By Hailey Smithson
Many of the athletes at Redwood are getting ready to make the big decision of what college they want to play for in the future. Both juniors and seniors are in the process of researching schools to see which ones might be a good fit for them. The pandemic has created obstacles for these athletes because it is limiting the amount of exposure to coaches they are normally able to get throughout a normal recruiting season. This has led to higher stress levels due to the uncertainty of their future.
Sydnee Weber, ‘21, is looking for a school that fits her needs both with their softball team and the school itself. Weber is struggling with not being able to speak to coaches face to face. She says “over the phone I can’t really get a good feel on if I like them as a person as much as I could in person.” She is also concerned about the fact that many schools gave their seniors another year of eligibility which limits the necessity for athletes in her graduating class. Weber says that the process “has gotten so much harder and more stressful because everything is so uncertain”.
One of Redwood’s basketball players Brandon Teela, ‘21, is struggling when it comes to getting the initial contact with coaches. He says as someone who is “just hoping for a junior college it’s really hard to get exposure during the pandemic versus other athletes that hope to go D1”.
Normally coaches would be able to attend games to see him and other athletes compete but during these times there aren’t very many games for them to watch, which limits the contact and exposure they would normally be able to receive.
Teela has been lucky enough to get in contact with some local junior colleges. However he has not been able to attend any visits, he says “normally they’d let the visitor practice with the team and get a look at the school but due to the pandemic you cannot even attend the visits at all”. Although it is stressful, Teela believes that he will end up where he is meant to be.
For the seniors it is getting closer and closer to the time where they need to make their final decision. However juniors are just beginning the process.
Kylie Maurice, ‘22 who plays softball for Redwood is starting to look at schools and email their coaches hoping to get in contact. She says, “it is hard to get the initial contact with coaches because normally with my travel team we would be playing in showcases where coaches are able to come and see us play but due to the pandemic they have been getting cancelled.”
When coaches are not able to come out and watch games they like to receive videos so they can see the skills the athletes have. Maurice says, “since we can’t play many games it is hard to get recent videos of me playing to send to coaches.”
She says, “I am optimistic and since I am only a junior I still have another season to continue speaking to coaches so I am trying not to stress about it too much”.
The process of getting recruited and making decisions on what schools you would consider playing for is already stressful enough as is, but when you throw in a global pandemic it amplifies that stress. All athletes no matter what sport are trying their best to make sure they find a school that will be the right fit for them.
Hailey Smithson
Hailey ('21) is in her first year of writing for the Redwood Gigantea and has a strong interest in sports journalism. Outside of journalism she plays softball and is apart of many clubs including CSF.
Tags: brandon teela, covid-19, kylie maurice, pandemic, redwood athletics, redwood high school, redwood sports, sydnee weber, visalia
Raelene
Great job with the interviews and and explaining how the recruiting affected by this pandemic!