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October College Recruiting Newsletter 2022

Welcome to the Kings Hammer October College Recruiting Newsletter! The club is excited to work with you to accomplish all of your player’s goals for this upcoming soccer year, on and off of the soccer field. Each month, we will be providing this resource to not only help you navigate the craziness that is the college recruiting process, but also provide personal development materials and resources to assist in growing individually while living a more purpose and value driven lifestyle. We hope you find value in this newsletter and we are excited to assist in this exciting process for your family!

This month’s College Recruiting Newsletter is going to dive into two very relevant topics for our student athletes: Financial Aid and Developing Patience.  But before we get to those sections we want to remind everyone to that you should now be able to access your Sports Recruits account. We encourage anyone who has not already done so to log onto their account and begin exploring the SR platform.  We also suggest that everyone update your profile:  uploading a photo (in KH uniform) adding a student email address, and a primary position.  This will ensure that your account is visible to any coaches viewing the Kings Hammer site.  Click the link below for more guidance on updating your profile.

Sports Recruits-Building Your Athlete Profile

Financial Aid Opportunities

A very important factor that hasn’t been discussed to this point in the college recruiting newsletter is financial aid opportunities that are ready and available to students. We have spent a lot of time discussing finding the best school that fits you from an academic, soccer, and social perspective, but we haven’t spent much time at all talking about how you plan to pay for your college experience! While some athletes are fortunate to get full scholarships, this almost always isn’t the case. With that being said, many universities have options in place to provide students with an array of ways to make their dream school a reality by making school affordable. Whether the schools you are looking at are public or private, both types of institutions have ways to help pay for school during or after your collegiate experience. Below will look into a few different financial aid opportunities for you to think about and discuss with the schools you are interested in.

  • Aid From Your College or Career School – Many schools offer financial aid from their own grant and/or scholarship funds. Find out what might be available to you by visiting your school’s financial aid page on its website or contact the financial aid office. At just about every school which you apply for will offer some sort of financial aid. This can be a combination of athletic and academic aid, depending on things like your GPA, ACT/SAT test scores, as well as if you are being recruited by institutions that offer athletic scholarships (NCAA Division 1, NCAA Division 2, NAIA).
  • Grants – A grant is a form of financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund, or you receive a TEACH Grant and don’t complete your service obligation). A variety of federal grants are available, including Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Teacher
  • Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.
  • Scholarships – Many nonprofit and private organizations offer scholarships to help students pay for college or career school. This type of free money, which is sometimes based on academic merit, talent, or a particular area of study, can make a real difference in helping you manage your education expenses.
  • Work-Study Jobs – The Federal Work-Study Program allows you to earn money to pay for school by working part-time. This allows you to have a job on campus that helps to pay for your schooling!
  • Loans – When you receive a student loan, you are borrowing money to attend a college or career school. You must repay the loan as well as interest that accrues. It is important to understand your repayment options so you can successfully repay your loan.

Additional Resource Links

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Patience

The recruiting process can be a tricky one to navigate, and more often than not, takes a while to play itself out. Between initial contact and gauging interest, figuring out how genuine that interest actually is (on both sides), taking visits, and finally accepting an offer and crossing the finish line, this process can take months or even years! It is human nature to want to have all of the answers right away, and for a lot of potential student athletes at 16 or 17, making their college selection is their biggest life decision to date. It is important that you understand that rushing into a decision

for the wrong reasons can lead to frustration down the road. Instead, being thorough, proactive and patient in your recruiting process will lead to more fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction with the decision that you ultimately make. Take a look below at 5 ways to practice patience on a daily basis and determine how you can add this to your toolbox of daily habits to help set you up for success!

