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2011
TRAVEL TEAM TRYOUT DATES POSTED 15U SAINTS & 16U JACKS SATURDAY AUGUST 14, 2010 @ 11am LOCATION TBD, SUNDAY AUGUST 15, 2010 @ NOON, LOCATION
TBD
AcademyELITE Baseball,
1832 Pickwick Avenue, Glenview, IL 60026
AE TEAM REGISTRATION
CHRIS HARANG LESSON REGISTRATION
ZACH MARTIN LESSON REGISTRATION
ERIC PORTER LESSON REGISTRATION
PHIL APOSTLE LESSON REGISTRATION
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| CLICK TO VISIT www.academyelitemagazine.com |
CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO RUN FASTER
FINALLY!
LOCAL COLLEGE BASEBALL!!! AFTER TWO YEARS OF PLANNING, THE HOMESTEAD RANCHERS BEGIN PLAY IN THE SUMMER 2010. AS A CHARTER
FRANCHISE IN THE WINDY CITY COLLEGIATE BASEBALL LEAGUE, THE RANCHERS WILL HOST 14 GAMES THIS SUMMER AND WILL MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS
WITH THREE MAJOR LEAGUE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS OVER 60 COLLEGE COACHES/PROGRAMS. JUST CLICK ON "DUKE" BELOW TO
VISIT THE RANCHERS NEW WEB SITE!
PRIVATE
AND GROUP LESSONS ARE BOOKING NOW FOR 2009-2010. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER FOR LESSONS IMMEDIATELY, YOU CAN CLICK
THE LINK FOR OUR REGISTRATION FORM NEAR THE TOP OF THIS PAGE AND SIMPLY FAX IT TO 847-853-7471 (number also
provided on form) YOU WILL RECIEVE A CONFIRMATION WITHIN 24 HOURS. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO TRAIN WITH AcademyELITE !!!
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| 2009 DSP 18U MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONS-ACADEMY ELITE NATIONALS |
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Letters and Emails to College Coaches--Revisited!
Here it is again...our annual post about how to write a letter/email to a college coach.
How
to send a College Coach an email... One of the best ways to get the attention of college coaches is to email them. The
problem is most recruits don’t know exactly how to go about doing that. From my own experience, I’ve whittled
contacting coaches down to an effective formula. Here are some tips on how to email college coaches for maximum results:
- Have a legitimate sounding
email. It looks better to be emailing a coach with an email address
that has all or part of your name in it. The goal is to be professional here, and it isn’t too professional if a coach
is receiving an email from “kick_ass_badass@hotmail.com”. Don’t hesitate to create a free email
account on Yahoo! or Hotmail with your firstname_lastname@website as an email specifically for your recruiting emails. It
will help you keep track of all your contacts.
- The subject line. You want the coach to open your
email. Simply putting “read this” at the subject line probably won’t do it. Provide a little bit of your
information in the subject line. For example, write something like “Mitch Thompson, LHP Prospect from Rockford, IL”.
I’ve found that providing your name, your position (you should put down any position that you play, multiple positions
look better to a coach), and your location.
- Pack that email with recipients. search for “athletic directory” on Google. This will give you many, many schools at all levels with coaches you can email. Upon finding the coaches’ emails on
your page of interest, copy and paste them into the recipients section. Make sure to go after assistant coaches too; they’re
more likely to check their inbox. I would often send out emails to 100 coaches at a time. They really don’t care if
there’s a lot of other recipients listed because they do the same thing when emailing their recruits.
- Introduce yourself. Don’t jump straight into a pitch about why you’re the next million-dollar bonus babyr. Remember, this coach
probably still has no idea who you are. Repeating the information from the subject line is a good start: “Hey Coach,
my name is Mitch Thompson and I’m a 6’2”, 200 pound LHP from Boylan High School in Rockford, IL, class of
2009.”
- List some of your athletic credentials. Start with some of your athletic feats. How many years
have you been a starter? Do you have any honors such as all-league, team captain, etc.? Any other statistical claims (i.e.
led the team in steals last season) as well as a 60 time (if it makes you look good) should be included as well, but
don’t be so quick to list the results of every single showcase skill out there. Some mystery can be a good
thing...
- Move on to academics. You’ve got to
be honest here. Coaches want to know how you’re performing in the classroom, and they have to know at some point, so
it’s best to not have any surprises. List your GPA (weighted if possible), test scores (ACT, SAT) and any other relevant
academic info you can put in there, such as honor roll, AP/IB classes, etc. You have to present yourself as a kid who can
appeal to the admissions office as well. Coaches want the whole package.
