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we’ve lived it. And now, team members like Jaimie Duffek, a softball recruiting expert and head recruiting coach, are telling their stories in the hopes of inspiring you in your recruiting journey too.

“I was under the assumption that I was going to get picked up, just playing on a good travel team,” Jaimie says. “My dream school came back and tells me: well, we’re done. And I actually wanted to give up softball in high school.”

“I actually wanted to give up softball in high school.” But she was able to persevere. Tweet this!

“I got to about to my junior year, where I think most girls this day are teetering – Do I really want to continue on? Do I want to sacrifice a lot to play in college? Or do I want to have that time with my friends?”

“Do I want to sacrifice a lot to play in college? Or do I want to have that time with my friends?” Here’s what she chose. Tweet this!

Watch the video below to see Jaimie tell her story about the lessons she learned as a college softball player at Drake University.

“College softball has molded me,” Jaimie says. “I have so many great memories and I have so many things to look forward to as well that if I wasn’t a college athlete I don’t think I would have those memories, or those opportunities.”

“If I wasn’t a college athlete I don’t think I’d have those memories, or those opportunities.” Tweet this!

The post This Softball Recruiting Expert Describes Her Recruiting Process appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Everyone who works at NCSA Athletic Recruiting believes in the transformative power of sport. With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we’ve lived it. And now, team members like Davide Harris, a baseball recruiting expert and baseball recruiting coach, are telling their stories in the hopes of inspiring you in your recruiting journey too.

As is true for many student-athletes, Davide found the recruiting process a complicated beast to tackle. “I didn’t really know what to do,” Davide says. “I didn’t have anyone to guide me.”

“I knew someone from my high school who was a player at Lawrence and said it might be a good fit for me,” he says.

And once he got to Lawrence — where he was able to play right away — he found his niche. “Being a small school, it was pretty tightly knit,” he says.

Watch the video below to see Davide tell his story about the lessons he learned as a college baseball player at Lawrence University.

“The recruiting process can be a long process at times. In general, I think patience is a hard thing to come by — for me as well. But it’s necessary in the recruiting process because you’ll never know where your options lie,” he says.

“Being open and being patient are two things that are up at the top in life in general. If you’re open to different possibilities you’ll be able to cut that down and find the best one for you.”

Being open and patient in recruiting is necessary because you never know where your options lie. Tweet this!

The post This Baseball Recruiting Expert Describes His Recruiting Process appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Our company’s founder, Chris Krause started NCSA just over twelve years ago.

From our very first day as a company, we have followed a list of core values created by the team. (Back then, the team was not even ten people. Now in 2015, we number more than 450 former college athletes and coaches helping athletes. And we’re always looking for new passionate and talented individuals to join our team).

Just last month, we re-evaluated our core values and did a little updating. Our previous core values continued to fall in line with our message and mission; they just needed a refresh.

As a company, our core values show the world what we stand for. Beyond that, they remind our team what we stand for. They are our compass, our commandments, and guide in setting expectations for ourselves, those around us, and the families we are serving daily.

These core values are what NCSA stands for

• Team First
• Always Provide World Class Service
• Lead by Example
• Direct and Honest in All Communication
• All-in Attitude, All-out Work Ethic
• Deliver on Commitments
• Make Your Mark
• Give Back

Use what NCSA stands for to help you create your own core values

Now it’s time to think about yourself, and your personal core values as a student-athlete, or your core values as a team.

Before college coaches even consider picking up the phone or knocking on your door, they’re going to look wherever they can to find out a little bit more about you and what you stand for. The trouble is, if you don’t know what you stand for, it’s hard to project a meaningful and consistent message to those around you.

Think of your core values as a part of your athletic profile or resume. Your forty time, or pitch speed are on there, your GPA and various test scores, maybe a list of non-sport extracurricular. But what about the kind of character you have, or the things you believe in?

Take ten minutes to reflect on the things that mean the most to you in life. Maybe it’s respecting your family and friends. Perhaps punctuality or tidiness is important to you. Maybe kindness, resilience, or mental strength are the traits you value most. What do you gravitate to, and who do you strive to be?

