Thomas Jefferson

High School | Home of the Spartans

From CHSAA to NCAA

Posted 01/27/2013 by Halen Alemseged

Athletes get a chance to talk to a former recruiter on Thursday at TJ about Division 1 or 2 sports.

CHSAA

TJ hosts presentation Thursday, January 31st at 6:00 pm in room 108 to help student athletes to prepare for college.

Are you an athlete who is planning to play at a division one or two school, but you don’t know where to start?  TJ Athletic Director Anrew Skari says the time is now. Don’t miss out on a perfect opportunity this Thursday, January 31st at 6:00 pm in room 108, when Ellen Grosso from the DPS Athletic department office will come in to talk to athletes and their parents about getting recruited and keeping track of their grades.

This meeting will include a 20-minute Power Point presentation (45 minutes in all, including open Q &A), explaining the web-based tool called, Core Course GPA, that the DPS Athletic department offers for free to all student-athletes, parents, faculty, counselors and coaches. It is a tool to help student athletes track their academic eligibility to participate in sports at the college level and also has all the NCAA information needed to explain and understand the recruiting process. “I was a college recruiter for 15 years for women’s basketball at the Division I level, so I will also be sharing insights (do’s and don’ts) of the recruitment process based on my experience, and I also will be available to answer questions,” said Grosso, who really recommends that every athlete comes to the presentation, including coaches, parents, and counselors.

Athletes who attend this session will learn and understand more about the academic requirements to play college sports, how to start tracking their grades and approved courses, and know that this tool is available for them to use for all four years, and it’s free. “They will also be able to access the many resources available to them on the website pertaining to financial aid resources, sports scholarship limits, specific recruiting rules pertaining to their sport(s), ways to market themselves as athletes to college coaches, and much more,” Grosso added.

TJ’s Athletic Director Andrew Skari believes this is an eye-opening presentation for athletes to keep their grades and stay on track to be recruited. “What a lot of high school athletes don’t know is that you have to have a certain ACT score and GPA to even be considered for recruitment. Also, they only look at your core classes, like your science, math, English and social studies; they don’t take into account the A you got in your art class. So it absolutely is a good idea to start your freshmen year with good grades,” says Skari.

According to the website, Core Course GPA has helped many athletes track their progress and get them steps closer to playing at the college level. A student athlete member on core Course GPA states, “I am grateful for the services that corecourseGpa.com provided.  I am a pretty focused student, but corecourseGpa.com helped me see exactly what the requirements were. It also helped me assist my teammates with getting more focused.”

For more information, see their website at: http://www.clearinghousecalculator.org/login.php