TOTAL FEMALE HOCKEY SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT HOW TO GET NOTICED, GET RECRUITED & PLAY HOCKEY AT THE SCHOOL OF YOUR DREAMS Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS © Total Female Hockey 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS START HERE: Quick Start Guide!!!!!!!!!! 1 “WHY” Worksheet!!!!!!!!!! 2 College Hockey BASICS!!!!!!!!! 3 RESEARCH PHASE: Frequently Asked Questions!!!!!!!! 11 5 College Coach Interviews - click on the link below to access the MP3s: ! http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/scholarship_project_8411.shtml College Hockey DETAILS!!!!!!!!! 26 - College/University Quick Fact Sheet 26 - Critical Details - Rules, Regulations & Requirements 27 - NCAA/CIS Comparison Chart 33 - NCAA Division I Information 34 ! - NCAA Division III Information 39 ! - CIS Information 44 How To Navigating School Websites Video - click on the link below to access: ! http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video-sample/how_to_videos Creating Your Top 20 List !! ! ! ! ! ! 50 RECRUITING PHASE: Recruiting Step-By-Step Plan!!!!!!!! 51 Year-By-Year Guidelines!!!!!!!!! 53 How To Write Your Introductory Letter!!!!!!! 54 How To Create Your Introductory Video - click on the link below to access:!! 56 ! http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video-sample/how_to_videos Communicating With Coaches!!!!!!!! 58 - Tracking Your Communication Chart!!!!!!! 58 - Questions You Must Ask Coaches!!!!!!! 59 - How To Update Coaches Properly!!!!!!! 62 DECISION PHASE: Final Decision Score Sheet!!!!!!!!63 © Total Female Hockey 2011! QUICK START GUIDE: EXACTLY HOW TO USE THE SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT Congratulations of taking the first step towards taking control of your dream to play hockey at the college/university level. This isn!t going to be easy - but following this step-by-step guide will definitely make it a lot easier. FIRST STEP: Complete the “WHY” Worksheet and then read through the “College Hockey BASICS” section. Do NOT look at, watch or listen to ANY other part of The Scholarship Project without completing these steps first. RESEARCH PHASE: • Read the FAQ section. • Listen to the College Coach Secret Interview Sessions - http:// totalfemalehockey.com/scholarship_project_8411.shtml • Read the “College Hockey DETAILS” section. • CIS, NCAA Division 1 and Division 3 Critical Details • CIS, NCAA Division 1 and Division 3 Quick Fact Sheet • CIS, NCAA Division 1 and Division 3 Comparison Chart • Watch the “Navigating Websites” video - http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video- sample/how_to_videos/ • Make your “Top 20 List” (NOTE: this is just a starting point). RECRUITING PHASE: • Read the “Recruiting: Step-By-Step Plan”. • Review the “Year-By-Year Guidelines” to make sure you are on the right track based on what year you are currently in at school. • Write your “Introductory Letter” (use sample provided as a guideline). • Create your “Introductory Video” - http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/video-sample/ how_to_videos/. • Start communicating with coaches (use “Questions For Coaches” sheet). • Send updates to coaches (use “Update Sample” to guide you). • Use Your “Tracking Communications Chart” to keep track of all your communications with coaches. DECISION PHASE: • Go on unofficial and official visits to get a first-hand feel for the schools & teams. • Create & fill in your “Decision Score Sheet” to help you make your final decision. • Make your choice. • Follow-up with the coaches of the programs that you did not choose. • Tell anyone & everyone you can about where you are going - Congratulations! REMEMBER... Nothing worth having ever came easily. Do the work and stay in control of realizing your dream. © Total Female Hockey 2011! 1 YOUR “WHY” WORKSHEET Why do you want to play college/university hockey? Write all your reasons down. Why do you think coaches and scouts would want you to be a part of their program? What do you bring to the table that is unique and/or valuable? Why do you think that you are better suited to have this opportunity than your competition? What separates you from them - in terms of athletics, academics and attitude? Why do you deserve this opportunity? These are hard questions to answer. There should be a lot of emotion behind every answer you write. This is a huge decision and a hard journey - and it is going to be your passion that drives you forward when the going gets rough. You shouldn!t take answering these questions lightly - just like you shouldn!t take this process lightly. It won!t be easy - but it will be worth it. © Total Female Hockey 2011! 