WAG 8th grade Verbal recruit

[Midwestmommy]

Recruiting this young and giving verbal committments this early should be banned. Obviously those within the system can't find it within themselves to exercize reasonable restraint. Ridiculous and an embarrassment to the sport. Also, folks please don't post specifics about this kid, it's the adults with the "power" who are to blame here.

 

[Midwestmommy]

hHey coaches and insiders involved in girls and womens gymnastics! As any parent with a girl involved in this sport can attest to, the general public already has very mixed feelings about this sport and how hard young girls train. Add to this the talk of "junior elite careers" by coaches who seem to be peaking their kids a little too early to last until they are age eligible, talk of lowering age limits which were put in for a good reason to protect children, and clubs requiring homeschooling for dozens of athletes with no potential to be Olympians, please please stop it already.

Someone verbally committed to the NCAA who has not even started the eighth grade... Do you not see how crazy this appears to the general public who care about protecting children? You are not helping this sport by doing these things, these actions are hurting the image of gymnastics and doing a disservice to all the wonderful kids and coaches learning and loving this sport.

 

[bookworm]

specifics about this kid, it's the adults with the "power" who are to blame here.

"Specifics" about this kid (and many kids so it's not just her) are posted on her website , which the public can access....

And I agree with Bog, born in 2001....no way should this discussion even be taking place...

 

[wallinbl]

The gym is Southeastern NC. Check out their website sometime. Committing girls early is what they do.

Website doesn't appear to be working right now, but they have a long list of current gymnasts 8th grade through 12th grade and where they're committed (or an ad saying they're available).

 

[rjb123]

Please bear in mind that it might not be the "right" thing to publicly talk about a young girl like this on a public forum. I think discussing early recruiting is fair game but I would just encourage everyone to consider if you would want YOUR daughter discussed like this openly. FWIW I am not her mom, just considering that she MIGHT be a member, or her mom MIGHT be a member.

 

[gymmomtoo]

committing this early is just crazy! I just don't get why NCAA doesn't make a rule against it.

 

[bookworm]

The gym is Southeastern NC. Check out their website sometime. Committing girls early is what they do.

Website doesn't appear to be working right now, but they have a long list of current gymnasts 8th grade through 12th grade and where they're committed (or an ad saying they're available).

Everyone of recruiting age should have these coaches working on their behalf...of the 18 girls on their list of 10s (whose websites you can access) , 12 are fully committed , and most have been since their freshmen year!

 

[Midwestmommy]

This gym is contributing to the problem, though this is probably a recruiting tool for thier own program bringing in the $$$. Ugh, it's always about the money trail, isn't it? Well, it's a pretty tiny sample, but someone print it out and let's track how these 12 girls perform at the NCAA level, injuries etc.. over the next, ummm, jee whiz, 8 years!! Crazy crazy crazy. But when grownups profit, and they can sell a dream to eager parents, the crazies get to run the asylum.

 

[happychaos]

Please bear in mind that it might not be the "right" thing to publicly talk about a young girl like this on a public forum. I think discussing early recruiting is fair game but I would just encourage everyone to consider if you would want YOUR daughter discussed like this openly. FWIW I am not her mom, just considering that she MIGHT be a member, or her mom MIGHT be a member.

Why exactly should we not discuss the specifics of a particular girl? Because it might hurt her feelings? Toughen up buttercup. You want to play college sports? Time to put on your big girl underwear (yes...even at the ridiculous age of 13). Politely wondering why Utah would commit this kid is WAY less harsh than the scrutiny athletes in other sports are subjected too. When you choose to play for a top 10 team, you'd better be prepared for critics. And as far as critics go, I think we're all pretty nice

Seriously, Makayla Skinner is committed to Utah right?

 

[bookworm]

[QUOTE="Midwestmommy, post: 328720, member: 15130"]This gym is contributing to the problem, [/QUOTE]




I totally agree that gyms that DO this are indeed part of the whole early recruiting issue...and the only way to stop it is for the NCAA to forbid schools from having ANY contact with gymnasts and coaches before their sophomore year, even if they show up on their campus. I can tell you as someone who did unofficial (read: I paid) visits to schools, if we had been told "you won't be able to see the facilities or the team or the coaches" , we wouldn't have gone bc it would have been a waste of our time....

...and it needs to be in writing and enforceable with a penalty for it to work, or it won't work. If an NCAA coach had to give up one of their 12 scholarships for hosting/talking/verballing etc to 8th and 9th graders, the practice would stop in a heartbeat...

