Meet the “Parent- Coach” – Gerri Steadman

It all started with her daughter’s dream to play collegiate level volleyball…Gerri became interested in volleyball and the recruiting process through her experience with her daughter, Staci. Staci was enticed by an 8th grade teacher to play volleyball. She had played basketball previously and viewed volleyball as a “sissy” sport. That quickly changed and she fell in love with the sport after one season and proclaimed her dream to play at the collegiate level.

Gerri encouraged Staci first, as an individual player, to get extra training through clinics and private lessons. Finding the best coaches and club opportunities were a priority—in Florida they found that with the Sandspur Club (the team won a Bronze Medal at Nationals). However, the path for Staci to attain her goal was not always smooth. When Staci was 15, the Steadman family moved from the Tampa Bay area to Charlotte, NC where organized volleyball was not as progressive.

This situation motivated Gerri and others to actively campaign to start a national club team in Charlotte to make sure her daughter and her teammates were not forgotten or overlooked by college recruiters. This provided the exposure, however a lot of research and discussion with club and college coaches was also necessary. She was also fortunate to acquire first hand knowledge of the recruiting process from Staci’s Club Coach who was an assistant college coach at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

Gerri will be the first to say that Staci did all the hard work to receive many awards and achievements. This made Gerri even more committed to make sure all her hard work and accomplishments were not overlooked. She created a plan and helped to get her daughter’s skills noticed by the schools that they felt best aligned with Staci’s desires and needs, both academically and athletically. Staci is now playing Division I Volleyball at Georgia Southern University.

Now Gerri wants to help other parents…

Through RecruitMyStarAthlete.com, Gerri is helping other parents break through the college recruitment mystique to successfully help their own star athletes get recruited. Gerri admits to being a certified volleyball junky, and this specialized effort is a good excuse for her to stay connected to high school athletes and to do something that she is passionate about—helping others to succeed in their goals.

About Gerri…

Gerri’s prior experience as a Human Resources Executive provided her with a thorough understanding of the employment recruitment process, which was a very valuable model to follow. She is currently an Executive Coach, coaching executives to success (see www.SynergisticCoach.com). She finds the coaching’s goal-oriented process is a valuable format to use in helping parents get positive responses for their future college athletes. You’ll find Gerri’s enthusiasm, candor and energy, as well as the knowledge of the college recruiting process, very motivating.