Student-Athletic Showcase Club (SASC)

The Student-Athletic Showcase Club (SASC) mission is to enhance student-athlete exposure by promoting academic and athletic opportunity, protecting student athlete welfare while fostering a positive student-athlete image.

The Club mission coincides with the many schools missions, to develop young men with active and creative minds, a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on their beliefs. Stressing the total development of each child: spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical.

The aim of SASC is to represent and support our student-athletes and make sure there is diversity and equality within the athletic department. The Student-Athletic Showcase Club also seeks to create a positive atmosphere of sportsmanship, in which the student athletes reach their full recruiting potential and strive “toward higher educational goals.”

The club is made up of two phases; one is in the classroom (Academics) and two on the field (Atheism). Recruiting showcases, recruiting camps, prospect days & tournaments are a major part of a student’s athlete’s college search and recruiting process. During these events, you will have the opportunity to showcase your talent and receive evaluations from several college coaches. The SASC showcase is just a piece of the process and an opportunity for student athlete’s to be seen by college coaches who want to see the students play live. College coaching staffs will attend the SASC with a predetermined list of athletes they have been in contact with, and who have shown legitimate interest in their program.

SASC was created because the college athletics recruiting landscape is engulfed with many different factors. While previous studies have analyzed institutional and social factors has impacted the prospective of student-athletes’ recruitment process. There is a gap in understanding the role an athletes’ demographics play in how athletes make their college decision. Previous literature has indicated that the impact social and institutional factors play during the recruitment process varies based on individual demographics. This research uncovers any correlations between athlete demographics and how they weigh the importance of recruitment. Surveys were administered to 1,029 randomly selected Division I student athletes. One team from each conference at the FBS, FCS, and non-football divisions of Division I were selected. At each school four teams were randomly selected using a random number generator and one out of every three-student athletes were selected from each team to participate in this survey. The results found that institutional factors were more influential during recruitment when compared to social recruitment factors. In addition there was a significant difference between males and females in relation to parental influence as females valued parents more throughout the recruitment process. SASC uses these findings to provide high school athletic departments with better knowledge as to where to focus recruiting time and resources.

The purpose of this club is to show how student athlete demographics relate the college selection process. SASC will help student athletes promote positive, personal trends and patterns based on the selection of schools they selected. The benefits to SASC are to the student athletic community as it provides further understanding of the college selection process. This after school club also aims to give the high school athletics department a better idea as to where and how to focus recruiting efforts to ensure better recruiting practice. For example, we will assist in highlight videos, social media appearance, and writing of recruitment letters, also known as general correspondence, to prospective colleges in unique ways to depict what they could become if they were to be accepted to that particular school.

SASC will examine the student athletes social factors during the recruitment process like how a recruit interacts on their official visit with an institution. As they’re only allowed to attend once and for 48 hours the recruits must try to take in as much from the school as they can. Another factor is not to be influenced by the recruiting school and the student host on the recruitment visit. Studies have found that recruits are partaking in risky behaviors such as drinking and attending parties. This has lead to a corruption in the recruiting process and may influence a recruit to attend an institution for the wrong reasons. SASC is build up of a committee graduated student athletes with extensive experience in the academic recruiting process.

The Student-Athletic Showcase Club (SASC) focuses on connecting students to College Sports Programs with resources to help them succeed, while providing the necessary support to help student athletes excel in the classroom, in their particular sport, and in life.

The club will build relationships with College Coaches and will help students get athletic scholarships. The committee will also assist the student in meeting NCAA Clearinghouse requirements. SASC programs are opportunities for high school students to take advantage of their summer time off to explore their academic interests, get a taste of college life, and meet like-minded students from all over the world.

The federal government has focused its investment in supporting education and related services on the most at-risk children, and it can uniquely address inequities in per-pupil spending across states. While students within the same school district can receive starkly different levels of funding, the widest variation in per-pupil spending exists across state boundaries. The differences in average state per-pupil spending ranges from around $5,700 to $17,000.12

Unfortunately, school districts cannot rely solely on general fund dollars to fully support all of the programming and opportunities necessary to meet the academic, behavioral, college/career, and social/emotional needs of the students, teachers, families, and community. So for this club we have to rely on grants, to relieve the pressure off the school budget. Funding and grant opportunities are more important than ever for the success of this club and its school budget. Since the SASC will be located in a lower-funded district, grants are more accessible. Leveraging grant opportunities that provide additional funding has been proven to benefit students and districts as a whole. When district funding can be utilized for smaller class sizes and additional instructional supports, the outcomes improve dramatically, especially for minority and low-income students, which is the demographic focus for The Student-Athletic Showcase Club.

References:

Social Media Meets NCAA Recruiting. (2012). Journal of NCAA Compliance, 3-4. 30

Sparvero, E., & Warner, S. (2013). The price of winning and the impact on the ncaa community. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 6(1), 120-143. Stott, M. J. (2010). Recruiting Looking for the Right Fit. Swimming World, 51(11), 25-27.

Thamel, P. (2012, April 9). ‘Major’ Violations Reported at Baylor. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/sports/ncaabasketball/ncaa-report-lists-majorviolations-for-baylor-basketball.html?_r=0

Treadway, D. (2014, June 13). 11 Absurd Recruiting Tactics That College Football Coaches Have Recently Attempted. Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.si.com/extramustard/2014/05/19/11-college-football-recruiting-tactics-stories-methods