Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes, you need Cinnamon Rolls. AmiRight? Sometimes you need decadent and cozy. Sometimes you need velvety cream cheese frosting and sticky brown sugar-cinnamon filling. And fluffy spirals. And vanilla bean aromas. Sometimes you need Cinnamon Rolls. And Christmastime is kinda the b e s t time for this recipe. So today I am sharing my easy, vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, which is based on one of my vintage recipes, Pumpkin-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. I have always loved that recipe, but this version is updated to be simpler. I also share 1) a video for this recipe and 2) ten happy holiday faves. Hope you can wake up one morning this month to the aroma of t h e s e cinnamon-magic beauties...Read more »

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DevOpsDays New York City 2018 Speakers Announced!

Exciting news from the D-O-D-NYC committee!

• Speakers announced. Wow! I've never seen such an amazing lineup of speakers!
• The best of the best. The committee this year was flooded with so many amazing proposals but sadly it is a 2-day conference so they had to be very selective. Who benefits? You!
• Early bird discount ends on Friday. Register soon and save!

DevOpsDays-NYC 2018 is Thu/Fri January 18-19, 2018 in midtown Manhattan. Easy to get to via all forms of public transportation.

For more information: http://dod.nyc

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A high school coach is needed for the athletic recruiting process

In talking with parents and athletes who are going through the recruiting process, many feel that their high school coach is not doing much in the recruiting process. While many coaches may be uneducated about how to help their player, if you can get your high school coach helping you, it would be a big boast to the recruiting process.

The reason the coach is essential is because you will need an outside opinion that does not have any bias in the recruiting process. For example, if a dad or a mom starts calling colleges and tells them about their son or daughter, chances are that the coach will not listen.

It is a completely different story if the high school coach would start calling around. This coach carries more weight because they are at least the head coach of a high school program. College coaches don’t want to burn bridges with this high school coach simply because they may have the next big player down the road.

Here is a good story I recently heard about this. A few years back, there was a talented basketball who came off of the bench as a junior but ended up being an All Stater in Illinois as a senior. Because that state has so much basketball talent, getting a high honor like that is a great achievement. But with him really excelling as a senior, it was tough for the coach to get him any looks.

The his head high school coach is a veteran and has been there for quite sometime. He knows exactly what he is doing and knows what players can play Division I. This coach did some calling and spoke with a number of lower Division I basketball programs in the Midwest. Some had already filled up their spots but still talked to him. Others didn’t return his phone calls and a few tried to talk to him about a sophomore prospect he had.

This coach, who sent a player to one of the top five programs in the country recently, decided to pull the plug on the coaches that didn’t speak with him about this player or tried to talk to him about a different guy on the team. This shows that when high school coaches get involved, there is more of an impact if parents are the ones calling.

I heard from a Division I coach that no matter what, he will try calling back a high school coach about a kid. If a tape is sent and then the high school coach calls, this college coach will at least try to take a look at it. If the parent sends a tape and then calls about it, chance are slim that it will be watched. As I have mentioned before, if you are sending out highlight tapes to every school in the country, the majority of them will get thrown away.

College coaches will also call the high school quite often requesting tape and talking to the high school coach about you. If the coach is hard to get a hold of, that does make it tough for the college coach to get any information on you. That includes contact information, grades, stats, and video.

I recently was told that a junior kicker had schools around the Midwest like Wisconsin, Iowa, and others requesting tape. If these coaches had an issue getting in touch with the coach, there is no way that the tape would have been sent.

It is also important to have an organized high school coach. If you have a major recruit on your team, it is tough to keep everything straight in terms of videos sent, letters sent, and then worrying about your own life as well. With teaching, your family, and everything else a high school coach does, there is little time to try and figure out where you already sent highlight videos.

In order to get your high school coach on your side, you need to talk to him or her about what level they think you can play at. If there is a disagreement on that, then you might be in for trouble during the process. But if you are on the same page, then you can talk to him about helping you out and what he has done and seen in the past years. That experience is what could help you eventually earn that college scholarship.

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I’m a senior with no football recruiting interest. What do I do?

Like a few of the other series of articles that I have started, I plan to break down what I would recommend to high school athletes in different situations. This will cover football and basketball as well as the year the athlete is and the recruiting interest they have been receiving. This should help those athletes and parents that are confused about the recruiting process and what they are doing.

