The Most Important Thing About Choosing Camps

/ Recruiting Tips / By

The Most Important Thing About Choosing Camps

My name is Amy Patton, and I’ve been a college coach for over 30 years. I’ve coached at both the DI and DIII levels, won league and national championships, and was a head coach within the US system and the pro league. I’ve had a great career, a ton of fun with coaching student-athletes and impacting their lives.

Now, I’m on the other side of things – helping student-athletes with their college process. I have a tiny group that I support, the size of the team each year. And I’m here to help you navigate your college process. I’m sure you have things running through your mind, and right now, I’m going to give you three tips about the top three things you should be thinking about the simplify your life a bit.

In the first video of the “Amy’s Top Recruiting Tips” series, we talked about How To Stand Out At Lacrosse Tournaments. In my second video, I spilled the beans on What Coaches Want From Your Highlight Video. In this third video, let’s talk about choosing camps!

So many of you sign up for these showcases with 10 to 15 coaches or more. Sometimes you only get 15 minutes with a coach you are interested in. I am here to tell you, this is NOT in your best interest.

Here is what I believe you should be doing instead.

Tip #1 Go To The Camps Of Schools You Are Genuinely Interested In:

  • It not only shows the coaches you are interested in their program and school, but it gives them a chance to work with you first hand.
  • It’s often a three-for-one that saves you time and money. You get to meet the coaches, team members and see the campus—all from attending just one camp.
  • College camps are often smaller than larger showcases, giving YOU the ability to show off your skills with less competition.

Tip #2 Choose A Camp To Work With Specific Coaches Of That School:

  • Attending camp at a school you are considering, guarantees those coaches will see you play.
  • At a college camp, you will typically work with their entire coaching staff, genuinely getting to know their coaching styles, personalities, and how they run their program.
  • Unlike at larger, showcase-type camps, attending a college camp lets you work with, receive feedback, and personally impress the coaches actively recruiting you.

Tip #3 Attending Camp At A College Or University You Want To Visit Saves You Time And Money:

  • Attending camp on the campus of a school you are interested in allows you to get a feel for the campus itself. Attending an on-campus lacrosse camp saves you time and money from having to make a separate trip to visit the school itself.
  • Many schools have summer programs, so often, you will see and feel what it would be like to attend that school as you walk around campus with other students.
  • Many coaches employ current team members to work camp, allowing you to meet and often play those current players.

Final Take Away

I strongly believe in the importance of personally working with those coaches you are interested in being recruited by.

So many of the larger camps out there may say, “They have all the top coaches in one location,” but in reality, you might only get fifteen minutes, if at all, with any one coach. You have to ask yourself, is that in “YOUR best interest?”

Hopefully, this third installment of “Amy’s Top Recruiting Tips” has helped you think about what’s vital for you when considering camps.

Keep an eye out for my next video, and probably the most important one of all. It’s about your college list. I will specifically tell you how and when you will need to consider adding schools to your list or when you might need to pivot and change your list completely.

You DO NOT want to miss this video… your college recruiting process might entirely hang on it!