Here we are again.

Another Saturday dawns with a collection of track shoes, a large umbrella, folding chairs and a cooler filled with food and sports drinks, all in preparation for a long, hot weekend at an AAU track meet with my daughters.

As parents, we sacrifice time and money to ensure that our children get the training they need to become better athletes and the exposure they need to land a college scholarship.

But many student athletes never achieve their dreams. The reason: They focus too much on athletics but ignore the importance of good grade.

When it comes to landing a sports scholarship, a student’s high school transcript can be just as important as his or her athletic ability. A case in point is the eligibility requirements set by the NCAA for students hoping to play college sports.

The guidelines take into account a student’s SAT or ACT score, courses taken during high school and the grade point average of core courses (visit the www.ncaa.org for details).

Unfortunately, some students can’t meet the NCAA requirements because of poor grades or because they didn’t take the necessary classes. If you’re not sure whether   your child is on track to meet NCAA eligibility, now is the time to find out.

College recruiters want students who can succeed academically as well as athletically.

We often hear of outstanding athletes being recruited by major universities. Rarely do we hear about the many others who fail to get scholarships, or get only partial scholarship, because of academic issues.

In fact, most scholarships pay only a portion of college costs. And in today’s economic environment, schools are reducing the money they set aside for scholarships.

Some parents falsely believe that a sports scholarship is their child’s only ticket to college. In reality, schools award far more academic scholarships than they do sports scholarships. And all can be lost quickly if a student does not maintain good grades.

College recruiting can be complex, and success for most students requires more than athletic ability. Talk with your child’s coach and guidance counselor. They can help you understand how the process works.

There is no guarantee that your child will be successful at college-level sports, and the chance of making the pros is slimmer still. Your ultimate goal should be to equip your child to succeed in life, and that means preparing him or her for a college education that goes beyond the field or court.

Macie Caldwell is owner of Macie Caldwell Consulting Services (www.maciecaldwell.org), a Charlotte firm that provides information, tools and resources to parents, students and organizations to assist in preparing students early for college.

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