The first thing that you must figure out if you are 100% sure that you want to play at the college level. The answer to this question must be a definitive yes. If you are unsure or there are question marks regarding your decision, then it is probably a good idea to hang up your cleats and relive your high school glory days later on. No matter what level of college football you end up playing, you will be spending a great deal of time honing your skills. Even if you are on JV at a Division III school, they will keep you busy with games, practices, lifting, video, and just about anything else you can think of. So if you are not all in, then don’t waste your time trying.

My best guess is that if you kept reading this article, then you want to play college football but have had no takers at this point. I do think that good athletes can still fall through the cracks. If this player decides to take it upon himself to play, then you can still enjoy a football career at the college level.

Right now is a good time to be honest with yourself. By that, I mean if you have no recruiting interest right now, then the ship has likely sailed to receive a Division I scholarship straight out of high school. The chances of that happening are so slim that it may not be worth considering. Sorry to break it to you but it probably won’t happen.

As I have always recommended if you are unhappy with your recruiting options, take a look at the website that lists all of the colleges in the country (Click here to see that link, and no I am not getting paid to advertise this, although I wish I was). Anyways, go through that list and see what colleges would be a good fit for you academically, athletically, and socially. Check out what programs they offer in academics as well as how good their football team is. And when you see USC and LSU, just move on.

My best guess is that you have not had a chance to put together a recruiting profile sheet. This is essential in telling the colleges that you are interested in their programs (click here to see an article on putting together a recruiting profile sheet). The programs I would look most at on that list would be Division III schools, NAIA schools, Junior Colleges, and smaller Division II programs. With the Division II schools, chances are strong you may have to walk on there.

Feel free to add a comment to this post if you are having any trouble putting together your recruiting profile. Once completed, make sure to add senior stats and anything else of interest that is relevant. Since you are the one doing this, it does not cost anything to make this on your computer.

If you decide to go any of the four options mentioned above, you are not in a hurry as regulated by the NCAA. You can wait and decide until the last day of your senior year what Division III program you will be attending. It really doesn’t matter until the players report in the late summer. But then again, you probably want to go somewhere that you are wanted at.

After sending out the recruiting profile, see what schools are interested in you as an athlete. If your dreams are just to play college football, focus on the smaller schools. See what type of help they can give you financially. If you have been taking care of business in the class room, it will help reduce your tuition a great deal at the school. If you have eyes for playing at a bigger school, then look into the walking on at a Division II program or going the Junior College route. While heading to a JuCo may not be your strongest option academically, it could help open some doors if you are good enough to play at a high level.

Once you figure out what level you are focusing on, try to take some visits to these programs. They will likely be unofficial visits where you pay your own way to travel to the school but it is an opportunity to learn more about the program. I don’t want to downplay how much interest the coaches will show you but there is a good chance that they won’t have a ton of time for an un recruited walk on.

After taking the visits, try to talk to the coaches some more over the phone and via email. Get a feel for what would be the best fit for you. Apply to the programs that you are interested in see what type of financial aid they can offer you. Again, the coaches will probably spend some time helping you but I am sure they have bigger fish to fry at this time.

Once you are happy with a school, tell the coaches that you want to go there. This will help you through the process of putting down a room deposit and figuring out when you need to report.

Again, if it is this late but you still want to play, it is very possible to find a good fit for you. It would probably not be a good investment to spend hundreds of dollars on a highlight video. But take your time and find a place you like. If things don’t work out athletically, you can still have a good four years and not have to transfer.

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What is the point of in-home visits by college coaches?

As always with Recruiting-101, I am happy to answer questions and comments that are suggested by readers all over.  While I am picky about what articles I will write about, if there is a good question that has not been covered, I am happy to help answer those questions in the form of an article.  So not only is the person asking the question getting information, other readers are learning more about it as well.  Here is what was posted in a comment from a reader, which I will address below:

Why do DIII coaches visit players at their homes? I mean, they can’t offer scholarships and there is no “signing” like there is for DI or DII, right? A DIII coach wants to come to our home this week and I’m curious what is the point (I’ve met the coach, my son has met him numerous times at camps, at the college, and at the high school).

There is no doubt that coaches at all levels make in-home visits.  For in-home visits, your family has the college coach/coaches in your residence.  Like with visits and telephone calls, the reason that these in-home visits are done is to continue building a relationship between the family and the coaching staff.  The more more comfortable that you are with a coach or coaches at a certain school, the tougher it will be for you to eventually turn them down.

