My coach is going to cut my scholarship

sounds a bit early to be threatening your scholarship

unless you're getting smashed every night

Why in your opinion haven't you performed to expected? Too much quality over the summer? Very different training? Give it another year at least. College training takes a while to adjust to and if anything, slow down and recover on your easy runs. I remember hammering everything freshman year and felt the same way, but my body adapted and things got better

You may have already done this, but I would definitely recommend sitting down and having an honest conversation with your coach. Discuss the reasons you both think you have underperformed this season. Have you been as focused as you should be? Have you been working too hard, having trouble adjusting to college life, dealing with pressure, etc.?

Will you be able to afford school on a reduced scholarship? Will your coach consider rethinking things if you can work together to salvage a good track season? Freshman year is a hard adjustment for a lot of people, and just because cross country didn't go well doesn't mean there's no hope for the rest of the year. Talk with your coach, with the attitude that he might still reduce your scholarship, but that there's a possibility that an honest, rational conversation can help you work together to improve things from both perspectives.

No, this is NOT a normal occurrence. Your coach should not repeal or reduce your scholarship after one season in which there is such a large adjustment to different training and lifestyle environments in addition to new academic priorities. He is either trying to scare you (read: bully you) or is completely unaware of a student-athlete's needs.

If he does reduce your scholarship you can appeal. I recommend doing so. Remember, if you're doing everything he asks then he is responsible for your downward slide in running.

That being said, it doesn't sound like a great start with this coach and if you feel like transferring might be a good idea, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

What is your life like outside of running? Your diet? Your sleep? Stress levels? Your grades? Are you rushing around like a chicken with it's head cut off? Are you depressed? Are your easy days easy? There's a lot of life changes in your first semester, moreso as a D1 student-athlete (compared to students only). Maybe you're overtrained cause you're under-recovering. It's not just the training, but how well you recover. You've got to get YOU and everything around you figured out. Maybe this is a wake-up call to get your act together.

Another thing: have you put on weight, whether because of poor diet and/or alcohol (partying too much)? Weight gain is very common your first semester due to poor habits, and of course it's going to have a huge impact on your running.

Not sure how true this is. NCAA rules dictate your scholarship can't be cut during year you receive it. Also, you have recourse (jury of appeals, sort of) that allows you to go to a committee within your university and appeal your case. Unless you are not showing up for practice, have been caught doing drugs or drinking (drug tests) or are insubordinate, it isn't so easy to rescind your scholarship. There needs to be a paper trail. There are some other rules and regulations regarding your scholarship situation. If this is indeed a real situation, you should read up on these rules via NCAA guidelines and or speak with your athletic director.

The scholarship is a one year contract.

Some things you need to know if you are at an NCAA institution.

They can reduce your money for next year, but you are entitled to a hearing attended by a committee composed of various faculty around the campus. If your only sin was poor performance in the fall, a good spring might change the drop from happening. I would ask the coach A) why your $$ is being reduced and B) is there anything you can do to prevent this from happening.

My guess is that he wants to use that money for recruiting and you might not be able to get it back. Some schools simply back the coach, but if he has not given you his performance based criteria, you *might* have a shot with the committee IF you are academically eligible and haven't violated any other team regs.

Regardless of what he tells you, I advise you to GET IT IN WRITING. If he shies away from that, you might go to the AD or assistant AD who handles schollys and have a sit down along with your parents. Some coaches just don't know the rules and if you show him that you do and are willing to take the decision up the ladder then he may back down. But, try the face to face discussion tact first and move on from there.

Good luck

honest assessment of yourself wrote:

Another thing: have you put on weight, whether because of poor diet and/or alcohol (partying too much)? Weight gain is very common your first semester due to poor habits, and of course it's going to have a huge impact on your running.

You have a point. Although, I have seen my own college coach scream at other members of the team who were doing everything right, all the while using that weight of the scholarship dangling over their heads as a weapon. It is bullying to do it in that way.

I would hit the books harder and learn how to spell, you may need something to fall back on.

I have seen my own college coach scream at other members of the team who were doing everything right, all the while using that weight of the scholarship dangling over their heads as a weapon. It is bullying to do it in that way.

I thought coach Chaplin retired from WSU and was now threatening the citizenship of American relay runners who drop batons?

Do not sign anything where you agree to a reduced scholarship too quickly without looking into it.

I don't think he can do this.

If the coach signed you and you didn't perform well that's his problem.

Go to practice. Go to classes. Run hard. Race the schedule.

do all of the above and start looking for other programs/colleges. Per other comments - Frosh year is an all around adjustment for most - lots of things different. This guy/coach sounds like a bozo. Saying this to a freshman is minor league and a possible sign of things to come ... I would bet. You will almost assuredly get back on top of things -

No. It is most definitely not the problem of the coach. I am sure that there is more than one side to this story. A scholarship is a one year financial aid agreement. You need to do your research up front to see if the coach has a history of this - signing people on high $$ amounts and then reducing to make room for others. If you didn't do that then it is YOUR problem.

It is also your problem if you can't get your running straight. Look into that mirror and ask yourself if you are doing your part. Why do so many people get on here and think a coach is a miracle worker? Work your ass off and put the beer bong down. I am sure that there are dozens of excuses for YOUR failure.

You can not get your scholarship cut due to performance. Go talk to the NCAA compliance officer at your school. Ask them to keep your conversation private and if they say yes, ask them about the rules.

I have kicked people off the team and therefore their scholarship was revoked. But they were kicked off for breaking team rules (more than once usually). That is really the only way to repeal a scholarship - breaking team rules, NCAA rules or the Athletic Code of Conduct.

So if it was performance your coach will not get away with it.

If he does cut it, transfer, it is only going to get worse.

Like everyone else said, talk to your coach, and find out why, and it there's anything that can be done about it. And just because you had a bad cross country season, doesn't mean that your track seasons are going to be the same. Freshmen year, especially for men is a huge adjustment for the vast majority of people.

7/10

Because most ppl don't know the rules I'm going to give this a successful attempt. For those of you who are interested though, yes scholarships are rewarding on a yearly basis. No a coach can not reduce the amount of aid you receive once you sign for that aid. He can present you with a reduced scholarship notice. If you sign the scholarship you are done for with no ability to appeal. You must first decline the reduction by not signing the form and then taking it up with an appeals board. Being a freshman, you have history on your side, as long as you have been a model student and the coach does not have a paper trail on you.

Just trying to reply to a few things.

- I am not a troll, I promised this actually happend.

- I wont transfer because academically this school is really good (top 10 public schools in America) and the school I transfer to will not be as good as this one. If I do end up quitting I will most likely end up back with my high school coach training me again (we have a great athlete coach-relationship going back almost 10 years to when I first started running at 8 years old).

- I promise you partying is not the issue, I haven't gone to any house parties or had a sip of alochol going all the way back to my high school prom. Me "going out" consists of catching a movie or the very rare date.

- I was not aware of these rules on reducing scholarship, all the guy said is that I have no lived up to expectations and that I will being getting a reduction.