Your High School Years

Parents, looking back during your day, how much fun did sports bring to your high school experience? Sports can bring a tremendous amount of fun and school spirit and this can happen both as a player and or as a spectator.     

First of all the high school student athletes only get to play high school sports just once. So every high school athlete needs to know that this opportunity only passes you by one time and one time only.  So playing one sport or playing multiple sports in high school really doesn’t matter but playing does.  Student athletes should at least go out and making the effort to play. Not everyone will make these high school teams but looking back and knowing your tried will make a difference.

For the serious student athlete, participating in high school sports, as well as club sports, is definitely a stepping-stone toward the dream of playing in college. 

The four years of high school goes by very fast.  Student athletes need to realize the college process starts your freshman year and will continue until you graduate from high school. "On the playing field" players know what needs to be done.  Student athletes need to know that the “Off the field” (in the classroom) efforts are as important or more so then the “on the field” work.   

Be sure to take care of those grades and you will have many more options when it comes to playing in college. 

You only get one opportunity to get recruited so now is the time to get started with your college search.

Are you doing what is necessary?

Have a great 2015-16 school year.

Tim Twellman Director of The College Program 

Henry's College Game Report

Making a Difference…Life after Sports

The sports have given our family so much over the years. When I actually look back at the 35 years I have been married sports has always been part of our daily lives.

From my college education, to my career as a professional player, to my current career directing 

The College Program and Twellman Soccer, sports has always been part of my life.

The same is true for my three kids. From their education to their careers to their love of all sports; sports continues to be part of their lives.

Now our focus has changed to serving our young players.

The College Program

Twellman Soccer

ThinkTaylor 

Our oldest son, Taylor Twellman, former five-time Major League Soccer all-star, was forced to retire from professional soccer in 2010, due to complications from multiple concussions, a type of Traumatic Brain Injury ("TBI"). While suffering five documented concussions throughout his professional playing career, on August 31, 2008, Taylor suffered a concussion that many believe ended his storied career in Major League Soccer (Taylor played in eight more games, scoring five goals for his team, following this injury).

As Taylor later realized, this brain injury was far more than a career-ending injury, rather, it was a life-changing event.

Inspired to make a difference in the world of concussions, Taylor, with the support of the entire family, founded the ThinkTaylor Foundation in 2011, a foundation driven and dedicated to changing the culture in the world of concussions. Yes, the entire family, are all in and are driven to make a difference. Through our website, one of the many aspects of ThinkTaylor Foundation that we offer to our concussion movement, is the opportunity to share their personal story. We want these concussed individuals to understand that we hear them and we C.A.R.E. We need to listen and hear their stories. This is an invisible injury that needs to be listened to. The response to sharing their stories has been overwhelming. Most of these stories are extremely informative and so familiar to Taylor’s journey.

Taylor’s story is an inspirational story. He "lives" this injury every day, and while some days are worse than others, he and all of us believe that he will one day recover. Taylor also believes in the power of education and encouragement; in fact, he wants his foundation to "take the burden off" of everyone involved and to make a positive impact in the lives of those affected. ThinkTaylor believes in helping kids, not scaring kids. As Taylor stated in a recent ThinkTaylor appearance, "I [need] to help myself by helping others... I want to be a voice for the injury."

ThinkTaylor’s positive message, emphasizing C.A.R.E. (CONCUSSION AWARENESS RECOGNITION and EDUCATION [and] putting the health of kids first will create a positive social change and in return, a safer, healthier and smarter environment for our youth.

The College Program = Creating Social Change in Your Community

A St. Louis native (SLUH ‘01) and a former Stanford (’05) student-athlete,I believe that an effective business is one that serves others and more importantly, creates new ways of thinking: SOCIAL CHANGE. The College Program is such a company (www.thecollegeprogram.com). Having co-founded The College Program with my dad, Tim, we have created a business that addresses the overwhelming and time-consuming college decision that families face today. 

And yet, we take it a step further… The mission of The College Program is to give all families the knowledge and the tools to better understand their options and to ultimately, comprehend the magnitude of their decision. As a 30 year old, I know many former college students and student-athletes that regret their college choice – why? – Because they didn’t do their homework and they chose a school that ultimately, didn’t match their personal, financial and post-graduate profile. We see this all across the country. Post-graduate profile –this is where we take it a step further. We believe that if a student wants to attend a college, then they need to ask themselves – What does this mean when I graduate? This means that families need to examine their child’s major and their future salary expectations. This is the Elephant in the Room that no one is talking about and that we want to address. If you know your college profile, then there are schools for you … but more importantly, there are schools that allow you to graduate with an acceptable and affordable debt level.

