Scholarships

[vaultmd]

I agree with Rainbow and Erica but for slightly different reasons. One, to paraphrase an NCAA ad, is:

Most NCAA pole vaulters go on to excel in life at something other than pole vaulting.

[somechick]

A little perspective from an athlete on scholarship.

Earlier in the posts I read from some people looking at it from the perspective of damn the cost and go where you can get the best training. Honestly, sometimes that is not an option.

My husband and I are both scholorship athletes. If we weren't we would not have the money for college. Period. Even with financial aid. The debt accrued from student loans would be ridiculous. So, we go to a school with a good coach, not a big name, and we focus on getting ourselves through school and working our buns off to keep our livelyhood, (pole vault) safe. ( We are lucky however as we have many networked sources for advice and training in the pole vault. Admittedly, this is not often the case.)

The biggest issue you need to discuss with your kids coming out of high school is counseling. I am a firm believer that community college is a good idea for athletes. Some of you are going to shirk that off but honestly, why do you need to go to a 4 year straight out of high school? unless you are already recieving a scholorship there is no point. Save money and train hard. When you transfer, your diploma will still say the name of the four year you will eventually graduate from. People need to brush off the stigma of community college.

Community college offers 2 more years (3 if you redshirt) to hone your skills. My husband was good out of high school, but wouldn't have gotten many good offers jumping 15-6. Come out of community college jumping 2 feet higher and the rates go up! Just make sure that you get GOOD COUNSELING! Had we not been screwed by non-transfer units and other such things we would have gone to any one of the various DI institutions offering a full ride. We are doing well in DII but I still get a little steamed at that athletic counselor.

Anyway, as far a scholorships go, great vaulters can get screwed sometimes. Work hard and MARKET YOURSELF! Many of the offers we were recieving was because my husband emailed EVERY COLLEGE on the polevault power list. Very many of them were receptive. Do the same. Look for scholarships at all levels of competition, DI, DII or NAIA. Put some feelers out there and see what happens, don't wait for them to come to you.

[Barto]

Very very good advice. As a DI coach I could not agree more. Since 2000 there have been 8 different men and 7 different women represent the US in olympic competition. 4 of those men and 5 of those women started out at non-DI universities. There are those athletes who are ready for prime time early in their careers and then there is the other 99% of us. It is not how you start it is how you finish.

Have fun. Be safe. Jump high.
Barto

[rainbowgirl28]

Junior colleges are fantastic if you are lucky enough to have one nearby with any kind of vault coaching. Most kids don't. In the whole state of Washington, I think we are down to one community college that offers a full track team with pole vaulters and they are in Spokane.

[Lax PV]

IMHO, it's a bit short sighted choose a lower tier university just because they throw you some money. It may save you money for 4 years but but it will definitely hamper your earning potential over the next 30 years. Sure, with hard work, you can get rich and be successful, yadda yadda yadda but if, as a parent, you have the opportunity to not just open the door for your kid but push them through, why not do it? Personally, I think there's no choice between attending OU over a TX DII. OU will provide a better academic environment, being an athlete at OU will open up far more networking opportunities for internships, jobs, etc...all of which make it much easier to get ahead later in life.


http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/30/college-salary-graduates-lead-cz_kb_0730topcolleges.html

Lower division in athletics does not mean lower education. If you look at the NCAA website, division is solely based on an allocation of funds, number of teams and other athletic factors in that neighborhood--nothing to do with academic enrollment (although you could say indirectly more students = more money, = more money to be spent on sports), or academic rigor.

Need I remind you MIT is a D3 school...

[johnny ray]

IMHO, it's a bit short sighted choose a lower tier university just because they throw you some money. It may save you money for 4 years but but it will definitely hamper your earning potential over the next 30 years. Sure, with hard work, you can get rich and be successful, yadda yadda yadda but if, as a parent, you have the opportunity to not just open the door for your kid but push them through, why not do it? Personally, I think there's no choice between attending OU over a TX DII. OU will provide a better academic environment, being an athlete at OU will open up far more networking opportunities for internships, jobs, etc...all of which make it much easier to get ahead later in life.


http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/30/college-salary-graduates-lead-cz_kb_0730topcolleges.html

false. all the schools mentioned in that report were small to medium liberal arts colleges. making big money comes from makin good grades, perhaps in a school of academic prestige. would you rather blend in with the crowd in a massive public school or have small classes and a chance to be a top contender in DII or DIII's. sure theres a bigger pool to network from, but you also have to take into consideration quality. i took the decision in going to a small DIII school (Williams) in the NESCAC because 1) they're paying for 90% of tuition 2) i have a good chance scoring as a freshman not being relagated to empting the pit of water and getting a couple of reps in if i had choosen the bigger school and 3) their alumni are in very good positions to make my life a whole lot easier when i graduate. but thats my opinion...

