Scholarships???

[littlegymchampsmom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by littlegymchampsmom From what I understand, colleges send scouts to level 9 & 10 competitions - they generally look in the jr year of high school... our coaches make sure the girls get exposure at the important competitions and make sure they have enough training time in the gym. A few weeks ago, one of our 16yr old level 9's at our gym got contacted by 3 colleges after she competed... don't give up hope

... and since this post they have recieved letters from 4 more colleges - most are Div 1 - Right now the schools just want a video of some of the things she is working on, but I thought that was great - 7 schools!!

[audra]

That is great!!!! Sounds like the coaches know what they are doing- Good Luck to the gymnast.

[doubleback]

Funny this topic should come up. The coach at our gym just talked to all the parents about scholarships. He said it's work, but is worth it. He said finding a school that offers grant money is the best way to go because you can't lose your grant money if you get injured & can't compete. A parent suggested to get a book & write down all achievements - gymnastics & otherwise. This helps out when trying to list everything on the apps.

[Eveningdew]

My dh was talking with a mom at our ds CAP meeting last night who's dd received a scholarship to the Air Force Academy based on her gymnastics ability. They want "kids" who are athletic, regardless of the sports. They require their recruits/cadets to stay physically fit.

Both of us were very surprised by the information and helps give us more options for our dd in the near future as she decides what she wants from her skills.

Hope that helps some!

[gym law mom]

The military academies are an option, but a tough one. The athlete still has to meet all of their admissions requirements which are arguably higher academically than most other schools with gymnastics programs. Now, many who attended either Air Force, West Point etc. will tell you the varsity athletes do get cut some slack in attendance at daily military formations, room inspections etc. if they have practice. However, they are considered cadets 1st and athletes 2nd. It is a very structured 4 years of school and after graduation all must serve 6yrs(I believe) in the military.

[awposey1]

How old is she? Orlando Metro gymnastics in FL held a college recruitment camp this year and plan to again next...It was a great camp...they had about 20 scouts from big name colleges attend to watch the girls...It was only open to gymnasts freshman and older and level 9, 10 and elite. It would be worth attending next year if she is not yet a Senior.

[CoachL]

As soon as a gymnast of mine hits level 9 I start recording every meet they compete at, any D or E they are capable of doing, I do a small interview with them on video once every few months to show their personalities. And usually by the time they are ready to start making a DVD for recruiters we have a TON of footage to choose from.

If a coach wants their gymnasts recruited by top colleges you have to work hard at it. I just finished the recruiting DVD for one of my level 10's and I had footage of her from her first year level 9 at 10 years old all the way up to 17 and american classic, all her elite qualifiers.

[gymbabisMom]

Gymbabi will be 16 next month. She did not make level 9 and she is now a junior. She is doing another season of level 8 this spring. We aren't giving up however. We are still hoping to get a walk on spot that can possibly develop into a scholarship. She hasn't even made up her mind on which school she wants to go to yet. Thanks for all the good info!

[LemonLime]

Gymbabi, you've asked a very complicated question. It's highly dependent on your daughter, where she wants to go to school and what her strengths & weaknesses are.

It's overly simplistic to say that Level 10s are much more likely to get a scholarship than a L9. Sure, that is TRUE, but it doesn't give the answer on an individual basis.

Does the gymnast have a strong event that makes her routine capable of NCAA competition? Are the schools in which she is interested needy on that event? Very few college gymnasts compete 4 events and specialization is the norm.

How is her health and body? Does she suffer from repetitive stress injuries that preclude her from competing her best on her best event? Did she survive puberty well to be capable of competing for four more years?

Is the gymnast someone that gels well with the team socially, with both her coaches and teammates?

Is her GPA something that can help pull up the average for the team?

None of the above is more important than having great gymnastics, but they are factors that can help and hurt a gymnast get on a college team.

Getting together a video or website is crucial. Many gymnasts can use youtube and that is becoming standard in recruiting now. You don't need something fancy, but you do need something.

As for "partial" scholarships, admittance, etc. . . . In D1 schools, there is no such thing as a partial scholarship under Title IX becuase women's gymnastics is in a protected category with two other women's sports. . . . . Aside from only one or two specific schools, gymnasts offered spots on teams do receive a leg up on admission, although to what extent depends on the school. . . . I have known two women on the USAF gymnastics team (they are 8 years apart) and their placement on the team did help with admission, but they were extremely strong candidates anyway and probably would have been admitted regardless. They wanted to go to the Academy and be USAF officers. Gymnastics was secondary to that goal.

[rbw]

I was interested to learn that it's feasible for a Level 9 gymnast to earn a scholarship. It doesn't seem particularly common, though: of the 278 new NCAA gymnasts listed at collegegymfans, only 10 had not reached Level 10 or elite. Two went to Air Force, which has rather special recruiting requirements. One ended up at Berkeley; she had been, I think, a four-year Level 9 and a state, regional, and Western National champion. Centenary, Kent State, Rutgers, Seattle Pacific (Division II), Southeast Missouri, and Towson (2) also added Level 9 gymnasts to their rosters this year.