Previously limited by naivete, resources or their own lack of motivation, top Island athletes could see more doors opening for them thanks to a US firm specialising in university scholarships.

College Bound Student-Athletes (CBSA) -- through the efforts of three noted local sportsmen -- this week launched the first service of its kind in Bermuda.

For seven years, the Wisconsin-based company has acted like a dating service, matching suitable high school students with suitable university programmes.

Now they're hoping to open up the marketplace to the often insular and almost untapped resource that is Bermuda sports.

"Just by going around the Island and visiting the schools and talking with the coach, I can see there's a lot of athletic and raw talent here,'' said CBSA president Kevin Gemas in an interview yesterday.

"I've been very impressed with the attitude of kids and people in general.'' Gemas, a full back on the 1981 Clemson Tigers national championship football team, was put in touch three months ago with Bermudian Senator Terry Lister, who in turn joined up with Walter Roberts and Kent Bascome, both actively involved with the Bermuda Football Association.

Now the three are Island representatives for the CBSA, hoping to aid Island youths in obtaining subsidised post-secondary education though athletics and "maximising their potential,'' Roberts said.

CBSA works with 1,700 schools, who combined offer 200,000 scholarships annually in 28 sports ranging from equestrian to field hockey. But many smaller schools don't have vast budgets "and that's where we come in,'' said Gemas.

In the last three years, Gemas says CBSA has found spots for 9,000 high school athletes and expects to do the same for nearly 4,000 more this coming fiscal year.

Producing scores of letters from university coaches who swear by his service, Gemas notes that people usually only think of blue-chip athletes and revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball when they think of scholarships.

But it's other sports and the so-called "green-chippers'' who can benefit the most. Thanks to Title IX, a recent NCAA initiative mandating gender equality, opportunities for women athletes in particular have blossomed.

For instance, three years ago, 156 US schools had women's soccer programmes; now there are 800, Gemas said.

Here's how it works.

For a one-time fee of $695, a CBSA representative meets with a student and parents and puts together a "profile,'' taking into consideration athletic skills, accomplishments, grades and character. From there, they are funnelled towards coaches seeking certain players.

There is no promise of a scholarship "but we do guarantee a response'' from colleges, said Gemas.

The firm will continue working with the student, offering advice and guidance, sorting through the myriad of NCAA regulations, and attempting to find a perfect match, Gemas added.

And Roberts, an MP for Sandys South, figures CPSA is a perfect match for Bermuda, where lack of competition and exposure are traditionally huge obstacles for athletes to overcome.

Students as young as Grade Ten can sign up with CPSA and scholarships could give today's troubled youths "something to shoot for,'' he said.