Cornwall
Karl Van Wygerden is standing in front of the sign that welcomes people to his high school, wearing his green-and-white Cornwall letterman's jacket.
He introduces himself as a 16-year-old junior who is interested in playing college football.
What follows is nearly 10 minutes of highlights from his junior football season, set to music and voiced over with clips taken from local television broadcasts.
It's not film spliced together. Or even a videotape.
Van Wygerden, along with teammates Matt Moretto and Brian McNally, is among the growing number of local athletes now using DVDs to market themselves to college coaches.
"I'm a VHS man myself," Cornwall coach Matt Buddenhagen said. "But with technology, it's a space saver. It's easy to watch, because you don't have to fast-foward or rewind."
The kids say the DVDs are relatively easy to make — cost is around a buck — and even less to mail. College recruiters like them because of the size and ease in using them.
Van Wygerden's DVD was done professionally by a cousin who makes them for college and professional athletes. It shows him as a running back and safety. Moretto and McNally, who had theirs made by a teammate, and Buddenhagen tease him about it, saying it's really too long.
"College coaches hit play," Buddenhagen said, "and they know within the first two minutes whether they want the kid or not."
Rick Scarpulla says it's even less than that. Scarpulla teaches kids the correct way to put the DVD together, using angles and clips that demonstrate their athleticism.
His son, Nick, plays linebacker at Minisink Valley. The Scarpullas, who run a gym in Fair Oaks, even included clips of Nick lifting weights.
"If you don't have (recruiters') attention in 60 seconds, the disk goes back on the pile," Rick Scarpulla said.
On Moretto's DVD, he has three minutes showing him as a running back, another three as a linebacker. He's looking at Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Brown and Yale, and has gotten positive feedback on his DVD.
"It's got long runs, touchdown runs, passes and catches," Moretto said. "On defense, you're making good sticks, interceptions and runbacks for a touchdown. You don't want it to be that long, or they'll pretty much toss it by then."
McNally's DVD is about three minutes, showing him at defensive end and tight end. Connecticut and Temple, as well as several Division I-AA schools, are recruiting him. Van Wygerden wants to major in engineering and will let that dictate where he plays.
University at Albany recruiting coordinator Nick LaFontaine has gotten about 100 tapes and DVDs, and he's one of 11 coaches at the school who receives them. College coaches have a tough time recruiting during the high school season because their own seasons are in progress.
That's why giving coaches like LaFontaine the right look is key. He looks for size and movement from linemen, speed and hip rotation from running backs. From there, the recruiting process begins.
"All of those juniors should now be putting something together from their first two games as a senior, and getting them out to schools as soon as possible," LaFontaine said. "Kids need to be proactive in their search. Don't be afraid to follow up. Most coaches will be straightforward with you."
