I understand Sarah Bridges, 2010, made a verbal commitment

to the Pilots

Speaking of locals, I just noticed that Elinor Priest (Ellie, I think) from St. Mary's Academy is on the 2009 list.

Things are Hopping!

Any sources on either of these?

Welcome, pilotfan4ever! I hope to read your posts often in the future.

Although we await a confirming source on her verbal, for the folks out there who are unaware of Sarah Bridges: I don't know much detail, but, in general I do know that she is a junior-to-be at Jesuit and believe her to be very highly regarded. A big-time catch, from what I understand.

There have to be folks out there on this forum who have seen and are informed about Sarah. Please share that info with us. (We tend to go a bit nuts while awaiting confirmations and player info).

Geezer and Everyone: You might want to bookmark this link -

Women's Soccer College Commitments

UPSoccerFanatic gave us this great site a few months back. He is familiar with the person who updates the database, and is confident that the person confirms all commits before posting. So far, everything concerning the Pilots on this site seems to be right on. (Thanks again, UPSF, for this great site!)

Scroll down to Portland and you'll see, as UPSF said, Elinor Priest from St. Mary's Academy's name on the 2009 recruit list. (That makes six 2009 recruits. Add that to the six 2008 recruits and we'll have practically a whole new team starting in the 2009 season! I just know Garrett is sick and tired of being short-handed.)

Sarah Bridges is not yet on the list for 2010. I assume she will be shortly.

FANatic wrote:
UPSoccerFanatic gave us this great site a few months back. He is familiar with the person who updates the database, and is confident that the person confirms all commits before posting. So far, everything concerning the Pilots on this site seems to be right on. (Thanks again, UPSF, for this great site!)

I'm aware of the database, (gee, I wonder how some of the names got on there?)

It is, however, only as good as the care which the people who submit the information use.

So far, it's been fairly good, but, as GHWB once said, "mistakes were made". That's why I asked for sources. I do think that after a couple of gaffs, the person who maintains the list is working hard to verify, so it's probably right.

The best verification, of course, is to get a quote from the player, parent, or coach confirming the news....
In addition, that insures that you haven't stepped in the middle of recruiting efforts prematurely.

I'm in the process of trying to check on Elinor Priest. If I get more info, I'll post it as soon as it arrives.

GO BLUES!

Well put, Geezer, and you're right. I love the database, (especially how the "by college" option is so clear and easy to understand), but "real" source confirmations are definitely necessary for the reasons you cite.

Give me a few more years. I'll get a handle on all of this!

(Oh wait, in a few years I might not know how to find the bathroom in my own bedroom. Yowee!!!)

A buddy of mine talked to her Dad and confirmed Sarah is coming to UP! Apparently she is at Regional Camp in California this week.

Okay, Geez. Doesn't this count as a source confirmation for Sarah?

Well, our new friend pilotfan4ever wouldn't be the first person who coudn't keep a piece of recruiting news to him/herself in the first post, eh, FANatic?

Seems we both did the same thing and look where that lead (I can hear you all groaning....)

I'll just feel a bit better when Hal over in the corner blinks his big red eye and says "Dave, I have a new commitment announcement for you " and reads a direct quote from one of those folks I mentioned above. (for some unknown reason, he insists on calling me Dave.)



Maybe I'm just not used to the concept that high school Sophomores are already set as to where they are going.
It stuns me every time I see it.

Ah - I'm just being an overcautious old curmudgeon.

Alright, according to the fellow who maintains the player commitment database, the source of the information that Elinor Priest has committed to the Pilots for 2009 is a person who would know and who has provided reliable information to him previously. (I know who the person was, and the person definitely would know.) Given that this appears to be reliable information, here is some information about Elinor (not Ellie):

I know virtually nothing about her as a soccer player, except that she was Mt. Hood Conference all-conference first team as a midfielder. She is listed in the player commitment database, however, as a forward. She plays club for FC Portland, which means that the Pilots coaching staff is very familiar with how she plays. Maybe some of you sleuths can find some more information about her soccer.

She also is a track star -- very fast. Her season best times in Spring 2008 were:

100 meters: 12.54 seconds
200 meters: 26.74
400 meters: 61.12
(Her season best times in 2007 as a sophomore were slightly better. This is fairly typical for girls this age.)

She was on the State 6A champion 4x100 meter relay team.

According to her St. Mary's Academy track coach (I know him and asked about her):

"Elinor is a great kid. She is not only very athletic, but is a very good student too.
UP was her dream school ...."

