Hey soccer experts. Does anyone have any insight/opinions on Exact’s Academic 50 camps? Due to other commitments my DD is unable to attend camps at a couple of the schools she’s interested in this summer, but I noticed a few of the schools will have coaches at this camp this summer. Just wondering if it’s worth it. Also DD is interested in exploring schools in different parts of the country (east coast, Midwest) - does anyone have any input/ recommendations for multi-school camps their daughters have attended in these areas.
Thoughts on Exact Academic 50 ID Camp
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electrichead72
SILVER ELITE
My son did the smaller version of this camp last summer.
It was a good experience for him, he met and talked to a few coaches. He's is a freshman now, so maybe a little early, but I think it was good for him.
The talked to the players about how they should approach coaches, their "elevator pitch", how to email them and what information to include, how to introduce themselves etc. They did have an open Q&A period for the parents also to talk about the process and what the coaches are usually looking for in a player.
They have a 1 on 1 evaluation with a coach, which the coach also sends you in a short written report.
We will probably do it next year, as it will be during his transition from 10th to 11th grade and he can get some good contacts.
It was a good experience for him, he met and talked to a few coaches. He's is a freshman now, so maybe a little early, but I think it was good for him.
The talked to the players about how they should approach coaches, their "elevator pitch", how to email them and what information to include, how to introduce themselves etc. They did have an open Q&A period for the parents also to talk about the process and what the coaches are usually looking for in a player.
They have a 1 on 1 evaluation with a coach, which the coach also sends you in a short written report.
We will probably do it next year, as it will be during his transition from 10th to 11th grade and he can get some good contacts.
Totally depends on where you're at in the process. If you're just starting (8th grade/Freshman) then it's a good experience to be in that environment and be exposed to a bunch of different coaches. However, if you're DD is older, then it's more important to narrow down that list of schools and participate in their school specific camp preferably in the Spring when there are fewer attendees and they can give her a real good look. Beyond camps, hopefully she's on a team that is DA or ECNL that gives her a platform to be seen regularly. Hope this helps. Best of luck!
Keepers_Keeper
SILVER
As Dubs said, depends on your players age/grade and stage of recruiting. My DD attended last summer (summer between 9/10th grade). We signed her up because a few of the top schools on her list (and looking at her) were attending. However, she actually verbally committed a week before the camp to her top school choice and the coach was attending the camp. She attended the camp anyway and had both positive and negative experiences.
Positive...the pressure to be seen was off. She was able to play and interact with her college coach. She met some great coaches which actually reinforced her feelings about the college and program she committed to. She also reconnected with lots of players she had met at other camps, clubs, and met new ones. She is a keeper, which is a pretty tight community of players, so it was a good camp for her to evaluate her skills against other keepers she plays against both in club (ECNL) and future college.
Negative...she got a lot of unexpected pressure from other D1 college coaches that basically told her she was making a mistake by committing to the college she did because other "big name" colleges were really interested in her. In fact, one coach was so rude, condescending and disrespectful that the coach for the interested college (an ivy league) comforted my DD and told her that as long as she followed her heart and chose the school first, she was on the right path. That negative experience actually really impacted my daughter and planted seeds of doubt about the game (not the college she chose).
Training was hard but pretty typical. The camp was very well organized, had very diverse and high level college representation (not just CA colleges, but all geographic areas of the country), and did a good job keeping player safety and health a priority (good hydration, healthy snacks, good meals, etc.).
It comes to this...if your player is in ACTIVE communication with the colleges attending this camp, and if those coaches know your player is attending, then it is a worthwhile camp. If your player is looking for a general introduction to recruiting and just wants to play and doesn't expect to 'get noticed', then it would be beneficial. However, if your player expects this camp to be 'the place' they are noticed, then you probably will be disappointed. Some kids shine, but they are the minority (based on what my DD said).
Also keep in mind that the new NCAA rules will likely impact how the camps deal with recruitment discussions. If your player is past Sophomore year (as of June 15), they can talk openly with coaches and vice versa. If they are younger, the rules prevent any discussion - including camps I believe. Of course, who's to know if the rules are followed or enforced since there are some gray areas regarding ID camps.
If your player has to choose, I'd suggest prioritizing the ID camp at their top schools. They are likely to get more individual attention and learn more about the school and program than at the EXACT camp. But if they are early in the process and just looking to play soccer with other elite players (there is a very diverse range!), and interact with college coaches, it is one of the better camp options in socal.
