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| Courtesy
photo |
Adam
Bailey (second from right) is working toward a degree
in actuarial science at McKendree College in Illinois,
where he is a member of the Bearcat track squad. He
said the school has exceeded his expectations, providing
an ideal combination of academics, athletics and social
environment.
(Click
picture to see larger image) |
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Cactus
Shadows runner plans to follow sibling's sprint to small college
Scholarships available to many student athletes
by
Barry Cohen
CAVE CREEK - Bigger isn't always better. Attesting to that
is Cactus Shadows High School graduate Adam Bailey, who's
enjoying his sophomore year at 1,200 student McKendree College
in Lebanon, Ill., a town of 4,000 just 25 minutes from downtown
St. Louis.
A member of the track and football teams at Cactus Shadows,
Adam knew he wanted to continue running track competitively
after his high school career ended in 2004. At the same time,
he realized that he simply wasn't fast enough for any of the
in state university teams or other schools that competed at
the Division I level.
Fortunately, during his junior year, Adam and his father Sid
attended a presentation by Jack Renkens of Recruiting Realities,
a Scottsdale based company that educates parents, student
athletes and high school coaches across the country about
the recruiting process. It opened their eyes. |
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"He
made us realize that recruiting is a 'game' and that you have to
know how to play it to be successful," said Sid, principal
at Cactus Shadows High School and a former track star himself at
Northern Arizona University, where he is a member of the school's
Athletic Hall of Fame. "As we listened to Renkens describe
the process, I said to myself, 'This is the same thing I went through
as a kid; nothing's changed,'" he recalled. "We knew we
had to take the initiative because the process of getting an athletic
scholarship just doesn't happen by itself."
Armed with a new sense of urgency, Adam and his dad mapped out a
game plan. They signed up with a national recruiting service that
helps market high school athletes to colleges and universities across
the country. They told the service that academics and school size
were just as important as running track to Adam, who graduated eighth
in his high school class. Adam targeted some 35 schools and received
offers of scholarship aid from every one of them. After narrowing
his choices to Dana College in Nebraska and McKendree, he chose
the later, the oldest college in Illinois.
Renkens emphasized that student athletes like Adam aren't the exception,
but the rule. "Every year, fewer than one in 100 high school
athletes receive a fully funded scholarship at a Division I school
like Arizona State," he explained.
The good news, Renkens continued, is that there are a multitude
of scholarships available for high school athletes willing to look
at the thousands of other schools that don't receive coverage on
ESPN's Sports Center. "They just have to be realistic about
these opportunities and remember 'the greater distance from home,
the greater the opportunity,'" he added.
While most colleges do not use recruiting services, they do rely
on college scouting organizations, according to Renkens, a former
high school coach, administrator, teacher and athletic director
at an award winning Division II school. "Parents and athletes
should only work with an organization that has established coaching
relationships and offers a money back guarantee."
Two years and 1,500 miles later, Adam is glad he followed Renkens'
advice. He said McKendree has exceeded his expectations, providing
an ideal combination of academics, athletics and social environment.
Adam represents the Bearcat track team in the 100 and 200 meter
sprints and on the 4x100 meter relay team. Majoring in mathematics,
he's pursuing a degree in actuarial science and volunteering at
a Christian Activities Center in St. Louis.
"On my first day here, I felt alone and afraid-a feeling I
hadn't had since moving to Cave Creek and attending a new middle
school," said Adam. "As time passed, however, I became
more and more comfortable with McKendree and the opportunities I
had to further my education, run track and make new friends-lots
of them."
As one of only three white Americans on the McKendree track team,
Adam called the opportunity to learn about different cultures "amazing."
Adam's experience has profoundly influenced his younger brother
Austin, a senior and member of the track team at Cactus Shadows.
Even though his running times might be good enough to attract some
interest from Division I schools, Austin wants to follow in his
brother's footsteps. He is working with the same recruiting service,
which is helping "market" him to a number of small schools.
There should be plenty of interest considering Austin's impressive
credentials: 10th in his class and 2005 regional champ at 100 and
200 meters and fourth place at state in the 200 meter dash.
So far, Austin has completed about 10 15 questionnaires from colleges
and has had two or three phone calls from coaches. He's also visited
Hillsdale College in Michigan, but hasn't yet received a scholarship
offer.
"Many of the college coaches are waiting to see how Austin
runs in his senior year," concludes Sid. "We're confident
that he'll have a number of scholarship offers and will be able
to choose a school that has what he's looking for."
Given the excellent results achieved by his sons, Sid has scheduled
Renkens to speak at Cactus Shadows next fall. "Parents need
to know that if their son or daughter is good enough to play on
a varsity team at the school and is a good student, there is scholarship
money out there," he said. "The first step in accessing
it is knowing how to play the game."
Reach the reporter at barry@thedesertadvocate.com. |
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