Recruiting Visits..... what is normal?

0/10. If you cant handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Cross country and Track teams are not like lacrosse teams, but that doesn't mean your going to be sheltered. Its called free will. Do what you want to do and let others do what they please. You will never be a successful athlete if you cant handle a little peer pressure.

Benedict wrote:

Agree that this is more of the norm.

However, unless the rules have changed, a recruit cannot run with the team.

Agreed. Don't judge the college by a few people.

Judge it by the school, it's academic programs, atmosphere, coach, success of the program, improvement of runners on the team....

Congratulations OP....you just described college...

Parent of top recruit wrote:Maybe I'm naive to assume that drinking 15 beers and running a 15 mile run the next morning would be impossible, but maybe it could be done!

It can be done.

I doubt any of us have a big enough sample size to say how frequently recruits get drunk, but it happens. As others have stated, hosts will often give the recruit what he wants.

I think this is a classic troll job, but interesting.

If you don't take a recruit to a "party" (or get together) what are you supposed to do with them? Take them to the library and let them watch you study?

It's like having out of town guest at your house and instead of showing them the sites you sit in your living room and watch TV.

I went on a recruiting trip to Cornell back in the day. They had a home indoor meet and then a big house party with drinking, dancing, good times. No pressure or anything - it was great.

Except it snowed 8 inches that night and everyone ran like 17 miles at 8 am, save for me and one of the other prospectives who turned around after a half hour. In my head I was like, yall cray. I went to a D3 school.

Sadly I don't think I met Rojo, and I may not have even known about letsrun at the time.

zohan wrote:

I think this is a classic troll job, but interesting.

If you don't take a recruit to a "party" (or get together) what are you supposed to do with them? Take them to the library and let them watch you study?

It's like having out of town guest at your house and instead of showing them the sites you sit in your living room and watch TV.

I ran at a Big Ten school. At first, we never took recruits out partying. We would try to do team activities with them instead - ultimate frisbee, mini golf, Madden tournament, whatever we could think of that involved a majority of the team without partying. We didn't have very much success recruiting.

Eventually people decided to go the partying route. Our recruiting success rate increased dramatically. The incoming freshman would spend the first couple months reminiscing about how crazy their recruiting visits were - it was a real bonding experience.

I never felt comfortable taking a recruit partying, and usually didn't get too involved. Nothing ever went wrong (no alcohol poisoning, fist fights, broken bones, or cops), but I couldn't imagine the level of trouble those taking the recruits out would be in if something like that did happen.

Many years ago I had recruiting visits at two Ivies, Stanford and Princeton. 2 visits involved drinking and 2 did not. I had never finished a beer before these visits. Grain Alcohol was served at one party. Had a blast and threw-up.

I chose one of the non-partying visit schools but to be honest, the fun I had on the visits might have influenced me had there not been other factors to consider. I don't consider it inappropriate at all. These things are commonly available to kids in high school. I just elected not to partake at home.

Not naming my school, if we bring a recruit to a party or involve them with any alcohol or drugs we're kicked off our team and given an underage drinking citation which can ban us from living on campus. Our coach doesn't play around, and we've brought in some pretty damn good recruits in my time here.

I can assure you from personal experience that 15 beers the night before a 15 mile run is doable.

That said, if you showed up to run hungover (or, in one notorious instance, sweating whiskey and maybe on the tail end of drunk) and it was noticed, you got punished.

I got wasted on my recruiting visit. Shit happens.

The purpose of the recruit visiting is not just to see the campus and meet the coach; it is also to make sure they fit in with the rest of the team. If a straight edge runner joins a team that likes to party he isn't going to form a bond with his teammates. Drinking in college is common and therefore recruits are often exposed to parties.

We were usually very straight forward. We let them know that we throw a big party every weekend however drinking was not required. A lot would get hammered, some drank moderately, and a few others just enjoyed being there and watching. As strange as it sounds, the fastest guys on the team generally partied the hardest.

brogan1 wrote:

We were usually very straight forward. We let them know that we throw a big party every weekend however drinking was not required. A lot would get hammered, some drank moderately, and a few others just enjoyed being there and watching. As strange as it sounds, the fastest guys on the team generally partied the hardest.

Couldn't agree more. From my time in school we had 7 guys run professionally or at least post-collegiately at USA's, and I'm hard pressed to find many people who partied harder than them. I find in laughable when people say "I dont drink because I want to be a good runner."

And of course 15 beers and 15 miles is possible, I can name a couple guys who actually ran better after drinking. Look back at the great Arkansas teams and read some stories. Those dudes did everything harder than anybody else. Some great stories.

I'd be lying if I didn't get shitcanned on my recruiting visit

This thread explains why US distance running sucks so bad.

I can understand people saying, "I don't understand how recruits could drink? OR how could you take them to parties? Or how could the coach condone it?"

Looking back now almost 20 years later, it seems irresponsible when I see how much can go wrong for a 19-23 year old, but for an 18-year old who may not know how to drink it could be scary. When you hear about situation's like the Univ of Toledo a few yrs ago, I guess coaches should exert more control.

But I guess since they are surrounded by a bunch of nerd distance runners, people don't get blackout drunk (at least the recruits don't) and date-rape isn't a risk as long as you don't take them to a gen-pop party.

In my era, we had an all-time Michigan great (dominating Footlocker Winner) pull some stuff on an MSU recruiting visit that was way worse than heavy drinking. Anyone ever hear that story?

No. Do tell...

If there arent hookers and blow it isnt much of a recruiting trip

rationally weighing the risks verses the benefit isn't a character trait largely celebrated among the young and immortal.