National Collegiate Scouting Association Rep to Speak in Ashburn on Athletic Recruiting

BlackBench Fit (BBF), a lifestyle fitness and nutrition company located in Loudoun County, Va, announced today it will host a “College Recruiting Simplified” seminar on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at its facility located at 21720 Red Rum Drive, Suite 167-172, Ashburn, Va.

The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) is the largest and most successful college scouting and recruiting network focused on connecting more than 40,000 college-level coaches – representing 29 sports – with athletes and parents. Since 2000, NCSA has placed over 60,000 athletes and has helped student athletes receive over $2.4 billion in scholarships.

Scouting partners are a key component of NCSA’s value proposition. Howard Stevens, a scouting partner and speaker with NCSA, as well as an NFL veteran and two-time All-American at University of Louisville, will present on how to find the right college fit for student-athletes and how to contact the programs to become a part of college athletics.

Stevens will help parents and students understand the importance of establishing athletic and academic goals, setting realistic expectations and seeking opportunities at all college levels.

The seminar is free to all area athletes, coaches and their parents.

Topics covered include:

· The benefits of playing collegiate sports

· Understanding how student-athletes get recruited

· Strategies to maximize an athlete’s recruiting potential

· Is Division I the only option?

· Timelines for college recruiting

· The importance of character and keeping good grades

· The five things every potential college recruit must do to get recruited

“Athletic recruiting is a difficult process but the hard work can pay off - earning an athletic scholarship is a life-changing experience,” said Stevens. “Athletic recruiting doesn’t work the way many people think, though - coaches from college programs don’t just go to camps and combines to ‘discover’ recruits. A lot of recruiting now happens online. Take an important first step in the road to a scholarship or playing opportunity by creating a recruiting profile in the NCSA Network.”

Trish Drennan, co-founder of BlackBench Fit said: “A top priority of our Athletic Development Academy is to help keep kids healthy and trained to reach their upper level goals, but we have found that parents and athletes are often not well versed in how to navigate the recruiting process. A very small percentage of our local athletes will be ushered through the Division I process, but the majority will need to be very proactive if they want to participate in college-level programs. Division II and Division III offer 50 percent and 100+ percent more opportunities respectively. However, the NCAA strictly regulates the recruiting process. If our local families do not have the appropriate support, they will most likely not be as successful as possible during the process. NCSA Athletic Recruiting can be the difference between a local athlete participating in college athletics or not.”

For more information about BlackBench Fit and its athletic development Academy, email info@blackbenchfit.com.