provides free information about college recruitment

Just when should a high school athlete begin thinking about college, college recruiters and a potential athletic scholarship? It's a valid question and one that many parents ask each and every year. Parents ask if there are rules in the recruitment process and how does financial aid enter into any potential scholarship? Frankly, it is a quagmire of information out there if parents Google topics like recruitment, scholarships or NCAA rules. Lucky for high school student-athletes and their parents, there is a wonderful service based right here in Rochester that provides a paint-by-the numbers approach to helping students out. is a free website that has advice, links and personal experiences to bring athletes and their parents through the entire recruitment process. Website founder Jason Colline has created this resource based on what he went through with his son and the realization that if it was confusing to him, there must be thousands of local Section 5 parents just as confused. So after extensive research and validation of the information, the website was created. It's been going strong ever since.

While there are numerous NCAA rules governing colleges regarding recruitment, for some, the process begins even before high school. On average however, a college or university begins to track student-athletes when they are freshman. Academically, transcripts are viewed every year the student is in school. Everyone hears about the big scholarship pot that exists for athletics, yet rarely is it publicized that there is actually more dollars available for academics. So what does this little tidbit of knowledge tell us? It affirms what many parents believe and hope, that while athletics are a wonderful way to get to and go through college, a well-rounded athlete is a successful one.

Colline and his website provide vital information about academic versus athletic scholarships. For instance, receiving an academic scholarship that allows you to play sports means security as long as the student keeps their grades up. Say your student was to receive a college scholarship to play football at a Division 1 or 2 college. If, heaven forbid they were to be injured and not able to play again, chances are they could lose those scholarship dollars. Now if the same scenario was to exist and the student has an academic scholarship, those funds still exist. It's pretty obvious which option most any parent or athlete would choose. also walks users through the various types of schools that offer scholarships on both academic and athletic levels. So many times both parent and child get wide-eyed when it comes to the possibilities but the situation demands that the correct questions are asked. Finding the right college that matches the student's academic and athletic ability is the key to success and excellence. links parents to the appropriate sites that match the offerings and the colleges that fit the student's profile.

Colline offers some advice as we move into the final spring sports season and transition into summer. Often the student-athlete will let down a bit as summer means relaxing and vacations. For students, summer sports leagues provide opportunities to fine tune skills, create videos that highlight abilities and work ethic. College recruiters don't take the summer off, so the athlete shouldn't either.

Remember parents, in Monroe and surrounding counties the Division 1 college scholarship rate is about 1.8 percent against a national average of 3 percent of all students receiving some sort of scholarship dollars. Do what is right for your family and ultimately for your child. Division 2, 2 or 3, it doesn't matter, just pave the road for their success.

Greg Kamp is a 23-year veteran of youth sports as a coach and administrator and is currently the President of Penfield Little League and sits on the board at the District level. He is the host of Youth Sports Now, a weekly radio show on WYSL-AM/FM and also runs Strategy First, his own public relations and marketing business.