Well, then the best option might end being MAI, the more academic version of the sports prep academy where a kid can train more than at a standard elite New England prep school and stay in new England to do it which brings us full circle to my original questions regarding Masters. Masters Academy might be the best of all worlds for the kid seeking to amp up their sports training without sacrificing academics to the extent that these kids do at IMG or some pieced together online home school situation.
But how could you possibly say this at this point, when the academics are mostly unknown?
Also, I think this is sports-specific. Since this type of school already exists for soccer, this new school doesn’t strike me as anything special. This could change in a few years, if the teams compete on a national level and place well with top colleges (either sports-wise, or academically). However, I do see that if this the only game in town for a sport (fencing?) that might be appealing for those families.
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It may be better than, say Winchendon, but may not be better than Exeter.
Not sure what personal agenda you have here but you’re arguing in circles.
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And skating too. Unique! I know Europe has many soccer academies.
To be clear, I was referring to US boarding schools with high level, year round soccer. I don’t actually think there is the equivalent system in Europe.
How can it possibly be better than Exeter? Is that the expectation? If it’s academically on par with any of the one tier down from GLADCHEMS prep schools then I’d say MAI would be a winner. Zero expectation of “better than Exeter”.
Are NESCAC schools allowed to have year round soccer? I believe the restrictions of that leagues are one of the challenges faced by GLADCHEMS and other New England prep schools which gets solved by the IMG or Masters model that has no coaching or practice restrictions like traditional prep school and can therefore allow for year round training without having to leave school for outside training at an outside academy or club.
I believe you mean NEPSAC schools, and I was not referring to them when I mentioned year round soccer at certain boarding schools.
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I think that there’s a long road ahead for MAI to be competitive with even third-tier boarding schools academically given there is basically no information on academics or academic faculty on the website. It’s clear that academics are an afterthought.
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At this point, the question isn’t even can MAI attract students. There are plenty of mid-bottom of the barrel schools that attract students. The questions are “would you personally choose to send your kid there?” and “can they remain financially solvent?”
We can all make that first decision based on the info available. (For me, hell no). And the second remains to be seen.
So, rather than feed into whatever @Pdiva is selling. I’ll be bowing out now.
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I work in admissions at a non-GLADCHEMS/not-”top tier” boarding school. We have some exceptional athletic programs, particularly in baseball, prep basketball, soccer and sports on snow. I don’t forsee losing recruits to MAI so much as I forsee the trickle down effect of coaching departures shaking things up for NE boarding schools. Brewster has a big basketball sized hole to fill now. Seems pretty likely some upwardly mobile coaches from lower tier schools with strong prep programs may move to fill that hole. Darrow maybe? Hoosac? Tilton? We don’t know how it will play out but I anticipate quite a bit of coaching staff movement as a ripple effect, at least for this first year of operation. Whether or not the business model is sustainable will determine what things look like going into year 2 and beyond….
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I think there is now a big hole at IMG basketball as well as they just parted ways with the head coach of their national basketball team so I would think that might effect this too.
Very risky for a coach to take a job at MAI knowing how precarious the school’s finances will be for the next 2-3 years. They will likely be offered relatively higher pay, multi-year guarantees, and the value of that guarantee is ???
Hard to imagine elevated academics at a school founded by junior hockey system guys.
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Wouldn’t the hockey guys bring in academic specialists like they brought in elite basketball, baseball, soccer etc folks? Why would the hockey guys keep only the academics under their umbrella when they are delegating all the other sports to experienced department heads? Isn’t that what Cognita (the money behind the school) would bring to the table, academic expertise?
Do you have a child who will be going there?
You’re selling and spinning hard. Since you’re obligated by forum rules to disclose professional affiliations and a mod has said to his/her knowledge there aren’t any, it’s then curious why you are shilling so hard for MAI. I would never expect personally identifying info about you or your child, but it sure sounds like you have a vested interest in promoting this school. Which leaves being a parent, in my mind.
Absent what appears to be a good-faith effort for discussion, along with someone else as said I’m out as far as that back and forth.
I stated above that I work with student athletes (not as any type of paid advisor or consultant) and one asked if I was familiar with MAI, which spurred my interest and questions. I’m now comfortable giving my non-professional personal guidance to them that the school doesn’t have the pieces in place as advertised now. Just my comment from the cheap seats.
I can’t find any real academic info from the school to justify marketing as an “elite” educational institution, and the kids I’ve seen with a hashtag on instagram pertaining to MAI don’t wow me as competitors to IMGs top athletes or elite to the many overall competitive high school athletes found all over the country, with the exception of a basketball player. I think right now rather than recruiting the school appears to be soliciting and would take anyone who will pay.
If anyone else jumps in with info I’m open minded, but so far what I’ve seen are the thoughtful questions or discussion subordinated to personal cognitive dissonance, for lack of a better term, so the conversations have no real value.
In a year or two my opinion of the school may be different, and I may be proven wildly wrong even before then, but these are my current feelings.
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Because I’m questioning the narrative of hockey guys can’t run academics by saying they’re probably not running the academics makes me appear to be argumentative and/or have a professional interest in MAI? No. It’s a silly thing to think that any group would give hockey guys a boatload of money to run a school if they weren’t either qualified to run a school or bringing in people to run a school. Think about it. Who would invest $80+ million without a real plan? I wouldn’t (if I had that money to invest). I’m asking questions. Most people on there are stating very negative opinions (or feelings) and arguing with anything hopeful or optimistic.
I guess I don’t understand why you care so much about this one particular school. There’s clearly a reason.
The school’s competition is not elite boarding schools. The academics, bluntly, can never come close to those schools. And the reason is that, irrespective of the teachers hired, curricula announced, etc., is that there is a finite supply of top athletes who are also top students. And those kids will not be flocking to this school. (Why? Because they have better options)
That leaves the school to focus on elite athletics. But many truly great athletes can’t afford tuition. If you don’t compete at an elite level, the great athletes won’t come and you are left with mediocre full pay kids.
Not a clear recipe for success.
And with that, I, too, am out.
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I mean, you can look at the history of lots of start-ups and see this happening a fair bit…People who know tech think they can hire a health expert and fix healthcare, or education, or name your complex industry…etc. It is FAR from unheard of for under-qualified people to get $$ with a plan on paper but not real ability to execute. Investors usually have portfolios of investments for a reason..(That said, I don’t know much about investors or founders here, so may be a different model, etc., etc.). But I don’t trust people to be qualified just because they got someone to invest.
I said way upthread, I think this model probably works on paper in year 10+. Their problem is years 0-7ish getting off ground IMO..
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You’re absolutely correct in that startups fail. That’s actually the norm not the exception. The standard accepted statistic is 90% of startups will fail. It’s absurd to think that because people will invest money in a business it is a guarantee of its success.
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As someone who’s a bit far from this, what’s the overall quality of the coaches that MAI has hired? Are these strong coaches from good programs? At the top of their game? Best coaches in the country for their respective sports? What do people think of their records?