[rainbowgirl28]

Potential earnings depend a TON on what field you are in. I knew that leaving a major DI school for a terrible (academically) NAIA school was a big step down for me. But I also realized that for the things I wanted to do, and might potentially want to do, I had more opportunities at the crappy school. I was bored in the classroom, but being able to spend less time on schoolwork gave me more time for other things.

Opportunities I had in the NAIA:
- Being Sports Information Director for my team
- Creating a website for my team
- Qualifying to Nationals five times
- Conference Champion twice
- Coaching a DIII school and producing an All-American
- More time to work on this website

You can make up for being at a lower tier school by doing more things on your own time. Internships, jobs, whatever applies to the field you want to be in. It just depends on what your goals are.

[fastfeet]

Hey,
I'm so lost. I'm starting my sophmore year in high school and I've officially jumped 10'6 but have jumped higher in practice. I know I'll need a scholarship but I don't have any idea on how to get started. How do colleges even know I'm alive? My coach said I'd need to jump at least 12 and that's totally doable. I have time and terrible form. I just straighten it out and I'm in. I heard that at summit colleges are there looking for vaulters? Is that true? Do I even have a shot?

[rainbowgirl28]

Hey,
I'm so lost. I'm starting my sophmore year in high school and I've officially jumped 10'6 but have jumped higher in practice. I know I'll need a scholarship but I don't have any idea on how to get started. How do colleges even know I'm alive? My coach said I'd need to jump at least 12 and that's totally doable. I have time and terrible form. I just straighten it out and I'm in. I heard that at summit colleges are there looking for vaulters? Is that true? Do I even have a shot?

Coaches can't even talk to you yet, but they can watch you. Focus on having a solid run and takeoff and always improving your speed.

12' gets you in the range of getting a smaller scholarship at a smaller school or at least walking on at almost any school. But remember that for girls, it's a lot harder to improve between grades 9 and 12 than it is for boys. Even jumping 13' as a freshman doesn't mean a whole lot, coaches care a lot more about what you do your junior and senior year.

You said you need a scholarship... remember that full scholarships are almost impossible for pole vaulters. There are a LOT more academic scholarships out there than athletic, so make sure to explore you explore your other scholarship options as well and keep your grades up. Also, there are a few junior colleges out there with good pole vault programs, and you can save money by going to a state school.

[fastfeet]

thanks

[VaultPurple]

What are some of the college coaches on here opinion on club vaulters? Ive heard some coaches that think twice before singing good club vaulters (especially girls). There reasoning is that with a good high school coach and a good set of poles, pretty much any girl vaulter can be made into an 11'6 to 12'0 pole vaulter that has decent athletic ability. So just because they jump 12' their senior year, does not mean they will get any better.

This kind of also falls into the category of would you rather recruit a pole vaulter with amazing speed and athletic ability, or one that has perfect technique and not that strong and fast? Do you find it easier to teach the technique to a college vaulter, or to put them in the weight room and develop their strength and speed?

[VaultPurple]

What are some of the college coaches on here opinion on club vaulters? Ive heard some coaches that think twice before singing good club vaulters (especially girls). There reasoning is that with a good high school coach and a good set of poles, pretty much any girl vaulter can be made into an 11'6 to 12'0 pole vaulter that has decent athletic ability. So just because they jump 12' their senior year, does not mean they will get any better.

This kind of also falls into the category of would you rather recruit a pole vaulter with amazing speed and athletic ability, or one that has perfect technique and not that strong and fast? Do you find it easier to teach the technique to a college vaulter, or to put them in the weight room and develop their strength and speed?