Ajee' Wilson Puts College On Hold

[ATK]

The fact that she is not even going to school is just a completely wrong move.
I think there are so many things that can go wrong or right that would delay her college plans longer than she expects.

Will she still go to Fl St after worlds?
Will they even want her after what she is doing to them so soon?
If she stays with her coach will she go to a local college?
What if she changes coaches and location?
What if she doesn't make the team?
What if she does make the team?
What if she medals at worlds?
What if she goes pro?
What if she gets Injured?

[jlanza]

I find it hard to believe that FSU would not have bent over backward to accommodate Wilson and her desire to pattern her indoor/outdoor season toward making the WC team. Yes, some colleges do run their athletes into the ground in order to get a return on the investment. But in this case, why would FSU take such risks with one of the greatest talents to emerge from high school in years?

Whatever factors that weighed on Wilson as she made her decision is fine with me. But any suggestion that the decision to skip college was done for fear FSU might "ruin" her for the WC, I believe, is probably faulty.

By the way, I've watched Wilson run since she was 12 years old and no matter what path she chooses, I strongly believe she'll make it to Moscow regardless. She's that driven.

To be clear, Ajee has made no negative statements about FSU nor does she have any negative feelings about the school. Nothing. Zero.

As for people who keep insisting that not going directly to college is the wrong choice for academic reasons, there are many different ways and she's chosen the path that she and her family believe is best for her. Statements that she is "wrong" are simply the opinions of internet posters who don't know her or what is going on in her life. It always makes me chuckle when anonymous internet posters infer or say that they know better than the parents and somehow are tryng to protect the athlete.

Joe Lanzalotto

[mal]

The days of high school, 4 years of college and a job are gone.

People say youth is wasted on the young. I think you have to follow your goals, when you're best able.

She can always go to college. Sure she may have to pay, but she can always go. She won't always run fast.

[preston]

Amen to the posters not denouncing her choice to eschew a college scholarship for a year. Even if she -heaven forbid- was injured it would have to be permanent for her not to get a scholarship. She's just that good! Also, look around the world and you see teenagers and early 20 athletes MORE prepared for international running who never stepped on a college campus than those who have - who really needs to learn to run like an American? What she needs to learn to run like is a medallist; something that America has failed to supply in the 800m at an outdoor championship and in only the rarest of instances indoors. But, for that she might have to forego college competition altogether if past is prologue.

[Marlow]

The X-factor here is how much she 'needs' her coach, and in what ways. Many HS phenoms fail in college simply because the HS coach knew exactly how to motivate the athlete and the college coach has too many 'stars' to devote all his/her energy towards THIS athlete, as the HS (or club) coach was doing. It may therefore be 'necessary' for her to stay where she is to progress further.

[jlanza]

The X-factor here is how much she 'needs' her coach, and in what ways. Many HS phenoms fail in college simply because the HS coach knew exactly how to motivate the athlete and the college coach has too many 'stars' to devote all his/her energy towards THIS athlete, as the HS (or club) coach was doing. It may therefore be 'necessary' for her to stay where she is to progress further.

It's a good point. Ajee's high school coaching has been varied with input from the high school coach, Dawn Bowles as well as several other coaches along the way. I cannot swear to this but I do believe that her current (club) coach has been with her for about the last year or so so I don't see this as a situation where there is a Machiavellian figure behind the scenes who knows just which buttons to push and when.

[KevinM]

Robby Andrews didn't run collegiately this year so he could make the Olympic team. How'd that work out?

Right. I had the same thoughts when I read this thread.

if we're going to use one off examples, how about the fact that Andrews came a lot closer to making London than he did Daegu?

[jlanza]

It would be a lot more accurate to say that Robby did not run collegiately this year because he wanted to stay with his coach who was no longer coaching at his school. It is inaccurate to say that he didn't run for UVA to train for the Olympics. And by the way, others have taken a semester off to train for a big event like the Olympics.