Once you’ve determined what’s most important to you, make a list of 6-8 words or phrases that sum up or remind you to keep each item at the forefront. These are your core values. You can keep this list in your locker, in your assignment notebook, or have it handy for conversations with college coaches.

When visiting schools, campuses, and teams, make sure the words, actions, and work ethic of players, coaches, and others associated with the college are in line with your core values. As the saying goes, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” Know who you are and do you.

The post What NCSA Stands For: Our Core Values appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we have a range of perspectives on the recruiting process. But it’s even more interesting to hear a football recruiting expert like Joe Leccesi, head football recruiting coach at NCSA Athletic Recruiting, describe how he went from being ill-informed about the recruiting process, to playing and succeeding as a college athlete, to coaching football players through a college program.

You can watch softball recruiting expert Jaimie Duffek and baseball recruiting expert Davide Harris tell their stories, as well.

“I had no clue what I was doing in the recruiting process. I got a lot of general mail, went to a lot of camps that I was invited to by the coaches through the mail,” Joe says. “I never got a lot of personal correspondence until I got to those camps and really heard, you know, ‘You’re a little undersized. You’re not 6’4″. That’s what we’re looking for.’”

“I had to reconvene and figure out what I was looking for in the recruiting process.” Tweet this!

“Winning is fun. Being around the program and seeing it go from not winning a conference championship to winning a conference championship, graduating and then coaching, and then winning another national championship in 2011 brings in the hard work and dedication my teammates and I put in,” he says.

Watch Joe Leccesi describe his football recruiting expertise

“You can coach and teach and put together the game plan but you’ve got to have the players who can execute it.” Tweet this!

“The reality is that not everybody’s going to get to play at their dream school,” Joe says. “That’s something that I chased for way too long in my recruiting process.”

Take a step back from your dream school. You’ll open up many more doors in your recruiting. Tweet this!

Get in touch with a football recruiting expert like Joe to get ahead of your football recruiting. The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile,/a>.

The post A Football Recruiting Expert Shares How He Took His Team to Conference Championships appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

(Recruiting expert Abby Eddy, left, with her parents.)

This is the most recent in a series spotlighting our talented team members — more than 450 of whom are former college and professional athletes and coaches — and the work they do helping student-athletes and their families understand the recruiting process. This week I sat down with Abby Eddy, a scout captain, to talk about her journey to NCSA Athletic Recruiting and her (*cough* misguided *cough*) love for the Packers.

We’re always looking for new passionate individuals to join our team. Check out our career openings.

Let’s get to know recruiting expert Abby Eddy

So I know you’re a Green Bay Packer fan. Living in Chicago, how did this come about?

I was born and raised in LaCrosse, WI and have been a proud Packer fan since birth. Actually a fun fact about me: I have been a shareholder in the Green Bay Packers since 2012. But I have been on the waiting list to become a season ticket holder for nearly 20 years, since I was seven.

I have to say, I’ve never before met an NFL shareholder – that is seriously cool. Congrats! Is your family still in Wisconsin?

I am the youngest of five children. My parents, Tom and Jane, live in La Crosse, WI. My sister Catie, her husband and 3 daughters live in Madison, WI. My brother Joe lives in Denver, CO with his wife and 4 children. My sister Megan lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and 2 kids. My brother Michael lives in Lexington, KY.

Okay, that’s a lot of people to keep track of. As the youngest, did sports help you stand out from the pack?

I guess you could say that! I graduated from Logan High School, 2007 where I was a three-sport varsity athlete all four years. I was a 3x All-State selection for softball; 2x All-Conference member for basketball; and 3x All-Conference member for tennis. I competed at the state tournament in all three sports. I then went on to graduate as a basketball student-athlete from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, earning a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing. Go Blugolds!

All-State and All-Conference in three different sports in high school and college basketball player. And on top of it, football made it’s way into your heart!? How do you pick a favorite athlete?

Hands-down Brett Favre.

I guess I could’ve seen that coming. So after college, how did you get where you are helping student-athletes at NCSA?

Well, in November 2012 I started with a training team of Scouts and Head Scouts. I was on Amanda Perak’s Bayside Tigers team until the first NCSA Draft where I moved to Todd Smith’s The Answer team. I was promoted to Scout Team Captain in March 2015.

