NCAA Sports ~ Episode 371

Do you have a star athlete in the family? Anyone who wants to play high school or college sports must become familiar with the NCAA Sports Website! In this podcast, we discuss the right way to do this and what you need to do now, especially if you are a homeschool parent.

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The NCAA sports process is the legal entity that keeps our kids qualified to play amateur sports. This is for kids that play in their local leagues, in Sr. League, on travel sports teams, and in tournaments. If your children have competed in tournaments you are already familiar with this organization because they need an official NCAA Sports Number which is assigned to them through their amateur career status.

There is so much to know for an athlete considering playing beyond local rec teams or even high school teams. My children were blessed to play for a local Christian school affiliated with a church. Not all schools are open to homeschoolers, but those that are will learn that it is a win-win. Typically homeschoolers are on time, diligent, polite, have good sportsmanship and are generally helpful.

Our kids were accepted to the team and the coaches were wonderful. In fact, one of my son’s who played for this particular team in high school has been an assistant coach since his graduation and the boys look up to him. Check out your state and local schools to learn about the rules for playing. Ask around as well.

We had to have papers signed and notarized each year and submitted to the schools where my children played. We had to submit grades, and sign an affadavit saying we were the instructors. The school where you play will give you the pertinent forms. There may also be a fee involved and then uniforms to buy as well. So, consider the costs when you think about this.

The experience of playing is helpful to athletes who want to play in college. The NCAA has a guide for students considering this here.

What are the odds of US High School Athletes to play in the most popular sports? Source 

Boys playing in High School:  Basketball 17:1  | Baseball 9:1   | Football 12:1  | Soccer 13:1

High School and College athletes must:

1. Keep a good GPA – typically 3.2 or higher
2. Show up
3. Perform well (or you won’t play)
4. Daily practice or work out
5. Eat well and rest

Student-Athletes Beware! Recruiters are not always forthcoming!

One of the most frustrating things in the recruiting process:

1. Coaches that recruit from schools where they don’t have your potential major
2. Unrealistic goals (Atlanta school)
3. Coach’s interest may not be a guarantee of an offer
4. Offers change
5. The contract is different from the promise.
6. Scholarships

The NCAA sign up is important for students. Sign up here:

Here is the list of what you will need and the importance of learning about this before you need to fill this all out! I had to fill this out after the fact, and thankfully I had our high school notebooks with our compiled years, but it still was a daunting task! If you can keep up with this throughout each grade level it will be so easy for you.

Here is the Home School Tool Kit that you can download that give you more information. 

1. Home School Transcript
2. Initial eligibility, banned drugs, and sports wagering
3. Core-course worksheets
4. Home School Administrator and accordance statement
5. Official transcript
6. Official SAT/ACT scores
7. Final amateurism certification
8. NCAA date and reports
9. Ninth grade start date
10. High school review

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