Here’s why student athletes need a sports portfolio
I’m sure you’re thrilled to be getting back on courts and fields after all the school closures, but a big challenge remains. It’s getting harder each year for high school students to stand out from the crowd during the college application process.
There are 8 million students in high school sports right now. Those athletes are all talented. Colleges are getting a record number of applications. Only one in 14 high school athletes will play at the college level.
Wouldn’t it be great if you were one of those success stories? But athletic abilities won’t get you anywhere if nobody knows you. You have to create and share a sports portfolio. But even that isn’t going to turn heads, because a list of game stats and class grades dehumanizes you.
Even coaches say there’s more to life than sports!
Documenting and cataloging your sports life is the easy part. Colleges – even the athletics departments – want to know what you’re like off the field. Do you love learning? What do you do for fun? What do adults have to say about you? What do other students think about you? How do you manage your busy schedule?
Demonstrating soft skills with evidence is the secret to success.
This is why spikeview exists, and it’s why Ivy League coaches want student athletes to submit spikeviews during the recruiting process. The spikeview is a customized graph that reflects all the interests and accomplishments you choose to share. Best of all, you control who sees what. This is your personal data, and you determine how it’s shared.
Covid fundamentally changed how student-athletes get discovered by colleges. Digital recruiting is here to stay. Coaches will continue trying to get to know students remotely, so it’s more important than ever for students to present a complete view of themselves.
Tour an athlete’s spikeview here, and then set yours up. It’s easy to get started, and you can include as much information about yourself as you like. Remember, recruiters want to know the person behind the paperwork.
“I’ve seen you play, but tell me about yourself.”
Consider these three tips to set up your winning portfolio:
- Make a great first impression with an introduction video. A written bio is important, but a video puts you in the same room with university officials.
- Testimonials from your coaches, trainers, and teachers are influential. Give them a chance to brag about you.
- Use highlight reels to tell stories about your everyday life on and off the field.
Then generate a custom link of your portfolio to email to coaches and recruiters. Include a message like this: “I realize you need to know the type of person I am when you’re deciding if I’m a good fit for the team. I’m including a link to my spikeview, which gives a 360-degree view of my everyday life.”
Get yourself to the next level, and tell us all about it. We’d love to hear how colleges are responding to your spikeview!