You could well argue that it wasn't Robby's training that kept him off the Olympic team but the race he ran in the trials. That being the case, how would him being on the UVA team have helped him?

[j-a-m]

She can always go to college. Sure she may have to pay, but she can always go. She won't always run fast.

That is a valid point. Not saying Ajee is making the right decision, but regardless of that, she can still go to college and get "an education".

[LadyT]

Has anyone noticed that Ajee Wilson recently competed in a 500m at the NYC Gotham Cup meet and the results have her representing Adidas. Does anyone know if she has officially signed with Adidas and is forgoing her collegiate eligibility?

1. 1 Smellie, Sophie Unattached 1:10.08 -
2. 2 Thomas, Latavia Nike 1:10.41 -
3. 3 Wilson, Ajee adidas 1:10.79 -
4. 4 Sogbesan, Ekundayo JR-3 Morgan State 1:13.75 -
5. 5 Dornevil, Ketsia JR-3 Delaware State 1:13.83 -
6. 13 Wilkins, Michaela FR-1 Villanova 1:17.65 -

Results here: http://www.tfrrs.org/results/27137_1708088.html

[gh]

if she has indeed signed with adidas, then she has foregone her NCAA eligibility, knowingly or not.

(unless they changed the rules when I wasn't looking)

[az2004]

sophie smellie is a jamaicans girl who ran for st iago, i remember seeing her at penn relays in 1996

must love to still run

[doug5321]

ray flynn just tweeted ajee wilson ran a 1:27.27 american junior record at 600

[Blues]

ray flynn just tweeted ajee wilson ran a 1:27.27 american junior record at 600

She's listed in the results as running for adidas again. The Armory results have her time as 1:27.30 so I'm not sure which time is official. That's only 0.74 sec off the senior American record of 1:26.56 set in 1981, and Ajee, Alysia Montano, Phoebe Wright, Erica Moore, etc. will go after that record on the same track at Millrose in 4 weeks... Olga Kotlyarova's indoor world record of 1:23.44 may be a little harder to break.

According to the T&FN record page, the unofficial World Junior record in the 600 was 1:27.4, so could Ajee also have the unofficial World Junior record now too?

600m results are at the bottom of the list, below the field event results.

http://www.armorytrack.com/Meet/1445/NY ... lenge-1213

[JumboElliott]

She made a smart choice. Her value after last season is likely higher than it will ever be, and she won't have a college coach having her run three, possibly four events at championship meets because she'll help them score points.

[gh]

What "3-4 events" can you possibly imagine her running at Florida State? Based on times so far, she's not fast enough to run the 4x4, and she's never tried a 1500. So that leaves her soloing in the 800.

[guru]

Certainly has a great shot at Slaney's 2:01.03 indoor 800 AJR

[Blues]

What "3-4 events" can you possibly imagine her running at Florida State? Based on times so far, she's not fastest enough to run the 4x4, and she's never tried a 1500. So that leaves her soloing in the 800.

I have to ask this because I'm a former New Jerseyan and a current Ajee fan... Why isn't she fast enough to run the 4x4?

Only 8 high school athletes who graduated last year ran a faster outdoor 400 than Ajee's 54.04 from the NJ High School Championship Meet last season. Couldn't she have been in the mix for at least a middle leg on the relay at FSU? (According to Direct Athletics, last year FSU's top outdoor 400m time was 53.91, and their best outdoor 4x4 was 3:43.86.)

[gh]

I probably overestimated the quality of the Seminole 4x4... nonetheless, the point is that she wouldn't be running 3-4 events at "championship meets"; indeed as a 3:43 team, Flazoo wouldn't even be good enough to earn a spot in the Nationals.

[Marlow]

Flazoo wouldn't even be good enough to earn a spot in the Nationals.

Is that a retronym from Wazoo? Noone east of Mountain View calls FSU that.

[guru]

Flazoo wouldn't even be good enough to earn a spot in the Nationals.

Is that a retronym from Wazoo? Noone east of Mountain View calls FSU that.