Wow, you’ve gotten to work with some awesome teammates and have really made a name changing lives. Any favorite memory that stands out?

During the last week of training, it was the holiday party comprised of an ugly sweater competition and dance off where the winner won an iPhone. I knew then that NCSA seemed like a place I should stick around, and it hasn’t disappointed since!

The post How this recruiting expert channels her love for sports into work appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

We’re proud to announce that Built in Chicago recently named NCSA Athletic Recruiting one of the top digital companies in Chicago.

We talk a lot about our scouts and recruiting experts because there are more than 450 former college and professional athletes who share their advice with families every day. But more importantly, our digital platform allows millions of interactions between student-athletes and college coaches 24/7.

For us, this amazing recognition reflects how efforts to contsntatly improve and evolve to stay ahead and continue to help athletes find the right place to play their sport, and simplify the recruiting search process for college coaches.

We're proud to be a top digital company & 8th best in the consumer web category http://t.co/hi3tk5OjxF via @BuiltInChicago

— Athletic Recruiting (@ncsa) October 14, 2015

Built in Chicago’s Top 100 Digital Companies in Chicago list shows just how much of an impact technology has on our daily lives, and the incredible opportunities in sports and higher education it has afforded our student-athletes, and the real-time database of qualified players for our college coaches.

And it impacts the economy in real ways, like Mayor Rahm Emanuel told Built in Chicago: “Digital technology companies are continuing to grow and expand in the City of Chicago. The remarkable growth we are seeing with these innovative companies means more jobs today and an even stronger economic future.”

To be on this list and surrounded by incredibly impactful global companies like LinkedIn, Uber, and Google is not only exciting for our team, but speaks volumes about where we stand in the realm of using technology to help make the world a better – and easier- place to live in, and that begins with our student-athletes, their families, and college coaches.

“I’m so proud of our teams,” Andrea Emmons, vice president of product development at NCSA Athletic Recruiting, said. “NCSA continues to emerge as a tech player in Chicago, and I know we’ll continue to move up this list as we continue refine our products.”

And if you’re still looking for the right place to play your sport in college, let this ranking give you confidence that our digital platform is the right place to put your athletic resume and meet college coaches. The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post NCSA Athletic Recruiting Recognized Among Top 100 Digital Companies in Chicago appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Happy Halloween from the NCSA Athletic Recruiting team!

We hope your celebrations are healthy and safe. As always — make good choices.

We wanted to share some of the fun we had in office as a team – including the pumpkin carving above (the poor sickly pumpkin won).

We’re a bunch of thrillers on Halloween

(I’m absolutely singing “Thriller” as I write that line.)

Check out some more pictures (and ridiculous sports puns) from our Halloween costume contest below:

Dunking Donuts

Kings, kings and more kings

How many different kings can you spot in our video team?

I’m…Ron Burgundy?

Some recruiting coaches showed their love for broadcast news.

Our 3 best individual costumes

You might recognize the man in the middle from a recent piece of college football news, but the dancing Wookiee just proves that there are more things on heaven and earth, Horatio…

We’d love to see your sporty Halloween costumes. Tag us on Twitter @ncsa, Instagram @ncsa_sports and Snapchat.

The post How We Killed It On Halloween appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

We have many traditions at NCSA Athletic Recruiting. A Halloween costume contest that just happened last week, a holiday party dance-off in December, a prize-filled egg hunt in the Spring, and more.

However, our longest and most treasured tradition at NCSA is coming up this weekend.

With a chill in the air, and the heat of competition to keep us warm, the 5th Annual NCSA Turkey Bowl happens in Lincoln Park today. Yes: a company-wide flag football tournament will take over Chicago’s northeast side this afternoon, and we can’t wait.

The History of the Turkey Bowl

Starting in 2010 with just two teams going head-to-head, the Turkey Bowl was a fun way for our then-small office to come together, get outside, and throw a football around.

But since we’re a company that’s all about helping athletes find a school to play their sport, and since our team includes more than 450 former college student-athletes and coaches, the inaugural Turkey Bowl was destined not to be the last.

