ajee wilson opts out of college

right now, only Montano seems way out of her league. Wilson as she matures should be able to break 2 pretty soon, and Vessey, Schmidt, Gall, and Beckwith are all beatable by anyone capable of running 1:58 or even 1:59. That assumes that Vessey is not at the level of a few years ago. I'd still like to see Wilson go to college and win a bunch of titles, including team titles, and it wouldn't hurt her development in the 8. She might get the added endurance needed to be great.

Ajee has the ability to be great. As stated, she has 53 second 400 meter speed, and once she starts doing runs longer than 45 minutes she'll have the strength to run with the best at 800.

I think this is a smart decision and I can see her running 1:58 next year and making the team. After that, I do think she should attend school, whether she competes for the team or goes professional.

Let me get this straight.

She signs a National Letter of Intent to attend Florida State University. The Letter of Intent says that you intend to enroll and attend said university for an academic year. So she reneged on the NLI leaving FSU with no one to replace her since school has started. She plans to enroll in college next year.

She plans on not turning pro, but train and compete for her club team.

So, she has no contract and not part of a college team. She plans on competing in America and Europe and foot the bill all by herself, while living at home? Is she going to get a job in the meantime?

Either run in college or turn pro. Like said before you can go to college (not competing for the school) and run professionally.

I hope this works out for her. I would have taken the full ride to FSU and still run fast and if very fast, then turn pro.

the question is how many american has ever won a gold medal in the 800 at world jrs or world youth?

the answer 1 Ajee Wilson.

The jamaicans has stopped sending there top athletes into the ncaa system look at the results.

Finally how many ncaa 800 women ran faster than Wilson this year?

Florida State deserve what they get, you reap what you sow asked any coach who was in Barcelona about there behavior in trying to recruit kids

I agree with the exception of Montano the 800 women is very weak Ajee Wilson will beat them all in 2013 (gifted)

I agree with the exception of Montano the 800 women is very weak Ajee Wilson will beat them all in 2013 (gifted)

nodge wrote:

Finally how many ncaa 800 women ran faster than Wilson this year?

One, Chanelle Price, and by less than a second (2:00.15 - 2:00.91).

I think it's a smart call for Ajee to stick with her current coach.

1) Her progression each year so far has been solid

2012 2:00.91 Barcelona 12/07/2012

2011 2:02.64 Lille 10/07/2011

2010 2:04.18 Moncton 22/07/2010

2009 2:07.08 Des Moines, IA 05/08/2009

2) She's peaked perfectly each year. Her seasonal bests from 2010-2012 have been in World Junior/Youth finals, the most important races for her. Even this year when she mixed it up in fast races with the pros indoors and at the Olympic trials, she still performed best in her stated goal for the 2012.

3) I'm pretty sure she's been injury free most of her high school career. The only big injury I can recall is her one her junior year when she missed the NJ meet of champs, but apparently that was from playing pick up soccer or something.

gfdgdsfgdfdsgfg wrote:

vs all those europeans winning medals at the Olympics, right?

Actually, with the amount of track and field athletes in America, you guys should be far bigger in say, running. The fact is your system with HS and College gets a lot of people to do track, but not produce many great runners. Most never PB after College. Its not long term training, its draining the athletes so that they will produce short term. This is probably OK for many that doesn't have the talent to go as far as possible, but its obvious that you guys also lose several big talents that way. Just look at little Norway, fifth in the 1500m in Olympics right behind Centro. A gold medal in 800m in Atlanta. That little country. Or Britain, far smaller than America.

I love your college system, but I also think its reducing your chances to get world class runners. Track really isn't that big in Europe, people play soccer there.

Well if she lived in Europe that would be great, she doesn't. How is the NCAA program bad? Did you watch the Olympics? Look at the USA 800m group of Women, how many went through the NCAA system? All of them. The NCAA system is where they learn to race. It is where they learn to compete through rounds of a championship.

