Walk ons: How supportive was your team/your coach of you?

I walked on my team as a 4:18 mile/9:38 2 miler. I got to be a part of the team but I didn't really get much attention from the coach. Of course he was more worried about the faster guys that could run under 30 for 10k and whatnot.

I ended my career with a 24:55 8k, a 4:12 indoor mile, and a 14:37 5k outdoor. I was never really a factor in scoring or anything and struggled to stay on varsity. I did get to run in a few conference championship meets but I never scored (competitive distance running conference). I was always on the brink of getting cut. But, I'm pretty happy I ran in college.

I walked on to a top track school.

There was no tryout. Just needed a physical.

I felt support from the coaches and teammates.

Some people think John Cook only bothers with the top talent but he worked with everyone who showed up.

D3, we were all walk ons!

great story, curious - not many sports are like that.

I walked on to the Dartmouth xc team - thankfully it had a no cut policy - this was pre-chapter whatever.

I was only a 17 flat 5k guy or something like that - and those were the Lannana years when they were serious national contenders.

Anyway, Lannana was the nicest guy you can imagine and insisted every runner, even me, meet with him to set goals. He even invited us back of the packers to travel to an away meet, and we got to race in the home meets.

Funniest bunch of guys I've ever been around too - really good team chemistry.

I only ran one season - tooling around in the back was less rewarding than being an important member of the lightweight crew - but it was a great experience all around.

I wasn't recruited out of High School but made the roster of a Big Ten School my sophomore season after a year on the East Coast. At first I got little attention but the coaches at least knew my name. As the seasons progressed, I got better and was a Big Ten scorer indoors and out last year at the conference meet, and have become a bit of the leader on the team.

But, I think I've been pretty lucky. Most guys once they show up and don't hit a required time are never seen again and I don't really know who they are. We usually watch the tryout and cheer for the guys running, because if they run well they can become team mates, but we've only had 2 guys make it in my 3 years here, and no tryouts later in the year really either.

Once you make the team, you're just like everyone else. Nobody really cares who is scholarship or walk-on, its all about just working hard.

The coach did mention later when I made the team that despite not being on the team that fall, I had earned a lot of respect from the team for continuing to stick around and keep training (instead of just falling off the map after that one trial). I know what you mean because there were some other runners who didn't make it too, and I never really saw them around after that.

curious? wrote:

The coach did mention later when I made the team that despite not being on the team that fall, I had earned a lot of respect from the team for continuing to stick around and keep training (instead of just falling off the map after that one trial). I know what you mean because there were some other runners who didn't make it too, and I never really saw them around after that.

At my d3 school, 3 of our top seven runners are upperclassmen who were cut as freshmen but have worked their way up through hard work. I think my coach sees cutting people as a way to test which of the less talented runners are dedicated enough to train on their own for a season and come back stronger. When I got cut, he made it clear that it was just for that season, I was welcome to try out again, which I did. He encouraged me to train and race on my own, and asked me to email him my race results.

are all these cuts caused by title 9? Or has it always been so hard to make a college xc/track team?

Lucky you are a female, guys are generally not that nice. When I walked on (different sport) interestingly enough the nicest guy on the team was the best player....he went on to be a very successful pro.

My coach was very supportive, he loved watching me PR, even if my times remained slow. My team was generally not supportive. I started off as one of the slowest on the team. The slower guys were usually my friends, the faster guys didn't want to talk to me. Until I started beating them. The first time I beat a couple of the faster guys they were pissed. The day after that, one of them initiated a conversation with me in the locker room and the general attitude changed. I was one of the hardest workers on the team, did a lot of mileage, but I had very little talent. It didn't matter to me, I loved running.

I walked on to my college team as a freshman. No tryout. I just told the coach my times, he told me to give him a day or so to verify my claims and then he called back and said I was on the roster. This was a DI school in Conference USA and we weren't a track powerhouse or anything, but won a conference championship one year while I was there and sent a few athletes to nationals.

Anyways, the coaches were pretty friendly and supportive towards me considering what an ungrateful slacker I was. I was used to getting lots of attention and praise from my high school coaches, so when I didn't get that from my college coaches I got all bent out of shape about it. I definitely didn't give an honest effort and I'm surprised they didn't show me the door. I ended up quitting after my sophomore year or so, but my own issues aside, I think my coaches and teammates were all reasonably friendly and supportive to me and the other walk ons. I really wish I could have those years back to see what I could have done if I hadn't been such a douchebag.