Five years later, with ten teams facing off in the opening round, Turkey Bowl tradition has taken on a life of its own. Our director of events Jaclyn Thomas reflects, “The Turkey Bowl is the best because we’ve been able to evolve the event production each year. We’ve come a long ways since 2010!”

And it’s people like Jaclyn and her team that keep the Turkey Bowl happening year after year. Check out some highlights from last year in the video below:

It’s become a huge undertaking, but the camaraderie it continues to bring is worth the trade off.

And the best part of it all? You don’t have to be a football player to participate. (Although we do have former college and professional football players taking the field!)

Former DI track and field star and current NCSA developer Rachel Kare shares, “I’ve played in the Turkey Bowl every year. While there’s a lot of former football players out there, there’s also a ton of guys and gals who never once played football- everyone gets a ton of playing time – and it can get pretty intense! But when you get to hoist that trophy huddled together in the freezing cold, it’s a pretty great feeling.”

I’m about to go take the field. For my coworkers–and for you student-athletes out there who might be getting into some rowdy pickup games–here are some tips to make sure you don’t get injured.

Does the NCSA Turkey Bowl sound like something you’d want to play in next year? If it does, check out the open positions currently available to come join our NCSA team.

The post The History of The Turkey Bowl: An Epic, Annual Tradition appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Everyone who works at NCSA Athletic Recruiting believes in the transformative power of sport. With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we’ve lived it. Here, head tennis recruiting coach Brandon Videtich shares how he came to be a Division I tennis player.

If you’re interested in watching more videos about former college athletes on the NCSA team, you can start here with baseball recruiting expert Davide Harris or with softball recruiting expert Jaimie Duffek.

And if you’re interested in working with your passion for college sports every day, we’re hiring. Check out our open positions.

High school tennis doesn’t have to be a year-round commitment.

“You know I always had this big dream of going to Nebraska to play tennis,” Brandon says, “but throughout high school I still played basketball and soccer, too, and had a really big emphasis in those sports.”

But being a multi-sport athlete wasn’t a detriment for him. “I wasn’t one of those traditional kids who makes tennis their only sport and plays it year round,” he says. “Tennis was just a sport where I had a lot of success in high school and thought I could take it to the next level in college.”

NCSA Athletic Recruiting helps tennis players.

Brandon has the distinction of personally using NCSA Athletic Recruiting’s scouts and digital platform as a high school tennis player — and now gives back to student-athletes who are in the position he was in.

(If you’re interested in hearing Brandon’s expert knowledge face-to-face, he regularly teaches our digital recruiting education classes and webinars.)

“NCSA couldn’t have been more than four or five years old when I joined the network,” Brandon says. “If I didn’t have NCSA… I had the great connection with Nebraska and that’s where I ended up going, but without understanding still how to go through the recruiting process, how to connect and communicate with my coach effectively, I definitely don’t think I’d be at Nebraska without NCSA.”

“I definitely don’t think I’d be at Nebraska without NCSA.” Tweet this!

Even Division I college tennis players should focus on academics.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing.

After some setbacks through injuries, Brandon – unable to play and feeling depressed – found himself struggling on his academics. The injuries “did a lot of things, mentally, for me,” Brandon says. “I had a little bit of trouble in class; grades slipped a little bit. I had conversations multiple times as to whether it was something I wanted to do.”

“But not too many kids got this opportunity, and if I stepped away from this it’d be something I regretted for the rest of my life,” Brandon says.

“If I step away from this, it’ll be something I regret for the rest of my life.” Tweet this!

“One of my bigger accomplishments, aside from the things I did on the court, is in the classroom,” Brandon says. “That type of stuff was really important to me. You know, having those types of banquets where they bring the athletes who are getting good grades and you have that recognition.”

“I can’t put into words how great of an accomplishment it was to get through the adversities I had,” he says. Check out this college tennis recruiting expert’s video below.

Are you still working to play your sport at the next level? College tennis experts like Brandon — and team members with experience in every other sport — can help. The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post How This College Tennis Recruiting Expert Played DI Tennis appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

The following is a guest post by Lisa Strasman, our president and COO, who regularly contributes to the blog.

NCSA has some exciting news – we’re moving to a new home this weekend. Our Chicago team has been rapidly growing over the past decade, and the time has come to expand our office space.

