Madonna University was looking for quick hand speed and power that is flat out astonishing for their 2012 recruiting class. During their annual trip to the Metro Detroit area, they found Fraser senior Taylor Grzelakowski. Starting catcher and the number 4 batter in the lineup, he is a key player on the team. Baseball isn’t just a sport to play for Grzelakowski; it’s a way of life. He is ranked 76th in the state, and in addition is one of the top rated catchers in Michigan.

Grzelakowki’s talents are at its peak while he is in his high school years. As soon as the seasons over, personal trainers and coaches are hired in order to become a better player. In order to keep everything in tip top shape, a lot of preparation and time must go into training.

“I worked out a lot on my form, like my swing and my follow through. Coach Sandals who is my summer baseball coach (Michigan Jets) helped with the emailing and spreading my statistics and videos out to the colleges,” Grzelakowski said.

For most athletes the recruiting process is their favorite, and the most fun part of the whole thing: they get a feel for who wants them and thinks they would be a good addition to their team. It can either take the whole season to decide who to pick, or just an instant feeling of gratification.

“It was a long and tedious process. I didn’t think I would make it anywhere besides Macomb because I started so late with the recruiting portion of my year. I started the summer before senior year and it was very stressful,” Grzelakowski said.

Every athlete still has to do school work no matter what the sport is. The difficulty of classes might be different but they’re classes none the less. A college education is very important for your future plans if a professional sport isn’t going to happen. The choice of a school doesn’t only involve the athletic department; the education department has to be good too.

“Well, I want to get into nursing and if I get through the first two years of pre nursing at Madonna I don’t have to apply. I would automatically be in the nursing program. And they also have 100% job guarantee if you graduate in nursing, so that was a huge factor of my decision,” Grzelakowski said.

In order to get the offers you would like to get, you will have to start at the right time. If you start too late you will not get the schools you want. It takes time for schools to see your skills and talk to you so you will need time for that to happen. The requested year to start the process is before your junior year season starts. That way the coaches and recruiters will have enough time to see you and all of your strengths and weaknesses.

“Start everything early, put videos of yourself in a game or practice as soon as you have them. Start talking to coaches and recruiters as early as possible. I started way too late,” Grzelakowski said.

Many athletes played multiple sports during their high school tenure. From superstars like Lebron James who played football and Tom Brady who played basketball, they had to make a difficult choice that would affect the rest of their lives. Choosing your future at the young age of 16 or 17 can either make or break you. No matter what the choice is, it will always be one of the toughest choices that will ever have to be made.

“I decided to stop playing other sports and focus on baseball over summer. It’s always been my favorite sport and I thought I had the best chance to play it in college,” Grzelakowski said.

Grzelakowski isn’t the only athlete at Fraser that is playing somewhere in college. Seniors Amanda Mathy (soccer at Ferris State), Keith Swistock (soccer at Madonna), Bryana Opalewski (softball at Macomb), and Tre Wells (football at Saginaw Valley) are all moving up to the next level. They are all the best athletes in their individual sports at Fraser. Congratulations to everyone who has signed and will sign to a college for sports.