2:01 HSer Sammy Watson turns down "money that would surprise most people" - signs with Texas A&M

she's not taxed on her scholarship, and gets to sort of pick where and when she races.

Its like semi pro without having to hire an accountant. And a chance to hang with some friends. Good for her. She's a kid

I've never heard of any sponsor not paying for the college tuition in addition to the money.

The only reason to not accept it is because you want to be on the college team.

Rudisha800 wrote:

Great move tbh idk what's the reason of teens going pro without experiencing the NCAA. It's an experience they will find anywhere else. The team atmosphere in particular and getting an education too. Like the Lyles brothers could've formed a 4x4 with Grant to compete against the Kerley bros. Also, Drew idk who would give up the opportunity to train with the KING

But then you could say, strike while the iron is hot. She may develop into one of the best runners in the country but then she may not and she may lose the opportunity.

I'd love to know the money- I was told about 6 or 7 years ago that a high schooler turned down 200K from Nike to go to college.

I thought it was a bad decision. as it turns out, it was. But that was just a guess on my part.

And that's the problem- it's anybody's guess.

Best of luck to Sammy- I've seen her run- she's awesome.

why run in college? go to school part time and spread out your education over 8 years.

oboesausage wrote:

she's not taxed on her scholarship, and gets to sort of pick where and when she races.

Its like semi pro without having to hire an accountant. And a chance to hang with some friends. Good for her. She's a kid

scholarships are taxed.

Paragraph wrote:

I've never heard of any sponsor not paying for the college tuition in addition to the money.

The only reason to not accept it is because you want to be on the college team.

Bingo. A&M gonna run the breaks off her

Hunter hasn't even physically matured yet. His kick is already good and could develop into a "world level" kick before all is said and done.

She still races in everyday high school invitationals. It's fun to watch her race an 800 against her peers in competition and I would bet it's a real thrill for the local high school girls too. My daughter raced a couple of XC races against Sammy this past fall. One in particular was a nice flat, early season 4K race with a very small field of schools (maybe 12 local teams). Sammy won of course, but the other competitors gave her a run for her money (it's XC not track after all). She's a good sport and a fine young woman, who seems to be just like any other kid, despite the spotlight. Good for her. I hope she succeeds at A&M.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

fdfsdf wrote:

Unless she gets injured, sick, doesn't improve, etc. etc. In sports you take the money when it's available. Your assets likely aren't appreciating, if you know what I mean.

A college education is a better investment in the long run.

I didn't realize the two are mutually exclusive.

This is the best decision, not turning pro and choosing A&M. If Sammy turned pro, she would be expected to perform consistently at level of her PR, this is something most high school athletes can't do. She is perfect fit for NCAA level competition and A&M type coaching. - Most coaches indicate their Penn Relays attendance when recruiting east coast athletes; I wonder how Pat handled that situation.

Hank Moody wrote:

You walk to talk about consistency when the reality is Hunter has almost zero experience at that level. Consistency in high school races where you are the best runner in the country is much different then performing consistently on the national stage.

Could have would make a hell of a lot more sense than would have.

I'm excited to see what Hunter can do, he is a serious talent. But it's just absurd to discuss him as someone who had any shot at making the olympic team.

There were around 30 guys that ran faster then 3:40.

I don't know whether Hunter can run faster than 1:48.6, I also don't care because you know who else can run faster than 1:48? Every single guy we have that's a threat to make the olympic team in the 1500m.

Hunter is a great talent, with a bright future. Let him be that.

The rate of success across all sports with U.S. H.S. athletes turning pro is only about 10%. Felix and Ajee Wilson are the only T&F athletes who had instant success and the book is still open on Candance Hill and the Lyles brothers. Right now, Hunter's marks would only make him a very good NCAA athlete. Why skip that level you can't master athletically, especially when there are so many other benefits to being an NCAA athlete like getting a free education? Even Alan Webb, who demonstrated more potential than Hunter should have stayed in college, which would stopped him from overtraining and taught him how to race.