Collegiate Corner

Empower Young Athletes! By Janel Burgess, Grand Valley Basketball 07/01/2008
Coaches are so fortunate to have the opportunity to empower young athletes of today in such an amazing way. Our goal at Grand Valley is to win championships for sure, but more importantly Read More »
Female Hockey Catches on Fire!! By Chandy Kaip, Adrian College Ice Hockey 05/01/2008
Besides my sister, I was the only girl I knew who played ice hockey growing up. I would tuck all my hair up inside my helmet so nobody Read More »
Fastpitch Softball is a Game for you! By Margo Jonker, Central Michigan Softball 03/01/2008
Playing fastpitch softball in high school and/or beyond is an experience you shouldn’t miss if you have any sense of competitiveness and are blessed with athletism. This game is one that   Read More »
Form Running By Denny Griffin, Alma College Softball 01/01/2008
I tell our players that the shortest point from point A to point B is a straight line. A lot of times players run with their hands and elbows away from the body and all over the place like they want to fly. When that happens,   Read More »
Sports Parenting 101 By Mark Rosen, University of Michigan Volleyball 11/01/2007
Are you ready? For what you might ask. How about the future? Even with the passage of Title IX in 1972, the law which requires schools receiving federal funds to provide Read More »
Give Me The Ball!! By Kim Berrington, Eastern Michigan Volleyball 09/01/2007
Do you remember your best hit? Have you ever drilled one down on the ten-foot line? Have you ever delivered a “six-pack” (a spike off an opponent’s head) or a facial disgracial (off an opponent’s face)? If you have done   Read More »
Youth Coach By Drago Dumbovic, Saginaw Valley Soccer 07/01/2007
It is important that coaches recognize the title COACH does not guarantee automatic respect and dedication from their athletes. Players and parents have high expectations of their coach. Most coaches do a great job working with their young athletes; however, some   Read More »
Attitude 101 By Jeff Curtis, Northwood University Basketball 05/01/2007
At Northwood University we constantly talk with our team about things that you can control. We believe that you have three things that you, as a player, can control every day.   Read More »
Does Height Matter? By Cathy George, Michigan State Volleyball 03/01/2007
If you've ever been to a club or high school volleyball tournament, odds are that you’ve likely seen college coaches lingering in the corners observing players. A common misconception among parents and players is that coaches of big schools   Read More »
A Winning Attitude - It Takes Time By Josh Steffen, Concordia University Basketball 01/01/2007
If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. A coach of mine told this to me many years ago, and I have never forgotten it. For every successful program and athlete, for every game or event with   Read More »
Is Your Identity Wrapped Up In Sports? By Beckie Francis, Oakland University Basketball 11/01/2006
I have been involved with sports my whole life. It started when I was nine years old and played little league baseball in a rural, up-state New York town. Ever since winning my first little-league championship, I was hooked! Winning felt great and so did the adoration   Read More »
Coaching, A True Profession By Don Myers, Lake Superior State Softball 09/01/2006
Coaching and selling are, in my mind, the only true professions. No one can tell you how to do it. Yes, there are numerous self-help books on coaching as well as those about knocking on doors, but once you are in the coaching box, or in the   Read More »
The College Athlete By Sabrina Lane, Saginaw Valley Softball 07/01/2006
The College Athlete's four years sure seems like a long time. After just finishing up four years of high school, you have to start all over again as the rookie. You go from being the one that everyone looks up to, to being low woman on the   Read More »
Understanding the College Recruiting Process By Laura Passage, Western Michigan Soccer 05/01/2006
Are you wondering why that college coach hasn’t returned your phone calls? Are you wondering which schools offer scholarships based on athletic ability, and for those of them that don’t, does that mean you won’t receive any sort of financial aid   Read More »
What Does it Take to be a Team Leader? By Karen Baird, Eastern Michigan Softball 03/01/2006
Great team leaders set and maintain standards for everyone else on the team to follow. They consistently give it their all, and demand that their teammates do the same. Coaches want leaders that can be a direct extension of the coaching staff   Read More »
Coach by Chance, Mentor by Choice By Joanne P. McCallie, Michigan State Basketball 11/01/2005
Young people often ask me how I became a coach and how can they become a coaches in the future. Only after pursuing careers in radio, TV, film, political science (law school) and working in downtown Chicago for a telecommunications   Read More »
