Fort Collins--The Northern Colorado Showcase, fast becoming a premier college scouting event for women's soccer in the Rocky Mountain region, will be back for its fourth year, Feb. 8-10, in Fort Collins and Windsor. Organized by the Fort Collins Force W-League soccer team, the Northern Colorado Showcase is expected to attract more than 30 college coaches from NCAA and NAIA college soccer programs.  

"I typically take only three flights a year (for recruiting trips), and that's one of the three tournaments I go to," said Lisa Unsworth, head coach of Lewis & Clark College of Portland, Oregon.

The impact of the tournament has become measurable since its inaugural year in 2005. Since then, more than 60 former Showcase participants from Northern Colorado have gone on to play college soccer.

Due to the rising popularity of the Showcase, which will draw around 250 high school players representing nearly 30 different teams this year, games will be played at two venues - The Edge Sports Center in Fort Collins, and the Windsor Arena Sports facility. Competition at the Showcase features a 6v6 format. Teams in two flights, Elite and Club, will compete in pool play games and playoffs to determine flight champions on the final day of the tournament.

In addition to the action on the field, athletes and parents will have the opportunity to hear from noted sports psychologist Michael Riggs, president of Performance Consulting Ltd.  Riggs will present "Playing Between the Ears," a mental skills clinic for competitive soccer players, at two different times, 2:30-3:30 p.m., or 3:30-4:30 p.m. The clinic will be at The Edge Sports Complex and costs $15, which includes all clinic materials. Riggs will follow the players clinic at 4:30 p.m. with a seminar for parents titled, "When Winning Becomes Everything: Successful Parenting in the Wild, Wild World of Youth Sport." The cost is $15 for one parent and $25 for both parents.

The showcase is open to the public at no cost. Highlights on Saturday will include the all-star games, at 2:25 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. and the club championships at 4:15 while Sunday will feature the elite division championships 1:15 p.m.

After Doe performed in the Showcase tournament during junior year, she was contacted by five different college coaches who were on hand at the event.

"Even if you already have an idea of where you're going, you never know what opportunity might present itself," added Stephanie Cynkar, a former Rocky Mountain High School and Fort Collins Arsenal player, now at the University of Wyoming.

Cynkar, who acknowledges that she drew very little recruiting attention through most of her high school career, was contacted by eight different coaches after the 2007 Showcase.

"The Showcase was the only opportunity I had to be exposed to college recruiters," she said. "Basically, it's the only reason I'm playing ball in college."

Don Trentham, head coach at Montana State University-Billings, a NCAA Division II program, will be back at the Showcase for a third year. He said he usually identifies up to six players each time that he chooses to pursue, and several players have made campus visits. His current roster includes two players he signed after scouting them at the Showcase tournaments.

"As long as we continue to get two or three visits out of it, it's good for us," Trentham said.

Trentham was impressed enough by the tournament that he recommended it to a club team from Montana, which is sending a group of players to this year's Showcase.

As part of the Showcase program, players are asked to fill out individual profiles which information on academics as well as athletic success. Coaches then use the profiles to help determine which players they intend to follow during the tournament. Showcase organizers also inform athletes in advance about which coaches will attend the tournament. With that information, players may contact coaches before the event to let them know of they have interest in the school.

"I've already had e-mails from four girls playing in the tournament who want us to come watch them play," said Montana State's Trentham.

According to Doe, the small-side format, coupled with the indoor turf surface, allows individual players to demonstrate their skills in a fast-paced setting.

"Coaches can get a really close look at your soccer skills, which in turn means you get a lot more exposure," Doe explained. "You get a lot more playing time, a lot more close-up exposure, and many more opportunities to showcase your talent. I feel that many college coaches look for a player who can move and play at a very fast pace."

Over the three-day tournament, spectators can join the coaches to watch some of the top high school soccer players in the region, including games between all-star teams in each tournament flight.