Do walk ons at D1 schools get anything?

I run for a larger DI program and the walk-ons here get gear and the per deim if they make the roster. If they don't make the roster they just follow the team to close meets and pay for all of their own expenses.

I would say to ask the program's coach of the team you are looking at walking onto and see what he tells you about walk-on status at their school.

I got the opportunity to run on a D1 team. Isn't that enough?

Ghost of Ashenfelter wrote:

I got the opportunity to run on a D1 team. Isn't that enough?

For some people it is. Usually those are the people who are most successful too. Funny how that works, the guys who are only worried about running run well.

The small school is school of about 4000 students that does not play football. NCAA Division 1-AAA

The large school was an ACC school.

Ghost of Ashenfelter wrote:

I got the opportunity to run on a D1 team. Isn't that enough?

Yeah, it's plenty. I didn't expect anything when I walked on. I was amazed I got a locker and I actually got some clothes too, and they even washed the stuff EVERY day!!! If someone walks on expecting anything more than the priviledge of being around talented athletes and knowledgable coaches they are doing it for the wrong reasons.

I peronally walked on. I made the best of the opportunity, and raced rather well, and was solidly on the roster, and thus got all the benefits of being on the team. nearly unlimited shoes, tutoring, acess to trainers, ice bath whirlpools, etc. I think if you can make the roster, and make contributions to the team, you should get the same "benefits" as any recruited athlete.

How many people are on a traveling squad (probably depends on the school but the average amount)?

Former GA wrote:

The small school is school of about 4000 students that does not play football. NCAA Division 1-AAA

The large school was an ACC school.

ha, i run at an ACC school and in 4 years, have received something like 3 t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and 1 pair of shoes per year. at least the basketball here is great.

aren't there ncaa rules limiting what athletes can receive with respect to clothing/uniforms/etc.?

as with any rule, if you take it to the extreme you can see why it needs to exist. JJ Redick could make a lot of money if Duke gave him an unlimited supply of basketball uniforms.

There are rules concerning money, but I think we are talking about a different thing then giving JJ Redick jerseys to sell for money.

A girl I coached in high school walked on at Stanford, and not only has she received one the best educations, but she has enjoyed great coaching, teammates, etc. The coach had her compete at several meets throughout the season and ran at the Pac-10s. Even though she didn't compete at the national meet, she was given a national championship ring the year they won xc nats. That's pretty cool.

Bottom line is that on most CC teams there is very little difference between the walk ons and the scholarship athletes. Like others have said, many times the walk on is just an under-coached or under trained kid that could potentially become a real assest.

There is NOTHING like the college running experience. I'd tell anyone that had a chance to take a small scholarship or walk on to do it w/o question.

Even at a small school you go to meets and there are the big boys. This isn't like football where big schools only play big schools. At the end of the meet you can see how you measure up.

Any way do you want to be a 22 yr old guy just running road races? Leave that to all the old has beens like myself.

I was a walk on. I had to prove myself first. After one semester, the coach offered me a full scholarship.

asdfkj wrote:

I was a walk on. I had to prove myself first. After one semester, the coach offered me a full scholarship.

I was the same! The coach never heard of me and I had no intentions of running in college (D1). I was recruited by an athlete after school started. I was given a scholarship after one semester,and before I was done I had twice placed in the top 25 NCAA CC with our team never placing lower than 6th at Nationals CC.

Yes, I get shoes, money, and laundry. A whole lot of fun.

This is reviving a really old thread but what's the protocol for walk-on athletes to receive a scholarship?

One pair of shoes, meal money when I made the travel squad, help with dorm room hassles and a lifetime of friends and memories. Well worth the price of admission.

i walked on at a fairly large D-1 school in early 2000s and got a boat load of free stuff. trainers, spikes, warmups, singlets, shorts, bags, hats, tights, t-shirts, etc etc. my closet is still heavily populated with these sundries.

i assume every program is different. i was an occasional scorer on our XC team, and i did receive a paltry scholarship ($200/books) a couple semesters. But for being a very mediocre runner (27:45 for 8k) and frankly out of my league, I felt lavished with goodies I didn't necessarily deserve.

Looking back, I couldve probably contributed more at a lower-division school, but i dont regret the path i chose one bit. with a larger budget (and just the right circumstances), my school was able to dole out some pretty cool stuff to us not-so-fast runners.

Walk ons get basically all the same benefits as someone would on scholarship except the scholarship.