It doesn’t matter if you live in the same town as the college and have attended every game over the last ten years, unless your dad is the head coach, college coaches want to make these in-home visits.  If a decision is nearing, it will give the college coaches one last time to make a pitch for you to go to their school.

For a Division III school, they may also use it to talk to your family about potential academic scholarships and financial aid packages.  They may also want to see what the athlete’s family life is like and learn more about how they were raised.  While few non-scholarship schools will get turned off on a kid, it could determine how much interest a school shows from there on out.

There have been a number of situations where college coaches have seen athletes disrespect their parents and the coaches decide to move on to another recruit.  This is obviously something that happens rarely but it does happen.  If they are going to disrespect their mother by talking back to her, why would they eventually not do the same with their college coach?  Again, that is more at the scholarship level.

A school can also show a recruit how interested they are in you.  Is it the head coach coming or just an assistant?  A few years back, an offensive lineman decommitted from a school late in the recruiting process so an in-state school was making a run at home.  In order to show interested they really were in him, they brought as many coaches as they legally could to the house for an in-home visit (I believe the number was five but am unsure about it).  They wanted to show this recruit that he was their #1 priority and a must get recruit (just to let those out there know who are wondering, he ended up picking another school).

From the recruiting perspective, a college coach wants to use this in-home visit to continue to sell their program and answer any questions that you may not have asked previously.  This is a great time as a family to ask anything that has been bothering you.  It could be tuition, their record, the facilities, or anything.  There is no doubt that if a coach comes into your residence for a few hours, the relationship will grow (unless of course things hit the fan, which can happen).

The coach also gets a better feel from where an athlete comes from.  Going into dinner at someone’s house gives a coach more information about how you grew up and where you came from.  Some good coaches may even use that and be able to motivate you down the road.

In my opinion, even if it is a Division III coach, there is no reason not to host an in-home visit.  The most it will take is cleaning up one night and maybe one or two extra plates for dinner.  You will get more information and all of your questions answered.  That is a good thing in my book.

 

 

 

 

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Virtual Holiday Movie + Baking Party: 60+ Vegan Recipes!

I am excited to share (another) holiday round-up for you guys, featuring two things you need over the holiday: holiday movies and holiday baking! Bloggers, and a few readers too, share their fave movie and vegan treat they would pair it with. I absolutely loved hearing everyone's movie faves, what a cool way to connect and share a piece of ourselves. Thank you to everyone who shared and participated! Readers and bloggers. (And I hope you continue the party, by leaving your faves in the comments!) So snuggle up on the couch and turn on those twinkle light, movie + cookie baking season is in full swing! My Virtual Holiday Movie + Baking Party: 60+ Recipes to Explore!..Read more »

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Updated: Levels of recruiting interest from college coaches

I wrote sometime ago about the different levels of recruiting interest. This is a piece that continues to need updating because of the changes that are going throughout the athletic recruiting process.  With scholarship being the goal, it is always interest for athletes to see where the interest that they have been getting ranks.  In reverse order of importance, here are my thoughts on the level of attention that colleges are showing you:

The cold zone/Basic interest
Camp Invite – While it is very true that college coaches will invite players to a camp to seriously consider them for a scholarship, these same coaches have to invite a lot of other players as well. Some will tell the player that if they are the best quarterback or running back at the camp, they will offer. And in some respects, that may be true but unlikely to happen. At basketball and football programs across the country, the pay of coaches is supplemented with money that is earned during summer camps. So if a coach wants to earn more money, he needs to get more athletes at the camp. And at the same time, what this coach can do is invite any player who was named All State, All Conference, or All District the previous season. If one player shocks everyone and eventually receives a scholarship, it was worth the $300 plus to go to the camp. If not, the coach still gets paid for the camp by the player. In the majority of cases, the player does leave camp without a scholarship offer. But at least they get a t-shirt of the school.

Questionnaires – College coaches will send out questionnaires to recruits to learn more about them. When they originally start their recruiting database with thousands and thousands of athletes, the questionnaires will help them narrow things down. For example, some schools may send out these to many athletes in the area. But if it is a Division I school and the player averaged five points as a junior, that is likely to be their last piece of mail that they send the kid. I list this above camp invite because with this, they are least want to learn more about you and your skills.

