Walking on to Vault in college...

[Cheyla~PVC]

I was hoping to get some input from all you college/more experienced vaulters out there about the idea of walking onto a college track team to vault. How good would you have to be for them to consider you competing with the team for the school, and what kind of competition would you see as a walk-on? I am really considering choosing my college based on the chances of vaulting there. As a two year vaulter my PR was 9'6" and I have one year left of high school vaulting.

Please reply if you have any suggestions or comments. Thanks!
~Chey

[ECVaulter]

Contact the coaches of the schools. Alot of teams will have a certain walk on standard that you have to meet in order to make the team.

[Skyin' Brian]

depends a whole lot on where you go. rainbowgirl could probably give the best answer to this question

[rainbowgirl28]

Hah yeah seeing as I am on my 3rd school now...

Let's see I've been cut from one team after about 3 weeks, a walk-on on another team who never got to compete, and now I have a scholarship at an NAIA school.

Here's what I recommend doing:

Make sure you communicate with the coaches at the schools you are interested in. Start now!! Find out what they are looking for in walk-ons, what their policies are for walk-ons (sometimes walk-ons have to follow stricter rules than scholarship athletes), and what their policies are about cutting people.

As you start narrowing down your decision, try and visit as many of the schools you are interested in as possible. Meet both the pole vault coach and the head coach and talk to them.


Here's what you should know:

You could get cut from the team at any point in the season.
Coaches are looking for people with potential (tall, fast, doesn't look like they are going to gain 20 pounds their freshman year).
You are not guaranteed to get clothes and stuff like your scholarship teammates will. Policies vary by school.
You will be less likely to get to travel. If you jump high enough you can earn your spot, but if it comes down to you and a scholarship athlete, they'll be more likely to take them.
When it comes down to you and a scholarship athlete for anything, if it is close they will probably pick them.
You will be expected to boost the team GPA and not cause problems at practice. Coaches do not like high maintenance walk-ons.
Don't count on earning a scholarship just because you jump higher than your teammates. You're already there in school, they're not likely to give you any money unless you start jumping really high. Expect at a minimum to be scoring points at your conference meet to be getting any money, and even that is no guarantee.


I recommend you also apply to some smaller schools as well as some bigger ones. There are lots of Division II, III, and NAIA schools with great coaches. You'll be a lot more likely to be recruited by those schools. Keep your options open!!

[Vaulterchick88]

Yeah, just call or e-mail the coaches and they'll let you know what you need to do.

[VaultMarq26]

Wow Becca, I just have to say how impressed I was with the advice you just gave. You should sell that to college coaches around the nation to hand out to walk-on athletes. You covered it all.

[scubastevesgirly]

That's sad that they don't necessarily get clothes and stuff

If you go to a D III school, you won't get cut!

[95]

So if you get rectruited by a school, but aren't quite good enough to get a scholarship, does that make a person a walk on?

[achtungpv]

So if you get rectruited by a school, but aren't quite good enough to get a scholarship, does that make a person a walk on?

You'd be an invited walk on. The only benefits are if the school drops academic requirements for athletes, you can get in under the less stringent requirements and the coach may actually remember your name by the end of your freshman year.

[rainbowgirl28]

So if you get rectruited by a school, but aren't quite good enough to get a scholarship, does that make a person a walk on?

That makes you less likely to get cut, but you probably still won't get all the benefits scholarship atheletes have.

[CHC04Vault]

So if you get rectruited by a school, but aren't quite good enough to get a scholarship, does that make a person a walk on?

That makes you less likely to get cut, but you probably still won't get all the benefits scholarship atheletes have.

However, if u are decent enough, coaches will "allocate" some money, for "outstanding personal achievment" and you wound have to worry about running if u get injuried. There is alot of benifits to being a walk on athlete. Im pretty much going for free, just have decent grades, helps a whole lot.

[VTechVaulter]

i was a walk on... long story.. but it doesn't mean that you cant get money later.. you just gotta prove yourself