What does the new roster limit mean for me?

It’s good for everyone.

If they have more xc kids that are better than you it may mean you don’t have to run xc, you would just train with the crew preparing for track. You hours and days could be a little different when you are “out of season” during xc.

Your large scholarship would indicate some value to the track team. As a mile run athlete with potential to score you would probably get preference on the XC roster over the long distance athletes not in the top 10. The coach would want to keep you on 20 hours for you development. But every program will manage their roster differently.

New rules will be for 25/26 season.

this is a dumb exercise. first, the decision for this year is "sunk." you are on the team on a full. the roster changes are next year. you have a year to do whatever times you do in XC and TF. the decision on bringing you back will be made on that basis, not now.

second, the people with the most to worry about if roster spots get chopped in the future are usually the sorts who are barely on the team now -- not the ones on fulls.

third, a full implies you should be one of their better runners. i say this because cuts are not done in the abstract but instead in comparison to a roster and the new recruits.

how do you compare to your colleagues? how do you get used this season? what times do you run? where do you finish in conference? count heads. where do i rank? if you are the 6th best XC guys and they have 17 scholarships......if you follow me. like i said, i'd be more worried if i am the 20th man walking on.

this conversation is a waste because you already have a 24-25 full and all the opportunity in the world to do whatever you can make happen. whether you come back will be based on how well you do. it'd be the dumbest thing in the world to blow up this year out of fear about scholarship changes next year. go do a good job, control what you can control, and quit worrying.

i played college soccer also. everyone has to take roster limits seriously, but you know who has to really worry? if 30 people show and you cut down to 25, the people who really have to worry are #20-30.

starters or routine subs don't worry about generic limits. you worry about who else can play your position, how you compare to existing, or about new recruits. i thought i was the best guy at my position when i showed up. by game 3 i was starting there. i was also occasionally moved around and started other places. so i'm thinking, i am a starter, and worst case they move me to start or i am a bench guy he can play in all sorts of positions.

at that point, quit worrying about making the team and the number limits. shift to doing your job well and monitoring if the coach keeps using you a lot, or recruits your replacement.

for XC purposes, if the coach is getting you meets and running you at conference or regionals, he sees you as core. ditto how much and when they use you at TF. if you are a miler and they barely put you in meets, ask about reducing your scholarship, and recruit replacements, that's when you worry. if you are there on a full, on the regionals team XC, and one of the guys they lean on at TF conference, you're doing fine, no matter what the voices in your head say.

Not good for everyone… Title IX is still in play. Football scholarships went up 20 (plus other team sports) so provisions must be made elsewhere to keep things even. The funding needs to be there which in many cases it wont be. Some schools just won’t have it.