GSC
presents College Connexion (CC)
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System
USA:
Sports
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American College Athletics Tennis is one of over 30 sports offered at American universities. All programs are based on the American concept of the student-athlete. All athletes take classes with their fellow students while representing their schools in competition against other universities. Many top professional athletes such as Michael Jordan, Jimmy Connors, and Gigi Fernandez competed at the college level before turning pro. Student athletes gain a strong sense of being part of a team and competing on behalf of the school. In traditionally solo sports such as tennis, team competition leads to increased pressure, excitement, and feelings of accomplishment. Collegiate athletics is broken into five blocks--each of which has different rules and procedures:
This top league has the strongest competition and the strictest rules. There are over 250 Men's and Women's programs in Division 1.
Similar to Division 1. Schools are generally smaller and offer slightly more relaxed admissions and eligibility requirements. There are over 200 Division 2 tennis programs.
These schools cannot offer athletic scholarships, but are often ranked among the top academic institutions in the country. There are over 300 Division 3 tennis programs.
These schools vary greatly in size, level of competition, and academic levels. NAIA schools generally have more relaxed rules for acceptance and eligibility than NCAA schools. There are over 200 NAIA tennis programs.
These are two year schools which feed into larger NCAA institutions. They have few entrance requirements and can be a good first step into American athletics and academics. A high percentage of the top tennis players are International. Former Junior College tennis players include: Brad Gilbert, Paul Haarhuis, Stephane Simian, and Michael Pernfors. Junior colleges are inexpensive, but new rules limit the number of foreigners on tennis scholarships. There are over 500 Junior colleges in the United States. A tennis scholarship is a school's offer to pay for all or a portion of a student's costs in return for competing on the tennis team. A full scholarship covers all costs for attending the university including: tuition, room and board (rent and food expenses), and class books. Costs related to the sport are also paid for by the team. This includes: clothing, shoes, stringing, practice balls, and tennis travel expenses. Athletes have access to medical personnel for injuries and other medical needs. Not paid for are travel costs between the university and the student's family home, and entertainment and other daily expenses. Scholarships are awarded to a player one year at a time. If an athlete is doing well academically and is behaving appropriately, the scholarship will be renewed the next year. As a male player moves up the team line-up his scholarship package is often increased. Schools offer a limited number of scholarships and the money available each year is affected by how many current players return to the team. In general, only a few scholarships are available each year for new players. There are also different rules for men and women.
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