Recruiting Visits..... what is normal?

OP, thanks for starting the thread. It's been an eye-opener for me.

I coached for 20+ years at several colleges/universities. Of course my current students hosted prospective students; but frankly I never spoke to the hosts about alcohol/partying, one way or the other. In retrospect I certainly think I should have; but as a nondrinker myself, and the coach at high-powered academic schools, I simply didn't think about it. It didn't even occur to me!

I do feel comfortable that the hosts of the high school girls who came to visit didn't expose them to a drinking/"party" experience, but I recognize that I could just have been kidding myself.

One reason that all this particularly resonates is that my alma mater's men's xc team performed vastly better than expected at the conference meet this past fall, and I'm told that one reason is all the athletes had voted to "stay dry" for the season. Makes me wonder what previous seasons were like...

Thank you, Lease for taking the time to reply in such a positive way! I have been continuing to follow this thread and remain appreciative of all the varying feedback. It has been a real eyeopener for me too. It has given me a positive perspective to hear others mention, "better to know now, then never know, and then have the student sign blind." and they're absolutely right, super valid point. I do worry a little for the students that might have a too blah-say opinion of alcohol and how normal, or quintessential, it is to the college experience (or being part of a team/sport). Makes me wonder (still) how much peer pressure and escapism is at play, how much any one individual considers the risks of binge drinking (which wasn't really too much a part of my OP, but I have thought about moreso now having read some of the student athlete replies) and whether there is a healthy enough dose of mindfulness among themselves and their peers and if enough student athletes are considering the risks that it potentially poses to them, their friends and teammates, young inexperienced recruits, and their performance overall. .... BUT that's just the older wiser part of me talking, and I'm sure I would have NEVER felt that way myself in my late teens and 20s!!! Never having attended a live-in university myself (though I had plenty of friends who did around me, living at that time in a college town) and never having been an athlete (not even in high school) I may not have been naive (despite some here saying I am) about what teens and 20somethings can get into, and DO get into in college.... I was CERTAINLY naive about what (potentially) happens with teenaged CHILDREN while in the care of college/coach/teams while on a recruiting visit. I did truly assume that most people here would say that story was (for the most part) an exception and on the extreme end. Anyhow, thank you for sharing. It has been a pleasure reading all of the great feedback and response from everyone!!