As I’ve progressed through 16U and 18U travel softball, I’ve repeatedly heard from friends and talented teammates who aspire to get recruited but feel their test scores are standing in their way.   
 
These players are not wrong. Every year, coaches identify recruits they want in their programs but know will struggle to clear admissions due to a low SAT/ACT. As more colleges bring back standardized testing requirements, this problem is only going to grow.   
 
Over the past year of playing showcase softball, I’ve spent hours in tournament hotel conference rooms working through SAT questions with friends and teammates. I learned that the problem here isn’t a lack of intelligence but insufficient preparation and support. No one had ever taught these girls the specific math that shows up on the SAT and ACT or explained to them how to navigate the test itself. They hadn’t worked through practice exams, didn’t know what to expect and were intimidated by both the content and the format of the test. 
 
Last summer, I completed the College Board’s SAT tutor-training boot camp and created a database of practice exams plus answer keys. I started offering to work through the SAT or ACT with anyone who was interested. A few months later, I started hearing back from players whose performance had improved significantly! With Soar & Score, I’m formalizing this effort and making sure that any player who needs test-prep support can access it, regardless of where they’re from or what resources they have at home.