User:Lemonnate/sandbox

= LemonAid = LemonAid is a mobile recruiting service designed to help high school athletes around the world connect directly with college coaches in the United States. The service is available as a mobile application on both iOS and Android platforms.

According to the National Federation of State HS Associations, there are nearly eight million high school athletes in the U.S. alone. Yet only about 6% of high school athletes compete in college, which means that 94% do not (for many reasons). These figures do not include international athletes. Roster limitations at American colleges and universities may not be the core reason for such low admittance, because the majority of colleges are NCAA Div. 2 and Div. 3 institutions that use sports programs to increase enrollment. In other words, most colleges struggle to fill their rosters and recruit effectively.

Why LemonAid was Created
Two fundamental problems with the college recruiting process spurned the creation of the LemonAid App. The first problem is visibility--both for high school athletes and college coaches. Outside of the top-tier athletes and colleges, being noticed has become increasingly difficult. As a result, the benefits of collegiate athletics are shared with only a select few, when it has been proven that collegiate athletics positively affect academic performance and graduation rates. The second problem is communication--specifically, direct communication between coaches and athletes. Without a functional platform for athletes to present themselves to coaches, their ability to communicate with those coaches is limited; for many high school athletes, it is prevented. LemonAid is that platform.

LemonAid was created to unlock opportunities for lesser-known athletes that they otherwise may never get a chance to experience. At the same time, it helps lesser-known colleges gain visibility when recruiting high school athletes.

Rethink College Recruiting
LemonAid seeks to challenge the paradigm of traditional recruiting by making it accessible to everyone on a level playing field. The LemonAid App was first released in October, 2015 in the sport of swimming. Early adopters of the service range from several major NCAA Div. 1-A Universities to very small NCAA Div. 3 and NAIA colleges.

=== Athletic Participation by Sport === "Full chart can be shown on the NCAA website here."