Heydudeeeeee158236 wrote:
Hello all, I have recently committed to run at a divison 1 school where I will be walking on. The main reason why I chose the school was for its superb academics. However on my visit, the coach made it seem like everyone was treated the same, whether you be a full ride scholarship guy or a walk on. Is this true? For example, would my training be less closely followed? Would I get as much gear as the scholarship guys? I'm just curious about little things like this. Can you guys share some experiences with what you experienced first hand or witnessed involving walking on? Thanks in advance!
Speaking second hand (my son walked on to a D1 program ranked about 40th in the country):
First, congrats on choosing the school based on academics. That was an excellent decision.
The gear is exactly the same. Your locker might not be as nice though. At some schools you may not get a locker at all.
How the coach treats you will be totally dependent on the times that you run. Distance running is the ultimate meritocracy. If you show the potential to score points in the conference meets, you'll get more attention that guys that don't.
That said, everyone will get workouts from the coach. You'll run the workouts with your teammates. The coach will monitor your workouts and will most definitely monitor your races. If you race better than your teammates, you will move up the ladder.
The difference is that you won't travel unless you're one of the top guys. It is totally based on your times.
That said, if you had the exact same times as a recruit, I'd bet the recruit would get the benefit of the doubt. But, if you have similar times as the recruit, chances are that you'll both get plenty of opportunities and will be travelling.
My advice? Use the fact that you're not a recruit (which is common in distance running by the way) as motivation to do the training necessary to develop to your fullest (especially during the summer prior to your freshman year!!!). If you do, you'll move up. If you are scoring at conf meets, you will get $.
The other piece of advice is that you are going to be constantly evaluated. Not just on your times, but your work ethic and your attitude. Be the kid that gives 100% all the time. Be the kid that's easy to coach and a good teammate. Do the little things like eating and sleeping right.
Good luck!