  1. Be more aware of when you’re being impatient (and patient) – Patience is one of those areas where being more aware – more mindful – really pays off. So, what do we get impatient about? What situations and behaviors set off our impatience? Identify them, and then be more aware of when one of these triggers might be coming up. Once we think more about what they are, we can begin to work out strategies to deal with them more patiently.
  2.  Simply enjoy the process – It also pays to be mindful in another way too. Often our impatience comes about because we’re focusing too hard on the end goal. Rather than enjoying the journey to get there, we’re stressing about achieving something that might take some time. One way of combatting this is to try and do more things that aren’t immediately rewarding, but which pay off in the end.
  3.  Take three big breaths – Take a breath. And another, and another. It is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop yourself being impatient. It works for a number of reasons. For one, it returns your breathing to normal. When you’re stressed, the first thing that is affected is your breathing. Secondly, the extra oxygen has a calming effect on your mind and body. You simply feel more relaxed and less stressed when you’re breathing more slowly. And thirdly, it creates space. It puts a bit of distance between the thing that is triggering your impatience, and your reaction to it
  4.  Practice being patient – In many ways, being patient is a habit. Like any good habit it can be learned. And once we’ve learned it, we can improve it with regular practice. The simplest way to do this to build up your tolerance for waiting, or for disappointment. This might sound strange, but it can be useful. For example, don’t always give yourself what you want, straightaway. Make yourself wait for good things from time to time. Or lower your expectations about how things are going to turn out. This isn’t about settling for second-best or taking a cynical approach to life. But rather, it is about being honest about how the world works (and how things don’t always go your way).
  5.  Be realistic – Building on this last point, patience is also about looking at the bigger picture. Having strategies up your sleeve for dealing with those moments when you get impatient is good. But it is also necessary to be realistic and honest about what is driving your impatience. Expectations are central to this. When we set unrealistic expectations, we cause ourselves stress when, unsurprisingly, things don’t work out.

Additional Resources

Monthly Help Links from SportsRecruits

College Commitments

  • CJ DeBra – Youngstown State University
  • Riley Arnold – Ohio Dominican
  • Ellie Greenwell – Ohio University
  • Zara Graff – Wright State University
  • Abby Unkraut – University of Georgia
  • Mia Fiore – Xavier University
  • Victoria Zappasodi – Cleveland State
  • Ella Smith – Miami University
  • Jordan Church – Arkansas State University
  • Amanda Schlueter – Ohio State University
  • Sophie Decker – Marian University
  • Ruby Dunlevy – Eastern Kentucky University
  • Margo Roberts – Ohio Dominican University
  • Olivia Parmer – Marian University
  • Emma Morrison – Kentucky Christian University
  • Shannon Ott – Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
  • Rose Vigran – George Washington University
  • Jill Planeaux – Ohio Dominican University
  • Katie Hoog – Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
  • Laney Smith – University of Cincinnati
  • Millie Cluxton – College of Charleston
  • Mia Jackson – Purdue University Fort Wayne

Remember to post your commitment to your Sports Recruits account and send commitment photos to info@kingshammer.com so that you can be recognized for your achievements.

Tryout FAQ’s

How do I register for tryouts?
ALL soccer-athletes MUST COMPLETE the tryout registration online before participating in the tryout process. Click here to register now!

*Please make sure that you register online at least 24 hours in advance to ensure that the soccer athlete is in the system and we have your information to notify you after the tryout process.  There is a Registration Steps document on the Tryouts page that will walk you through the process. Each soccer athlete should attend both tryout days if possible. If you are unable to attend both days please reach out to the Program Director listed below.

Birth Years for the 2022/2023 Season
For the 2022/2023 season, Kings Hammer will follow U.S Youth Soccer’s guidelines and will organize its teams by birth year:

*Interested players must register to try out for their birth year.

Can my child play up an age group?
Any player playing up will be at the discretion of their respective director. All players need to register and attend the tryout for their correct age group.

What should I wear/bring to tryouts?
Please come prepared with a fully inflated soccer ball, proper footwear, shin guards, and water. Each prospective soccer-athlete will receive one free Kings Hammer Soccer Club tryout t-shirt with a tryout identification number on the back of the t-shirt.  Each prospective player will be identified by the identification number throughout the process and MUST wear this t-shirt at each tryout session for the 2022/2023 soccer year.

