High School Student-Athletes Inspired to Develop a 'Game Plan'

High school booster club helps student-athletes plan their career, college, and scholarship pathways beyond sports.

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, April 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- There are over 8 million high school student-athletes in the United States. Less than 7 percent of high school athletes will play their sport in college, while less than 3 percent of college athletes will be drafted by a professional sports team. Since over 93 percent of high school athletes will neither be recruited nor offered an athletic scholarship, student-athletes and their families need to develop a career or college “game plan.” Francis Jennings, President of the Howard W. Blake High School Booster Club (Tampa, FL) has taken action to help Blake High School students develop a game plan for life beyond sports. The catalyst for the initiative was booster club Vice President and longtime educator Dr. Lewis Brinson, a Blake alum who believes that all student achievement programs intersect with the 4 A’s: Apathy; Awareness; Application; or Advocacy. To ensure that student-athletes at Blake were exposed to the awareness phase, Jennings agreed to invest some of the funds that are customarily used to buy equipment, provide meals, and provide transportation, to ensure that every booster club family is aware of the importance of developing a game plan into college or a career beyond sports.

With the support of high school principal Valerie Newton and Success Coach Abeba Salter, the awareness phase brought nearly 100 high school junior and senior athletes to the school’s media center. Ms. Salter, the school’s Success Coach, noted, “While we provide support and access to millions of dollars in scholarship opportunities, many student-athletes are not taking advantage of the support or the opportunities. When representatives from our booster club approached Ms. Newton (our principal) and myself with the idea of bringing our student-athletes together for this critically important conversation, I knew that anything that could inspire them to think more deeply about their futures would be valuable.”

Mychal Wynn, author, educator, college planning expert, and CEO/Founder of the Georgia-based nonprofit, The Foundation for Ensuring Access and Equity, spoke to students via Zoom, during which he talked not only about the challenges of being a recruited athlete, but the many career, college, and scholarship opportunities available to student-athletes who are good students. During his presentation, Wynn directed students to specific pages in “Beyond Sports - A Student-Athlete’s Game Plan” (Available at Rising Sun Publishing or on Amazon.com) to further guide the conversations at home with parents. Brinson, who wrote the foreword to the book, was in the room to speak one-on-one with students and sign books following the presentation.

Brinson reflected on his time as a high school student-athlete and the impact of his high school counselor’s question, “What are your plans after high school?” He believes the booster club will have the same impact on the career or college trajectories of student-athletes by not only raising the question but also by providing each student with the information to guide discussions with their parents, coaches, and counselors in developing their “game plan.”

To support the application phase, Mr. Wynn is developing an online curriculum for the Howard W. Blake High School Booster Club based on the book. Students and families will be guided in applying the strategies presented in the book to ensure each student-athlete has a personalized game plan based on their career, college, and/or scholarship aspirations. The final phase—advocacy—will be reflected in how students develop a stat sheet of strong academics, leadership, and community service to expand their career, college, and scholarship opportunities. College-bound student-athletes will learn how to self-advocate when presenting themselves to college coaches and college admissions officers through their essays. Brinson and Wynn believe their efforts at Blake can provide a model for school districts, athletic directors, coaches, booster clubs, and community-based organizations working with student-athletes. Brinson notes, “As athletes need coaching on the field, student-athletes need coaching off the field. Every student-athlete should not only be able to answer the question, ‘What are your plans after high school?’ but show you their plan!”

Mychal Wynn
Foundation for Ensuring Access and Equity
+1 678-395-5825
info@accessandequity.org
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
YouTube