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I'm a high school senior this year attending a college in the fall that does not have a track and field team. I, however, have attended a college track meet where there were athletes who competed all the same, but were declared "unattached" because they had no team that they were competing with. I'm going to the University of Mobile, and I really want to vault on the collegiate level. I'm clearing 4.00 meters or so on a 13'6 pole, so I have a lot of physical training to do, but I wanted to know if anyone had any information about this or had someone i could contact as to what i need to do to be able to do this. I talked to the cross country coach there, but she could not help me. I'd like any information, so thanks.

Lots of college meets allow unattached athletes, so you won't have much trouble finding meets to train in, but it will probably be tougher to find a place to train, and to stay motivated throughout the year.

More importantly, in the NCAA you have a 5-year window of time in which to use your collegiate eligibility. Your clock will start ticking in the fall when you start school, even though your school does not have track. So if you ever want to compete for a college, you will be burning eligibility just by being in school.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:More importantly, in the NCAA you have a 5-year window of time in which to use your collegiate eligibility. Your clock will start ticking in the fall when you start school, even though your school does not have track. So if you ever want to compete for a college, you will be burning eligibility just by being in school.

Really? I heard the clock doesn't start until your first collegiate season? Maybe I heard wrong. Can anyone verify this?? -6P

joebro391 wrote:
Really? I heard the clock doesn't start until your first collegiate season? Maybe I heard wrong. Can anyone verify this?? -6P

6P, I did not compete until my 4th year of college and my clock was definitely ticking the whole time.

For division 1 your clock starts as soon as you take your first full time semester meaning more then 11 units. If you do not take more then 11 units your clock will not start until you turn 21 and then you get 5 years.

For division two you clock starts as soon as you take 12 units or more. But as soon as you drop under 12 units your clock stops again. So if you want to compete for division 2 you get 10 full time semesters to compete four years. As soon as you take ten full time semesters then your eligibility is over. I believe this is the same for division 3.
--Kasey

ANYONE can show up and compete unnattached, there is no paperwork you have to fill out (unless you are on a college roster). The only issue is whether you have the poles, facilities, and coaches willing to coach you when you are not part of a team.

So if possible, just take 10 credits a semester for a year or two, and figure out what you want to do. There are a lot of REALLY good Div 2 pole vault schools. But yea, the NCAA takes the ticking clock business very seriously.

Bump. Didn't want to start another thread for this. I'm trying to figure out how much eligibility I have left on the D3 level..

Graduated HS 2006
Enrolled D3 for 2 semesters 2006-2007
Competed during the 06-07 Indoor season
Withdrew from school once freshman year ended.

If I recall correctly that would only be 2 of the 10 available semesters I've used on my clock, therefore I have 8 more to use the remaining seasons I have? How many seasons would I have available to use? I actually plan on playing football and competing indoors and outdoors.

Your best bet is ALWAYS to talk to the compliance officer at the school(s) you are interested in competing at. Your GPA could be an issue, as could any conference-specific rules. They will give you the most accurate information.

Thanks!

If you are willing to travel there are always meets at LSU and University of Georgia that allow unattached athletes. Also if you are willing to travel from Mobile you could come up to Jonesboro and train here for a bit. It's kinda a long way, but you will learn alot from Earls camps. I am also from Alabama and if you know Drew Bentley or the coach from Saint Paul they are always up for helping people who want to get better.



Chris Spear