What does it take to recruit high caliber athletes?

In my last blog, I focused on “The Intersection”— of the athlete arms race and the new 40-man roster caps.

A year ago, I joined Stewards but didn’t truly understand how the landscape in rowing has changed since I graduated. The athlete arms race, the roster caps (brought about by the House Settlement), are real issues.  Frankly, our team has done incredibly well sticking to our formula up to the point of the roster caps, but if we want to get back to the IRA Grand Final, we have to adapt without losing our Wisconsin culture.

So, what does it take to recruit high-caliber athletes?

• The Full-Ride Reality: At the top West and East Coast programs, it is a certain fact that almost every recruited athlete is on a full or significant partial scholarship. We’ve confirmed this through open discussions with their coaching staffs.
• The Ivy Advantage: While they don’t offer “athletic” scholarships, their specialized financial aid and “admissions support” spots allow them to lock in 7 to 9 elite, sub-6:12 recruits every single year.

Some of you also might not realize what it currently costs to go to Wisconsin today–the cost is nearly 6x what it was when I graduated in 1995.

For a non-resident, fully loaded cost is approximately: $71,000!

We simply cannot ask a world-class recruit—or a high-potential walk-on—to turn down a full ride elsewhere to take on $280,000 in cost to row for Wisconsin.

So, what are we doing to address the challenge of the roster caps and the reality of financial support for high-caliber athletes?

Wisconsin High Performance (WHP): Beau and the Stewards developed and launched the WHP last year to give us the flexibility to address our immediate challenges:

• Financial Support: WHP allows us to offer financial assistance to athletes, helping us bridge that $71,000 gap and compete for elite domestic and international talent.
• The Roster Cap Workaround: WHP provides a path for “high-potential” walk-ons to continue training and developing without immediately hitting the 40-man roster limit.
• Additional Coach & Dedicated Recruiter: Stewards has funded the Director of WHP, Lowell McNicholas, who is dedicated to identifying and recruiting high-caliber athletes and augmenting our coaching on the water.

The game has changed, but as Badgers, we know how to adapt and find a way to win. We are combining elite, proven talent with the grit of the walk-on, supported by a modern financial structure.

In my next blog, I’ll outline more details about Wisconsin High Performance and the impact this is already having on the program.