Comments on: Walking On is no Walk in the Park

By: Ivan

Ivan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:16:36 +0000

Great article but what is not talked about is the small population of kids that attend high school in the Department of Defense Overseas. There i a lot of talent at these schools but some of those HS coaches don’t take the initiative to promote a particular athletic therefore he/she is overlooked. So when the athletic decides what college he/she will attend one of their options is to walk on and show there talent, interest and dedictation to their particular sport. So I would suggest that coaches take a look at each walk on case individually, assess and make a conscience decision if he/she has an opportunity to play at that particulat DIV.

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:56:53 +0000

ms – Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Your reflections hit the nail on the head and add some needed wisdom to this discussion.

By: ms

ms — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:42:29 +0000

This is an interesting story and commentary. It seems that people forget that the goal of intercollegiate athletics at the DI level and other levels is to be successful at the highest level possible. So when kids walk on with the hopes of making it they need to realize that it’s not about PARTICIPATION it’s about COMPETITION, if they can beat out a scholarship kid or kids then most likely they will get to compete if not… A coach who would get fired if he started walk ons reflects the general competitive environment of intercollegiate athletics. The question that would be asked of him would be “why did you not recruit better scholarship athletes? Why are you wasting university money on inferior athletes who can be beat by kids not recruited or not strong enough to get a scholarship?” People should have a realistic assessment of their abilities and potential and mental strength when they decide what level to compete at. And the most important question of all should be IS THIS UNIVERSITY GOING TO FULFILL MY ACADEMIC NEEDS? Of the hundreds of thousands of college athletes competing at all levels only a small fraction will ever become professionals in sports and even a smaller percentage will become successful enough to have a stable lifestyle from sports. Many people either forget this or don’t want to realize this. The other factor is that many people today also think they deserve scholarships for athletics. The reality is that very few kids are at a level where they can earn a scholarship but their coaches, parents etc. think they deserve one. Think of it this way, does a student with a 2.5 GPA deserve an academic scholarship, even if he or she shows potential of becoming a great student in the future? Most everyone would say no. This is also the same with athletic scholarships, not everyone deserves one and not everyone will get one. If someone truly believes that they can compete at a level where they do not earn a scholarship then sure they should try out, but they should be realistic as well. Finally one should ask him or herself if they would rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a little pond.

By: Hurdler mom

Hurdler mom — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:22:19 +0000

I think that parents need to have serious conversations with their student athletes as far as their goals. My daughter was the #2 ranked Freshman in our state this past year. She has the potential to go to a DI school if her times keep improving as expected. We discussed what she wants to do in college and she realized that she wants to contribute as a Freshman. She doesn’t want to red-shirt and doesn’t want to spend two years on the sidelines waiting for her turn behind older, more developed athletes. She also feels that since she is committing so much time and effort, she wants to be part of a top program. We decided together that the best thing for HER would be that if she isn’t going to be able to contribute immediately to one of the top DI programs (unlikely) she will go to one of the top junior colleges and then transfer. DI is often a pride thing for parents and student athletes. As much as I want to be able to brag that my daughter is a DI recruit, I know that is not necessarily the best place for her. Parents need to have these conversations and put pride aside when making decisions.

By: Wheels

Wheels — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:45:14 +0000

David you might want to consider D-III or NAIA. Often coaches at those levels are more willing to take into consideration the complete history of a track athlete’s performances while deciding financial aid and roster positions. That’s assumming you want to compete and contribute to the team as opposed to the indignities of a walk on. If you’re running .50-.51 in practices and can’t perform below .53, I suggest that in your effort to finish well in competitions you are tightening/tying up, hoping that the more force and effort you put into the finish, you’ll be successful. The number one rule for good sprinting is relaxation! Watch successful 400 meter runners sprinters. You’ll notice that their faces look like jello as they run, their hands are loose with palms in and thumbs up. They are making a maximum effort, yet they’re concentrating on feeling relaxed. Try using “build ups” in practice where you slowly increase your speed (no more that 60 meters) to near maximum velocity with a focus on feeling relaxed as you run. Transfer that sensation to the last 60 meters of your 400 meters. Loose Hands! Loose Face! Good Discipline – Good Focus. I never wish a track animal good luck – as in life luck has little to do with success.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:28:05 +0000

David, Hang in there. My son suffered some nagging injuries during his senior season that along with a football coach who was fired at the end of 4 non-winning seasons, quality athletes were never really put into a position to showcase their talent. Some of these young men have decided to walk on at various D level schools. Many programs won’t even look at players that come from losing school programs so walking on is a viable option for many students. It is hard and is not designed to be fair, but if you know that going in, you will accept the outcome no matter what.

By: David

David — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:05:05 +0000

I’m going to be a senior going into the next school year and I’ve run track since I was a freshman. Going into my sophmore season I was running right on 50 flat for the 400, which isn’t an amazing time, but it wasn’t bad either. Anyway, at the first meet of the season I pulled my hip flexer, but continued to run on it. I was out for most of the season and didn’t fully heal until the next school year started. After that I was just trying to get back to where I was, and I’m just now getting there. The unfortunte thing is that I never recorded a time less than 53.1 at a meet when I’ve run much faster at practices, so I doubt I’d be considered for a scholorship anywhere. Right now walking on looks really tempting.
I guess walking on is one of those things that depends on the athlete, the school, and the coaches. Each individual case will probably be different.

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:53:11 +0000

As a college coach (volleyball) I want to echo what Charlie says in #68. Different sports, genders, programs, levels, etc. change the need and opinion on walk-ons. Personally we look for 2-4 walk-ons each year. We are also a JC which means we have a lot of turn over as it is. We normally recruit between 8-12 total players (scholarship and walk-ons) each year . A lot of times I have found that most walk-ons want to be part of college athletics and want the chance to play. At our level they get a chance. At the highest level in the nation they don’t necessarily have the luxury of seeing if players workout. They need impact in every position from every player . . . even the scholarship guys on the bench. When all is said and done it is more important to pick the right school rather then the D1 or 2 that offers the most money. Sometimes the school that would be the best fit doesn’t have the advantage of a fully funded scholarship program. Some programs don’t have scholarship. As was mentioned earlier, ask as many questions as you can think of when communicating with coaches and when you have exhausted all your questions talk to your friends and come up with some more. Don’t follow the money, look for the fit.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:51:54 +0000

Bill -
That’s a great point. College coaches CAN”T see all of the good student-athletes who could potentially impact their school. That’s why it’s extremely important that student-athletes make themselves known to as many college coaches as they can. If a student-athlete and their family is not proactive in this process, many opportunities will pass them by.

By: Bill Morse

Bill Morse — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:18:19 +0000

There are a lot of athletes out there and I don’t think a coach can see them all in the recruiting process. Hopefully, the coach can pick the best player he/she can find for scholarship but I can think of many reasons why a player could fly under the radar and not get spotted by anyone. Although I admit it is probably rare that a walk-on will become an impact player, It would be a shame to miss out on having that special player that walks-on because you already had your mind made up.