Girl qualifies for Footlocker Nationals... declines invitation

TrackCoach wrote:

People like me are way to serious to spend time lying on messageboards. Please give me the name of one school that has 20 'full rides' to give out to the female track team? Perhaps you need to read a little more and understand what is generally referred to as a scholarship and what is actually a 'full ride' as in all you need is money for pizza on the weekend. Shoot Karen Harvey (FSU) an email and ask her how many girls she has in the 'full ride' category.

Just please stop posting and giving inaccurate information. Most D1 women's track/cross country programs have 20 scholarships (equivalent to 20 full rides). That is 100% fact. If you don't understand this, that is fine. Just don't confuse other people. Out of those 20 scholarships, many of them are given as full rides and the others are divided up into various amounts. Each school is different in how they divide those 20 scholarships, but the majority are giving quite a few full rides.

To Trackcoach, where I think you are getting confused is that when someone says a school has 20 full rides (NCAA maximum) it does not mean they have to give 20 people a full ride, which I think most people understand and has been discussed throughout this thread. Maybe you haven't been reading the thread, but because track/cross country has more scholarships than soccer, they are more likely to give a full ride scholarship, especially to a footlocker finalist. So yes, most major D1 schools do offer 20 full ride scholarships despite what you want to believe, with many of those divided up into smaller scholarships that total 20 full ride scholarships. I don't know of any school that gives 20 people a full ride, which had never been mentioned until your post.

You sir are an idiot if you think that winning an NCAA title means you will most likely start out with a six figure salary. I have ran and trained with multiple NCAA champions who were just getting by. We are in a recession if you did not know, and six figure contracts are very rare to most NCAA champion college graduates entering the professional running scene.

Sprinters are a different story than long distance runners. Also, add in the fact that if you're not American, you're looking at even less money for whatever contract you sign. Ask Josh McAdams, Barbara Parker, Josh Rohatinsky, Barnabus Kirui if they signed six figure contracts. Mrs. Parker was initially on around 15k a year and kit when she first signed with New Balance and she was an incredible runner setting the 3k steeple chase british record. Better yet, ask Matt Hughes who has won 2 National Championships in the steeple chase if he's been offered six figures from anyone yet.

I know you post a lot and are just "keeping it real". But I promise you, from personal experience and having close relationships with National Champion athletes you're assertions are incorrect. There is a great deal more money in womens soccer than you would believe. Many high school runners come out highly rated and find out they don't stack up at the next level, just as in soccer. Look at AJ Acosta, a phenom and high school and great runner in college who still is struggling to get a contract that will provide just a little more than kit.

(..."just keeping it real"...)

Sarah Robinson having success in soccer.

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/U-17-WNT/2012/02/U17-WNT-Sweeps-Two-Game-Series-With-Germany.aspx

Let's lay it out there. Yes, you can earn a full ride when running at footlocker. Even those 30-40. A gal I coached last year received full ride offers from Colorado and Wisconsin just to name a few.

I also have a girl receive full ride offers from multiple schools who was a top runner in california but did not make nationals. Maybe not a top 10 national school but those in major conferences.

As for soccer I am sure there are a lot out there but we had a gal who was on the national team but only got 15%. All I'm saying is money is out there... Just need to look for it.