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.

Well put, geezer. Those are some really reasonable guidelines with which to tread these sometimes murky waters.

Elinor is in!!! Sarah is probably in, but I too think we should wait for that public announcement that shows the player and family are comfortable with the situation.

So here's a question for the recruiting rules guru, whichever one of you it is. Suppose a girl plays for a club team, like the So Cal Blues. The coach of her team is not affiliated with a college, but a whole bunch of the coaches of other teams from the club are associated with a particular college. The girl makes a verbal commitment to that college. Can her club team coach provide public information about her commitment? What if the club team coach also is affiliated with the college.

I'm pretty cautious myself about revealing information a player or college coach may want to keep confidential. And also about being too intrusive with a player. I actually could have emailed Elinor Priest or her parents directly, as I have their email addresses, but I felt that would be taking advantage of a particular situation I'm in as a coach of a different St. Mary's Academy sport. So, instead, I checked with the manager of the recruiting commitment database that is available on the internet; he told me his information source and his past experience with the same source; and I concluded the source was reliable. I also did not want to email the Priest family as I am a contributor to U of P athletics and, as such, am covered by the no-recruiting-communication rules, if I correctly recall what I read a couple of years ago. There's an exception for relatives and family friends, but I wouldn't fit the exception in her case.

Before Pilot Nation came to be...I think its safe to say that the majority of us were "in the dark" when it came to recruiting news for most UP sports. It's amazing to me how much sleuthing goes on. The information...for the most part...posted here is quite accurate and reliable! While I appreciate and enjoy the previews and news about recruits committing 1 to 2 years away...after biting hard on the Marta bait ...I find myself falling back to the old addage..."Trust BUT Verify". So, for me...as far as recruiting news goes.....until Garrett, his staff and the Athletic Department officially say the "ink is dry"....I don't "count my chickens before they hatch"!

Gee...how many of those "words to live by" did I sting together?! HA! That might be a record for me!

GO PILOTS!!!

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:So here's a question for the recruiting rules guru, whichever one of you it is. Suppose a girl plays for a club team, like the So Cal Blues. The coach of her team is not affiliated with a college, but a whole bunch of the coaches of other teams from the club are associated with a particular college. The girl makes a verbal commitment to that college. Can her club team coach provide public information about her commitment? What if the club team coach also is affiliated with the college.

I don't pretend to be an expert, but for a couple reasons I've tried to understand how things work.

First off, a verbal commitment has no status for a player as far as the NCAA is concerned, Or really, the National letter of intent program. It's only a way a player can signal interest in a school after an offer has been proffered. Schools guide players into using this avenue as a way to make the players comfortable, get an idea themselves who is coming, and to signal other schools that they are probably wasting their time going after 'your" player. coaching staffs look at lots of kids to get just a few. they usually only want to spend time on kids who are interested, or they feel they have a chance of convincing to be interested.


The verbal is just one of the signals that are used by convention to sort of signal to all parties what stage the relationship is in. A kid can go anywhere right up until the letter of intent gets signed in the kid's senior year. That's why the letter is such a big deal. The only sentence I've seen on verbal commitments in the NCAA D1 manual is a short sentence that says it isn't binding for a player.

for a school, it's a little different. If you offer a kid a package and the kid accepts by making a verbal commitment, it sort of locks in a school as far as the package is concerned. There are circumstances under which a school could choose not to honor the offer, but those are pretty rare and sometimes that leads to legal and (bad) publicity recriminations.

There are rules about what what sorts of advances a College coach can make a player in a club or ODP setting. Basically, you aren't allowed to initiate any discussions on recruiting for your school until senior year. You can respond to questions, but that's all. The kid pretty much has to make the first step, and it's the kid's responsibility to keep the relationship going. No stalking allowed. Coaches are very aware about what is and isn't allowed. Every school has a compliance officer who makes sure they know. The consequences of making a player contact mistake are dire, and rival coaches watch each other like hawks.

For a coach who isn't affiliated with NCAA programs, it's a bit different. since they aren't with the schools, they can be approached by the schools to act as an intermediary. Often this is with people on college staffs they have had personal or team relationships with in the past. This gives them a lot of power in the modern recruiting picture, and why we often see kids from the same clubs year after year. I don't know if it's a matter of law, but it's presumed that the coach will act in the interest of the client, the student. It's often a big selling point in club programs that they can place your kid in the best college setting.

