Octagon OAS signs Alexandra Raisman, Professional Status trumps NCAA
The 17-year-old World Champion, Alexandra Raisman, has finally put speculations to a halt by signing with the management agency Octagon Olympics and Action Sports (Octagon OAS). She has now attained a pro status.
Earlier this week, the University of Florida (UF) released the list of 2013 season’s Gator recruits. The university is ranked number one in gymnastics and hopes to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title.
The aforementioned list included the promising trio, Rachel Spicer, Bridgette Caquatto and Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto.
Surprisingly, it did not mention Raisman, who did not only fit the eligibility criteria but is also a competent gymnast who would have proven to be an asset for the Gators.
Raisman had expressed her avid interest in pursuing college education at UF, following the 2012 London Olympics.
However, she did not sign the letter of intent required by the NCAA schools if and when an athlete decides to join their institution.
In October this year, friend and teammate, Jordyn Wieber also turned pro. While Weiber, at the time of the announcement of her decision, had not chosen to take an agent on board, Raisman did.
Wieber’s philosophy was to reach her full potential as an elite gymnast before she went on for higher education. “Going to college, getting an education and experiencing college life is a very important personal goal for me,” she said.
On the contrary, there is no word yet on Raisman’s stance on college education. For now, her decision only translates into appearances, endorsements and commercials.
The move will also make upcoming competitions and tournaments more important for her, especially the ones promising prize money. For example, the American World Cup scheduled to take place in New York coming March, offering 15,000 Swiss francs to the winner.
It is a shame, however, that the FIG has recently cancelled the jackpot prize money awarded to the number one athlete in World Cup standings.
The jackpot money was a yearly tradition and accounted for the competing athletes’ performance in all of the World Cups held in a year.
The generous prize money was worth 50,000 Swiss francs, roughly equivalent to 55,000 U.S. dollars, 40,000 euros or 4.2 million Japanese yen.
This is the first misfortune Raisman’s career will suffer as a pro. From this point on, her athletic performance, as well as her personality has to be marketable. One wrong move can cause associated brands to terminate their professional relationship with
her.
Raisman has been added to Octagon OAS’ impressive client portfolio, boasting of top athletes: Michael Phelps (swimming), Apolo Anton Ohno (legends), Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Hannah Teter (snowboarding) and Jonathan Horton (gymnastics).
The agency has been representing Olympic athletes since 1984, which incidentally is also when athletes were allowed to get involved in commercial activities, alongside their athletic careers.
Since its inception, the agency has held a record of managing at least one Olympic gold medalist in every Olympic Games season.
It looks after 10 different Olympic sports, managing clients from five different continents, with expert dedication.
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