According to the National College Athletic Association (NCAA), about two percent of athletes who play high school sports receive scholarships for college. According to scholarshipstats.com, only seven percent of high schoolers who played during their high school years actually play a sport in college. These aren’t great numbers for an aspiring athlete who wants to “pursue their dream.” 

A high schooler will usually move out of state to attend a different high school so that they are more exposed to college recruiters. They leave their friends. Their parents have to quit their jobs and find new ones. The logistics of it almost don’t make sense. What is the point of uprooting a whole family to move states just to get a less slim chance of reaching the college that you dream of? It isn’t logical. If the chances of reaching that college level is so slim, why ruin memories that you can cherish for the rest of your life for a far fetched dream? Of course there are those few who are above the average high school athlete and they will stand out no matter where they play.

If a high school athlete really wants to pursue their dream of becoming a collegiate athlete, they should reach out to coaches instead of moving across the country. It’s not worth losing high school memories he or she could make with his or her friends in order to play 12 games for two months at another school. That is the best way athletes can get their names out there in the college sports world. If you are an aspiring college athlete, email coaches about yourself. Tell them your GPA. Send them a highlight video of all your best plays. Ask them to come out and watch you play. If you are good enough and they like what they see, they will show interest, and you may even have a chance to be a part of that two percent that receive a scholarship.

Moving out of state to attend high school is nonsensical. High school is a very important time in a person’s life. It helps teenagers find out who they are, what they want to do and what type of people they want to surround themselves with. High school students even have the chance of making lifelong friends. For example, my older brother and his friends don’t all go to the same college, but they frequently speak over the phone and hang out every day during break. I strive to create friendships like my brother has, and moving out of state for a two month high school season pretty much negates that chance. I wish that becoming a top athlete and being a normal high schooler could be done at the same time; however, it can’t. It is a risk-reward type of situation, and I believe moving out of state provides a risk that is too high to take.