We have provided our services and our College Game Report to families, athletes, students and schools from all across the St. Louis area and across the country. Why? Because our service is affordable, practical and just makes sense! 

We are creating social change across the state of Missouri, including students from these schools: CBC, SLUH, MICDS, Clayton, DeSmet, Villa Duchesne, Visitation, Hazelwood, St. Dominic, John Burroughs, Priory, Principia, Fort Zumwalt, Lafayette, Cor Jesu, Vianney, Oakville, St. Josephs Academy, St. Mary's,  Rolla, Jackson High School and many others. 

James Twellman

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The College Game Report

Our mission is to provide The College Game Report to every family so that they can better understand their college options and ultimately, comprehend the magnitude of their decision.

We envision a world where our clients use The College Game Report and "Live From The End" when selecting their college.  

Will a college soccer camp help me get recruited?

COLLEGE CAMPS

Which camp should I attend?Do I need to attend a college camp?

The camp season is approaching as your student athletes anxiously await their opportunity to jump-start their recruiting process. Camps and give athletes the opportunity to compete against other athletes from around the country. They are especially attractive to athletes who are trying to get discovered by college coaches. Following this guide will help you manage your athletes' expectations for camps.

Student athletes won't "get discovered" there: most camps are just that …… they provide basic training. These camps are often crowded with hundreds of athletes, meaning they won't get close attention from coaches. College coaches will already have a list of the athletes they want to scout during the event.

Know where your athletes rank on the coaches' lists before they go. Make sure a relationship is already established between the college coach and the athlete before they go to the camp. The coach should have received the student athletes profile and email expressing his/her interest in the schools academic and athletic program. Plus keep in mind college camps will have additional coaches from other colleges, assisting with the instruction. It is important to contact these coaches ahead of the camp as well. This is your first impression as a player. So if you are not at your best, then this first impression might not be right. Be sure to attend a camp physically and mentally prepared to play.

Some programs have camps just for seniors; they might hold an "advanced" or "elite" camp, and/or several one-day camps. These are important to attend, as the coach might only select a few recruits, thus eliminating the "clutter" of the hundreds of athletes at regular camps. Again these are important to get noticed, get recognized as a potential recruit.

Camps and combines are an excellent way to find out where an athlete ranks against the competition. It is important to choose camps wisely based on your ability to play at these schools and that these schools fit your academic and social needs.

Do you have questions?

Contact Tim…The College Porgram    info@thecollegeprogram.com

    We offer an extensive COLLEGE PROGRAM that fits your needs

Thank you parents for all that you do

I know I speak for your kids when I say "THANK YOU" for everything that you do for them.

These High School student athletes could never do what they do without the help of their parents and/or guardians. No way they could get through all of this without your support.

THANK YOU and I know they appreciate it....

Don't stop helping now....The student athlete that is serious about playing college sports really needs your help. It is a hard road to navigate and they need the family on their side.

I see the normal school and social stress everyday as a coach..add the college recruiting process on top of the high school pressure and look out...it can be too much to handle..

THANKS AGAIN

We, as parents, want to look back and feel that we did what was needed to be done to help our kids on their way.

The College Program

Do you know where you want to go to play your sport in college?

If you don't, that doesn't mean that you won't get recruited - but if you're not talking regularly with coaches, you need to get proactive as soon as possible.

Start getting in touch with coaches now, and remember there are over 1700 schools with athletic programs in the U.S. So don't limit yourself just to the schools that are near you or to just Division 1 programs.

Over 80% of athletic opportunities are outside of Division I.

Working hard now, being proactive, will make all the difference for your athletic career, your education, and your future. 

Contact:

Tim Twellman
www.thecollegeprogram.com

Your Personal Coach: Thank you parents for all that you do

Your Personal Coach: Thank you parents for all that you do

Can I be a multi-sport athlete and still get recruited in the one sport I love?

Can I be a multi-sport athlete and still get recruited in the one sport I love?
Yes you can. College coaches do love the multi sport athlete and understand great athletes have the opportunity to represent their high schools in several sports. But, as we all know, the one sport will always show itself to the athlete at some point in their high school years. I have always been in favor of playing more that one sport if you are capable. You only do this once and you should participate. I have never met a great athlete that did not enjoy and succeed in more than one sport.

Parents....what is your role?

Parents have to be proactive in the recruiting process. Both the parents and kids have to work together to achieve success. It is an exciting time planning for your kids next level of athletics and academics.