Thanksgiving tournaments: how to stand out
What college coaches actually write in their notes (and why most players end up invisible)
This Thanksgiving weekend, everyone switches gears.
College coaches who have been handling the most important part of their job, their current team, will now turn their attention to the second most important part - their future team.
Players who have been sworn rivals in their high school seasons will be back on the same side for their clubs, with recruiting now top of mind at some of the calendar’s largest tournaments.
By Sunday afternoon at Shooting Star, I’ll have watched 50+ games. So how do you stand out in that crowd, if you aren’t one of the most talented players that everyone can spot a mile off?
It’s what you do when you don’t have the ball.
Anyone can watch a highlight reel. We come to tournaments to see what highlight reels don’t show.
If you’re playing this weekend, here’s what coaches are watching for beyond what you do with the ball.
What we see in your 97%
At showcases, college coaches don’t care - and sometimes don’t know - who is winning or losing the game we are watching.
We keep our eyes on one player at a time, watching what she does when she doesn’t have the ball - which is about 97% of the game.
Are you working to be an option for your teammates?
Are you sprinting back on defense when others are jogging?
Are you communicating things that help organize your team?
Are you marking with discipline, or just watching the ball?
Because if the desire and effort aren’t there when you’re supposed to be impressing coaches, we worry they never will be.
Have a presence (or don’t get noticed)
The most common note I write at tournaments is: “Did not see her do anything of note.”
Not because these players have bad games. But because they’re invisible. They wait for the game to come to them instead of demanding to be involved, and they let it pass them by.
Passivity doesn’t cut it in college field hockey.
The players who succeed at the next level are those who go looking for the ball.
They use their voice to call for it. They make eye contact to confirm it. They use their stick to show where they want it.
They make themselves undeniable.
If you can’t make an impact in a recruiting tournament against club competition, how can we trust you’ll make one against top 25 programs?
You’re a participant in the game, not a spectator.
Play like one.
Mistakes matter less than your response
Field hockey is a game of mistakes.
In college, each team turns the ball over 70-80 times per game. Elite programs. National champions. Everyone.
So mistakes are inevitable.
What separates players isn’t whether they make mistakes. It’s what they do in the five seconds afterwards.
Last year at a showcase, I watched a technically skilled midfielder lose the ball. She immediately threw her hands up, jogged back while yelling at her teammate who’d passed to her, and then stood watching as the opponent created a scoring chance.
My note: “Talented but poor body language. Blames others. Check with club coach on character.”
That’s not an offer. That’s a message to the club coach asking if she’s always like this.
Compare that to the player who loses the ball and immediately sprints back to pressure the opponent. Who shrugs it off and calls for the ball again at the next opportunity. Who doesn’t dwell on the mistake because she’s already focused on the next play.
You can’t control whether every pass connects. You can’t control whether every shot goes in. You can’t control whether you win every defensive duel.
But you absolutely control your response to the mistake.
We’re watching that response because we know you’ll face adversity in college. The question isn’t if you’ll make mistakes - it’s whether you can handle them.
The details that separate you
At every tournament, we watch players miss wide-open goals on the back post.
But occasionally, I see a teammate immediately run over, give a high five, and say “You’ll get the next one.”
That teammate ends up in my notes. Not just for her hockey, but for being the kind of player who makes teams better.
When you’re on the sideline, are you yelling encouragement or critiquing?
When a teammate succeeds, are you celebrating or envious?
When someone struggles, do you support them or distance yourself?
These aren’t small details. These are the behaviors that separate championship teams from talented teams.
And they’re completely in your control.
We’re recruiting for a four-year culture, not a weekend showcase. How you treat teammates tells us whether you’ll make our program better or just more talented.
What to do this weekend
If you’re playing in a tournament this weekend, forget about trying to force highlight reel moments.
Focus on what you can control:
Be undeniable. Demand the ball with your voice, eyes, and stick. Make coaches write your number down because you’re impossible to ignore.
Sprint when others jog. The 97% matters more than the 3%. Show us you’ll work when nobody’s watching.
Bounce back immediately. You’ll make mistakes. Your response in the next five seconds matters more than the mistake itself.
Lift others up. Energy-giving behavior stands out. Be the player everyone wants to play with.
None of this requires being the most talented player on the field.
It just requires choosing to show up differently than everyone else.
Mindset can be your competitive advantage, but most athletes never train it. That’s why I created The Resilient Athlete - a digital course designed to help teenage players build the mental skills that fuel long-term performance. It’s 40% off for the rest of the month!