Being True To Yourself and Team By Sunny Jones, Hillsdale College Softball 09/01/2005
Most college coaches battle with some of the same issues when it comes to new student-athletes. For the most part these consist of grades and social infractions that pose issues with university or team rules. Is there a solution?   Read More »
How To Be A Better Player By Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, Ferris State Volleyball 07/01/2005
Congratulations! By choosing to read this article, you took the first step toward improving yourself as a player. Now comes the hard part….work. If it were easy to be great, great would only be average. Few athletes achieve near to their potential   Read More »
Time Management and the Student-Athlete By Terry Karwoski, Western Michigan Gymnastics 05/01/2005
Practice, conditioning, study table, 14-16 credit hours and then a college social life; how does the student-athlete manage time? This is a big question on the minds of parents and their soon to be college freshmen. Incoming college freshmen student   Read More »
Attending Sport Camps By Carol Hutchins, University of Michigan Softball 03/01/2005
As you plan your summer, consider attending a summer sport camp. It can be a productive and rewarding experience. Almost every college campus hosts a variety of summer programs in which you can spend either entire days or entire weeks on campus   Read More »
Self Discipline By Ron Stewart, Western Michigan Basketball 11/01/2004
As we approach the official start of practice for this season, I am energized because of the excellent group of student-athletes in our program. This group has a core of four very solid seniors plus others with a high level of experience. An exper-ienced returning   Read More »
Division lll: The True Student-Athlete By Jeanne Hess, Kalamazoo College Volleyball 09/01/2004
“Colleges and universities in Division III place highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students’ academic programs. They seek to establish and maintain an   Read More »
The Winning Attitude. What Is It? By Dave Schmidlin, Oakland University Volleyball 07/01/2004
Every time a team takes the field or court, it is with the intention of winning. When the contest is over and we look up at the scoreboard, only one team has accomplished its goal. But, is that really the case? Read More »
Who wants to play Division II Athletics? By Sabrina Lane, Saginaw Valley Softball 05/01/2004
When I talk to many kids and their parents who are I hear, “I want to go play at State or Central, you know, Division I,” or “My kid is good enough to go D-I.”  If I had a nickel for the number of times I have heard this statement in my short time   Read More »
Players Are Made in the Summer By Eileen Kleinfelter, Central Michigan Basketball 03/01/2004
Are you the type of athlete who waits until preseason approaches and then looks for a quick fix to improve your skills?  Did you put off practicing those free throws only to regret it later? If so, ask yourself, are you really serious about becoming the player   Read More »
Being a Student-Athlete By Jerry Reighart, Central Michigan Gynmastics 02/01/2004
As a collegiate coach and instructor, I watch 28,000 students return to campus each fall. They come with a sense of adventure and excitement. Four hundred and fifty of those students are student-athletes; twelve of the student   Read More »
You Want a Scholarship? Make It Happen! By Carol Hutchins, University of Michigan Softball 11/01/2003
You have practiced hard, competed year round and have done all the right things. You have been named all-district, all-region, and even all state.  Your high school coach calls you “the best kid I have ever coached”.   Above all, you are   Read More »
Recruiting: Attitude is Everything! By Melissa Gentile, Eastern Michigan Softball 09/01/2003
Every summer a mass of college coaches headd out on the recruiting trail, all looking for the same thing…. student-athletes who will help bring their program to the next level and who will represent the team and university well. With all of the talented   Read More »
Choosing a School: Does Size Really Matter? By Bob Wilkerson, University of Detroit Mercy Softball 06/01/2003
One important factor often over-looked by athletes preparing to play college sports is the size of the school, and how size may influence your college experience. The majority of female athletes in college today are having fun playing their sport, but more Read More »
Drinking and Recruiting - An Inappropriate Mix By Jacquie Joseph, Michigan State Softball 05/01/2003
It is time for the NCAA to legislate the use of alcohol with regard to recruiting. Everyone agrees that drinking on college campuses is a problem. While most students stop drinking  “college quantities” when they get out of college, far too many learn   Read More »
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