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Lily Burton: Locking in her value early

Lily was still improving when she came to OSS. We presented her to coaches on where she was heading, not only where she was, and locked in a scholarship before her new PBs arrived.

The story

Lily was still improving when she came to you. How did that shape the plan?

“Lily is a really talented, well-rounded athlete with a lot of potential. We positioned her as an athlete who was likely to run a lot quicker before she even arrived in the US, using her profile and her young training age to show coaches where she was heading, not just where she was.”

And it paid off?

“At St. Edward's she joined Coach Chase, who was willing to invest beyond her market rate at the time. With her new PBs she's now on the scholarship that reflects her true value, but we locked it in early, which gave her the right pathway to the US.”

Nathan Gillis, founder of Olympic Sports Scholarships

Key results

• Scholarship at St. Edward's University, agreed above her market rate at the time
• New personal bests since arriving

What this means for your recruiting

• Coaches recruit trajectory as well as current times. A young training age can be a selling point.
• Securing an offer early can give you a safe pathway while you keep improving.

Useful next reads

• US scholarships for UK athletes
• 1500m scholarship times
• The Standards Engine: times for every event

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