[QUOTE=poltroon;7808087]
You might be surprised by how much parents spend to get their kids up to the elite levels in those sports.
Suffice it to say that if the goal is to pay for college, probably better to just put the money in a college fund.[/QUOTE]
This is an excellent point! Let them broaden their educations contribute to society in other ways?
Release from NCEA
Just because Kansas decided to drop off, it doesn’t mean the rest will follow. Many teams have the resources and don’t plan to drop their NCAA status for the Equestrian sport. So, relax everyone.
[QUOTE=leyla25;7808913]
Just because Kansas decided to drop off, it doesn’t mean the rest will follow. Many teams have the resources and don’t plan to drop their NCAA status for the Equestrian sport. So, relax everyone.[/QUOTE]
That is not the issue. The issue is NCAA dropping the sport.
way back in the way back, [1978] I had a trainer. Her best friend was the head of the equestrian division at K-State. I bought my horse of a life time from her. I kept my horse for 29 years. Never sick or sorry. This story actually made the local news this morning. I was sad to hear the news, and very surprised it made the news.
This is just a random thought as I never went to college. You may carry on with the substance of the thread now…
If you are interested in supporting NCAA Equestrian, here is a link to a petition. In less than a day it has gained over 1,500 signatures. It only takes a few seconds but showing the NCAA that many people support the decision to keep the sport can make a difference to equestrian girls all over the world who want to compete Division 1 Equestrian.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Former NCAA Division 1 Equestrian Athlete
[QUOTE=Larksmom;7808969]
way back in the way back, [1978] I had a trainer. Her best friend was the head of the equestrian division at K-State. I bought my horse of a life time from her. I kept my horse for 29 years. Never sick or sorry. This story actually made the local news this morning. I was sad to hear the news, and very surprised it made the news.
This is just a random thought as I never went to college. You may carry on with the substance of the thread now…[/QUOTE]
I didn’t know K-State had an equestrian program until 1998. What was going on in 1978? I completely missed it.
[QUOTE=Tha Ridge;7808928]
That is not the issue. The issue is NCAA dropping the sport.[/QUOTE]
The NCAA is not dropping the sport; it issued a proposal. The article horseshowing.com was bad journalism with lots of misinformation. If you go to the NCAA website you can read the correct information.
[QUOTE=leyla25;7811017]
The NCAA is not dropping the sport; it issued a proposal. The article horseshowing.com was bad journalism with lots of misinformation. If you go to the NCAA website you can read the correct information.[/QUOTE]
The proposal is to drop the sport. Didn’t read the horseshowing article you mentioned, but the NCEA article (NCAA itself has no article I can find) says that “NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) has recommended the removal of equestrian from the list of emerging sports for women in Divisions I and II.” Not a final decision, but the committee would now have to reverse that recommendation in order to not drop equestrian.
[QUOTE=ECMSD;7810900]
If you are interested in supporting NCAA Equestrian, here is a link to a petition. In less than a day it has gained over 1,500 signatures. It only takes a few seconds but showing the NCAA that many people support the decision to keep the sport can make a difference to equestrian girls all over the world who want to compete Division 1 Equestrian.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Former NCAA Division 1 Equestrian Athlete
Assuming this his is the same petition I read floating around on FB yesterday…
As someone whose English degree was partially-funded by my school’s investment in Varsity Equestrian, I have to say this petition is so poorly-written it’s depressing. Not sure the NCAA is going to give it much thought.
Count me with those who are thankful for the opportunities the sport provided, but who aren’t too shocked to see it go. It was a good ride. And it sounds like the schools with funding can keep going if they please. I’d hate to see A&M’s multi-million dollar locker rooms go to waste-- we always just changed in the 2-stall bathroom when I was there! 
Meh
I’ve seen that petition come across my FB feed a couple of times now and can’t even muster up the energy to click on it and read it much less sign it. I enjoy following equestrian sports, but I personally don’t feel that varsity equestrian adds that much to the overall scene.
From my perspective, the competition riders on NCEA teams seems to mainly be comprised of a select group of girls who were already among the select in their chosen sports. I know I am painting with a broad brush when I say that and as with most generalizations, there are exceptions.
I don’t mean to diminish anyone’s current or past experience as a varsity equestrian athlete. It just seems that as expensive as horse sports are, there would be other team sports that it would make more sense to offer for women - especially at public universities.
[QUOTE=Groom&Taxi;7812364]
I’ve seen that petition come across my FB feed a couple of times now and can’t even muster up the energy to click on it and read it much less sign it. I enjoy following equestrian sports, but I personally don’t feel that varsity equestrian adds that much to the overall scene.
From my perspective, the competition riders on NCEA teams seems to mainly be comprised of a select group of girls who were already among the select in their chosen sports. I know I am painting with a broad brush when I say that and as with most generalizations, there are exceptions.
I don’t mean to diminish anyone’s current or past experience as a varsity equestrian athlete. It just seems that as expensive as horse sports are, there would be other team sports that it would make more sense to offer for women - especially at public universities.[/QUOTE]
It seems NCAA is good for publicizing the sport to kids and growing our sport that way. However, when it comes down to it, the majority of riders don’t stand a chance at ever riding for an NCAA team. You could say that is just as true of the average high school football player; however, at least those who do play in college are often recruited from the regions public universities serve.