2 COLLEGE HOCKEY BASICS START HERE The point of this overview is to give you a general idea of the academic and athletic opportunities that are out there for you across North America if you want to play hockey at the varsity level. Please keep in mind as you read this document, and as you work your way through the entire Scholarship Project, that there are hundreds (and maybe even thousands) of players who “say” that they want to play hockey at the next level. That may seem a little overwhelming - especially since there are only a few hundred spots each year available to incoming players. But remember that there is a very big difference between “saying” you want something and actually taking the action necessary to “do” it. You are already separating yourself from the competition by working your way through the “Scholarship Project” and taking specific and consistent actions towards your dreams. So if and when you get overwhelmed, keep in mind that all you need to do is do the work on and off the ice and follow the plan, and you!ll be much further along in this process than your competition. A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY As of the fall of 2010, there are 113 universities offering varsity women!s hockey in North America. When I went through this process back in 1998, there were probably only half that many options available. This is a tremendous period of growth in women!s hockey - not only in the college/university ranks, but even more so at the minor hockey level. So even though there are more “spots” available to play college hockey, there are also a lot more players going after those spots. As I said above, most players who “say” they want to get there aren!t willing, or don!t have the information necessary, to “do” what it takes to achieve their goals. So you!ve got a leg-up on the competition already. Before we get into more details about the opportunities that lay ahead for you, please do me a favor and keep this one thing in mind. Academics must always come first - whether we are talking about high school or university. At this point, there are no million dollar contracts waiting for female hockey players to play the sport we all love. This may change in years to come, but at this point, you need to rely on your education to help you make a living down the line, not your ability to play hockey. My goal for every single young female hockey player I work with - and this now includes you - is for you to: Leverage your athletic ability to get a better academic opportunity. Think of your ability to play hockey as something that can help you to get the education and degree that you want (and need) to succeed when your playing days are through. If you keep this in mind the entire way through the process, you will keep yourself on the right track. © Total Female Hockey 2011! 3 COLLEGE HOCKEY BASICS The 3As: What Coaches & Scouts Are Really Looking For The truth is that even though there are over 100 colleges and universities in North America that offer varsity women!s hockey programs, the competition to get the chance to play at that level is fierce. Coaches & scouts are looking for a “triple threat”: Great Athletics * Great Academics * Great Attitude If you have the complete package, it is much easier to stand out, get noticed and be recruited. You don!t need to be the best player in the country or be a straight A+ student, but being as strong as possible in all 3 of these areas will help you out dramatically as you go through this process. Let!s look at each “A” in more detail: ATHLETICS Basic Skill First and foremost, you must have the basic level of skill needed to play at the next level. Notice that I didn!t say “elite” level skill. Being an elite player will never hurt you, but in the beginning of the process, coaches & scouts just want to see that you can execute all the basic skills on the ice at a level that would allow you to compete at the next level. This means that it is not necessary for you to have the greatest slapshot in the world to get noticed. But you have to be able to skate, pass, shoot and stickhandle at a pretty high level. Having any big holes in your game - for example, skating that is well-below average - will count against you at this point in the process. Game Sense Once they have established that you have the basic skills, they are looking at your game sense. Do you know where to be when you don!t have the puck? How do you create time and space for yourself and your teammates? Do you make good decisions under pressure? Game sense is much harder to teach than the basic skill, but it is absolutely critical if you want to get to, and excel at, the next level. If your game sense is terrific, you may even be able to make up for any basic skills that are lacking in the beginning of this process. Competitiveness Every player wants to win. But how do you compete on a shift-to-shift and a game-to- game basis? You will do anything to win a race to the puck or a battle along the boards.