But your question is about a coach making an announcement. a College is only allowed to announce signings, and how and when that is done is closely controlled by the NCAA. It generally has to be done as a class all at once, and only after the kids have actually signed. There are exceptions, but that's the principle. Football and Basketball programs in the past would announce a recruit signing every week to keep themselves in the news. The NCAA put a stop to that with a whole raft of rules.

But with a verbal, since it has little or no legal status, I don't think that's so much an NCAA issue as it is a privacy issue.
You have to remember that the kids are almost always minors. in organizations that deal with kids a lot, there are regulations about what sort of personal information an organization can disseminate without parental consent. You will note that, especially with younger kids, it's almost impossible to link kids names with team pictures. That's generally by design. You are the attorney, so you probably know better than I, but I would imagine there would be legal consequences to releasing any information on a minor. It's a mean world out there. Usually the kid or parent will make the first announcement, then the coach can do followups and interviews. It wouldn't be "I'm announcing Sarah is going...." it's more like "I'd be happy to comment on Sarah's announcement - she's a great kid...."

I work with kids on another type of endeavor that has a lot of exposure online and lots of pictures of kids in group settings. The organization never allows a picture of a kid to be directly linked to a kid's name, school, address or any personal information.
With respect to soccer,I know one pretty good player about Sarah Bridges age whose information is very tightly secured by her parents. The same is true for other parents in the player's club program. If you hear something about where she's going at all, it'll be from the family first.

So, I would assume that a coach would only give out personal and recruiting information on a kid with parental consent. There might even be even forms for all that, or perhaps conditional releases parents sign when their kids join a club.

That's why I think that by the time we see something from an "official" source, that's been all been vetted, By the time that's happened, the kid and her parents are bubbling to get the news out.

If the source is secondary, I'm not so sure. Maybe there was a confidence or implied expectation of privacy that wasn't honored. Idle talk on the sidelines between parents isn't necessarily an OK to go public with the news. We have no way of knowing, but the cat's out of the bag anyway. It can't be put back.

I've probably got it all wrong, but that's how I see it from the outside. There are folks on the forum who have seen it from both sides who will be able to correct me. folks seem to be doing that on all fronts today

GUPhantom wrote: The information...for the most part...posted here is quite accurate and reliable! While I appreciate and enjoy the previews and news about recruits committing 1 to 2 years away...after biting hard on the Marta bait ...I find myself falling back to the old addage..."Trust BUT Verify". So, for me...as far as recruiting news goes.....until Garrett, his staff and the Athletic Department officially say the "ink is dry"....I don't "count my chickens before they hatch"!
GO PILOTS!!!

Ha Ha, a new world's record!

Another reason I document my sources is because after Marta, no one will believe anything I say. By way of excuse though, the hoax arose over a discussion KFTC and I were having about our frustration at all the wild rumors and "sightings" around the time of the spring games. At one point, the phrase "why, I ought to tell 'em I saw Marta" was uttered.

The rest is history.

I'm just a simple-minded hack staring at my computer screen...what thread am I in, anyhow?

Thanks, geezer, for your write-up. Very thorough, as usual. The one thing I will add is that I think if you are a contributor to a school's athletic program, you are subject to the same limitations as the school's coaching staff. Presumably, that's to prevent crazy alums from recruiting on behalf of the school (whether wanted or unwanted). The only exception is if the contributor is a family relation of the player or a long-standing friend of the player's family. I checked this a couple of years ago because we are long-standing family friends of a player who, during her sophomore year in high school, was at the top of the recruiting lists for schools such as UCLA, Portland, Santa Clara, North Carolina, and Penn State. I think even as family friends, it can be tricky.

UPSoccerFanatic wrote: The one thing I will add is that I think if you are a contributor to a school's athletic program, you are subject to the same limitations as the school's coaching staff.

You don't even have to contribute. Even buying a season ticket is enough. The mere presence on this forum makes you subject to NCAA rules. Conduct on this forum can theoretically impact the program adversely.

Purplegeezer wrote:

UPSoccerFanatic wrote: The one thing I will add is that I think if you are a contributor to a school's athletic program, you are subject to the same limitations as the school's coaching staff.

You don't even have to contribute. Even buying a season ticket is enough. The mere presence on this forum makes you subject to NCAA rules. Conduct on this forum can theoretically impact the program adversely.

I feel intoxicated with power all of a sudden.

Yeah, that's right, Athletic Department, I have a reply button and I'm not afraid to use it.

[quote="ninjapizza"][quote="Purplegeezer"]

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:
Yeah, that's right, Athletic Department, I have a reply button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Think we could use this newly discovered power as leverage to get the pre-2001 links back?