I started running/training my freshman year (Fall semsester) in college and walked-on (Spring semester) at a strong program. Never broke a 6-minute mile until I turned 18 when I ran a 35-minute 10K (Fall Semester). After walking on most teammates were supportive - even some nationally ranked runners. A few 'teammates' told me I was wasting my time. Within 2 years I earned a scholarship and ran a 30 min. 10K my senior year.

all these stories about people coming in downright awful are totally exaggerated or fabricated for the purpose of this thread. i have never heard of anyone who couldn't break 6 min in the mile at 18 run 4:48 pace for 6.2 a few years later. i have heard of like 2 walk-ons to all america stories in my 10 years in the sport, but every time this topic comes up, all the 17-18 min 5kers who became the best runner ever yada yada yada all come out of the woodwork. i'm not saying walk-ons can't be great, i just call bs on some of these stories.

yeah sure wrote:

all these stories about people coming in downright awful are totally exaggerated or fabricated for the purpose of this thread. i have never heard of anyone who couldn't break 6 min in the mile at 18 run 4:48 pace for 6.2 a few years later. i have heard of like 2 walk-ons to all america stories in my 10 years in the sport, but every time this topic comes up, all the 17-18 min 5kers who became the best runner ever yada yada yada all come out of the woodwork. i'm not saying walk-ons can't be great, i just call bs on some of these stories.

How many cookies do you want?

I myself went through several trials to make the team, and will never regret it at all.

Freshman year I was cut from cross and ran with the fall track training group. Get back in January from x-mas break and am told I have a two week try-out to make the track team. The distance coach has me do modified workouts with the top two distance guys and I make the track team. Sprain my ankle about two weeks later and run only one race all year(outdoors).

Sophomore year, I am the first guy to not make the team. The last guy to make the team quits two weeks later. I get pissed and train my a** off and compete on the conference team both indoors and outdoors.

Junior year I finally make the xc team. Am the first guy to not make the conference team. The last guy on the conference team somehow does not make the bus to the meet. I am again pissed. Run track again and have a mediocre season.

Senior year I again make the xc team and this time get to run the conference meet. Run both the indoor and outdoor conference meets and am feeling good about the season.

Fifth year, no team we got cut. I am again pissed. I go out and run a 2:40 marathon.

My times were never really fast, however I have a group of friends with a common interest and coaches that I really respect, as well as memories of the great times that I had.

Yes, actually even on my team, one of the nicest runners was one of our top runners (she had gotten All-American before too). She was a senior my freshman year, definitely had leadership abilities. Even now, she is one of the hardest working people I've ever met and one of the most determined too. I would sometimes do workouts in the morning when I was training on my own, and I would see her sometimes doing her morning runs (in addition to the afternoon practice, she ran 100+ mpw) or her drills, plyos, so on. Sometimes I would see her when I was doing a workout on the track and she was doing drills, and she would always ask me how everything was going, was very encouraging, etc.

I met some great people through running track/cross country, besides becoming a better runner (and better person). The runner I described above was definitely one of the most influential people in my life.

yeah sure wrote:

all these stories about people coming in downright awful are totally exaggerated or fabricated for the purpose of this thread. i have never heard of anyone who couldn't break 6 min in the mile at 18 run 4:48 pace for 6.2 a few years later. i have heard of like 2 walk-ons to all america stories in my 10 years in the sport, but every time this topic comes up, all the 17-18 min 5kers who became the best runner ever yada yada yada all come out of the woodwork. i'm not saying walk-ons can't be great, i just call bs on some of these stories.

Only two walk-on to All-America stories in the sport of Track & Field/Cross Country?

Sarah Pease, Indiana

Daniel Lincoln, Arkansas

Jake Deiters, SIU

i'm fairly certain those 3 ran faster than 6 min for the mile. i'd also hazard a guess they were pretty good coming out of hs, maybe just underdeveloped. i know dan lincoln was at least. once again i'm not saying that walk-ons can't be awesome runners. meredith rainey valmon was a walk-on i think and correct me if im wrong but she ran 1:57 and was a WC medalist (not sure but i think so, either way she was really good). all i'm saying is i think alot of these stories from people claiming to have improved so much are really exaggerated because of the anonymity of the internet.

Phoebe Wright?? Walk on to 800m National Champion.....