Sports and Education Academy in DR.

pmey27

Member
Oct 12, 2006
339
0
16
Great plan!

As a high school teacher and coach I think this is a great plan. Even the kids that do not make it professionally will have the educational opportunity which as we all know once you get an education that is something no one can ever take away from you!
 

hmendez

New member
Jul 24, 2006
13
0
0
Exactamente!

This is precisely what I we believe. Sports continues to serve as a vehicle to many other opportunities, but so few are prepaired to take full advantage of such opportunities. We hope to create an environment where student/athletes can realize, for themselves, that their athletic gifts can benefit them both on and off the playing fields! Thank you for your support and please visit our website from time to time to stay informed on our progress. We have a great deal to accomplish before we even open our doors, but the knowledge that this academy is needed keeps us moving adelante!

DRSEA
 

SURFUP69

New member
May 24, 2006
118
0
0
I who have play Pro. Baseball have been going to the DR for 18 years now. Talking to lot of kids when they fine out that I played Pro. Ball. It realy hurts to see them later working at bars or what ever job they can get. Knowing they could be a stand out in some college in USA. What your doing is so great for these kids who love baseball and are willing to learn. I e-mail you so you can get back to me if you need help.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
PURE Bulldoodoo!

With 32+ Baseball Academies running in the DR there is scarce chance that any prospects will be available to such a place. And, you should know that of the hundreds of Dominican major league ball players, only Winston Llenas, Juli?n Javier, D?maso Garc?a and the three Alou brothers were educated beyond grammar school--speaking generally, of course!! And D?maso and the Alou brothers got to college!
In second place. Basketball is a barrio sport, and those dudes do not go to school once that play BB.
In third place. there is no, read again NO, inter-scholastic sports of any kind in the DR. Amen to a "for profit" deal in Santo Domingo where the rich kids get together for Mommy and Popi. Oh yeah, Carol Morgan visits Bonao a couple of times a year, but none of these kids are thinking of playing sports for a living.
In fourth place, there is extremely little inter collegiate sports in the DR, and no, yeah again, NO, national governing body with a set of clear cut rules for everyone.
In fifth place, there is a system of CLUBs, essentially politically oriented community-based organizations, that compete at the provincial and sometimes national level-only in Baseball, f?tbol, basketball and sometimes volleyball. these organizations hate, really hate anything academic from interfering with their players. I have lived this so do not dispute this. their arguments are based on politics of the lowest type, populist, "us against the world" and defeat any attempt to recruit good players for an academic program.

Oh yeah, believe what you read in the papers..!!!

HB
 
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hmendez

New member
Jul 24, 2006
13
0
0
Updates Post for Dominican Republic Baseball Academy

We apologize for the previously posted information regarding the DR Baseball Academy. The posting below contains the most current information. Please continue to visit our website Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy - Home for updates on this much needed institution.




Sports Perspectives
International



MEDIA RELEASE Contact:347-416-0125
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




SPORTS AND EDUCATION ACADEMY
PLANNED FOR DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Sports Perspectives International, a sports advocacy, marketing and consulting firm, is planning a sports and education academy in the Dominican Republic aimed at giving talented baseball players the option of attending U.S. colleges and universities on athletic scholarships. The academy is being patterned after one in Puerto Rico that has had a high success rate of placing baseball players there on U.S. college teams.
Land for the academy has been identified near La Romana in the Dominican Republic, not far from the capital of Santo Domingo. If all goes well, the academy could open its doors as early as September 2009, said Charles S. Farrell, founder, principal and senior consultant for SPI, whose ultimate goal is the level the playing field in terms of full minority participation in the $450 billion a year global sports industry; amateur, professional, and on the educational level.
?The Dominican Republic has embraced baseball more passionately than any other country I know,? Farrell said, ?and already, some of the best baseball players in the world come from there. ?Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Many Ramirez, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon, Moises Alou, Alex Rodriguez, Damaso Marte, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Reyes; the list goes on and on. Of the international players on Major League rosters last year, 75 percent came from the Dominican Republic.?
Unfortunately, most rarely obtain even a high school degree, Farrell said. Players in the Dominican Republic can sign professional contracts at 16 ?, so education is usually bypassed in pursuit of the dream of success in baseball.
?We want to provide young baseball players with an option by preparing them both academically AND athletically to succeed,? he said. ?The addition of some of these players on U.S. college teams will be the equivalent of getting a 7-foot center in basketball, or a running back who does a 4.2 sixty. One solid hitter and fielder in a lineup could be the difference between a good college team and a great one.?
The academy will be able to take gifted baseball players and prepare them academically for the college classroom. The academic program will exceed the minimum requirements for college eligibility now required by the NCAA. ?We not only want them to succeed in college, we want them to excel,? Farrell said.
At the academy in Puerto Rico, which opened in 2003 with about 100 students, 110 have gone on to accept athletic scholarships at U.S. colleges and universities, and 29 to colleges and universities in Puerto Rico. Thirty two graduated with honors from the Puerto Rico academy.
Thirty six of the graduates were selected in baseball?s amateur draft; six have signed professional contracts.
?As you can see, this doesn?t prevent kids from becoming professional baseball players, and may even augment their chances,? Farrell said. ?But for those unable to pursue professional baseball, or who don?t want to go that route, a college education is their option. And that education will make them capable and productive citizens the rest of their lives, hopeful contributing to making their country better.?
The Dominican academy will originally open to 14 and 15 year olds, or high school freshmen and sophomore, with a few upperclassmen who are academically prepared, then will add a class each year, in order to provide the needed time for comprehensive education, while also receiving skilled coaching in baseball. Some academy students can even opt for U.S. college preparatory schools, which Farrell said will also be in the market for academically and athletically gifted athletes who will be carefully screened and selected for their success potential.
The academy will be open to all international students, with Dominicans receiving priority. There will be no cost for Dominicans to attend the academy. Over time, the sports and education academy plans to expand to include other sports, Farrell said.
The initial cost of building the academy is estimated at $10 million, Farrell said, and benefactors from a number of perspectives are being sought. Naming rights to such facilities as the gymnasium and the academy baseball stadium are available, but the academy will basically rely on sponsorships, donations and hosting tournaments and other events to raise money to build and operate the academy.
Sports Perspectives International is also working with a group of developers in the Dominican Republic on the land acquisition for the academy, and have worked out a unique arrangement that will not only provide the land, but construction and operating funds. If investors get involved in some of the development projects available ? including hotels, resorts, condominium, marinas and more, the developers are committed to making the land available for the academy. Also, investors, who stand to gain substantial returns from the development acceleration in the Dominican Republic, would be expected to plow some of their profits into the non-profit academy. ?We see this as a win-win opportunity for all involved,? Farrell said.
California mortgage banker and real estate professional Steve Goodridge, who has been developing projects in the Dominican Republic for 18 years, said the time is golden for investment opportunities in the Dominican Republic. ?The government is stable, the economy growing, and development is off the charts. These investments can and will be extremely lucrative.?
But Goodridge said the proposed sports and education academy can be a direct beneficiary of the inevitable development and investment in the Dominican Republic. ?The development countrywide is happening, and so is investment in the development from a global perspective, but for a first class educational and athletic facility to be established as well, creates an entity that gives back to the county in a positive way, and will create its own legacy by developing players who will benefit from a U.S. college education, colleges will benefit from their contributions, and, whether they make it in baseball or not, become productive citizens in their own country.?
For more information about the Dominican Sports and Education Academy and how to get involved, please send an e-mail to cfarrell@drsea.org or call 347-416-0125 or visit us at Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy - Home.