We’ve been sharing the stories that inspired our founding members to come up College Prospect Network. Last month we posted our Vice President’s personal experience and our CEO’s retrospective about watching his younger brother play football. Our President, Thadd Fifer, wants to start this month off by sharing his vision and the ideas and ideals that make him excited to go to work everyday.
For many of my friends growing up, college was nothing more than a place to continue playing sports. They didn’t see it as the life-changing experience that it is because they did not grasp how important it is to a young person’s develop and life path. So, when they didn’t receive a scholarship offer and sports was no longer an option, they had no desire to attend college or find an alternative route to continue their playing careers. They simply accepted that it was over.
Now that we are a little older they are beginning to realize that athletics are not all there is to life. Education and maturation are even more important for young adults.
I always understood their frustration and discouragement because we all felt like we didn’t get the attention we deserved. Personally, I received offers to play football at several schools in and around Texas but I really wanted to play basketball. Many of my friends felt the same way but we didn’t know how to solve it. We had no idea why the recruiting letters weren’t pouring in and, because of that, we didn’t know what to do differently.
Now, let me clarify something. I am not trying to say that every one of my friends was good enough to play sports in college. That is, in fact, beside the point. The tragedy is that many of my friends tied the idea of college directly to the sport they played. When things didn’t go well in their sport, their sole reason for aspiring to go to college vanished.
Because of that, I have always insisted that College Prospect Network is designed not only to give these athletes an outlet to maximize their exposure but also to “coach” them along the way about how important it is to find the right college program. That means everything from academics to campus size, location, reputation, culture and diversity should factor into their decision. These kids need to understand that colleges offer so much more than an avenue to continue playing a sport. And, just because they are going to have to work a little harder for exposure than some other players, doesn’t mean they should give up. Things will only workout well if they are willing to put in the time and effort.
Take those of them that are interested in owning a business for example; they could have found a Division III college with a great business school. Or, if they really enjoyed drawing, they may have been able to find an interested NAIA coach at a school with a great arts program. In other words, just because they aren’t getting offers from schools who play on national television every week doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pursue their playing careers elsewhere.
After all, an education last longer than sports.
We want to give our athletes the knowledge they need to make a good decision about their future. 17- and 18-year old kids don’t know what they want because they don’t understand how vital college truly is.
They deserve a fair opportunity so, when they are 30 or 40, they can be proud of the decisions they made when they were younger.
College Prospect Network gives all kids, regardless of income, academic background, or race, the opportunity to follow their dreams. All they need is a good work ethic, perseverance and the willingness to listen to us and coaches. While following that dream, they will experience growth, maturity and the education that they will be proud of forever.
– Thadd Fifer
Note: We are currently working to offer some great benefits to our member athletes to help them find internships and jobs while they are in school and after they graduate. It’s a huge part of what we want to accomplish so hopefully we will have some great news about the program within the next couple of months.
I’m not going to post my email address here to avoid spam but, if you want to contact me, please use the Contact Us page on our website. I will respond within 24 hours most of the time.
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