Recently, I had the privilege of spending some time at the ESPN Wide World of Sports-Disney in Orlando, FL….. My inner child was having a really hard time not breaking away and running around every square inch of every field, gym and venue!  Although, we did tour some of the spectacular areas of their complex and got to take in quite a few AAU basketball games, along with some softball, lacrosse and field hockey!  All in all, a pretty great set up they have and I highly recommend a trip in your future, either to compete in one of their numerous events or simply to do as I did and play tourist!  Of course, you can certainly do both!

In talking to college and high school coaches, current and former collegiate athletes, etc., one of the common “tips” is to BE REALISTIC!    Now, you hear that all the time, but it is so important for the high school athletes and YES, their parents as well, to take this to heart when considering colleges to pursue for an athletic scholarship!

Just wanted to share a short announcement…….

Please BEWARE of the “SCAM ARTISTS” out there calling themselves scouts, recruiters, recruiting services, etc. that charge fees to “place” you as collegiate talent with promises of scholarships!   YOU can do it yourself FOR FREE on ViewMySport.com and by using our ViewRecruit mobile recruiting app!   We fight this every day and see these “sharks” prey on athletes and their parents that don’t know any better, thinking that if you “pay” for the help, you’ll get it!   WRONG!!!   Most of these services know you’re good enough, talent and grade wise, so it’s just a matter of them putting your info in front of college coaches….the process goes naturally from there!   YOU can do that yourself in seconds and follow-up with a phone call and control what’s going on!   Believe me, just because you “pay a fee” doesn’t mean you will get special treatment!   That IS NOT the way it works!   Most of these services “muddy the recruiting waters” in hopes you will pay them to help get through it!   Total scam and more and more attention is being focused on these “Wizards of Oz”!    BE SMART!

* For more High School athletics and college recruiting / scholarship assistance, visit:     http://www.ViewMySport.com/

* Visit iTunes to download the ViewRecruit mobile recruiting app:       https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/viewrecruit/id495931580?ls=1&mt=8

As you can imagine, in my line of work, I come across every recruiting book, tool, website, trick, etc.  I have yet to be convinced that any of them are truly out there for the good of the high school or youth student-athlete.  Of course, being the founder and CEO of ViewMySport.com and the ViewRecruit smart phone recruiting app, I tend to be extremely picky, as our #1 goal was, and still is, to be there for the kids, their parents, the high school coaches and the college coaches!  That means putting “THEM” first, not the almighty dollar!

I have had the pleasure to become friends with former University of Florida great and former NFL offensive lineman, Mo Collins and have been exposed to his book, “The Ultimate College Recruiting Guide” – Learn How To Earn An Athletic Scholarship!  At first, due to my well-earned cynical outlook on such publishings, I almost didn’t even crack the book.  After talking with Mo, I decided that he at least earned my attention and I decided I’d take a look.  Let’s just say it was a very smart decision!