Optimum Mindset of a Recruit Training Camp
“The opportunity to play college sports is a dream of many, but the reality is the recruiting process can add many stressors to life.” When Chase Forrest was a kid and then later a quarterback at Mater Dei High School he dreamed of playing football at an elite level. That dream came true when he earned a scholarship to play quarterback for the University of California Golden Bears.
However, what many “dream come true” stories sometimes don’t always tell you is the rocky road of obstacles that it took to get there and the stress that came along with that. After graduating from Cal, Forrest wanted to stay involved in football, and he knew that many kids who had the same dreams of playing at the next level were facing a stressful journey, so he began consulting with aspiring players to help them on their path.
In his GameChange digital Training Camp, Optimum Mindset of a Recruit, Forrest provides many insider tips on what players can do to increase their chances of getting the offer to play in college. As the title of the class suggests, Forrest especially focuses on the mindset of being a recruit. He hopes the Training Camp can help student athletes continue to enjoy the experience of playing in high school while being recruited, and he illustrates how a positive mindset can impress the college coaches and recruiters at the schools where the athletes hope to play.
Forrest points out that only about 6% of high school athletes will get a chance to play in college. Think about it. There are 100 people waiting in line, and 94 of them won’t get in. With odds that daunting, in the class Forrest challenged athletes with a simple question. “Do you love playing your sport?”
There is a very important reason Forrest asks that question. When evaluating your decision to pursue playing at the next level, it is important to be honest with yourself. Is college sports your goal, or is it your parents, or is it your peers? The drive to succeed must come from within. As Forrest later pointed out, “Passion is not just a nice to have. It is your fuel.”
It is important to make clear that Forrest is not trying to scare anyone away from pursuing their dreams. In the class, he talks about how attending Cal was one of the best decisions he ever made. He said, “I got an astounding education and a network that, prior to me going to Cal, I had no idea existed. So I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that I had there and I can take those lessons with me for the rest of my life, whether it’s in career or life, professionally, as a father, as a son, as a husband.”
Chase counsels student athletes to expand their goals beyond just playing their sport in college and to start thinking about it as a stepping stone to something greater that they want to achieve