Yeah that's a first for me too

[Master Po]

I am enjoying watching the development of Ajee Wilson's career so far, and hope that she continues in this positive way. I have no idea if she would be better served by being a collegiate athlete or by foregoing collegiate competition in favor of the pro route. There are so many variables in play between athlete, coach, environment, etc. that it is, I think, impossible for most of us to know which path would suit her best. The history of elite prep athletes in the USA who pursued the collegiate route has far more examples than the pro route, but we can pile up examples of both great success and something less than what one might have hoped for on each side of each path (e.g., Rupp, Felix, Webb, et al.) and never be any closer to knowing what this athlete should do. Each of these athletes gets one chance to chart the trajectory of her or his career, and in enough time, we'll know the answers to our questions. I wish Ajee Wilson and those around her good judgment and good fortune as she takes these steps.

[gh]

Flazoo wouldn't even be good enough to earn a spot in the Nationals.

Is that a retronym from Wazoo? Noone east of Mountain View calls FSU that.

Yeah that's a first for me too

I doubt that; it's the 24th time it has been used on the board, dating back to June 02, 2005.

[guru]

And all by you(or people similarly scratching their heads at it)


By the way, from now on I'm calling Ohio State Ohzoo. Anyone who doesnt like it, well nutz to you!

[gh]

Flazoo wouldn't even be good enough to earn a spot in the Nationals.

Is that a retronym from Wazoo? Noone east of Mountain View calls FSU that.

Wazzu (which I gather is the preferred spelling) postdates my dinosaur rides in the Palouse by many years.

[lonewolf]

First time I have heard'noted the moniker Flazoo.. but I like it.
Mizzo is fairly common. Can we look forward to Kanzoo, Lazoo, Orzoo, Utzoo, Cozoo, Pazoo, Ohzoo, Azzoo, ?

[guru]

Can we look forward to... Ohzoo...

Umm, I refer you two posts up kind sir

[JumboElliott]

What "3-4 events" can you possibly imagine her running at Florida State? Based on times so far, she's not fast enough to run the 4x4, and she's never tried a 1500. So that leaves her soloing in the 800.

Perhaps I engaged in a bit of hyperbole, but I still think she made the right choice.

[Marlow]

Wazzu (which I gather is the preferred spelling)

Googling "wsu wazzu" gives us 90,000 hits.

Googling "wsu wazoo" gives us 164,000 hits.

googling "fsu flazoo" gives 186 hits, many from this very board.

I take Flazoo as a gh-coined term of affection . . .

[Helen S]

" gh-coined "

Would that be "ghazzoo-coined" then?

[Marlow]

" gh-coined "
Would that be "ghazzoo-coined" then?

Indeed - a yahoo from wazoo using flazoo like he's Honey Boo-boo.

[gh]

Wazzu (which I gather is the preferred spelling)

Googling "wsu wazzu" gives us 90,000 hits.

Googling "wsu wazoo" gives us 164,000 hits.

googling "fsu flazoo" gives 186 hits, many from this very board.

I take Flazoo as a gh-coined term of affection . . .

The officially disapproved version is (was) wazzu

http://www.mywesttexas.com/import/artic ... 153a4.html

[Marlow]

The officially disapproved version is (was) wazzu
http://www.mywesttexas.com/import/artic ... 153a4.html

Mixed messages much?

University President V. Lane Rawlins wants the nickname purged from T-shirts, coffee mugs and other school-related products because he considers the term disrespectful. He fears it also plays to the perception that Washington State is a not-so-serious place.
"We love the name Wazzu," university marketing director Mary Gresch insisted. "But we want to emphasize the full name of the university."

[tandfman]

By the way, from now on I'm calling Ohio State Ohzoo. Anyone who doesnt like it, well nutz to you!

I, and some of my friends, insist on calling it TOSU, since they seem to insist on calling it The Ohio State University, rather than simply Ohio State.

[guru]

Back to the subject at hand...

Looks like Ms Wilson will take her first shot at Slaney's 800 AJR at the New Balance GP(Feb 2)