Some families spend thousands on twenty showcases and get zero offers. Others attend a handful of the right events and commit with options. The difference is knowing what you're buying.
Mail is not interest
The glossy letter inviting your athlete to a "prospect camp" went to thousands of kids. Camps are a revenue stream for programs — useful ones sometimes, but the invitation itself means nothing. Real interest is a coach contacting your athlete directly — a call, a text, a personal email naming them. Learn to tell the difference and you'll save your budget and your hopes.
How to pick events worth paying for
- Target-school camps beat anonymous showcases. A winter camp at a school on your list puts you in front of the exact staff that could offer, on their turf, often for less money.
- Ask who's actually attending. An event is worth what the coach list is worth. "College coaches will be there" — which ones? Recruiting your position? Your class?
- Ask your coaches before you book. Club and school coaches know which events produce offers and which produce t-shirts. A program with real college connections is worth more than any showcase circuit.
- A few good events, repeated, beat a different showcase every weekend. Coaches track development between looks — that's another reason your yearly numbers matter.
Make every event count double
Before: your schedule is on your page, so target coaches know where you'll be — email them the week prior. After: your new measurables go on the page the same day, dated, next to last year's numbers. One event, three touches: the heads-up email, the in-person look, and the updated page they check afterward. That's how a $200 event does the work families pay $3,000 trying to buy.