SAT scores will help for showcases and recruiting camps, but I'd be cautious about taking the SAT as a freshman. Does your high school have freshman take the PSAT? I'd have her take the PSAT first so you have an idea of the potential SAT score range. Colleges never see the PSAT, so it is okay if you bomb it.
Be aware that some elite colleges require you to send in every SAT, SAT II and ACT score (taken from 9th grade on). A low freshman SAT score, as well as taking the SAT more than three or four times, can hurt your chances (not if you are a stud athlete, but a lesser athlete or just regular applicant).
This past year, my 10th grader decided to take the SAT. At first she said she would study, then it turned into just taking it to see how she would do. She came out of the test saying she would have done better if she had prepped...so she is taking it again this fall. However, given her PSAT scores, I wasn't concerned with her bombing it - she managed slightly over 2100. It gave her a score to list for showcases.