We will not be able to attend tryouts or are new to the area and missed tryouts. Is there a process in place to allow for an alternate tryout?
Yes! If you are not able to attend tryouts or missed the tryout dates, please register and then contact the Director for the Program/Age Group you wish to tryout for so that arrangements can be made. We also hold supplemental tryouts throughout the year. Roster openings may be limited after the initial tryout period.

What are the differences between Academy and Premier?
Our Academy provides a highly competitive environment for higher-level soccer athletes. This program provides those athletes with the best local training offered by our qualified and professional staff. Our Academy teams play at the highest possible level providing showcase opportunities to College, Professional, and National level programs.

The Premier Program is a community-based program. The Premier Program provides the opportunity for players to play other sports or have other interests outside of soccer. This program is designed to be flexible, convenient, and affordable.

Can I try out for multiple programs?
We encourage anyone who wants to tryout for all levels to do so. Current KHSC players can ask their coach/director for guidance if they are unsure about which program to tryout for. You will need to register for each tryout separately.

If I tryout for a program and don’t make it, can I try out for another program?
Yes. If you don’t make an Academy team, we strongly encourage you to tryout for a Premier team, attending tryouts for at least one day.

If you don’t make a Premier team, the Classic Program may be an option. Contact Michelle Okumura (michelle@kingshammer.com) if you’d like to pursue this option.

Will there be more than one team in each age group?
Yes, when possible, there will be more than one team per age group, per program. It all depends on the number of players at tryouts and their skill level.

If my child doesn’t make the top team, can they move up during the year?
Yes, there may be opportunities to move up throughout the year as long as the coach/director feels it is in the best interest of the player’s development. There may also be opportunities to guest play across all levels.

What can I expect after tryouts?
After tryouts you can expect communication from the club in the form of an email.  (Please double-check that your email is correct in the PlayMetrics system, this is the email we use) This will either be an acceptance email, offering your child a position on a team, or an email letting you know that they should tryout for a different program. Players who are offered positions on a team may also receive a phone call from their coach. All communication will come within 24-48 hours of the end of the last tryout. You will then have 24 hours to either accept or decline your email before your spot is offered to another child.

What are the next steps if my child makes a team?

  1. If you are new to the club, you will receive more information regarding your uniform ordering in your confirmation email.
  2. If you are part of the Academy or Premier Programs, you will receive the link to Demosphere to register your child in the state system in your confirmation email as well.

How long is the season?

  • Academy
    • U11-U14: August-November, January-May (possible post-season in June)
    • U15-U19: November-May
  • Premier
    • U7-U14: August-October, March-May
    • U15-U19: November-December, March-May

My child is in middle school but plays on a U15 team. Will there be a fall U15 program for trapped players?
Yes, we will offer a program for trapped 8th graders for the fall season depending on interest. The program will run from August to October and is open to players that are currently in the 8th grade that will be playing on a U15 team starting in November 2022. Questions please contact:

Academy North: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Academy South Boys: James Thomas | james@kingshammer.com
Academy South Girls: Chris Black | chris@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Boys: Dan Ensley  | dan@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Girls: Megan Adkins | megan@kingshammer.com

Can a team come to the club and join as a team?
Yes! The team can join the Classic Program. For more information please reach out to Michelle Okumura at michelle@kingshammer.com.

Who is in charge of hiring coaches?
If you are interested in a coaching opportunity, please fill out the following coaching form – https://kingshammer.com/interested-in-coaching/

Program Directors:

Academy North: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Academy South Girls: Chris Black | chris@kingshammer.com
Academy South Boys: James Thomas | james@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Boys: Dan Ensley | dan@kingshammer.com
Academy Bluegrass Girls: Megan Adkins | megan@kingshammer.com
Premier Xenia: Brent Lewis | brent@kingshammer.com
Premier North: Wil Cagle | wil@kingshammer.com
Premier Sycamore: Ryan Handbury | ryan@kingshammer.com
Premier Central: Michael Ratliff | michaelr@kingshammer.com
Premier South: David Shemilt | dshemilt@kingshammer.com
Premier Versailles: Brandon Cummons | brandon@kingshammer.com
Premier Lexington: Fonyam Atanga | fonyam@kignshammer.com