- Leadership.
Any other way you can demonstrate your leadership and character (i.e. volunteering, Boy Scouts, involvement with church) will
make you more appealing to a coach and an admissions office. Again, coaches want the whole package.
- Link any other resources you have available. This is why I recommend setting up a free profile
with AcademyELITE. You can post all your stats, info, pictures and even some highlights. That way, if your email interests
a coach, he can visit your profile to find out even more about you. Say something along the lines of “For more information
about me, here is my AcademyELITE profile: (link here).
- Don’t make it an essay. That’s why it’s good to have a AE profile.
You don’t want to write several pages about how awesome you are. Just a paragraph with a few key points about why you
would be a good fit for their program, a place to find out more about you, and ways to contact you (include phone numbers,
cell phone especially).
Thank them for their time. College coaches are busy
guys. While they should be interested in finding out more about potential recruits, they didn’t have to read your email,
so thank them for doing so. - Tell them how to contact you.
When emailing coaches, provide name, address, phone numbers, and email address (again). Make it as easy as possible
for them to contact you.
- Follow up. If a coach requests
additional information, a copy of your transcript, and/or video, don’t hesitate to send it, even if you’re not
too interested in the school.
10:56 am cst
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What should I tell my high school coach about playing summer baseball???
If the truth offends you--you might not want to read this... In an effort to control their baseball universe, many
high school coaches strongarm kids into playing for specific programs to fulfill whatever special interest fancies them.
While most high school coaches see their spring calling as an opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of 20-25
young athletes, still others seek to validate their importance by any means necessary and pressure players into programs where
they have a financial or other controlling interest. Some coaches actually threaten to cut players the following spring
if they don't play where they are told. The thing is, these kids can go away to a cabin in Michigan and play NO baseball
whatsoever--it's summer vacation! If a player finds a coach or team they want to be a part of, their high school coach should
limit his involvement to a suggestion or a constructive phone call to the coach or head of the proposed organization.
Athletic Directors need to be alerted to the clear conflict of interest and difficult position their baseball people impose
on these players. Many of the demands made by coaches are in direct violation of IHSA rules. At AcademyELITE and Top
Tier Baseball, we have experienced tremendous resistance from ego-maniacal coaches with no purpose other than pure authority
and control with no regard to the well-being of the player involved. The fact is, Academy Elite, Top Tier, McHenry County
and programs of the like field more would-be college baseball players than any high school summer program. It is
due to the amount of exposure as well as the expertise of the staffs involved. The Elite tournament circuits are filled
with the finest players from many high schools combined on "super" or "elite" club teams. Colleges/Professionals
know they can see a number of qualified players in one location versus a legion game with watered down talent where only a
player or two have collegiate aspirations. At one area high school, the coach has bullied numerous players into
his legion program that want to play club baseball very badly. If you have a player in this position or know someone
that does, please alert your schools athletic director and research the agendas involved. At AcademyELITE we recommend
a simple... "No, thank you, coach. I will work harder than anyone to be ready to compete
for you from February through June. You are my high school coach and I respect you as such. I will do everything you
ask of me and more as a member of the team. My summer, however, is an opportunity for me to play with different players and
coaches. I'm sure you can see the value in that and want me to be the best I can be." If
the tone of this blog sounds edgy--it is. There are some coaches whose reckless behavior has been enabled and tolerated.
These coaches need to remember their roles and know their place like every other member of civilized society. As a father
of four, I would not tolerate my kids getting squeezed by any member of any faculty regardless of the community fallout.
There are a lot of scared parents out there. I talk to them daily. They can't believe what these ego maniacs get
away with yet do little or nothing about it out of fear of their son/daughter being cut from the team. Checks and balances
are a necessary part of any selection process--particularly where personal agendas could be involved. Do your part and if
the coach cuts you--we'll roster you or find you a club roster that fits you. If things don't change soon, baseball
will fall by the wayside in schools like hockey, tennis and basketball have. The best of those sports is often
played outside of high schools. Baseball is next.