 

[htimcj]

I believe technically NCAA does have rules against early recruiting and talking with athletes before their freshman year but is is pretty much ignored across all sports. Here is the NCAA guidelines for sports other than football and the like.http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Other Sports Recruiting Guide2014.pdf
Here is another link that explains it in English so there are "rules" in place but they are being completely ignored and I think NCAA should really put a stop to it for ALL sports.

 

[bogwoppit]

Please bear in mind that it might not be the "right" thing to publicly talk about a young girl like this on a public forum. I think discussing early recruiting is fair game but I would just encourage everyone to consider if you would want YOUR daughter discussed like this openly. FWIW I am not her mom, just considering that she MIGHT be a member, or her mom MIGHT be a member.

I disagree. All this info is out on the internet for the world to see. Her gym has "advertised" her as available. She has a gymdivas website and it is all over Facebook.

College scholarships are of great interest to many people on the CB. WHy would we not discuss something so pertinent to the sport.

Now if I had just heard a rumour and there was no info out there about the commit it would be different.

With the good publicity comes the bad, and there is no bad publicity.

If her Mom is a member perhaps she can enlighten us as to why an early commit like this is such a positive thing.

 

[bookworm]

The guide basically covers contact with the actual gymnast...but leaves the door wide open for contact with the coach at the gym...and that's how they get around it

 

[Midwestmommy]

Dunno posted a list of names at NCAA a few months back when I asked, but I really had no luck finding mailing addresses or emails. Anyone know how to get that info (where exactly to send letters or emails to the "powers that be" at NCAA)? I doubt they have much clue how the trend toward younger recruiting is impacting children and how parents feel about it. Our opinions should be heard and should matter. Anyone good at that sort of thing?

 

[htimcj]

The guide basically covers contact with the actual gymnast...but leaves the door wide open for contact with the coach at the gym...and that's how they get around it

I didn't think about that. I was wondering how the information even reached the gymnast at that age!

 

[bogwoppit]

Oh and the actual gymmie is too young to be a member here.

 

[mimi]

I agree with consensus here. Committing to college in any capacity before a child has even set foot through the doors of high school is ridiculous in my opinion. What is often forgotten in the whole race for a scholarship is that it is also important for the child to choose a school that is going to serve her needs personally and academically so that she is well equipped to go out into the world with an education that supports her career of choice.

Even the most mature children (and gymnasts seem to be among some of the most mature individuals), are not able to make that decision as an eighth grader.

 

[wallinbl]

If her Mom is a member perhaps she can enlighten us as to why an early commit like this is such a positive thing.

While we're all criticizing, how many of us would actually turn it down? If UF offered DD a scholarship in 8th grade, she'd be over the moon. I'd seriously question turning it down, and how such a response might be received.

I don't put any blame on the parents here.

 

[rjb123]

[/QUOTE]

While we're all criticizing, how many of us would actually turn it down? If UF offered DD a scholarship in 8th grade, she'd be over the moon. I'd seriously question turning it down, and how such a response might be received.

I don't put any blame on the parents here.[/QUOTE

I agree with this. Heck, I have NO dog in this fight, my child is 8 and a L5 so we are not even close to considering this sort of thing. That said, if my child's "dream school" came and offered her a full ride (of course taking into account academics etc- which I would assume that since Utah is a large state school they have a wide variety of programs to choose from) I would be hard pressed to turn that down! I mean, your kid is dying to do college gym at a fabulous school and you would say "no"?! Not sure I could!
Beyond that, I still think that making comments that "we" "don't understand" why a school would choose her, or things of that nature are IMHO not necessary or appropriate. As I said earlier, DD is only an 8 year old L5 but I have learned quickly that 1) gymnastics is not fair and equal 2) coaches see things in kids that go beyond scores etc 3) it is difficult or really a waste of energy to guess the "why" of situations regarding other children and their gymnastics path. I personally am just really happy for the little girl. I don't think she needs to "toughen up" (as one previous poster so kindly stated). I am willing to be that she is tougher than most, just by the merits of making it to where she is today (heading into L10 as a "just" 13 year old girl). I understand why people think this is "too young" BUT this is the system we are in, and I applaud her gym for obviously doing what it takes to get these girls to their dream. Obviously by what someone above posted, they have a track record of success in this area.

 

[bogwoppit]

While we're all criticizing, how many of us would actually turn it down? If UF offered DD a scholarship in 8th grade, she'd be over the moon. I'd seriously question turning it down, and how such a response might be received.

I don't put any blame on the parents here.

I am being serious, not facetious. I would love to know more about this. Remember we are not all from the US and even your college system is a whole new world to me.

I really do want educating, it is why I stick around here.

No way could I commit my 13 year old to college that is 5 years away. But then I need to know more about the system, it is through threads like these that I learn.