It’s a thrilling time for us, yet also a time of nostalgia and gratitude for where we came from.

I will always remember my first day at NCSA. I stepped into the small rickety office on Paulina Street and someone stood up and screamed: “Hey guys, the rookie’s here! Who’s got her?”

It was a while before anybody came, so I awkwardly stood there peering out at the 15 or so employees, all who relied on small desk lamps to keep their work space bright in the dimly lit office. There was an endless sea of paper and folders, and clunky gray CRT monitors many of us had years ago in our junior high computer lab. Despite the odd welcome and dreary office space, all I really saw was possibility. This company was doing something special, and quickly I was hooked.

We quickly outgrew the first NCSA office.

We worked hard in that little office, and seven months later moved to a new space at 1415 North Dayton Street. We ditched the desk lamps, but the air of possibility followed. With every family who called to share their commitment or thank us for our help, the air of possibility shifted to a sense of potential, and responsibility. The vision of our founder, Chris Krause, to help student-athletes achieve their dreams, had become reality. And we had an obligation to do it tremendously well, and at scale.

We’ve spent 10 growing years at 1415 North Dayton Street, and built the infrastructure that’s helped more than 80,000 student-athletes fulfill their dreams of becoming college athletes.

Whether a teammate has been here 10 years or 10 days, we all have our own personal memories of this office. These last few days have been filled with emotion and excitement.

The beauty of moving, however, is this: NCSA has thrived not because of, but sometimes in spite of, our physical space. Regardless of where our desks sit, we are all united around the common theme of helping student-athletes.

Regardless of where our desks sit, we are all united around the common theme of helping student-athletes. Tweet this!

We will never lose the grit and sense of urgency on which we were built.

While we are moving to a beautiful new physical space, we will never lose the grit and sense of urgency upon which NCSA was built. When an NCSA teammate picks up the phone, the space they are sitting in is actually just a backdrop, because they are in their own world with that family on the other end. No matter where we sit, or what office space we call home, the care we are at the ready to provide for a student-athlete in need will forever remain at the forefront.

Our new space will provide us with many new ways to better operate as a united team. We have a tremendous amount of responsibility to enhance our service to you – our families – and our coaches. This transition to a new office is not a chance not to merely look better, but to be better. We are committed to that, and the future possibilities are endless.

Our new address:

1333 North Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

I also want to remind student-athletes and their families that our door is always open at NCSA. If you are in the Chicago area and would like to pop in for a tour of our new space and to meet the team, we would love to have you! Simply reach out to Stef Wolff and we will schedule a visit.

Lisa Strasman, President

P.S. – We’re always looking for new great talent to join our team. So if you’d like a – literally – brand new office while you transform the lives of young student-athletes, let us know.

(Look – we already have guest parking!)

The post Our New Office Won’t Change Our Dedication to Helping Student-Athletes Play In College appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

The following is a post by Chris Burget, a head scout at NCSA Athletic Recruiting, who regularly contributes to our blog, as well as his own at CoachChris99.com. Chris played football at the University of Arizona, where he received a full scholarship. You can also find Chris on Twitter @Coach_Chris99.

We’re always looking for passionate individuals to join Chris and our team. Check out our open job listings.

Sports teaches an athlete how to face many challenges and behind every great athlete one can typically find a great coach. For me, I’m truly grateful to be serving in a coaching role as a Head Scout and Social Media Blogger for NCSA, a company that believes deeply in helping others achieve their dreams. I’ve described my own path to NCSA, and why I love what I do, on my personal blog as well.

I thought it’d be cool to describe what a day of work for a head scout is like

To be of service daily to these young athletes, while simultaneously enjoying one of the most beautiful areas and lifestyles in the country, has allowed me to fulfill my personal mantra: “Live where you love and love what you do.”

Hands down, this is the happiest and most fulfilling time of my life. My days start typically with a hike or a quad ride into the woods, followed by a personal commitment to physical training and mental growth, followed by conference calls that can be life changing for the families and athletes I help.

Check out this short video to see a day in the life of a head scout at NCSA Athletic Recruiting, and just why helping student-athletes is helping me through the happiest time of my life.

