Building a Powerful College Recruiting Mission Statement can help elevate your position on a college coach’s radar and complement your recruiting effort. Below are Three Key Tips in developing your statement:

College Goals

When you share your college mission statement with a coach it needs to be powerful and it should display a high level of self-awareness. Make time to sit down as a family and identify critical operatives that your ideal college choice will possess. Primary on the list, and the glue that binds additional operatives, should be the quality of the academic experience you desire.

A good college coach and exceptional educator should not be recruiting you just for the next four years, but the next forty years. A caring coach desperately wants you impact his program as a standout athlete, but he also wants you to achieve and grab the bigger brass ring for future advancement. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression…Make this point stand out.

Athletic Contributions

This segment of the statement may appear simple, but it isn’t! You likely have a long list of athletic accomplishments to share, but the key here is to streamline these accolades into a clear statement to how you plan to impact a college sports program.

There is a fine line between being cocky and confident and you want coach to believe in your self-confidence. Create a bold statement that demonstrates your current athletic skill-set as an athlete and your confidence that you have not nearly met your full potential.

Leadership

College coaches are looking for the best and the brightest prospects to help drive their program to higher levels, and these days, they are putting a greater premium on the inner make-up of the prospect. They are looking for boys and girls who display loyalty, dedication, perseverance and a diligent approach to their everyday lives. Coaches want impact kids on the team, but they desperately want kids who will become strong links in the team chain.

Given a choice between a blue chip prospect who’s statistics are off the charts, but who could be a potential “loose cannon” on the inside of the team, compared to a solidly skilled athlete who offers the potential to lead the team from the inside, nine out of 10 times a good coach will support the latter candidate. Team leadership offers intangible growth at the core of the program but it also offers consistent team momentum…The ship always remains on course.

Below is an example of a balanced mission statement:

“I envision my college years to be a personal growth period. My goal is to explore a science major that will position me well for medical school. On the floor, I plan to be a dynamic gymnast and positive influence on the team. As I grow both physically and mentally throughout my college gymnastics career, I will strive to be an asset to the vaulting rotation, the beam team, and the floor line-up. Most importantly, I will conduct myself with honor and respect on and off the field, knowing that the way I carry myself reflects my team, my coaches and the school I attend.”

The final draft of your mission statement should be intrepid, confident and well-balanced. Give the coaches every reason to believe you are looking for a quality education that will position you strongly upon graduation. Drive home the point clearly and confidently that you have the athletic tools to impact a worthy college program. Finally, establish yourself as a team player. Extend your loyalty and respect to the coaches as a prospective student-athlete who is the complete package.

About Tom Kovic:

Tom Kovic is a former Division I college gymnastics coach (Penn) and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence”, an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com

Editor's Note:  Publication of this article is not an endorsement of any recruiting service.  Always check with the NCAA or your school's compliance officer for any questions regarding recruiting rules, the latest timelines, or other issues.