Earlier this month I traveled to Vancouver for 3 days to photograph the Access Sport Recruiting and Training Showcase2015 event.
Access Sport helps high school students plan for a sport oriented college / university experience. They coach Canadian student athletes from grades 9 to 12 through the recruiting process in both the NCAA and CIS.
The Showcase2015 event brought students from all over British Columbia and Alberta to Wright Field at UBC to showcase their field hockey skills to coaches from universities all over North America. Athletes had the opportunity to personally connect to college level coaches and recruiters in the NCAA and the CIS. They learned all about college playing schedules, how to plan to attend the school of their dreams, and how to do it all on a fully funded scholarship.
In addition to the three days of seminar and on-field training, athletes received a full year of membership to the Access Sport Recruiting Profile included in their tuition, and access to an on-field athletic trainer for the duration of the showcase.
Showcase 2015 on-field training included:
- Fitness testing
- Offensive Skills: (2hr training session)
- Elimination skills
- Shooting / goal scoring
- Specific GK training
- Defensive Skills: (2 hr training session)
- Distribution Skills
- Tackling
- Decision Making
- Small sided 7v7 games (each athlete will play 4 games)
- Full games (each athlete will play 2 full games)
The evening seminar included presentations from NCAA and CIS alumni speaking about:
- Time management, travel, achieving academic balance through available support systems
- What to expect during off-season, pre-season, in-season and everything in between
- The Canadian experience, choosing to stay in Canada, making a team, what to expect when you play in the CIS
- Taking care of your body, hot to be physically prepared for college, what to expect from athletic training support staff
- What happens after college? Getting a job. How playing college field hockey can prepare you for and benefit you in the real world
- Making a recruiting plan, recruiting regulations, timelines, scholarships and advice
All sessions were recorded to give the athletes the option to post video of their skills on their Access Sport profiles with the option of ordering a highlight reel showcasing their talents. (Video is very important in the recruiting process, as the majority college coaches and recruiters rely on video due to tight recruiting travel budgets.)
For more information about Showcase and Access Sport, or to get your own online recruiting profile, talk to Jenn Beagan at access-sport.ca.
