One family's story
This is the family of a 2027 graduate. They enrolled in August, just before her senior year. Here's what they got when they purchased this kind of support from me, and how I helped them through recruiting. I've left out their names and anything that would identify them.
Where they started
That spring, her father wrote to me with a hard question. His daughter had a realistic shot at Division I. Should she focus on the biggest programs or the mid-majors? What would her life look like on each kind of team? Would she compete, travel and keep improving, or spend years waiting for a chance? Most of all, where would the coaches help her reach her potential?
The family was already researching schools and talking with coaches. They knew how far from home she wanted to be and what she wanted academically.
The dashboard
Once they enrolled, I read their intake, chose the schools, wrote the analysis and built their Clarity Dashboard. A few days after it arrived, he wrote back:
"First off, the program is amazing. I wish you had invented this a year ago. We attempted to do a lot of this ourselves over the last year, so the one-stop dashboard and additional information are incredible."
That's the time I'm talking about saving.
The same email had real questions. Was it worth reaching back out to bigger programs whose interest had cooled? How would older athletes already on a team affect her chances to race and earn scholarship money? I answered in writing and continued helping them by email as their list came into focus.
When the interest grew
That fall, bigger programs that had gone quiet were back in touch about official visits. Mid-majors she liked wanted visits too, and her schedule left very few open weekends. The questions got harder. If she waited into December, could she lose a roster spot or a scholarship? Should they ask coaches about that directly? Was it okay to bring up scholarships before an official visit?
I answered by email. Then I suggested an hour-long phone call so I could help them work through their questions.
An hour on the phone
I spoke with him dad to dad. He brought his daughter's questions along with his own.
By then, a few Power Four programs and several mid-majors wanted official visits. One school had written to say it planned to offer her a scholarship and would discuss details after her visit. A Power Four program had told her there was a roster spot for her, with scholarship money if she reached a certain time as a senior. Nobody had given them a firm number yet.
Much of the hour was about what she'd actually experience. At a big program, how much attention would she get from the coaches, and where would the team travel to race? At a mid-major, how central would she be to the coaches' plans? Which program could actually help her keep improving?
I also helped him think through which visits to keep when there were more invitations than weekends. I explained how to ask each coach about scholarship details: what the initial offer would be, how it could change as she ran faster, and how long it would stay open.
Nothing had been decided. They were still weighing real options. I want to share what this parent said near the end of the call, then go through the three things he's highlighting.
"It's great from our end. I've really appreciated just the stuff that I've gotten from you because it's one of those things where if you ask your high school coach, they have no clue.
If you ask the coaches that you're meeting with the colleges, they're obviously going to have a bias and they can't give you the true behind the scenes, if you will.
And if you ask other girls who've gone through it, they're going to be tight-lipped because no family wants to be too specific about things. And they frankly didn't know until they got something either.
So just having input from someone who's done it, I think is so valuable just to know what's real, what's fake, what's your fake anxiety, what you actually should be focused on.
I think it's awesome. I would recommend all this to anyone."
This dad just named the three places parents naturally turn for help. Each one has something to offer, but none could give his family complete, current and independent guidance, and here's why that matters for yours.
1. Your high school coach
Your athlete's high school coach may care deeply about them and may have given them years of good training. But college recruiting isn't their area of expertise. Coaching for 5, 10 or 20 years doesn't mean someone knows how recruiting works right now. The process changes from month to month, and advice that was right in 2010 or 2020 can lead your family to the wrong decision today.
2. The college coaches recruiting your athlete
College coaches aren't trying to mislead you. But each one represents their own program, and they're competing with other colleges for the same athletes. Even the most honest coach can't give you an independent view of all your options.
3. Other families who've been through it
This family knew an athlete who'd gone on to run in Division I. Even then, that athlete's PRs and intended field of study weren't the same as their daughter's. It's almost impossible to line up every variable with a teammate's experience. Parents may not want to tell you what scholarship their athlete received. And the college recruiting landscape has changed a lot. A big scholarship, a small one or a walk-on spot someone got a few years ago isn't a promise of what your athlete will find today.
That's why families need experienced, independent help, and it's what I bring. I've sat in the recruiting office making these decisions, I don't represent any college, and I keep up with how recruiting works now. I'll help your family work through your actual options, from where you are now to the end of the process, toward a school that's a great fit for your athlete.