Recently, SaWUSA was featured in Coach & Athletic Director Magazine. Below is the article. If you are interested in taking your team overseas please visit our TEAM TRAVEL page.
6 WAYS A FOREIGN TOUR CAN BENEFIT YOUR PROGRAM
Have you considered a foreign tour for your club, high school, or college program? If so, you’ve probably considered the cost. But have you considered the benefits? Below are six ways a foreign tour can benefit your program both immediately and in the future. After considering all the ulterior benefits, the question might be, can you afford not considering a foreign tour?
#1 – Team Bonding
I’m a lifelong Wisconsin Badgers fan. They made a magical run to back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015, highlighted by noticeable on-court team cohesion. In the aftermath of that run, I’ve read numerous quotes like the one below from players and coaching citing their pre-season 10-day Canada trip in the summer of 2013 as being a catalyst for their exceptional team bonding over the two year run.
Group
International travel is an unbelievably intimate experience. I can still
remember some of the athletes and parents that I traveled with on my very first
tour in 2005. By the end of 10 days I felt like I had known them my entire
life. Just imagine what a trip could do for your team!
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Guard Ben Brust added that the trip to Canada helped the culture within the locker room. The Badgers had a lot of down time in between practices and games, so they grew closer off the court. It manifests itself in the way they share the ball on offense. –CL Brown, ESPN.com April 1 , 2014
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#2 – Extra Practice and Games
NCAA rules allow for a certain number of extra practices leading up to a foreign tour. Often these practices back home have just as much of a positive impact as the games on the tour.
Even if you have no practice restrictions, the practices leading up to a tour are more purposeful than a typical off-season workout. Athletes are more focused when they know they will be taking their game to an International stage.
#3 – The Recruiting Advantage
In college sports, as well as many high schools and clubs, recruiting is the lifeblood of building a good program. A foreign tour is a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Even if you can only afford to go on a trip every few years, you can spend the years beforehand talking about the upcoming tour with potential recruits and years after sharing pictures and stories of the trip.
Image matters to young athletes, today and always. Imagine a video of your team getting off a plane on the other side of the World wearing your team gear. That’s a powerful advertisement that will pay off in the recruiting game.
#4 – Connect with Your Community
Consider partnering with some local businesses to bring sports equipment to donate to athletes overseas. Or participate in a community service project as part of your trip? Use your team trip to be a great ambassador of the USA and make the World a better place through sports.
#5- Connect with Your School
Athletic Directors and Coaches can struggle with ways to connect with the academic side of things. A foreign tour is built-in collaboration. Take a history professor with you on the trip. Have an athlete write a travel blog that the school website will share. The possibilities are endless to connect with your school in a positive way on campus.
#6 – Serve the Mission of Your School
You can create an itinerary specific to the mission of your school. If you are a Catholic school, go visit the Vatican. If you are an Engineering school include a science-based scholastic excursion. This is especially helpful if you are going to ask your school to help fund all or part of the trip.
Tim Ryerson is a former college basketball coach and owner of STUDENTathleteWorld, a company that specializes in International Sports Travel. Interested in a Tour? E-mail Tim at tim@studentathleteworld.com
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