Interested in talking to a head scout like Chris about how you can play in college? The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post A Day In the Life Of A Head Scout at NCSA Athletic Recruiting appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Everyone who works at NCSA Athletic Recruiting believes in the transformative power of sport. With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we’ve lived it. Here, Kristin Heidloff, a head basketball recruiting coach and former DI women’s basketball player and high school coach, describes the importance of bringing a work ethic on and off the court.

We’ve been sharing some of our team members’ stories — and will continue to do so. Here are some of the most recent:

• Brandon Videtich, tennis recruiting expert
• Jaimie Duffek, softball recruiting expert
• Davide Harris, baseball recruiting expert

And if you’re interested in working in college sports every day, we’re hiring. Check out our open positions.

“When you hear from your high school coach that you’re getting some DI interest already as a freshman,” Kristin says, “that’s when you know college basketball is a reality.”

Kristin’s basketball recruiting came about because she never slacked in her work ethic.

“I don’t think anyone could ever question I was one of the hardest workers on the team,” she says. It was a work ethic she developed over the course of an impressive high school career — on a team that lost only 11 games — and refined against Top 25 teams.

“The game was incredibly different for me that first year. There were a lot of adjustments to handle the speed of the game, the strength and size of the girls.”

And that work ethic paid off: her sophomore year, Kristin was already a captain of the team.

Kristin learned basketball recruiting decisions should never be about the coach.

A mistake many high school students can make is basing their basketball recruiting decisions based on a coach — instead of on the social, academic and athletic fit they feel with a team. “You want to find a place that feels like home,” Kristin says. “This is where you are for four years. It’s not just about basketball. It’s not about a coaching staff, because they can leave.”

Check out Kristin’s video and basketball recruiting wisdom in the video below:

Basketball recruiting experts like Kristin are happy to help you discover the right fit for you to play in college. The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

(Flickr – Plantronics Germany)

For many student-athletes, working in sports is a top career goal for the future. And at NCSA Athletic Recruiting, we totally get it.

It is a thrilling field to be a part of day-in and day-out. It’s fast-paced and ever-changing. And above all, making a career in sports is a means to positively impact the world. (By the way, we’re hiring!)

There is not a place humanly inhabited on the planet that hasn’t been touched by sports. It is a universal language, and is incredible to be a part of.

So aside from having a love for sports, how can a student-athlete begin to successfully approach and plan for a future career in sports?

The truth is, given the times we’re in, many, many of the opportunities lie in technology-based companies. The past three decades have seen technological advances touch literally every aspect of life and work, and the world of sports was not exempt from that sweep.

Look at NCSA, where we connect student-athletes with college coaches through one-on-one interactions with student-athletes and their families, and through a digital platform where student-athletes and college coaches can connect.

And that digital platform has been built by developers and programmers all with a background of studies in technology and – of course, a love of sports.

Why a career in sports could absolutely be in your future

Made In Chicago week just wrapped up. It’s a series of events and workshops that highlight all of the wonderful things made in our flagship city.

A seminar that sparked a lot of interest was titled “Get in the Game: A Sports & Technology Panel.” Our president and COO, Lisa Strasman, participated on the panel, discussing how thirsty sports companies are for employees with technological backgrounds.

So what should student-athletes who are interested in a future in sports and technology be looking to study in college? Well, you might start here, with one of these top 10 majors in the field of technology:

1. Computer Science
2. Management Information Systems
3. Computer Information Systems
4. Computer Programming
5. Software Engineering
6. Database Management
7. Web Development
8. Network Engineering
9. Network Management
10. Game Design

The point is, a lot of student-athletes think of sports management, kinesiology, physical therapy or other hands-on careers in sports — and that’s great! The world needs all sorts of different people.

But if you have a passion for technology, finding and deciding on a field of study in college can help you explore other majors than you might have realized.

And if you find yourself ready to change lives, work in sports, and put your technological savvy to use in four years, we need more of you on our team!

Even if you know what major you want to be, finding a school that’s the right social, academic and athletic fit for you can be tough. That’s where we come in! Let our scouts and digital platform help you discover the right fit for you. The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? These Surprising Fields Might Help You Have a Career In Sports appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Our online recruiting courses and webinars often offer student-athletes and their families the opportunity to understand the challenges inherent to their specific sport’s recruiting process.