At most public universities, however, the riders are often not chosen from regions the schools serve. Ride in your state association and or your local A circuit and forget it, for the most part. We all know that in hunt seat, many of the riders are from millionaire families or are the children of trainers.
I have issues with football too; it is often very exploitative of players. However, those kids truly are from the region and often it is their only way of getting a college education (for those who finish). In contrast, the way NCAA equestrian recruitment is set up at many schools does not do much to help the sport’s overall reputation for elitism and inside politics.
To add to the troubled mix of all this, on the other hand, the way IHSA is set up seems bizarre to me. You don’t see a division three soccer team playing at the equivalent of a beginner level. You don’t see division three soccer players disqualified from playing because they played the sport at a high level in high school. Basically, when it comes down to it, the majority of riders who competed in high school have very limited options to ride at their level in college.
So, I’m kind of on the fence about the whole thing.
And by the way, the petition needed proofreading. Good Lord!
I don’t want to see any money wasted on collegiate sports. It’s nothing but the minor leagues for basketball and football (with criminality tossed in for fun). Many of the “sports” are very low quality and a joke. Cut all the scholarships, stop wasting money on ridiculous stadiums and coaching. Let college be for education, not spoiled athletes. I hated my student fees going to pay for sports I never watched or gave a damn about.
[QUOTE=Trakehner;7812969]
I don’t want to see any money wasted on collegiate sports. It’s nothing but the minor leagues for basketball and football (with criminality tossed in for fun). Many of the “sports” are very low quality and a joke. Cut all the scholarships, stop wasting money on ridiculous stadiums and coaching. Let college be for education, not spoiled athletes. I hated my student fees going to pay for sports I never watched or gave a damn about.[/QUOTE]IIRC, the Ivy League doesn’t award athletic scholarships? Yes, athletes can get other scholarships, but I don’t thing there are any based on athletics only. This might explain why we saw athletes in the chemistry classes, and not just from secondary sports. A friend had at least one member of the football team in a chem class that she TA’d.
[QUOTE=Trakehner;7812969]
I don’t want to see any money wasted on collegiate sports. It’s nothing but the minor leagues for basketball and football (with criminality tossed in for fun). Many of the “sports” are very low quality and a joke. Cut all the scholarships, stop wasting money on ridiculous stadiums and coaching. Let college be for education, not spoiled athletes. I hated my student fees going to pay for sports I never watched or gave a damn about.[/QUOTE]
Well lots of people love to watch sports and benefit from them. You might need to educate yourself.
[QUOTE=leyla25;7814540]
Well lots of people love to watch sports and benefit from them. You might need to educate yourself.[/QUOTE]
I think the point of the post may have been that universities should be for education, not as a proving ground for future pro sports players. I have to agree.Yes, I understand that many people got a chance at an education through sports scholarships. Equally many people have left university with few educational skills as a result of having to spend their time and energy on these sports. No idea where the equestrian sports fit in the mix, chances are many riding in this sport have the financial resources for higher education without scholarships.
No, I know many recruited riders that most likely not gone to college if it wasn’t for the scholarship. Both parents being horse professionals didn’t see the need for a college education since they could become riders/trainers right out of the juniors. The recruitment opportunity offered these women an education. Similarly, at the IVY I went, lots of football players from Iowa, etc would have been farmers(nothing wrong with that) instead of reading Shakespeare, and Milton. So, I am a firm believer that sports opens windows of opportunities and perspectives to many. When you close your mind and think that what you think is the best then you are no different than those that you criticize.
Many student athletes leave university without any degree qualification at all. The statistics vary by sport, and as I said, I have no idea where equestrian sports might fit into this mix. If anyone has statistics available on this, it would be informative-- that is how many equestrian student athletes complete their degree. No doubt this information is available in some vault of the NCAA.
This article provides some food for thought on graduation rates on student athletes and their educational experience.
As I said in my prior post, no doubt athletic scholarships provide opportunities for higher education that they might not have been able to access. As I also said, there are also student athletes who leave university without a degree, or with a degree and no usable skills and bleak employment opportunities. Some view the use of athletic scholarships are exploitative of student athletes.
If educational opportunity is the goal of these scholarships, there are many ways to create that opportunity other than athletic scholarships. It seems that the goal of athletic scholarships is to build strong teams, not to create educational opportunity for those who would otherwise not be able to attend university.
I myself think there is too much emphasis on sports in American universities. These seem to take over the reason for being for the university-- education seems to take a back seat to sporting interests. University sports have become a pursuit on a very large scale. Has this been done to the detriment or benefit of education?
I accept that this view is not widely shared. It is however my view.
I respect your sensible opinion sunflower although I might agree with your statement “that the goal of the athletic scholarship is to build better teams” I might add that as a side benefit they do provide opportunities to many that otherwise would not even consider/or afford a college education. And it allows them to come in contact with people from different racial, social and economic backgrounds.
My response was to the angry poster who referred to athletes as “spoiled.”
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