The Truth About Exposure Camps/Clinics
The email will read: “Congratulations, your daughter has been selected to attend our all-star recruiting camp!” You may wonder for a moment how they got your email/mailing address, but your child is excited so you go with it.
In fine print it reads-Cost: $300.00.
Over the last 15 years, a number of new recruiting camp businesses have emerged that have proven to be lucrative for the host, and less than fulfilling for the customer. As a college coach, I signed up to run some of these camps before I understood what was really happening. Companies are playing on the heartstrings and hopes of parents and kids, and profiting from it. What parents don’t know is that the college coaches in attendance are either compensated for travel, and/or paid for working the camp. Now of course, there are times where a kid MIGHT be noticed at one of these mass camps, but in reality they’re designed to make money, not get kids recruited. Here are some of the things experiences I had working some of these “exposure” camps.
10 minutes before a two-day camp started, I was handed a bucket of balls, and told to run outfield for a half hour with 25 players per session, by myself. At the end of the session I was asked to rank the kids on their performance cards and give it back to them. I did that for 8 groups in a row with barely enough time to instruct, watch and critique. I had two 13 year olds come up to me crying in the dugout after an “all-star” scrimmage because they didn’t play well so they thought their shot at playing in college was gone. I’ve watched a 17-year-old pitch to a 12-year-old during a camp scrimmage because it wasn’t broken up by age group, but rather by the color of t-shirts the players were wearing.
These are the camps that end up causing more harm than good for young athletes and your wallet. It's about big numbers, not talent; quantity not quality. If you're willing to write the check, they'll let you be "exposed" to college coaches. There are a few recruiting events being run that do a pretty good job on organization, talent level, and player/coach ratio. You have to actually try out in order to make the event (and still pay for it). They're run all over the country and have professional staff in place to make sure everything us run efficiently and effectively. With that said, if you’re going to spend money on a camp, I recommend spending it in 2 places.
On Campus College Camps: Go to a college/institution camp you’re actually interested in, especially if there’s been contact between the athlete and the coaches of the program. These one-day camps are usually less than $100 and give both the coaches and the player a chance to personally interact. They’re often teaching skills, and drills not just running a combine for testing so they’re educational as well.
Skill/Drills/Training: Developmental skills camps like The Package Deal, or Jennie Finch Camp are great events to pick up new information and drills. Although these may be pricier, both groups put together an organized and beneficial experience that athletes enjoy and learn from. The staff is made up of high-level collegiate, professional, or Olympic athletes that bring an entirely different element from a mentor perspective. Remember kids, need to learn and develop before they’re ever going to be recruited.
It seems everywhere you look there’s another camp, clinic, combine, or exposure event happening. On top of that, these athletes are playing in tournaments. One of the top aspects we look for when recruiting is a player who competes. We love seeing athletes whose passion for the game oozes out of them. They play the game because they love it, not in hopes of a scholarship. It can be tough to see that element of a player during a mass camp/clinic. You don’t need to send your athlete to everything that comes along. Be mindful of the goal when you decide to write the check and sign your athlete up for an event, and remember no one can guarantee a scholarship except a college coach who’s directly offering to a player.
Jennie Finch Camp:https://www.jenniefinch.com/softball-camps/overview
The Packaged Deal: https://www.packageddeal.com/
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