Tonight, we’re doing things a little different.

Olympic Trialist Tania Archer is sharing her expertise

Tonight, Tania Archer (@TaniaArcher), an Olympic trialist and track and field alumna from the University of Alabama, will share her strategy for making STAR goals and staying motivated in your sport.

Tania Archer has learned to value the wealth in athletic and personal achievement. Through combining her Olympic and business experiences, she has been able to build a robust life of extraordinary opportunities, which has acted as motivation to others.

Your journey doesn’t end when you cross the finish line, or you hear the whistle. It doesn’t end at high school graduation – that’s why we’re here to help you find the right school to play your sport – and it shouldn’t end after you’ve graduated.

You’ll always carry the transformative lessons of sport. Learn from Tania how to embrace your experiences as a student-athlete and push yourself to be the best in your sport, in your career and beyond.

Join us tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Mountain/6 p.m. Pacific for this rare glimpse into the mind and work ethic of a gifted athlete and extraordinary businesswoman. Register for Tania Archer’s webinar.

The post Learn What Makes This Olympic Trialist Perform Her Best appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Every athlete is driven by that inner passion to be better. Like the Olympics motto: Higher. Faster. Stronger.

We often talk here about how you can’t rest on your laurels during the recruiting process; you have to push yourself, or you’ll get left behind in the recruiting process. (Here’s an amazing post from Coach Chris from our archives about how to discover what helps you achieve greatness.)

We recently saw student-athletes put this philosophy into practice at the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn. The Parisi Speed School, with more than 20 years of success in training young athletes, helps athletes push themselves — and with NCSA Athletic Recruiting’s help, verifies the data to share with college coaches.

Verified recruiting data from a football event can improve your recruiting profile.

“It’s something I really want to get going at the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn,” Coach Sadiv says, “Being an accredited site for data when it comes to the combine: 40-yard dash, the vertical jump, broad jump, chin ups and 5-10-5s. It’s crucial that when people put data into systems, the data has a high level of integrity.”

And although the Parisi Speed School can give athletes verified data about their performance, it doesn’t have to be high pressure.

“I like the way it was set up,” one parent said. “I like the way the coaches assessed the athletes. It was very friendly.”

“There’s always room for improvement and we can always get better,” a combine participant said.

Check out the video on the Parisi Speed School below. You can learn more about football combines and other recruiting events to discover what kind of football event is best for you.

And if you’re interested in attending a Parisi Speed School event, consider one of the following:

• Saturday, December 5 in Dalton, Georgia
• Saturday, December 19 in Saco, Maine

The post This Football Event Helped Student-Athletes Prove Their Athletic Prowess [Video] appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

Everyone who works at NCSA Athletic Recruiting believes in the transformative power of sport. With more than 450 former college athletes and coaches on staff, we’ve lived it. Here, recruiting expert Jeff Schlicht shares how he joined the soccer team at Western Michigan University.

“Playing college soccer was a dream that I worked very very hard for,” Jeff says. “I always had that inner burn to play college soccer. Aged 13-14 I moved to the best team in the state. There was only one opening.

“And by a stroke of luck I got it.”

Playing college soccer requires loyalty and dedication.

Jeff’s father taught him the value of loyalty from working for fifty years in the same company. And his mother — through a choice I won’t spoil until you watch the video — taught him that even things you don’t think are the best idea at the time will sometimes reward you.

“A lot of the guys graduating right before me were the guys the coaches came out to watch,” Jeff says. And most of them ended up playing at top college soccer programs throughout the country.

“Sometimes you feel like you need to go to those big name schools, but for me it wasn’t the best fit,” Jeff says. “It’s more than wins and losses when it comes down to it for me. It was worth all of the effort, pains and sores to come out with what I cherish today.”

“College soccer is more than wins and losses, and it was worth it.” Tweet this!

Check out the rest of Jeff’s experience in the video below:

Interested in talking to soccer recruiting experts like Jeff about your college recruiting experience? The best way to get started is with a recruiting profile.

