November 8th of every year signifies National Signing Day. National Signing Day allows all senior committed student-athletes to officially sign their National Letter of Intent, which confirms the details of their scholarship given by their athletic program. This contract does not account for any financial aid granted to the student and only accounts for the student’s contract with the athletic program. This day signifies both the ending and the commencement of an era.
National Signing Day marks the end of one’s period of commitment and symbolizes an athlete’s devotion to the program. In other words, this makes one’s scholarship official to the University. Once an athlete has signed, they can no longer de-commit from the school, as it is now a signed commitment as opposed to a verbal one. Granada honors this day by hosting a Signing Day ceremony during lunch, where all of the student-athletes fake sign a contract in the quad, signifying their status change from commit to signee.
As previously stated, the ceremony took place on November 8, 2023, in the quad during lunch. Each athlete, Saskia Raab, Sarah Deplitch, Hannah Temple, Parker Warner, and Lauren Melton, had a designated table which they were allowed to decorate according to their future college. The quad was filled with not only students but also family members of the signees. The ceremony can appear chaotic, however, it is well organized and stays according to plan. The tables that are lined up within the quad often contain a flag of the prospective school, balloons, flowers, pendants, and/or a sign with the college the athlete is signing to.
Granada also provided a paper where each student-athlete can fake a sign for ceremonial purposes. The ceremony began with athletic director Mr. Moore introducing each student-athlete and the college they plan on attending. After each athlete was introduced, the signees signed the fake contract that rested on the table in front of them. All while this occurred, hundreds of pictures were taken by friends, families, and staff, making this ceremony even more memorable. The rest of lunch was filled with swarms of groups taking pictures at each table, trying to capture this very special moment.
This ceremony and day overall signified an extremely important event in the lives of these student-athletes. Leading up to this ceremony, Hannah Temple (℅ 2024, signing to the University of Alabama Huntsville) says, “There was a lot of anticipation, as well as planning. There have been some nerves as well just because signing made it official.” This day commemorates the hard work athletes put into getting to this point as well as signifies the beginning of officially becoming a collegiate athlete. Similarly, despite the nerves leading up to this day, Saskia Raab explains that “…after [she] had seen UNR in full and met the team and talked to the coaches more [she] knew UNR was it.”
Signing Day is a big deal in the world of student-athletes and Granada’s celebration makes it extra special. Moreover, as previously mentioned, the ceremony Granada hosts is simply a celebration, as no real signing is actually done during this time. Before this ceremony actually occurred, Sarah Deplitch, “Officially signed the document just after 7 AM,” that morning, due to NCAA’s guidelines that restrict any student-athlete from signing the document before 7 AM. Because the official signature was already performed, the stress was off all athletes during Granada’s ceremony and allowed each athlete to fully enjoy the celebration.
Though the ceremony held at Granada served as an amazing celebration of each athlete’s accomplishments, many athletes also held their own celebration. Raab, Temple, Deplitch, and Warner all plan on recognizing this accomplishment with their travel teams at the end of their season. Parker Warner (℅ 2024, Stanford signee) expressed his excitement to embark on this new journey, while also being challenged athletically and academically at the next level. Granada provided a fantastic ceremony for all student-athletes, however, this was not the only form of celebration each athlete took part in. All of the athletes explained that they continued to celebrate later on that day and have plans to further commemorate this event with more loved ones. November 8, 2023, became a significant date for signees all across the country. Granada positively contributed to this memorable day for these athletes, making this day extra special.
