LemonAid, a mobile app designed to connect student athletes and colleges based on social, academic, and athletic similarities, announces the addition of rowing on both iOS and Android platforms. LemonAid introduces every student athlete to the opportunity of a lifetime
Startup LemonAid, already certified NCAA compliant, is pleased to officially announce the addition of rowing to its free college recruiting app for iOS and Android.
LemonAid first launched in swimming because co-founder Eric Knight, a former American Record Holder in the sport, nearly gave up before he got started. As a high school athlete, he thought he didn't belong in college swimming, that he wasn't good enough. Eric emailed coaches of colleges he wanted to attend, but never heard back. "I could see the opportunity. I wanted the challenge. But trying to get noticed [by college coaches] was like standing up in a crowded auditorium and frantically waving." Eric had the desire, but his times suggested to coaches that he was inherently flawed. In short, he was a lemon.
LemonAid solves this problem by streamlining the recruitment process for colleges and athletes in equal measure. Working like a combination between professional network LinkedIn, and dating-app Tinder, LemonAid allows coaches and athletes to swipe through the app before finding a mutually beneficial match. Once matched, the app allows for direct messages between coaches and athletes, speeding up a process that is normally bogged down by countless emails, solicited and unsolicited alike.
In addition to their sport specific athletic, academic, and social profiles, athletes can also upload videos to show off their prowess. These create a moving 'digital baseball card' for colleges to quickly view. And such information at the touch of a fingertip can negate the need to travel, highlight overlooked talent, and communicate interest faster. Further complementing the social search, high school coaches and sports fans join the fun by ranking and recommending colleges to and for athletes with a simple drag and drop feature that notifies both college and athlete when either browses the curated deck.
LemonAid exists because the college recruiting process can be overwhelming for all involved, and athletes getting noticed can be daunting when you don't know where to start. It's tough to send emails that are never answered, to knock on doors that don't open, and to go to tryouts where you don't think you belong. Knight's co-founder and the coach that helped him to that American record, Nate Boyle, notes this problem when he reflects on his own experiences in college coaching: "At Davidson we held an open tryout—2 guys showed up—[but] once I watched and listened to both young men it was clear one in particular had what it took to compete and succeed. A credit to him and Jon Young - he went from that tryout to school record holder at Davidson."
In the mobile age when millennials check their phone 43x a day, 77% as soon as they awake, and 92% use it during their downtime it is no wonder athletes get lost in the current college recruiting system; it's outdated and doesn't communicate opportunity. One can't effectively search through and inquire about every potential college for similar academic, athletic, and social interests. However, they can use tools like LemonAid to help them make that introduction and demonstrate their abilities before coach or athlete spends more time on recruiting than competing.
"We created LemonAid to help lesser-known athletes and colleges get visibility in the recruiting process," says co-founder, Eric Knight. "We are pleased to announce the general release of our app on two huge platforms. Now we can extend our help and assistance to would-be college athletes across the US, and beyond."
ABOUT
LemonAid is a mobile application that streamlines the recruitment process for high school athletes looking to compete in intercollegiate athletics, helping them to build and reach greater exposure in the process. Founded by CEO Nate Boyle and Eric Knight, LemonAid is now available on iOS and Android. Certified NCAA Compliant, LemonAid is also the preferred mobile recruiting application of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).