PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE SERVICES FOR YOUNG ATHLETES
AC Cugini is working with Dr. Birgit Zepf, Founder & PresidentSOAR Mental Performance & Life Coaching, to conduct parent presentations. Dates and location in Maryland for the 2018 presentations available shortly. Parents are free to contact Dr. Zepf directly to learn more about her services to student athletes and non-athletes.
BIRGIT ZEPF, Ph.D.
Founder & President
SOAR Mental Performance & Life Coaching
703.789.7487
Dr. Birgit Zepf is the founder of SOAR Mental Sports Performance & Life Coaching and creator of the SOARHIGH Process for reaching your full potential as an athlete. She is the author of the soon-to-be published book, "Soaring High – A Parent’s Guide to Teen Athlete Success".
As a former athlete, coach, and elite sports business professional and practicing life coach and mentor, Birgit is helping youth and young-adult athletes overcome performance anxiety and other insecurities to reach their full potential. She coaches them to develop the character and focus needed to excel at their highest possible level and to build the confidence and stamina that is sure to get the attention of coaches and scouts. Born and raised in Germany, Birgit gained a wealth of experience on the international level in the sports and entertainment business working with various professional sports organizations, elite sporting events and three Olympic Games early on in her career. She then ventured into academia where she taught sport management and mentored students in the sport management program of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
After several years of deep transformation and change in her own life, the Florida State Ph.D. graduate felt called to combine her extensive background in sports and her experience in coaching, both in sports and for life, and help athletes strengthen their emotional and mental capacities to substantially increase their potential for success.
Dr. Zepf is available to provide a group presentation to parents in addition to her one-on-one coaching with youth athletes. Below is an an outline of her presentation to parents.
Soaring High – A parent’s guide to teen athlete success
Have you been wondering how you can help your daughter get that extra edge and stay in the running for that soccer scholarship? Are you worried that the investment in your son’s soccer dream might not pay off after all? Do you see obstacles on your teen’s path that you know he or she cannot overcome with just physical training and practice? Are you anxious about the pressure on your teen in the highly competitive athletic environment?
If any of these concerns apply to you, this presentation is for you. It will introduce you to a widely ignored key to help your teen athlete develop resiliency and reach his or her full potential, and show you how to best position your child for success. As a former athlete, coach and elite sports business professional as well as practicing life coach and mentor Dr. Birgit Zepf offers her expertise and insight into pivotal factors affecting your teen’s athletic future and advice for your role as the parent.
In this presentation you will learn:
- The critical steps for your teen to develop the confidence and stamina that will get the attention of coaches and scouts
- How your teen can overcome performance anxiety, insecurities and other obstacles and reach his or her full potential
- The tools for your teen stand out and get noticed above the competition
- How the obstacles you see on your teen’s path can be turned into stepping stones for success
- The path to maximize the return on your investment in your teen’s athletic future
In the program, the teens will learn to S.O.A.R. H.I.G.H.:
S – Search his/her heart and own his/her dream – defining his/her vision and goals to know exactly where he or she is going
O – Observe where he or she is currently at and outwit his/her emotions – getting to know himself/herself in a new way to build his/her identity
A – Acknowledge the obstacles on his/her journey – facing issues, doubts and fears and be empowered through it
R – Resolve to go to the root of his/her performance anxiety – dealing with the cause of fear, inferiority and insecurity that is holding him/her back and break through.
H – Hone in on distractions that keep him/her from excelling – helping him/her identify distractions and overcome them.
I – Identify the purpose in his/her athletic gifting – seeing beyond himself/herself to propel him/her forward
G – Gear up REAL for success – develop a success mentality and learn about all the important aspects surrounding scholarships to stand out amongst the competition.
H – Hold on for the ride and have fun – be persistent through the ups and downs of the journey to become resilient to any setbacks and defeats and succeed.
The parents will learn how to best support them through this process and how to best support them as an athlete overall.
COLLEGE MATCH SITES
PREP Hero
The Prep hero match is a free survey that assists players in identifying a college or university that matches their skills and academic interests. The survey evaluates a player's academic preferences, geographical focus, academic readiness and motivation to play soccer in college. Their Algorithm screens players against 2,154 US and Canada colleges.
NCAA Official Site
NCAA Divisions I and II schools provide more than $2.9 billion in athletics scholarships annually to more than 150,000 student-athletes. Division III schools do not offer athletics scholarships. Only about two-percent of high school athletes are awarded athletics scholarships to compete in college. Of the student-athletes participating in sports with professional leagues, very few become professional athletes. A college education is the most rewarding benefit of the student-athlete experience.
- Full scholarships cover tuition and fees, room, board and course-related books. Most student-athletes who receive athletics scholarships receive an amount covering a portion of these costs. Many student-athletes also benefit from academic scholarships, NCAA financial aid programs such as the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund and need-based aid such as Federal Pell Grants.
- Division I schools may provide student-athletes with multiyear scholarships. Additionally, Division I schools may pay for student-athletes to finish their bachelor's or master's degrees after they finish playing NCAA sports.
- If a school plans to reduce or not renew a student-athlete’s aid, the school must notify the student-athlete in writing by July 1 and provide an opportunity to appeal. In most cases, coaches decide who receives a scholarship, the scholarship amount and whether it will be renewed.
ARTICLES & COLLEGE SEARCH SITES
How to Qualify for ScholarshipsMany successful high school athletes hope to get generous college scholarships. If you are one of them, how do you get a chance of winning one?