What do I ask college coaches?

And I ask what is the goal of their program and where do they see it by the time I am there.

Ask them how much scholarship they are offering and how they intend to win championships.

Coaches like confidence. Open the conversation with something like "This is your opportunity to wow me. I suggest you make the most of it." Then just sit in silence waiting for him to do so. If you aren't satisfied with the response, walk.

You figure out what's important to you in your college decision and you get them to help find the answer. You also need to find out if it's someone you can work with because your coach is going to be a big part of your college life if you're successful in running.

Honestly you shouldn't base too much of your decision on the track team, but if it's important to you then take the time to find a program that will give you what you want out of it.

Visit the school. That will tell you a lot.

Are you a top recruit? Figure out what you can get scholarship wise.

Are you marginally qualified for the team? Make sure you're clear on your prospects.

Are you after a challenging major? Make sure they are alright with that and won't prevent you from taking the classes you need if they conflict with training.

Are you unsure of your chances to get into the school? Ask if they can help.

Really, you just want to get to know them a bit. Your questions will get more specific as you get farther into the process.

prove your confidence wrote:

Coaches like confidence. Open the conversation with something like "This is your opportunity to wow me. I suggest you make the most of it." Then just sit in silence waiting for him to do so. If you aren't satisfied with the response, walk.

If this is a joke then fine. But seriously, don't do this. The coach doesn't want to have to recruit high school kids to begin with. If you're a punk, they are going to move on.

You're forgetting the most important question which is What PRs do you need to be able to run on the team?

What scholarships they offer is also important?

Championship history and how fast are the current runners on the team? Iam sure you could also look this up by yourself.

Ask the coach if there is any doubt in his mind of you becoming the best distance runner in the world under their tutelage.

Ask them what they think of soliciting advice on the letrsun message board

Use all your visits and ask other athletes, both old and young, and you won't need to ask the coach much.

I would've wanted to know how (s)he sees my development on the team over time and what specific training plans will be implemented for me both as a team member and an individual. Will (s)he by my primary coach or is there an asst. or other coach I will be delaing with most of the time? High mileage? Low? Moderate? In track, what events does (s)he see me specializing in and based on my current abilities, what is my potential?

sunflower wrote:

prove your confidence wrote:

Coaches like confidence. Open the conversation with something like "This is your opportunity to wow me. I suggest you make the most of it." Then just sit in silence waiting for him to do so. If you aren't satisfied with the response, walk.

If this is a joke then fine. But seriously, don't do this. The coach doesn't want to have to recruit high school kids to begin with. If you're a punk, they are going to move on.

I agree, not smart and probably a joke

It's fine (and usually good) to give the person a chance to tell you why their school is really good. I've always done it in job interviews at the end, asking them why their place is good to work or what they enjoy about it (if they are in a similar role) but this only works if you have first demonstrated yourself that you are worthy of consideration, and not a total dick.

prove your confidence wrote:Coaches like confidence. Open the conversation with something like "This is your opportunity to wow me. I suggest you make the most of it." Then just sit in silence waiting for him to do so. If you aren't satisfied with the response, walk.

This approach will work ok if you have a 3:58 mile. If not, then I would ask some other types of questions.

Oh come on. It works for 3:59 too.

grammatical toilet explosion wrote:Oh come on. It works for 3:59 too.

Maybe. 3:58 to be safe.

I'd ask about:

-long term progression of the athletes

-whether plans are individualised or generic

- what athletic dept. benefits you get (gear, physio, facilities etc...)

- how they can reconcile studies and athletics, especially if you're getting into a tough program

-the coach's training philosophy

-an example of a training schedule

-who will be your specific coach ( the recruiting coach isn't always the distance coach)

The most helpful thing I got from learning about college programs was going for a jog with athletes on the team, so if you go for a visit I'd ask the coach if they could text them or something. The athletes were in your position recently and can offer a good 2nd opinion of the program.

My good friend who coached Jordan Hasay in HS sent me a great list of 101 questions from Paul McMullen to ask a potential college coach. It's very good. My friend sent it to Mary Cain, my daughter used it in her search - she ended up signing with Oregon State. Send me your email, and I'll forward it to you.

Good luck with your search. It's about the school first and the running program second.

Email me if interested.

Joe

joe@runningwarehouse.com

I am on the coach end of these conversations, and "what is a typical week of training" is the most common question we get and frankly one of the least useful. What does that even mean? Training looks very different at different times of year, for different athletes, etc etc. And, what information do you gain from that question that's going to help you differentiate programs or meaningfully impact your college experience? Are you going to pick a school based on whether they long run on Saturday or Sunday?

The questions you ask are a chance for you to stand out, the coach is having this same conversation many times a week, generic questions will lead to generic rehearsed answers - every coach has a basic stock answer to the questions you presented, and good recruiters will use them to steer the conversation to something more relevant, but that makes for a very boring interaction. They'll notice if you ask unique, interesting, thoughtful questions. Think about things that are actually going to be difference makers in your college experience, and then ask questions that get at them. Even the slight repackaging of "what is your training and/or coaching philosophy" is a way better question than "what is a typical week of training"

ask for pics of the girls team