You Don't Have to Play to Be Paid

There is a misperception among many high school students that athletic scholarships are intended for athletes. While this is generally the case, it's not entirely so. Athletic scholarships are often offered by schools for a variety of support positions, important aspects of the athletic program that have nothing to do with actual playing. What people often don't realize in most fields is that there is an invisible mass who make events, companies, theme parks, and most of your world work. We've been trained not to see them, but they are there, and that may just be the key you need to getting a fully-paid (or at least partially-paid) trip to the university of your choice.

Though they rarely advertise them and don't send out scouts, universities need support staff to help them run their sports programs. These are the people who do laundry, clean locker rooms, inventory equipment, make sure that everything is available for the team. The person who video tapes games and practices for later review is likely given an athletic scholarship, and instead of earning it on the field, he or she contributes to the team by giving them valuable training data.

"How does one go about getting one of these scholarships?" you might ask. There are several ways that you can do so, but the work has to start while you're still in high school.

The first thing to do is to find something that you're good at that the the team needs. Volunteer help is rarely turned down, and talking with the coach of any of your school's sports programs can usually result in some sort of position. It's important that you do this early as it will demonstrate a long career of training and experience in whatever that field is. I highly suggest that you choose a sport you enjoy to work for as you will most likely have to spend a lot of time at practices and games.

As you start applying for colleges, take the time to get in touch with the heads of the athletic programs at the places you're thinking of going. Explain to them your experience and see if there are any open positions. This is no different than trying to get any other job, but you'll be paid in an education, which is a very wise investment.

The reason why schools don't often advertise these scholarships is that while it's nice to have somebody to run the camera or organize the equipment, it's often easier to find somebody already associated with the team to do so. According to NCAA regulations, only Division I and Division II sports teams can offer athletic scholarships, and even then they're capped at how much they can offer in total. Many athletes only receive partial scholarships as a result. While schools are willing to give money to support staff as part of their athletic programs, it sometimes requires that you actively seek it out.

So don't be afraid to ask for scholarship money, even if you don't think it applies to you. Often you'll be surprised by what a school will do to gain your valuable talent. Which also means that you have to have valuable talent. Start now and work hard and you'll put yourself in a better position to get the money you need to pay for your education.

READ ABOUT THE "CONNECTIONS SCHOLARSHIP" COMPETITION OF 2009