Loudoun County, Va. — Twitter is the way high school student-athletes and college coaches communicate. Limitations placed on phone calls and text messages and expenses incurred and time spent on face-to-face meetings have created a shift in traditional recruiting measures to new-school recruiting tactics headlined by the use of Twitter’s direct message feature. Direct messages, like text messages, push notifications to a mobile phone’s homepage, but for some reason the former is still legal under NCAA regulations. Face-to-face meetings allow coaches and prospective student-athletes to learn basic personality characteristics about each other, but every coach, athlete and recruiter interviewed in the…
Author: Owen Gotimer
Owen Gotimer
Owen Gotimer is an award-winning journalist and small business owner from Leesburg, Virginia. After graduating from Heritage High School, Owen spent his college years at Syracuse University, where he studied broadcast and digital journalism in the renowned Newhouse School of Public Communications, before earning a Masters degree in social media, culture, and society from the University of Westminster. Owen owns OG Media, a full-service marketing partner specializing in website design & development, content creation, and graphic design & print. Additionally, Owen is the president of of the Jeffrey C. Fowler Memorial Scholarship.
By Owen Gotimer LoCoSports Editor-in-Chief [twitter-follow screen_name=’BigO_Gotimer’] Ashburn (October 25, 2016) – Broad Run High School senior Georgiana Voiebuna has made a commitment to continue her volleyball career at Cleveland State University starting in the 2017-2018 school year. “It makes me more responsible and excited for the next chapter in my life as a student-athlete in college,” the 5-foot-4 Voiebuna said. “It also gives me satisfaction knowing that my parents are proud of me once more, seeing their dedication and sacrifices in supporting my dreams and aspirations pay off a little.” Voiebuna’s dreams will take her to Cleveland State next…
Loudoun County, Va. — After high school coaches, external recruiters and social media bridge the gap between high school student-athlete and college coaches, the recruit and coach must work together to build a relationship and, ultimately, decide if both sides are a good fit for each other. For college coaches in the social media age, the first step in making the final decision is often pre-screening the student-athlete on Twitter to find out if the recruit has the attitude, the character and the personality to fit in with the team’s current chemistry and model. Twitter makes the initial screening easier for…
Leesburg, Va. — In a game dominated by hard-hitting outsides, it was only fitting that the final point of the match came off the hand of a setter. On October 17 in Leesburg, Loudoun County High School junior defensive specialist Rebecca Frey dug a tough hit by Stone Bridge High School late in the fourth game. Lady Raiders’ junior setter Andersen Vaughan knocked it over the net falling between a number of Lady Bulldogs, who felt their kill had touched down and that the point had already been won. However, the officials saw differently awarding the point to the Lady Raiders…
Loudoun County, Va. — Bridging the gap between high school student-athletes and college coaches throughout the recruitment process was historically up to the recruit’s high school coach or an external recruiter whose sole job is connecting athletes and coaches. However, with the introduction of Twitter into the recruiting game, connections are being made in other ways, so high school coaches are having to find new ways to stay involved in the recruitment process. High School Coaches – and Recruiters – Serve as Bridge Builders Between Athletes and Coaches Before Twitter, high school coaches and external recruiters – or bridge builders -…
By Owen Gotimer LoCoSports Editor-in-Chief [twitter-follow screen_name=’BigO_Gotimer’] Ashburn (October 16, 2016) – Facing a 4th-and-long from the Spartans’ 22-yard line, Broad Run High School freshman quarterback Mitch Griffis had the weight of Ashburn on his shoulders as the Spartans trailed rival Stone Bridge High School, 7-3, with just over one minute left in the Battle of the Burn on October 14. The packed Bulldog side of the stadium roared as Griffis took the snap, but the rumble quickly changed sides when Griffis connected with senior running back Meech Hembry at the 50-yard line to convert on the first down. But…