We make time for what's important to us

I attended 2 showcase tournaments (TNT & East Coast) with 11 fields that have an average distance between them of 20 minutes this past weekend. 235 teams with an average of 12 players per team gives you about 2,820 players participating in an average of 5 games this past weekend… 
 
…and yet players still choose to not make time to send emails to coaches, and I specifically use the word choose. My mom has a saying - that we choose to make time for things that are important to us, no matter the circumstances. You can tell a lot about a person’s priorities based on what they choose to make time for. It's also frustrating to see families spend thousands of dollars on travel ball, training, hotels, etc. to get nothing out of it when they don't communicate with coaches when needed. 
 
We had athletes in our mentoring program who did everything right to prepare for this past weekend – they sent emails at the correct time with all the correct information and yet still didn’t see one coach at their field. Unless you are on a main complex at a tournament, for every TEN coaches you email, you’ll be lucky to see ONE of them at your games. While this is a tough reality, if you choose to not send emails at all you’re relying on another player at your field. Hopefully they'll reach out to a coach that comes to see them play and then “finds” you. This isn't a system I suggest trusting your future with.
 
Coaches don’t take time away from their families, travel hours from home, and sit at fields from 7:50am to 8:00pm to window shop. They have a specific plan to see the athletes who have shown interest in their program and are going through the process the right way! What are you doing to set yourself up for success in a process that offers coaches THOUSANDS of athletes to choose from?