Back in Australia (where I'm originally from), there's a HUGE gap year culture, and at most schools it's pretty normal to take a year off before college. Most travel, but some work for a year and play sports/do other activities while they're still eligible for a school-aged team. Some put college off indefinitely and return a few years later with no trouble.
I think it's a fantastic idea to take some time off. ..The problem is that taking time off of college is so much more difficult here in the US, not just because of university policies which aren't often friendly to gap yearers, but also because we pay full fees, so cheering as a super senior could eat through college money. In Aus, the government pays for half our tuition costs...