New Signing Ceremonies

Athletic+Director+Phil+Poggi+lead+the+signing+ceremony%2C+which+featured+the++signings+of+four+student+athletes.+Over+100+friends+and+family+were+in+attendance.+Senior+Mary+Fry+said+%E2%80%9CIt+was+really+cool+to+be+up+on+stage+with+some+of+my+closest+friends+and+seeing+all+of+the+people+who+came+to+support+all+of+us.%E2%80%9D%0A

Bruns, Caroline Marie

Athletic Director Phil Poggi lead the signing ceremony, which featured the signings of four student athletes. Over 100 friends and family were in attendance. Senior Mary Fry said “It was really cool to be up on stage with some of my closest friends and seeing all of the people who came to support all of us.”

  Benign and void of excitement, the act of signing one’s name on a document is a weekly, if not daily occurrence in the majority of our lives. There are, however, a few notable exceptions to the uneventful nature of this procedural matter.

  In a high school context, perhaps the most pertinent of these exceptions are college signings, when student athletes finalize their commitments to a collegiate athletics programs.

  On Nov 12, first-year Athletic Director Phil Poggi lead the fall sport collegiate signing ceremony. In stark contrast to previous years, the event featured all fall sport athletes signing to the collegiate level in the same ceremony.

  The signed documents are called National Letters of Intent, and create a binding agreement between a University and a student-athlete.

  Senior Kellen Alsip, who signed to play Women’s Golf at University of North Carolina, Asheville, said “The document I signed was a binding agreement for my freshman year. Each year I continue playing I’ll sign another like it.  It also guarantees the amount of scholarship money I will receive.”

  The revamped ceremony allowed for supporters to watch all four signings at once, and therefore guaranteed a larger turnout.

 Senior Tommy Barnhorst, who signed to play Men’s Lacrosse at Jacksonville University, said “Signing my NLI  in front of all my family and friends was very special. It was great to see so many people support me and I am very thankful to have those kind of people in my life. It was a great day for me and it got me very excited for my future. Sycamore did a great job organizing the event and I’m grateful to be a part of this community.”

  Student athletes competing at a high level are often presented multiple opportunities, and thus endure a recruitment process.

 Senior Mary Fry, who signed to swim for the University of Illinois Women’s Swimming team, said, “The Illinois coaching staff was honest and helpful to me throughout the entire recruiting process, and made me feel welcome on campus. The girls were also super nice to me on my recruiting trip and really made me feel like a part of the team.”

  The new ceremony will be repeated for both winter and spring sport athletes. Over 100 students, parents, relatives, teachers, and coaches were in attendance.

  Senior Alexa Abele, who signed to play Women’s Tennis at Davidson College, said “It was really cool and exciting to be up on that stage and have tons of people there supporting you. It was a great atmosphere to be a part of.”