The SportsForce Week in Review will keep you informed on what’s going on in high school and club / travel team sports this week, what events SportsForce is attending, what we are working towards, and maybe what our favorite lunch of the week was. Check in every week to catch up with the SportsForce team.

June 15-21

SportsForce has been very busy this past week as with every week. As we expand the number of people on the SportsForce team we are powering faster towards the launch of our new site and locking down the Southern California sports market. On Tuesday, SportsForce was lucky enough to be invited to the Connect Sport Innovators Capital Forum at the HardRock Hotel in downtown San Diego. CEO Andrew Beinbrink was able to present to a room of startups and investors and share the SportsForce vision . For more info on the event and the Connect Sport Innovators visit http://www.connect.org//programs/sports-innovators/forum/ .

This Week in Sports:

SportsForce was at the annual SDSU high school Passing League Tournament this weekend, where the SDSU football coaching staff hosted over 30 teams. Some of the top teams in the tournament were: Oceanside High School (Oceanside, CA), Brophy Prep (Phoenix, AZ), La Quinta (Orange County, CA), La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, CA). Look for the Justin Robinson’s recap of the event to come in a later post.

SportsForce was a video production partner for the 39th annual California Baseball Coaches Association North – South Series at San Diego State University both Friday and Saturday. This three game series featured more than 40 of California’s top rising senior baseball players. With over 20 college coaches including coaches from UCLA, CAL, Fresno State, SDSU, USD, Long Beach State and about 10 Major League scouts in attendance the competition was strong. Over the years, more than 100 participants in the showcase have reached the major leagues. For more info on the event visit http://www.eteamz.com/cbca/ .

The North-South Series was played at San Diego State University on June 20 and 21. A doubleheader was held on Saturday and a single game on Sunday morning. The showcase is run by experienced high school coaches who have done this for over 20 years. There is no cost to the players other than bringing two baseballs with them to be used during the workout sessions. Players have been observed by over 100 pro and college scouts during these workouts.

SportsForce was at the MaxPreps Summer Series Basketball tournament. Following our blog on summer camps, the series shows there are many options to develop your game over the summer. The action was quick and talent great with many great Southern California club teams. Over 15 club teams participated in the two-day tournament.

Lots of action this past weekend and more in the coming week. There is no off-season for SportsForce! Coming up this week is the Baseball National Prospects Camp and the Cal Cup.

I don’t have any swimming stats from college, I never finished a mile around the track at my college while spectators stood by, and I certainly haven’t cleared a high jump bar beyond high school. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t take the journey towards college sports.

As a two-sport high school athlete who didn’t play college level sports, you may be wondering why I am writing on this subject. Here at SportsForce we are dedicated to assisting student-athletes reach their potential and a big part for those that want to pursue sports after high school is finding the right college fit for you.

At seventeen, deciding what you want to major in through college is terrifying, factor in where you want to live, laying out your schedule and deciding what sports program might be right for you, these decisions can be downright crippling. I went down this path. I swam competitively all my life. I loved it and wanted to keep swimming in college. As a straight A student, I also loved writing, learning and all that good stuff. I needed a school that could nurture me academically and socially, but also offer a swim program that would allow me to maintain my life. I had swam competitively since I was six years old, and couldn’t imagine life without it.

I had looked into many colleges with DII and DIII swim programs. Some were great schools, but I was in love with the University of Rhode Island. As in “Division I athletics” University of Rhode Island.

After much thought I decided I wanted to go to URI, it had the academics, the location and social opportunities I looked for, I would figure out the swimming part later, I thought. At freshman orientation several meetings ran at the same time for students to attend. Varsity athletics and the Honors Program were at conflicting times. Being more terrified of hard schoolwork than a heavy athletic program, I went to the varsity athletics meeting. I sat in on the swimming meeting, spoke with the coach, and though I was still terrified, got excited to swim for URI. I was a little nervous about how doubles sessions and away meets would work with my class schedule, but figured I would find a balance, as many, many athletes do.

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Getting the most out of your time is important to every college student, whether you’re an athlete, an honors student, a part time student or someone taking on more credits than imaginable. As with many things in life, the mantra, “work hard, play hard” works well in the college atmosphere. I hope to offer you a few tips to get the most out of your time in those four years, or whatever they may be for you.

Though I did not play a sport in college, I did work 20 hours a week and was active in many clubs and organizations. Trying to balance these commitments with class and studying, I learned a few tricks to get the most out of my time and still manage to push myself and enjoy the college experience.

One way to avoid a time crunch during your college years is to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school. Most schools offer a variety of AP subjects, which will not only count for credits in high school towards graduation, but also offer you the chance to earn credits for college. To count for college credit, you must pass the test at the end of the course, and be sure that your school of choice will accept these credits. This can ensure you have some general education classes or Gen Eds finished before you even step foot on campus. Just be sure you know where you send the scores, your school will process them apply them to your transcript, so long as they have received the scores in the first place. This is something that is important to follow up on.

Despite getting some credits out of the way, scheduling classes around your extracurricular activities can still be tough with many higher-level classes only being offered at one time or only one semester during the school year.

An easy option to work around this is to take down your course load if you can. Summers are a great time to squeeze in classes you may need. You can either take shorter, more intensive courses from your university over the summer or take them from an accredited college in your hometown. I was able to knock out some Gen Eds during summer courses, allowing me to take fewer credits during my senior year.

There are also many different types of classes out there which may be easier to work into a hectic schedule. Some classes meet just once a week for a longer block of time, while there are also opportunities for independent studies. Don’t be quick to panic about classes running into your schedule, from colloquiums, to independent studies, there is many options around the usual Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes. Many schools are now offering online courses even for students who live on campus, allowing for more flexibility in scheduling.

Really researching and planning out classes and credit loads can be time consuming, but it will pay off when your schedule is able to accommodate all of your obligations and still leave time to enjoy the college life.