On Line Recruiting sites -worth it?

[ECSB]

Hi - my husband and I did some thinking. Our friend has a son who was listed on Rivals as a 2 or 3 star recruit for football. They went to some combines and talked to a few coaches, but got seduced by a few D-1 coaches that later signed kids up the depth chart and dropped my friend's son. Even though he was listed on Rivals and other football recruiting sites, that did not lead to him being recruited (This year he is at a post-grad prep - not for grades or SAT scores - just to get more attention and assistance with recruiting - the kid really wants to play at a D-1 and needs a scholarship).

For football, Rivals and the other recruiting sites are free - they post your films if you send them in, and sometimes they film you at a combine. They make their money on the advertisers and Google ads, not on the money they charge to post. So I think if it is free to post, I will probably take advantage (thanks city lawyer). If not, I don't think we will bother. When we get her profile done, I'll send it along.

By the way, I think a lot of the paid recruiting by necessity goes on in California. I have been doing a spreadsheet that looks at where kids come from and for the most part, the kids who play in the Northeast come from the Northeast. There a few exceptions (the Ivies, Sacred Heart and BC have a lot of California kids for example), so with my kid coming from this area, I think we will have a lot of options as long as we do our homework.

[DD's Dad]

We have had an exceptional experience with OnDeck Softball. The Allisters are terrific people and are well respected by the college coaches. They have been very helpful to DD (a 2011 also) and several other people we know have also relayed very positive experiences with Derek and Joann. Today my DD had 2nd and 3rd visits from several colleges during a game she was pitching. I know that some of these coaches saw her at the Allister's San Diego Exposure camp several weeks ago. Of course, being on a well respected team with coaches who know the college coaches and spend time with them when they watch our games helps quite a bit, as well. I think the money charged by OnDeck is reasonable for the results we are getting. Do buy Cathy Aradi's book and follow as much of the very good advice received here as you can. Just remember that your DD's team college liason or someone like Derek and Joann Allister are the only ones who can talk to the college coaches about her at this point. If your DD's emails, letters, and/or calls can get a college coach to a game, someone has to tell them what makes her special. The team college liason or someone like OnDeck Softball can do that. Good luck and happy hunting.

[playballagain]

i would like to recommend Sara at Powerline Consulting. Being the former Assistant Coach at at a large D-1 School, Sara has been very instrumental in assisting our 2011. Not only can she guide/instruct on batting mechanics (DD is a turn-around lefty) but work on the mental aspect of the game. Sara is an valuable resource in her knowledge of the recruiting world as well as her Contacts with the College Coaches.
Anyone looking for a reference on her services can feel free to contact me.
Sara is based in the San Diego area.