HIGH SCHOOL
USA Highschool Rankings, News and Message Boards
DyeStat for high school track and cross country news, national rankings and to chat with other high school runners across the country on the message boards. See how your times compare to runners in your state, region and to the rest of the country!
- www.dyestat.com
Track and Field News for worldwide rankings from the high school to elite levels
- www.trackandfieldnews.com
Athletic.net for up to date high school track and cross country results across the US
- www.athletic.net
TRAINING, STRETCHING & NUTRITION
Try Flotrak for a wealth of running resources including video interviews with elite athletes and coaches. Search “Jack Daniels” for some great video interviews with valuable training advice from the legendary coach.
- www.flotrack.com
Try Runners World for a wide array of running resources including workouts, pace charts, injury prevention, etc.
- www.runnersworld.com
General Nutrition
www.runtheplanet.com
www.therunnersguide.com
Nutrition for Women
Nutrition Specifically for Women Runners
www.womenrunners.com
STRETCHING
Basic stretching for runners
www.pccoach.com
Active Isolation Stretching - A relatively new form of stretching designed specifically for runners. If you have seen runners using a rope to stretch, this is what they are doing.
Going to college can bring skills and experiences that you will benefit from your entire life. Depending on your interests, it can also open up opportunities to use your education to give back to your communities. As a Student Athlete, the collegiate experience can be even more unique. Here are some resources for you to learn more about pursuing a college education as a student athlete.
Considering Schools
Picking a school is a very personal decision and there is no universal right or wrong answer in terms of big or small? Near or far? NCAA or Junior College? The right choice is the one that fits YOU! Talk to your family, teachers, counselors and coaches and discuss where you will feel most comfortable and what you want out of your college experience in terms of education, social and athletics. This is an opportunity for you to grow in multiple dimensions as a young man or woman.
In terms of running, consider your ability and goals. Do you want to continue to enjoy competing at a smaller school with competition that is similar to your ability? Or do you prefer to be competing with the top runners in the US? There is no wrong choice, again, it is what works best for YOU! When setting those goals in is helpful to have a realistic understanding of how your times and goals compare with the rest of the US. You can refer to Dyestat.com, Track & Field News and Athletic.net to see national high school running news rankings. Do not be discouraged or intimidated by national rankings as there are a wide range options for running in college depending on what your ability and goals are.
Lastly, college of course costs money! But don’t rule out schools yet based on cost. Aside from an athletic scholarships there are many financial aid options available. Ask your high school guidance counselor, the institutions you are considering and research online. Be sure to check the Federal Student Aid Website for information on Pell Grants and other federal programs. Also, Financialaid.org is a great resource and even has a section dedicated to financial aid for Native Americans.
Ready To Talk To Coaches? Know The Rules! There are three major collegiate athletics associations and each one has unique rules and guidelines for eligibility and recruiting.
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) - The website provides information for student athletes and coaches on recruiting rules and regulations with the largest collegiate athletic organization. It includes links to convenient sport-specific calendars as well as definitions of key recruiting-related terminology.
To learn about life as an NCAA student athlete and to download the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete, refer to their student athlete website. Most importantly, remember that you are a STUDENT Athlete and the Student part comes first! There are eligibility requirements for college entry exam scores and GPA’s.
The NCAA classifies schools into three divisions: I, II and III based on certain criteria. In general, Division I schools tend to be larger and have a very high level of competition, while Division II and III schools tend to be smaller and somewhat easier for student athletes to compete, relative to Division I. Division III athletics departments place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators. The student-athlete's experience is of paramount concern.
NAIA (National Intercollegiate Athletics Association) - The NAIA has 25 conferences in 14 regions across the U.S. and Canada. With almost 300 colleges and universities. NAIA schools offer four-year colleges and universities with small class sizes and smaller campus communities, the flexibility to transfer without missing a season of eligibility, fewer recruiting restrictions, championship opportunities and 90% of schools offer scholarships. Learn about eligibility and recruiting regulations for NAIA schools.
NJCAA (National Junior College Athletics Association) – Junior Colleges are a great way to get started with your college experience with the opportunity to transfer to a four-year college or university without missing a season of eligibility. Many college coaches look for players in junior colleges to complete their teams. The link below provides eligibility and recruiting regulations. Learn about eligibility and recruiting regulations for NJCAA schools.
Getting Recruited – YOU Need To Make It Happen!
The bottom line is that you need to reach out to coaches and give them a reason to recruit you. Most universities list their coaches contact information on their websites along with other key information for recruits. Follow the eligibility and recruiting rules and contact coaches at the schools you are interested in.
Consider the answer below from an NCAA Division I Coach below to the question, “What should high school athletes know about the recruiting process and how can they tell if a coach / program is a good fit for them?”
“Identifying schools they are interested in would be the first step and then email the coach and let them know a little about themselves. Be proactive! Don’t wait for coaches to contact you. The most important thing coaches look at initially are pr's and links to results so the coach can validate the times. Pictures are also good and links to videos of them running would help too…maybe YouTube or sending the coach a DVD of a couple of races. We then look at the whole picture after pr's….a recruit must meet some type of criteria set by the coach to deem them worth recruiting like pr's, race victories or visibly seeing them run either via DVD or in person. Sometimes you can tell someone is going to be a star just by how they race and compete. Maybe their training is not very well organized and they show a huge upside…a coach might overlook lackluster pr's if they identify this in a potential recruit.”
“In terms of communication, email/letters/phone are still the best way to communicate with coaches. We are not allowed to text recruits or communicate via MySpace or facebook. Potential recruits should ask what it takes to be considered for an athletic scholarship in their program. If they are offered a smaller scholarship, what will it take to earn more in the future? A good fit is a school that meets their needs academically/athletically/socially with a coach they can trust and believe in. Teammates are also important as student athletes will spend the majority of their time with their teammates. They should feel that their teammates will help them succeed in all areas of their college experience. They should also consider the quality of the facilities, academic support, medical support and what type of schedule do they run (usually can look past schedules on internet)”
“I like to ask questions of potential recruits to understand them as a person. They should be ready to answer questions about training/racing/family/goals in running/academics/life. I like to find out what the recruit is like as a person to determine if they will be someone I can count on through thick and thin - character is important.”
You’ve Been Offered a Scholarship….Now What!?
If you are offered a scholarship, the offering institution will ask you to sign a Letter of Intent. When you sign a National Letter of Intent you agree to attend for one academic year the institution listed on the Letter in exchange for that institution awarding athletics financial aid for one academic year. Learn all about the commitment and rules at the National Letter of Intent website.
Questions? Interested in talking via email to a Navajo runner who has run at the college level?
Email Us mvarner@nativerunners.org and we will put you in touch with someone.
