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 -…
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 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…
Loudoun County, Va. — The recruitment process for prospective student-athletes is like a dance between two sides: the high school recruit and the college coach. High school recruits are trying to sell their skills to colleges coaches, while college coaches are trying to sell their programs to high school recruits. Since both sides must come to a mutual agreement if the PSA is to land at the school, both sides must do their homework in screening the other. I sat down with student-athletes during my research, and according to them, Twitter is the easiest way for college coaches to pre-screen a…
Loudoun County, Va. — As the NCAA relaxes recruiting rules and as social media becomes commonplace among high school student-athletes, more and more college coaches turn to social networking sites like Twitter to learn about the character of prospective student-athletes. However, coaches and student-athletes need a mutual understanding of how a PSA’s presence online compares to his offline character and how college coaches are using social media to recruit or stop recruiting PSAs. College Coaches Athletically Dooce Prospective Student-Athletes To dooce someone is to fire her from her job because of her published content online1. On multiple occasions high school student-athletes…
By Owen Gotimer LoCoSports Editor-in-Chief [twitter-follow screen_name=’BigO_Gotimer’] Leesburg (September 28, 2016) – Tied at one game apiece and trailing 23-20 in the third set, the Briar Woods High School volleyball team found themselves in a tough situation against Tuscarora High School on September 27 in Leesburg. However, Lady Falcon senior hitter Logan Manusky found the desire and edge Briar Woods needed to win pounding away kill after kill before finally sending across her final kill of the set to defeat the Lady Huskies, 27-25. The momentum of the third set comeback proved to be enough for the Lady Falcons, who…
Purcellville, Va. — Loudoun Valley High School junior Ryan Hammer led the field at the Conference 21B Championships on September 22 at Loudoun Golf and Country Club, shooting a 1-over, 73 as the Vikings earned Conference 21B’s second spot in the VHSL 4A West region tournament. Heritage High School claimed the the Conference 21B team title as Pride junior Nick Rentsch (74) placed second while seniors Garrett Ganley (77) and Eli Newman (77) tied for fifth. Loudoun County junior Ryan Monastero (75), Dominion senior Max Dyson (79), Loudoun County senior Devon Teasdale (81), Dominion junior Kelvin Shen (83), Dominion senior Quinn Hollister (83) and Dominion sophomore Alex Brendes (83) earned…