I can't think of a single USA mid-distance distance runner who has benefitted from skipping the NCAA system. The single biggest mistake Alan Webb ever made was skipping out of the NCAA stsytem.

Best of luck to her, but if she is not going pro and she is going the club system, how is that going to work?

Club system: Not having to perform in 3 seasons. That is far from optimal.

Of course everyone of them went trough the NCAA system, everyone with a certain amount of talent in America go to college and run. Yes, its a good learning prosess but optimal for a long career? No.

former female 800m wrote:

worst poster wrote:

Could someone of her talent level just tell a college coach:

"Look pal, here is what I am going to do..800m X times/yr. No 1500s, no relays, no XC." Take it or leave it.

I'd think most coaches would be happy just to have a celebrity runner on the team to attract other talent.

No, I said this and for a full ride, the athlete must score points. Period. I am gald my dad had the money to pay for my college. I ran open. Back in the early 80s it was not considered pro.

The fifht placer in the 1500m in Olympics went to College on a track scholarship without having to run more than a few races a year for them (he was promised this)....He eventually quit because of strange disease but thats not really relevant.

Div 1 Coach wrote:

I agree with the exception of Montano the 800 women is very weak Ajee Wilson will beat them all in 2013 (gifted)

Montano is a dumb@ss. Her race strategy is terrible. She will never win anything.

National Letter of Intent Rules say that even if she doesn't enroll at FSU for a year, she still must sit out a year upon enrolling, and be charged with a year of eligibility if she chooses another school.

So 2012-2013- getting ready for Worlds (may lose a season of eligibility for not immediately enrolling with her HS class yet still competing in the sport, but i'm not positivie on this one)

2013-2014- can not compete for any school other than FSU

2014-2015- will have at best sophomore and maybe junior status at whichever school she chooses to enroll.

Her best bet is to start taking part time classes at a local university or community college so she can bank some credits.

But what it may tell us, is that the seedy world of football and basketball recruiting can rear its head anywhere when there is the potential for $$$$ to be involved.

I just certainly hope that all of the adults in the process are looking out for this young person's best interest.

If she makes the Worlds team, her contract will be much larger than if she signs now. This way she hedges her bets by retaining NCAA eligibility until she gets a worthwhile contract, not the piddling $30k or whatever she'd get as a high school star.

I hope she does well, but an 800 meter track runner, who is not #1 in the US, is not going to make great money; she should get an education while she is young. If she wants to be running pro races she should forgo eligiblity but continue her eduation (like Felix). Truthfully I think she should do what Andrews is doing, 2 years of NCAA running than straight to professional while keep up an education. Pro Runners have very short careers with only slightly above average wages (except for Bolt). It's a tough decision for any kid to make.

nodge wrote:

the question is how many american has ever won a gold medal in the 800 at world jrs or world youth?

the answer 1 Ajee Wilson.

The jamaicans has stopped sending there top athletes into the ncaa system look at the results.

Finally how many ncaa 800 women ran faster than Wilson this year?

Kim Gallagher won WJrs 800m in 1982 and set the WJr record in the process.

TrackCoach wrote:

nodge wrote:

the question is how many american has ever won a gold medal in the 800 at world jrs or world youth?

the answer 1 Ajee Wilson.

The jamaicans has stopped sending there top athletes into the ncaa system look at the results.

Finally how many ncaa 800 women ran faster than Wilson this year?

Kim Gallagher won WJrs 800m in 1982 and set the WJr record in the process.

CORRECT. Kim Gallagher quickly got out of the college system and ran with a club. She was in college for a semister and a half and then left.

Club track might be a better option for the best HS'ers in each state also. Why should a good dedicated runner get stuck with a first year English teacher because they wanted the extra money than having a real coach work with them. Many schools don't have track people coaching, just someone that works in the school system and wants the job for the extra money.

Too many coaches overrun their best athletes to win a conference or county championship as a team than do what is best for the runner.