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Ping, Ping, Ping. For many recruits, it seems like their email is constantly going off with email invitations for this clinic and that camp. Suddenly, eyes get wide and families rush to sign up for the event because X University is interested in THEM!
On the other end of that email, there is a (probably very underpaid) assistant coach spending hours scouring through team websites, recruiting sheets, and tournament booklets to make a "camp database." This database probably has your name, your graduation year, and your email - that's it. She/he then mass emails hundreds of athletes in their region to invite them to the event! Many times they have never seen you play.
Why does this happen? Money. Almost all (minus the top "Power-5") softball programs use camps and clinics as a fundraiser. The more of you that show up, the money more goes into their account. Coaches are in a catch 22 - many of them have a minimum fundraising number to hit as part of their job so they push the ethics of inviting you (even though they aren't really recruiting you) aside to keep their own job. So how do they do this? Kill two birds with one stone, host a clinic where you can bring in your top recruits while also filling the rest of the clinic with athletes who will pay to supplement their budget.
How do you and your family decide which camps and clinics are worth your time when the coach on the other end is sending the same email to hundreds of other athletes?
If you are a 2021/2022 graduate (2023+ keep scrolling!) coaches from every division can communicate with you, so why are you only hearing from them with a clinic invite? Why are they not reaching out in response to your emails? Why aren't they requesting to set up a phone call, visit to campus, etc? When a coach can communicate with you, and the only communication you hear from them is a clinic invite - that should be a red flag!
On the other end of that email, there is a (probably very underpaid) assistant coach spending hours scouring through team websites, recruiting sheets, and tournament booklets to make a "camp database." This database probably has your name, your graduation year, and your email - that's it. She/he then mass emails hundreds of athletes in their region to invite them to the event! Many times they have never seen you play.
Why does this happen? Money. Almost all (minus the top "Power-5") softball programs use camps and clinics as a fundraiser. The more of you that show up, the money more goes into their account. Coaches are in a catch 22 - many of them have a minimum fundraising number to hit as part of their job so they push the ethics of inviting you (even though they aren't really recruiting you) aside to keep their own job. So how do they do this? Kill two birds with one stone, host a clinic where you can bring in your top recruits while also filling the rest of the clinic with athletes who will pay to supplement their budget.
How do you and your family decide which camps and clinics are worth your time when the coach on the other end is sending the same email to hundreds of other athletes?
If you are a 2021/2022 graduate (2023+ keep scrolling!) coaches from every division can communicate with you, so why are you only hearing from them with a clinic invite? Why are they not reaching out in response to your emails? Why aren't they requesting to set up a phone call, visit to campus, etc? When a coach can communicate with you, and the only communication you hear from them is a clinic invite - that should be a red flag!
Are you a 2023 or younger? This gets a bit harder for you, because the only communication DII (until June 15th after sophomore year) and DI (until Sept 1 of junior year) can have with you is to give you clinic information. (DIII, NAIA, and Junior College do not have communication rules and can communicate with you at any time regardless of age.) We suggest working through this list to decide if the school(s) hosting the clinic are a good fit for you and worth your time/money!
