<p>Can you describe how National Letter of Intent signings were done for your S or D, or alternatively how your high school handles these events? Who makes the arrangements for it? Who gets invited and who does the inviting? Should the press be notified, or only in high profile signings (like football, LOL)? Should the student or the student’s parents contact the high school’s AD to plan the event? Or does the college coach call the high school to let them know something should be set up? Most photos I’ve seen of signings show a table with the athlete, the athlete’s parents, and maybe the AD or high school coach standing behind it. But I’ve also heard that signings can be include more than those select people, and are more like a party, with the athlete’s friends present and refreshments served. Did your S or D still sign if the school wasn’t D1 or was an Ivy with no LOI?</p>
<p>Hi GFG- no signing event for Ivy recruits at our school. Around here the events are very much parent driven and the press only comes if the parent pushes for it. So much depends on the tradition at your school. This has been controversial here because it’s so hard to know who to include: everyone signing in Feb, no matter what sport and division? Sport specific event? Individual event- private party as you describe? What does your Athletic Director say?</p>
<p>Hi riverrunner! We haven’t spoken to the AD yet, partly because D’s college decision is not 100% made and also we weren’t sure what our role is in this. I was just wondering what to expect or request, given that Feb. 3 is around the corner.</p>
<p>Our son’s signing ceremony was a few weeks ago. His coach, who is also his Guidance Counselor, set up the event without any prompting from us, the parents. Athletic Director and various Administrators were present. Son sat at a table with us with the coach and AD behind us for the photo. There was a high school banner in the background with son in a tie and parents dressed in college wear. Coach had also contacted the local community newspaper who took a picture and interviewed my son for an article as well. Cookies and juice were served, but as it was during class time hours, no friends were invited.
I do want to note that son is going to an Ivy, so this was all just for show as there is no NLI. We did wait for him to get his official ED acceptance from the college as well as an email from the college coach to his high school coach saying that he would be playing for him next year.
I think this was a wonderful gesture for the school to recognize the hard work my son has put in not only on the baseball field but the classroom as well.
We found that depending on the high school, the experience with this can be vastly different. Other kids I know from son’s summer team that will be playing in college next year had events varying from a picture at the kitchen table signing the NLI to a big celebration in the HS gym with cake, balloon, and the local news station.</p>
<p>How nice ^^ they provided a “signing” event for the Ivy. Our school did zilch for D’s Ivy team inclusion. However, the local papers covered her move enthusiastically, so that was plenty.</p>
<p>I think it is a shame when schools don’t recognize those student/athletes that will be going to an Ivy because there is no NLI. If anything, these kids should have MORE recognition for their accomplishments. These kids have worked very hard to earn these opportunities and should be rewarded for it.</p>
<p>Our student’s high school does signings all yr–as the kids commit–not just for the letter of intent day–so I think that helps include all recruited athletes…</p>
<p>I haven’t been to one–just seen the pics…</p>
<p>kids behind a table signing a letter or something (maybe just a statement of this is where I am going?? (there were two ceremonies this fall already)<br>
balloons of the college colors attached to the students chair, maybe a cap etc…</p>
<p>then pics–I think refreshments are served. </p>
<p>The student body knows about it but I think mainly just the kid, parents, AD, GC, and maybe a few friends are there…</p>
<p>No signing events for Ivy athletes coming from either of our children’s high schools :(</p>
<p>I sometimes wonder if our school doesn’t do anything about athletic signing because we have such a high value on academic achievement, and little public acknowledgment is made for academic scholarship awards. Our school culture tends toward modesty, and sticks with a published list of scholarships, college plans, etc. around graduation. </p>
<p>I’ve kind of gotten over the lack of public display over any of this stuff. Who enjoys them? Usually not the kids getting the award/signing, etc. They’re sort of embarrassed by the fuss. Their classmates don’t necessarily want to watch these ceremonies. Maybe the best friend, but no others who may be thinking, “oh another award for kid X, and I have to waste my time watching this?” I think the parents and sometimes the coaches are genuinely proud, excited and happy to celebrate, so IMO, if they want to do something special, go for it, but don’t expect other kids and their parents to sit still and watch. Also, it’s way too easy for others to interpret the event as bragging, which isn’t going to make the recognized athlete’s last few months at school any happier. Just my 2 cents. </p>
<p>No judgement on you, GFG. If your school’s tradition supports an event, do it! In some schools it probably goes over well, especially if it is somewhat inclusive of lots of athletes. I do sense justifiable resentment among non-athlete families that there isn’t a big “signing” event for their merit award!</p>
<p>Your points are quite valid, riverrunner. D hadn’t given any thought one way or another to a signing ceremony, especially since 4 of her top 5 schools were Ivies so there wouldn’t be a NLI to sign. But if she commits to the one non-Ivy Div. 1, then the coach said he’d send the papers to her high school for her, in other words not to her home address. So I guess something or other has to happen at school, even if it’s only the AD or GC passing her the envelope in a dark hallway (which, knowing them, will be the extent of any ceremony lol).</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, is that non ivy stanford?</p>
<p>not the right time to ask that question, cardinal</p>
<p>Maybe PM?</p>
<p>I emailed our AD and was told that “at this time” the school “will only facilitate a ceremony for those student athletes that are receiving athletic scholarships.” I answered that this policy would leave out all Ivy League recruits and all Division III recruits, but got no reply. I sent the answer because he might not know this. So far I have found high school coaches to be shockingly ignorant about college recruiting.</p>
<p>I’ve adopted the mantra “virtue is its own reward” on this topic.</p>
<p>Somehow having people who are interested in where your child is going to college figure it out on their own, and then contact her with congrats felt really good.</p>
<p>Soccertrack: that policy is probably why D’s prospective non-Ivy D1 school temporarily gives every recruit who would receive financial aid rather than athletic money, a 1% athletic scholarship so there’d be actual papers to be sent for signing day. But then when the final financial aid package arrives, the student declines the athletic money and accepts the FA instead. It seemed a little deceptive to me, but they said it’s so D would actually have something to sign. My concern is that then everyone will think she’s getting an athletic scholarship when she really isn’t–a perception which will disadvantage her for local academic merit scholarships.</p>
<p>^^Interesting. I would think that the 1% and therefore signing a LOI would only benefit the school, not the student. If D is already admitted, can you decline the athletic money? Or would that show bad faith to the coach?</p>
<p>I think the 1% deal is supposed be a vehicle for honoring the student as scholarship-worthy, even though for practical reasons it makes more sense for the athlete to take the FA instead.</p>
<p>I’m way out of my area of expertise here, but I wonder if the presentation of 1% is dictated by contract law. Something of value must be exchanged for there to be a legal contract. On signing day, the athlete agrees to train and compete for the school, but if no money is promised, he receives nothing, unless this token amount is agreed upon. Isn’t that why some transactions that are actually gifts involve a payment of $1? </p>
<p>Once the athletes are contracted through LOI, even if for a token amount, the coach can feel confident that he has his roster and can close recruiting, and clean up the amounts with finaid later. I’m just speculating, of course!</p>
<p>That could be, but then couldn’t the school renege on offering FA if the athlete just agreed to play in exchange for only book money? Scary thought!</p>
<p>FWIW our students school publishes a journal at the end of the yr with all of the grads named, where they are going to school, and mentions any merit or scholarship/athletic awarded, any AP honors, PSAT/National Merit etc
so all of the kids have something by their name at the end…even if there wasn’t a signing…</p>
<p>the signing of athlete intent is about the student’s commitment to play for the school—its not really about $</p>