Form Letters – These are the generic letters from college coaches that are typed up and not personal at all. It can include brief talks about the school, updates on the program, and anything generic that has nothing personal about you at all. This is another letter that could go to 5,000 different athletes throughout the country. While these are nice to receive, getting one from a Division I school is far from being a Division I player. Two quick notes about these before moving on. When I was in high school, I received a form letter from the University of Texas El Paso, aka UTEP after my junior year. This was after I put up less than one point per game. In that same year, a soccer player who was in my grade had played football his first two years of high school but didn’t as a junior. After that year, the University of Nebraska sent him a form letter. So again, form letters mean little to nothing.

School Visits – While it is great to say hello to a college coach visiting your school, many of these coaches go through the same schools every year. They do this as a way to talk to the head coach. They may not be serious about you as a prospect but something that the coach does every year just in case your school has a prospect. It is building up that relationship for future use. With how many high schools college coaches visit, I really don’t think it is that big of a deal to have them in attendance.

Emails – While there has been software developed recently over the last few years that allows coaches to send out mass emails to prospective recruits (Trust me, more coaches than you think use these), emails are a step above the form letter when it becomes a personal thing. If they are just email blasts with no substance included, then I would actually rank this below form letters. But if it is personal and to just you, then it is a step above. Getting an email from a college coach is a good thing but do realize that they send a lot of mass emails out about their program.

Personalized Social Media Contact – The biggest thing about this is that it is not a camp invite.  The coach at the school is working to get to know you  With that in mind, it is very high on the list.  

Warming up/The school is at least somewhat interested
Hand Written Letters – Receiving hand written letters from college coaches means that they are serious enough about you to spend enough attention to write out what should be a personalized note. While it is unknown how many of these they write, and if they actually do write them (Which is what graduate assistants may be used for), they are a step up the recruiting importance chain. One thing to note on these hand written letters. I wrote about an athlete a few years back who was being recruited hard by two Division I football teams in-state and had received hand written letters from them during the spring of his junior year. And this kid ended up playing sports at the Division III level. Like I said, hand written letters are a step up but nothing to get a big head about. Some schools may also send out supposed hand written notes that are actually a font on the computer. These are the fun ones to try and figure out.

Junior Day Visits – Regarding the Junior Day visit, let me state that it really depends on the school. I have seen some programs keep their visit numbers very low and all of the players there eventually go on to a scholarship somewhere. On the other hands, there are schools like Louisville and Iowa State that bring in as many kids will come. Did you play varsity? Then come on to the Junior Day. The bigger the numbers, the less prestigious it is. If there are above fifty athletes there, than rank this lower than the hand written letter. Coaches at the school mentioned before are likely trying to use this as a way to get kids to camp. While it will be a good evaluation tool, these coaches have to realize that many of these players are not even good enough for scholarship football

Phone Calls – When receiving a phone call from a coach, you know that it is something that they are doing and it is impossible (Well, lets hope) for them to fake. This gives you as a player a chance to learn more about the coach and their program. This gives the coach a chance to learn more about you as a person and not just an athlete. Athletes that are being seriously recruited by a school will receive a call during the open periods. If you are a quiet kid, make sure to ask the coach questions about the program and show them they you are interested. While they would not stop recruiting you from this, coaches will dread calling kids who are quiet and tough to talk to. That is a known fact from coaches at all levels..

On fire/Things are going very good in recruiting
Official Visits – I wouldn’t say that official visits are sure fire offers because some of the players on these do end up walking on. But if a school is going to pay for you to visit campus, that says a lot about what they think of you as a player. My guess is that if you are brought on an official visit, unless you get in trouble while there, the least they will offer you is a walk on spot. While that is not for sure, I would guess it would happen in 99% of the cases.

Verbal Scholarship Offers – From what I have learned over the past few years, I personally wouldn’t think that I have an official offer until the paperwork comes in the mail. Some coaches will verbally offer a player or hint around about it. Really, this is a big step for you in the recruiting process. The coach could tell you over the phone that there is an offer for you or while on a visit. It is something to get excited about and few coaches will go back on their word. But some may and that is why the official paperwork is what seals the deal.

Written Scholarship Offer – This may come after talking to the coaching staff or even randomly in the mail. Some schools have been known not to say anything before and the paperwork shows up at an athlete’s house. This basically means that you are in a great situation and you will likely not have to pay for college. It is the dream of any athlete and shows that the time and effort you have put in over the past years of your life has paid off. But it is important to realize that the hard work is only beginning if you are planning to play sports at the scholarship level.

 

 

 

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