5:08 pm cdt
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Spring vs. Fall
I understand the daylight limitations, vacations, and even field availability, but fall baseball HAS to be the better option
for area high schools than spring. Beginning in mid-August and playing through mid-late October, the season would culminate
in a "world series" atmosphere and would be more in keeping with baseball traditions, including actually PLAYING
the games. College coaches could actually even catch a few games. The spring in Illinois is a joke for baseball--and
not a funny one. Last fall the AE Prospect club played 27 games in 6 weeks. It began in late August. This
spring the AE Mavericks decided to avoid April altogether. Finally, succombing to offers from area teams, doubleheaders
were scheduled last weekend. Needless to say, we practiced indoors at Academy Elite. Spring baseball in Illinois
is just...bad.
2:58 pm cdt
Friday, December 5, 2008
HOLIDAY SHOPPING, 2008
SEASON'S GREETINGS!!! I trust the last
of the Turkey left-overs has been turned into a soup or pie of some sort (guys, if it's still in the fridge, it's
questionable at this point...)
Okay. Each year I get asked a thousand times about bats, gloves, shoes,
etc. I love to help. In fact, it gives me some purpose. As a father of four that is very involved in the
day-to-day operations at the homestead, I know the machine can get pretty crazy and "quick and easy" become of paramount
importance. Like you, I want the quick and easy to also offer quality and be free--for the most part--of disappointments.
Disappointments can not only ruin a day, they can cost precious time. Time is of the essence especially around the holidays.
With that in mind, I spent a month and a half researching the best bats, gloves, and shoes in the world and have posted my
findings--complete with INSTANT LINKS right to the source of these great (and sometimes not-so-great) products. Highlights
include the Kelley N Fuego Bat, Adidas cleats and Rawlings Primo Gloves. The links are right under the descriptions in BOLD
print. You can visit AcademyELITE eMagazine for the whole report (December Issue--available on-line now).
At
Academy Elite, we are your source for wood bats. Don't buy 'em anywhere else. We guarantee ours against
breakage and make 'em to order. We also supply the finest batting gloves at an unbeatable price. We carry sexy apparel
for the serious player as well as the whimsical. From winter and spring jackets for men and women to the latest in performance
fleece by mizuno and dri-fit by Under Armour and A4. We even carry the finest golf shirts around...that's right gang...I
said GOLF. I don't like my players to play it, but the clothes are awesome! Just hit the CONTACT US navigation link
and let us know what you want--we'll get it for you. Please have a SAFE and HAPPY season. Remember to freeze-frame
a little quality time with the kiddies and your loved ones--as so many of you told me when I had my first eight years ago--it
goes FAST. How right you were. Hope to see you all real soon! PA
9:38 pm cst
Monday, October 6, 2008
Pitchers: Shut 'em down!
LISTEN UP! This is for all of you pitchers out there that are looking at your offseason and
wondering which direction to go. One of my favorite sayings is; "If you don't know where you're going--any
road will take you there." First things first...SHUT YOUR THROWING DOWN 6-8 weeks. In
some ways it's no different than a bodybuilder needing rest to allow his muscles to soften and to stimulate them into
new growth. The throwing arm takes a fair amount of abuse during the spring and summer--and sometimes the fall.
The holidays are a great opportunity to build your fitness and to stretch and build some muscle and allow the arm a chance
to refresh itself. Some pitching coaches, like Paul Kosinski at The Strike Zone, use the down time to build better mechanics
and to help pitchers gain an understanding of the workload and purpose of the work that lies ahead. Eric Porter, of
Academy Elite Baseball likes pitchers to simply focus on cardio and core work and college football; "There's no reason
a kid should be throwing off a mound between Halloween and Thanksgiving...none. I like our staff to get after it in
the gym and in the classroom, go to homecoming, spend some family time--go see Grandma...anything--just stay off the bump
for awhile." Finally, make sure you and your pitching coach have a specific plan in mind when training begins.
Most pitchers I see spend way too much time aimlessly throwing. Develop a slow curveball you can throw for a strike
in off-counts. How about developing a new lane you can command for your fastball to make your decent split become dominant.
How about learning to pitch inside? These are all worthwhile pursuits you should discuss with your pitching coach.
White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper told me once, "Phil, I've never seen a pitcher succeed without purpose.
They need a plan. That's a pitching coach's main gig." Work hard guys...your teams' success will
be dictated by the work you do this off-season!
11:11 am cdt
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2009.11.01 |
2009.10.01 |
2009.04.01 |
2008.12.01 |
2008.10.01 |
2008.09.01 |
2008.05.01

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VISIT OUR FRIENDS AT SLAMMERS, Lake Forest
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| L to R: Coach Fine, Coach Towsend, Coach Bennett |
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