You seem to have tracked down the source pretty well. One thing you can't teach is speed, they always say...


I've gotten a little information on Sarah Bridges, too.

She is listed in the 2008 ODP pool

She's also listed on the '92 girl's camp roster, which I think might be going on now.

She was listed on the 6A 2nd team last year. all the first team players were upperclassmen, three 2nd team players were sophs.

We already know she's from Jesuit, and I believe she's also recently become an FC Portland kid.

She also runs track, though so far she's listed in longer distances
here are her best times so far----
her 400 m relay split is 61.4 seconds
Her 800 m time is 2:16.63
Her 1500 time is 4:38.79
and her 3000 time is 10:03.15


Her 800 and 1500 times were good enough for 2nd in the 6A State Finals

These times went up and down a little the last two years., but she suffered a broken ankle during Soccer and still ran a 4:39.47 in the Jesuit relays while recovering.


The 4:39 time, though not her PR, is good enough to get her the 10th best high school time in the country this year.
The 10.03 time is good enough for 6th!!

Both of those are the best times this year by a frosh or soph.

High School Outdoor Track and Field Top 10

I'm guessing her conditioning isn't an issue.

You can see more times at Athletic.net
She appears not to have run a whole season's worth. She's probably part-timing track due to the injury.

What I haven't been able to confirm is that she's a future Pilot, but I suppose we'll know for sure in time.

Well, geezer, I had some of the same info but was holding back because you didn't seem entirely convinced we had a source confirmation for Sarah yet. I had thought if we weren't completely sure, as you state at the end of your last post, that it might be against NCAA regulations to discuss such players. (Just giving you a hard time , Geez!!!).

(No disrespect intended, pilotfan4ever. My very first post, I said that Kassandra McCluskie from AZ was a 2008 commit. Turns out I was right, but I bet there were people out there going, "Who is this FANatic guy, and what could he possibly know anyhow?" Keep posting, pf4ever. I'm looking forward to hearing from you again, as long as you are a maniacal Pilots Women's Soccer fan!!! )

Since geezer opened the floodgates on Sarah, here is a site that has alot about her. (Including photos, academics and personal stuff. Just hit the 4 blue tabs in the middle of the page.) Notice her coach at FC Portland is none other than Lauren Hanson. (She's certainly in the right place for an early commit.) Also, her track times are brilliant and suggest speed, endurance and discipline.

beRecruited Public Profiles

Also, thanks to UPSF for the source confirmation on Elinor. Obviously, even if we know nothing about her soccer history, we do know she has afterburners and discipline. I can envision her speeding down the field with Michelle Enyeart. All you'd see is a blur, a scramble and a goal! Yeah, Elinor!!!

FANatic wrote:Well, geezer, I had some of the same info but was holding back because you didn't seem entirely convinced we had a source confirmation for Sarah yet. I had thought if we weren't completely sure, as you state at the end of your last post, that it might be against NCAA regulations to discuss such players. (Just giving you a hard time , Geez!!!).

Well, in my defense, I didn't let the cat out of the bag on this one, but the kitty sure is loose.

Its hard to figure out when it is appropriate to post about a new recruit. You want to have your facts straight, sure, but that isn't the only consideration.

everyone on this forum is considered to be a booster by the NCAA, and we are held to disclosure rules they set. Sure, most forums post this kind of stuff, but even if the NCAA doesn't do anything about it, there are reasons the rules are there. These are still kids feeling their way through the process, so we shouldn't make their journeys harder.

We also shouldn't make the coaches jobs harder by get in their way with all sorts of speculations on players we really have no idea are coming here.

I sometimes have a pretty good idea about a kid who might be coming here (though I'll confess these two kids got past me) I keep things off the forum until I'm sure and its already public, for the reasons I mentioned above. If I see them quoted in the paper, or their coaches talking to a reporter about a commitment , or their club announcing where they are going, I figure they think its ok to talk about it in public. Then I post

If I just hear from someone who knows someone, I generally don't go public, because I can't judge how ready the kid is to deal with the publicity. The same with seeing a recruit at a game. I just use the information I've stumbled on to give me a head start on my research, looking for the type of announcement I mention above. Kids who are really gung-ho about coming to UP usually can't keep it in and eventually go public.

Sometimes I'll PM someone I can trust if I can't keep it in, or if I'm looking for more confirmation, but I don't go public.

That's just me, though. I don't know what the circumstances of the parents comments were in this case, I can only hope the revelation is in keeping with the family's wishes about the news. I'm sure its fine....


But it's always something to think about.