The post Learn How Loyalty and Dedication Will Help You Play College Soccer appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

We recently shared a letter from our president and COO to reaffirm our dedication to helping student-athletes even as we moved into some new digs.

Now that we’ve had a chance to settle in, we thought you might be interested in seeing our new NCSA office space!

Above, a photo from our first day shows our director of events Jaclyn Thomas making sure everything is running smoothly with our office assistant Sam Baumgartner and office manager Stef Wolff, along with mylar balloons (we also had Firecakes delivered!)

This new space offers impressive views of the Chicago skyline.

Some of our development team got right to work.

Whereas some of our scouts took advantage of the new space to settle in. (Notice the balls on the ground…)

This might be a bit ostentatious (read as: She’ll totally kill me for posting this photo of her), but our photographer Ingrid Rockovich captured this amazing portrait of our director of culture, Mary Pat Chmiel-Dvorak, who worked hard alongside Stef, Sam and our entire IT department to make sure everything was up and running for the team’s arrival. (You’ll get to know Mary Pat very well if you’re interested in any of our career openings).

We’re definitely not upset about those skyline views.

The post Check Out Our New NCSA Office Space appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

(Flickr – Joris Louwes)
We often talk about how helpful it can be to see where you are along the recruiting process by talking to a scout.

But what sets NCSA Athletic Recruiting apart is our full suite of digital platforms to help in your recruiting, like:

• an online platform for student-athletes to upload video, highlight their achievements, search for scholarships and find their matches
• a platform for club and high school coaches and athletic directors to help their student-athletes
• and a portal for college coaches to discover student-athletes where they can search based on specific measurables, communicate with athletes and keep track of athletes’ performance

And we’re building more technologies to help student-athletes and college coaches connect every day.

How NCSA Products Help Student-Athletes

We were very proud to be included in a feature article from Built In Chicago for our upcoming Android App launch. Find us soon on the Google Play store!

In the world of sports, there’s nothing quite as compelling as a Cinderella story. Whenever an athlete evolves from an underestimated but scrappy player into a polished powerhouse at the top of his or her league, you know you’ve got something special on your hands.

No one knows that more than NCSA Athletic Recruiting, a Chicago-based digital recruitment pioneer whose suite of products makes it easier for college coaches and NCAA hopefuls to connect.

“Our job is to make it as easy as possible for both of these groups to find each other,” said Andrea Emmons, NCSA’s VP of Product Development.

Check out the rest of the article here.

And we’re not stopping there.

In addition to our Android app on the Google Play store, we’ll be introducing a brand new iOS app for student-athletes and families with iPhones, and a full new recruiting education curriculum to help you through the recruiting process right from your profile.

The post How NCSA Products Help Student-Athletes appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.

(Flickr – COD Newsroom)

The holiday season is always a time for student-athletes to come together with their families and friends.

It’s also a time when we’re reminded to give back and help those in need.

Our Athleadership Grant program helps deserving student-athletes get the tools they need to connect with college coaches and play their sport at the next level. A committee of NCSA team members review all of the applications to find student-athleteswho exemplify leadership qualities of on the field, in the classroom and in giving back to their communities.

This year, we set a record in Athleadership Grants for student-athletes

2015 has been a record-breaking year for this grant program. NCSA Athletic Recruiting distributed more than 1,500 Athleadership Grants for student-athletes.

That means that families, coaches and athletic directors helped us empower 1,500 student-athletes with full access to our premium services:

• access to the Recruiting Management System
• professionally edited highlight video
• personal coaching in the recruiting process
• professional development after college

Some of these student-athletes have already committed to schools at every level. And we’re so excited to see where the rest are able to find the right fit to play in college. For us, it’s already exciting to know that we’ve been able to give back almost $2 million to deserving student-athletes.

‘Tis better to give than to receive, right?

What does Athleadership mean?

Here’s our founder, Chris Krause, describing why we’ve named these grants after the principle of athleadership, or empowering ourselves and others through the life lessons of sports:

If you’d like to learn more, or to apply for an Athleadership Grant for yourself or a deserving student-athlete you know, visit AthleadershipGrant.com.

The post These Grants For Student-Athletes Are Helping Deserving Individuals Get To College appeared first on NCSA Athletic Recruiting Blog.