Getting noticed and recruited by colleges for athletics may be one of the most stressful processes. No matter how good an athlete is, they can’t leave it up to colleges to find you. It’s up to the athlete to contact them and to get noticed.

The recruiting process is starting earlier and earlier. If an athlete is serious about being a collegiate athlete, it’s recommended to start sending out  information during freshman or sophomore year. You should start thinking about what major you might want to pursue in college, and use that to start making a list of colleges you’re interested in.

“For volleyball, most people are already committed to a college by junior year,” stated Michaela Leonard, junior volleyball player at Placer. “A lot of colleges have their 2012 scholarships already handed out.”

In order to get seen by colleges, you should create a personal resume that you will send out to different colleges. Included in this resume is your athletic history, current GPA, academic achievements, game stats, and basic information.

Coaches of your school and club teams will also help you with getting recruited by contacting different colleges and inviting them to watch you play.

“The coaches do have responsibility to help their players get noticed,” said Joey Montoya, football coach at Placer. “For football we send out resumes and brochures for people interested in playing at the next level.”

You can also get seen by colleges at tournaments for whatever sport you play. A lot of college scouts go to major tournaments. But, no matter how good you are, it’s your responsibility to reach out to the colleges and ask them to come watch you at one of your tournaments.

“I’ve already contacted a lot of colleges,” stated sophomore Brooke Stufflebean, who hopes to get a softball scholarship for college. “For my ASA team it’s mandatory to send a letter to 10 colleges for each tournament.”

Stufflebean plays for Roseville Heat 18 Gold, and also made varsity at Placer last year as a freshman.

“It is very stressful,” Stufflebean said about getting recruited. “I have to make major decisions about what field I want to be in and what division for college. It’s just a lot to handle at once.”

“There are thousands of athletes trying to get into a limited amount of schools,” stated Montoya. “You have to be a special player and also have the academics to go with the talent.”

Although it may be stressful to get recruited, playing a college sport is a great honor. You get to represent your college and travel around the country. If that’s what you want, it’s up to you to get reach out to the colleges.

“You cast out a net hoping to catch one or two fish,” Leonard stated. “Sometimes you’re lucky and get more.”