Austin Tautfest '16 Recruiting Profile

Dear Prospective Coaches,

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read my introduction.  My objective is to capture your interest and attention as a serious a 2017 prospect that is worth your time, consideration, and commitment.

To begin with, I love the game of hockey.  From the moment my skate touched the ice as a second grader that had just moved to Fargo, ND, I was hooked.  Since then, hockey has been a major part of my life which brings me a great amount of personal satisfaction, motivation, drive, and focus.  That said, my ultimate goal is to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at an academically acclaimed college and I am completely committed to do all I can to accomplish this goal.

In order to provide you with insight as to who I am as a person, student athlete, and hockey player, I will address these two questions:

• What are my collegiate goals
• What sets me apart from all the other capable prospects in character, athleticism, and academic achievement.

College Goals:

• Academically, m goal is to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in a natural science discipline, attend medical school, and ultimately become an orthopedic surgeon.  Since I have a strong interest and knack for fields such as biology, anatomy, physiology, and sports, orthopedic medicine seems like it would be a natural fit for me and something I am very interested in.  I am fortunate Dr. Jeffrey Harrison, USA Olympic Ski Team Orthopedic Surgeon, invited me to shadow him this summer so I can gain a better understanding and perspective of this field of medicine, and if it is a right for me.
• Athletically, I am determined to earn a position on the roster of a NCAA Division 1 college hockey team.  This goal is extremely important to me for the reasons I stated above, and one that I am committed to achieving.

What Sets Me Apart:

• I am well aware there is a large pool of talented athletes you have to choose from, but the following personal attribute all combine highlight me as a student athlete that possess all of the necessary skills to excel in any challenging and competitive hockey program and college.  Please consider the following:
  • Personal Character:
    • From the beginning, my parents have taught me the importance of building a strong character and foundation that will help me not only become a successful student athlete, but more importantly, become a good man.
    • For example, my mother was a NCAA Division 1 athlete at The Ohio State University, and my father just recently retired as an F-16 combat veteran fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. In order for both of them to achieve these high goals, they had to work very hard, be tenacious, highly competitive, and driven.  They have used their lessons learned to instilled these types of personal attributes as a major part of my character development:
      • Integrity first... meaning to do the right thing even when no one is watching.
      • To always begin any task or goal with the end result in mind.
      • Knowing how to commitment, do the hard things others are not willing to do, and being able to make personal sacrifices in order to earn my successes in life.
      • The ability to keep an open-mind, be a critical thinker, and respect the views and values of others.
      • Having the ability to step-up and lead when needed, while also knowing how and when to follow.
    • Athleticism:
      • I pride myself on being a full spectrum athlete that possess all of the essential core athletic abilities, to include:
        • Having 42% of my total body weight being muscle.
        • Speed and quickness.
        • High levels of endurance.
        • Flexibility, balance, and coordination.
        • Mental and physical toughness.
    • Hockey Skills:
      • As a player, I am known for:
        • Above average ice I.Q.
        • Physical play that utilizes controlled aggressiveness
        • Quick and deceptive foot and hand work
        • Technically sound stride and form
        • Strong puck control
        • High face-off win average
        • Creating turnover in all areas of the ice
        • Excellent small areas skills
      • As a team member, I firmly believe the strength and success of my team must be built upon; mutual trust, respect, unity, and a commitment to a common goal that is bigger than any one individual and I am committed to this philosophy.
      • Throughout my years in hockey, the above areas have allowed me to play up in age brackets successfully with teammates, coaches, and evaluators complementing me on my wide range of skills.  I attribute this to my ability and willingness to work very hard on improving myself, my game, and working on the areas that need improvement.
    • Academics:
      • I have the privilege of attending The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut.  Before attending Loomis, I was a straight A honor roll student in the public schooling system.  As I transitioned to Loomis, I quickly realized my previous academic skills needed significant improvements if I was going to be successful in this challenging environment.
      • Having recently completed my sophomore year at Loomis, I have demonstrated my ability to adapt, overcome, and succeed as evidenced by receiving several recommendations to enroll in honors math and science courses this school year.
      • As for college standardized testing, I have taken the practice ACT and will take the formal test during my junior year.

When you considering all of the above, you can see I am a dedicated student athlete that possess the right balance of character, athleticism, respectable hockey skills, and academic discipline that are all needed to succeed in a challenging environment. That said, I am confident you will find that I am an outstanding 2017 prospect that is worth your time, consideration, and commitment.

Very respectfully,

Austin Tautfest

Loomis Chaffee 2017 Grad