Dear Matt:

Congratulations on your effort. I know it takes a lot of work, but the eventual rewards will be worth it. As a father of twins going through the recruiting process this year, I can't begin to tell you how many schools are looking for players. For some reason, when kids think of lacrosse, they see 10-20 teams who they feel have good programs. That's not true. I've found that there are hundreds of programs which can help a kid get a good education while allowing them to continue playing the game. Now, I'm not a college, or even involved with placement, but as a dad who's going through it, I would suggest that you have a "How To" column for the kids in order to get started on playing in college. It isn't that hard a process for any student athlete to accomplish:

Step 1: Go to College Lacrosse USA and click on the teams section. Go to Division I, II, and III and print out each page to get the names of all schools participating.

Step 2: Go to www.e-Lacrosse.com and go to the college club listings and find the schools participating on that level.

Step 3: Go to your guidance counselor and borrow a copy of the Baron's or Peterson's Guide to Colleges. Check out EVERY school on the list to see which ones offer the majors which you're interested in.

Step 4: Realistically evaluate your ability at lacrosse and eliminate the schools you know you can't play at (third string middies shouldn't write to Princeton).

Step 5: Pare down your list to a workable number of schools (15-20 is not unreasonable).

Step 6: Contact each coach by mail or e-mail and tell them of your interest. College lacrosse coaches are the most honest group I've ever dealt with and will be open and upfront with you about your chances for success athletically at their school.

Step 7: Keep communicating with the coaches while you get information from the admissions offices.

Step 8: Make school visits if possible. If not, ask for the names of players and call them. A $2.00 phone call can be your best investment in a college education.

Step 9: DON'T GIVE UP. If you think your a player, sell yourself and keep at it. There are always teams in need of players. Not everyone can go to Virginia or Princeton, but there are some exceptional schools who need talent desperately. Just because you haven't heard of a school doesn't mean that they're not what you want.

Step 10: Check out the "High School Athlete Recruiting Selection Guide" by Dave Prossner at College Lacrosse USA. It has a lot of good advice for student athletes applying to college.

I don't know if anything here is of value to you. I just have a feeling that if you start a little section with tips like this, you may do more to help the kids then you know.

Again...good luck, and thanks in advance for all you're doing to help the kids. If I can be of any help, let me know.

Howie Landman