I GOT ACCEPTED TO STANFORD OMG!!!!!!!!!! Now if only I could run there....

Why would anyone want to walk on a team at a scholarship school? The athletes work their a**es off, but in exchange they get paid in the form of free tuition. Why do it for free when you could be having the time of your life NOT running?

I agree with Thinkaboutit--the kids here bust their asses. And running for a D1 is more like a job than HS running.

On the other hand, the coaches have struck me as welcoming to potential walk-ons. Contact one of the assistants (David "teaches" a class for students, keeping an eye out for guys looking to walk-on). Might as well give it a shot. If nothing else, you get to train with some of the best collegiate runners in the country.

Good luck, and congratulations.

Because I love running...

I am a girl, I know the team is good (though underperformed a bit this year).. it would be crazy to be on it haha. But can't hurt in trying to walk on.. :)

OH MY GOD!!!! wrote:

Because I love running...

Running in college and high school are two completely different things.

I know that... but I might have a chance to walk onto the team..

OH MY GOD!!!! wrote:

This has given me incentive to work REALLY hard to MAYBE get a chance to walk on to the team...

Here's the thing- if you weren't already motivated to work REALLY hard with your running, then chances are you won't have the motivation to really make it worth your time in college. I'm not sure how you would be any more motivated just because it's Stanford- if running in college were something you were committed to doing, your passion/motivation would be the same regardless.

If you are not in contact with the coaches, you do not 'have a chance' to walk on to the team. Don't delude yourself.

I work pretty hard, it's something else that just gives me motivation to keep up the work.

And uhh, I didn't talk to the coaches because I wouldn't be the type of recruit (FL finalist) they are looking for... I wasn't expecting to get in (who can?) but now I'm shocked/it's a pleasant surprise so I'm thinking about contacting the coaches soon because I might be able to walk on. My times are not that far off of the runners on the team.

don't listen to these clowns. running on a college team is awesome, regardless of how good you are. sure it's hard work, but I don't know why everyone replying here is assuming that means it's not fun...I guess they don't like running as much as me or you. talk to the coach.

OP, don't let the negativity of anonymous posters on here who could only dream to get into a school like Stanford get you down...

The reason you don't see many walk-ons at Stanford is mostly because to be a walk-on, you need to actually get into the school itself which is not exactly the easiest thing to do.

If you have times in the ballpark, go ahead and contact the coaches. Good luck and congratulations!

I'm not sure if people are lumping me in with the 'negators', but I can assure you I speak from experience. Ran at a top 20 XC D1 school (and very well reputed academically), ran at nationals, and was a scoring member each year. I saw many walk-ons who wanted to say they were a part of the team. Most did not last through the grueling day in/day out requirements to compete at that level. Again, my bottom line is this: if you are only now motivated to train "REALLY" hard because it's Stanford and 'hey they've got a great team', then I think you're fooling yourself. But if you genuinely love running and are willing to make that commitment (and at a school like Stanford, as others have said, it is a BIG commitment), then go for it. Good luck.

They got Direct TV now ?

Francis L wrote:

I'm not sure if people are lumping me in with the 'negators', but I can assure you I speak from experience. Ran at a top 20 XC D1 school (and very well reputed academically), ran at nationals, and was a scoring member each year. I saw many walk-ons who wanted to say they were a part of the team. Most did not last through the grueling day in/day out requirements to compete at that level. Again, my bottom line is this: if you are only now motivated to train "REALLY" hard because it's Stanford and 'hey they've got a great team', then I think you're fooling yourself. But if you genuinely love running and are willing to make that commitment (and at a school like Stanford, as others have said, it is a BIG commitment), then go for it. Good luck.

Francis L wrote:

I'm not sure if people are lumping me in with the 'negators', but I can assure you I speak from experience. Ran at a top 20 XC D1 school (and very well reputed academically), ran at nationals, and was a scoring member each year. I saw many walk-ons who wanted to say they were a part of the team. Most did not last through the grueling day in/day out requirements to compete at that level. Again, my bottom line is this: if you are only now motivated to train "REALLY" hard because it's Stanford and 'hey they've got a great team', then I think you're fooling yourself. But if you genuinely love running and are willing to make that commitment (and at a school like Stanford, as others have said, it is a BIG commitment), then go for it. Good luck.

I don't get what you mean: "the grueling day in, day out requirements". Do you mean training? Do you mean watching what you eat? Do you mean managing your time properly?

Because that is pretty much what most runners do. If you found it grueling I feel for you. I ran too, and I never saw it as work. And I never thought of it as an exchange for free tuition, I just loved to compete, and training was part of that. It was my favorite time of day heading to practice or meets.

The issue here is why walk on at Stanford specifically? If you love running so much that you NEED it to be a part of college life, go to a school where you can run and compete. Go to Williams or Amherst or Middlebury. Same or better education than Stanford, and if you are close to being on Stanford's team, then you'll be a really good D-3 runner.

Running D-1 is sort of pointless unless you'd win every single D-3 race you entered. If you aren't winning every time you step to the line, the level of competition argument holds no water. I ran D3 and crushed tons of D1 runners. Doesn't mean I belonged at a top D1 school, but it does mean those scrubs didn't belong there either.

If you love Stanford, go, it's a great school. If you love racing and competing, find somewhere you can do it. Don't be a D1 scrub. Absolutely nobody cares about it.

at stan won;t have time to run. the profs at the 4 cali pac-10 schools and uc system schools are prevented by policies to have hw q's on mids & finals. you are going to be studying all weekend, during xmas, during summer. forget running.

Grueling requirements? You're getting a free education for max 20 hours a week of "work". Compare that to working 20 hours at the local piggly wiggly for 7 dollars an hour and get back to me.

I cannot believe how many haters there are on here. People who never got into a school like Stanford, people try to rationalize giving up on their dreams and people who burned out running...its amazing. Don't let it get you down. I walked onto a D1 program with great academics and never regretted it.

Honestly, when I got to college, competitive sports suddenly seemed not that important. I grew up playing tennis. I was at a level where I could have played tennis at the small university I went to but nowhere near the ball park of every playing professional tennis. I had already played organized sports all the way from grade school to high school. I looked at playing on the team and just couldn't see a reason why I would want to do it. Its like, 'I've been there and done that'.

I just came around to finding a half hour to an hour of a good hard physical workout. Just doing whatever felt good. Maybe having goals but never taking it too seriously. I was much happier letting organized sports go yet still being reasonably fit and benefitting from the clearing of the mind it gives to help with studies.