“Solutions come through evolution. They come through asking the right questions, because the answers pre-exist. It is the questions that we must define and discover. You don’t invent the answer-you reveal the answer.” -Jonas Salk
Whenever I hear the name Jonas Salk, I say a little thank you to heavens for the life I have been able to live. You see my dad was the only 1 of 22 children who survived polio in his hospital wing in the 1940s. The man who invented the polio vaccine saved a lot of lives and was the reason so many of us Gen Xers are alive today, so today’s quote has a very personal feel for me.
I love the perspective that “it is the questions that we must define and discover” instead of the answers. Although college recruiting and polio are from being on the same level of significance, the thought behind “discovering the right questions” remains true.
Too many families come to me with questions like…
“How do we get recruited?”
“Can we get our son/daughter to D1 or the Ivy Leagues?”
“Is a full-ride possible?”
These are all excellent questions, but far from the right questions to be asking. Here are the 5 questions I believe every prospect and parent of a prospect should be asking before, during and after their recruitment begins and ends:
- Why do I want to play in college?
- What am I willing to do to make that opportunity a reality?
- How do I want to be perceived by those who may recruit me?
- What are my ultimate goals once I get recruited?
- What is the most practical and efficient path to accomplish those goals?
When we are so focused on the results we seek, we often forget why we started the journey in the first place. The questions above keep us focused on finding healthy, happy, and long-lasting value results. If my ultimate goal is to be an engineer, than I don’t have to go to Stanford or Harvard to do that. If I’d like to have every opportunity to win a National Title why accomplishing my goals, schools like Colorado School of Mines, Johns Hopkins, and Wash U (St. Louis) give you just as good of odds, if not better odds, of accomplishing both of those goals.
In the end, it is important to ask the right questions first, so you learn your level of commitment, reality and truth, so you actually end up with answers you will appreciate long after your playing days are over.
Interested in Coach Rogers’ Book on College Recruiting? You can find it here: https://coachmattrogers.com/book/
Want to schedule a free 30-minute strategy session with Coach Rogers? You can do so here: https://coachmattrogers.com/contact/