Positive...the pressure to be seen was off. She was able to play and interact with her college coach. She met some great coaches which actually reinforced her feelings about the college and program she committed to. She also reconnected with lots of players she had met at other camps, clubs, and met new ones. She is a keeper, which is a pretty tight community of players, so it was a good camp for her to evaluate her skills against other keepers she plays against both in club (ECNL) and future college.
Negative...she got a lot of unexpected pressure from other D1 college coaches that basically told her she was making a mistake by committing to the college she did because other "big name" colleges were really interested in her. In fact, one coach was so rude, condescending and disrespectful that the coach for the interested college (an ivy league) comforted my DD and told her that as long as she followed her heart and chose the school first, she was on the right path. That negative experience actually really impacted my daughter and planted seeds of doubt about the game (not the college she chose).
Training was hard but pretty typical. The camp was very well organized, had very diverse and high level college representation (not just CA colleges, but all geographic areas of the country), and did a good job keeping player safety and health a priority (good hydration, healthy snacks, good meals, etc.).
It comes to this...if your player is in ACTIVE communication with the colleges attending this camp, and if those coaches know your player is attending, then it is a worthwhile camp. If your player is looking for a general introduction to recruiting and just wants to play and doesn't expect to 'get noticed', then it would be beneficial. However, if your player expects this camp to be 'the place' they are noticed, then you probably will be disappointed. Some kids shine, but they are the minority (based on what my DD said).
Also keep in mind that the new NCAA rules will likely impact how the camps deal with recruitment discussions. If your player is past Sophomore year (as of June 15), they can talk openly with coaches and vice versa. If they are younger, the rules prevent any discussion - including camps I believe. Of course, who's to know if the rules are followed or enforced since there are some gray areas regarding ID camps.
If your player has to choose, I'd suggest prioritizing the ID camp at their top schools. They are likely to get more individual attention and learn more about the school and program than at the EXACT camp. But if they are early in the process and just looking to play soccer with other elite players (there is a very diverse range!), and interact with college coaches, it is one of the better camp options in socal.
The positive and negative both have to do with interactions with interested coaches, which is exactly why we liked the EXACT Academic 50 camps - the coaches that are there are engaged. We also appreciated the overview of college recruiting presented to players and families at different times throughout the camp.
One of my favorite lines from these presentations was a reminder to the players that “big time” is “wherever YOU are.”
Messi>CR7
GOLD
Very good info Keeper, thanks. That's also the gray area I'm trying to understand regarding the new rules and these camps (and showcases for sophomores and younger in general). I know the coaches will still go to showcases/camps to look at younger players since they are there for juniors and seniors anyway. But if there is no prior communication, coaches don't know which kids are actually interested in their schools, don't know the kids' GPA/SAT, how much value is there for sophomores or younger to attend these?
Great question! EXACT emphasizes that recruitment is a process that is mostly player driven so it creates opportunities for players to learn how to do this at its camps. This is what I found unique and special.
My daughter attended as a sophomore but I can see how it might be beneficial to attend as a freshman if a player is targeting D1 schools because the timing of the official interactions with D1 programs comes earlier.
Practice makes perfect, so I encourage players to contact D3 programs as freshman because there aren’t the same restrictions that there are in D1 programs. As a result, young players can get pretty good at communicating effectively with college coaches before they get their first opportunities to do so with D1 coaches.
A sophomore year EXACT camp ended up being the right time for my daughter because she was targeting highly academic D3’s that required grades and test scores. My impression is that her interactions with other D3 programs during her sophomore year helped her become quite good at this when it really mattered for her as a junior.
If D1 schools are being targeted, it may be good having a little practice as a freshman with D3 coaches before having to get it right as a sophomore with D1 coaches. One of the D1 coaches from a good Pac 12 program at our EXACT camp described the problematic ways that some recruits present themselves which might be worth hearing to avoid making the same mistakes.
We were fortunate to have the time and money to attend a variety of camps. No camp had a better bang for the buck than the EXACT camp at SilverLakes. It may also be reasonable to consider attending an Academic 50 in another region if it has more schools that a player is interested in (but some of the bang for the buck will be lost).
I found the presentations that the parents could attend to be very informative. I strongly encourage parents to attend them (don’t just drop your player off and head to the club house).
There are lots of paths to where you want to go, some are just more direct than others. Good luck!