It seems they are verbally committing younger and younger kids. I wonder why NCAA doesn't have rules against that or guidelines. Just crazy.
http://gymnasticsnewsnetwork.com/gymnastics-news-story-how-far-will-young-recruiting-go/
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It seems they are verbally committing younger and younger kids. I wonder why NCAA doesn't have rules against that or guidelines. Just crazy.
YES!!! Our gym's 10 year old L9 is amazing!
Bach, your DD sounds amazing. I would totally feel the same as you. It makes me suspect that coaches have a bigger role in "selling" their gymnasts than I initially thought :/ And I don't think our coaches would be on board with that.
Are you saying grades and the ACT are most important? More than the SAT?no, it's not. all that matters is the "core" curriculum and the ACT test. MANY have blown standardized testing out of the water and then couldn't clear the clearinghouse for eligibility. that's a fact. but i'm NOT going to names names cause i don't do that. it's embarrassing if you know what i mean.
Frankly, the "devastating injury and other health problems" make the situation MORE questionable, not less. No one is bashing her. Merely questioning Utah's reasoning for extending an offer to a L9 8th grader.
If the family doesn't want their daughter's gymnastics discussed publically, then perhaps you could suggest that they remove her public website that was obviously created to promote her. Gotta take the good with the bad.
As parents of gymnasts, many of us are interested in the process by which girls are recruited and given scholarships. Discussing the skills and achievements of gymnasts receiving these offers is relevant, and is perfectly acceptable, especially when the gymnast has a website with skill videos publically posted.
No one would ever suggest that "specifics" about football or baseball recruits should be off-limits. Why should it be so with gymnastics? Football fans like to analyze every detail and statistic available. There is no expectation that specifics of a particular player be left out of the discussion. That is just silly.
I wonder if I am the only one, but the more I learn about this gymnast and the recruiting process in general, the more discouraged I become. It seems like having aggressive coaches and attending the right camps were key for this gymnast. As has already been said, there are plenty of girls without offers that appear to be just as (if not more) qualified than this girl. Perhaps there are other factors that made this gymnast desirable beyond what her videos and scores would suggest.
Are you saying grades and the ACT are most important? More than the SAT?
Are you saying grades and the ACT are most important? More than the SAT?
Kids, parents, and coaches should not have to feel pressure to have athletes ready to be recruited by seventh or eighth grade. That is insanity! What does that mean for all 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th graders who want to compete in this sport and have a dream of competing at college?
Are you saying grades and the ACT are most important? More than the SAT?
[QUOTE="
. You do not need to be a 13yr old L10 and commit in 9th grade to get a scholarship and even if nothing changes, chances are we till never get to that point..........
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You obviously do not know what you are saying here, because yes, you pretty much do today. Trust me. My daughter was awesome in 8th grade but this kind of recruiting was unheard of just 5 years ago. We were told we had plenty of time. But a couple injuries, some growth, and a bad day at one regionals, and my dd is pretty much a has been to recruiters. You should see the 8th and 9th grade parents scrambling to pack in recruiting trips and getting private lessons to progress faster, etc. it's all wrong! (The system, that is. I can't fault the parents and gymnasts who are afraid of missing their chance).
Are you saying grades and the ACT are most important? More than the SAT?
Does anyone have stats on how many verbal commitments have actually signed with their colleges? I was wondering because the gymnast at DD's gym who got a full scholarship to a Division 1 school did not decide on this college until last summer. Her friend from another gym just signed with another Division 1 school this summer (unsure whether she was offered a scholarship though). I will say that the gymnast from DD's gym did compete at Nationals all 3 of her level 10 years which helped her get noticed, I am sure.
My impression is that the verbals are as valuable and binding on both parties as the paper they're written . . . oh yeah.
Here are some more statistics I would like to see. If we are going to "professionalize" this sport starting at age 6 in the US--requiring home school, no other outside activities, require kids to be in the gym 20+ hours a week, ban kids over a certain age from being considered for competition track, assigning NCAA scholarships before eighth grade (and therefore requiring top peak performance level by age 13):
1. List of clubs that won't let you in their "fast track" program (that being the one which would put kids on track for having some chance at Division 1), unless you:
Home or online school kids aged 5-7
Home or online school kids aged 7-9
Home or online school kids aged 10-12
Of those kids who met this requirement before age 10, what percentage competed at the Olympics? What percentage will stay in the sport and got Division 1 scholarships?
Provide data for 10 years ago and today for comparison.
2. Statistics about number of injuries compared to 5 other sports for girls, grouped by seriousness of injury, dollars paid, who paid for these injuries (employer self-funded plan, employer insurance plan, individual insurance policy, Medicaid).
5-7
7-9
10-12
13-14
15-17
18+
3. How many kids are spending 15-21 or 22+ hours in the gym in these age groups:
5-7
7-9
10-12
13-14
15-17
18+
4. Of those listed in 3 above, how many had either serious acute or chronic injuries before age 15 causing them to leave the sport?
Of course, this is tongue and cheek. These statistics are not available.
But it would appear the crazies are driving the bus when girls not even entering 8th grade are being offered Division 1 scholarship spots. If people in this sport aren't able to steer the bus, then I suppose eventually someone else will have to step in to force them to stay on the road. As a society in the United States, we do have some standards left (I think).
Stricter recruiting rules, sanctions and fines would appear to be the only way to make it happen.
By the way, parents and kids currently in the recruiting process have the most to lose and of course are not going to turn down a scholarship spot to make a point, I wouldn't. They aren't the ones to fix it.
your questions have already been answered. She attended a UTAH camp. She is in a high level gym (just won usg-gym gym of the year) with a history of young commits (glenns to UCLA in 9th), national coaches saw her at her own gym (assuming there for one of the Glenn sisters) and requested they submit a developmental camp video (along with a couple other teammates) , she is not a first year L9. She is a first year L10, she didn't make easterns due to a mishap on beam, which is usually a strong event for her. Otherwise she would have made it.
The recruiting process certainly maddening and frustrating but it is not rocket science. Enough has been posted on this site and other sites to know what needs to be done. Networking (coaches, parents, administrators, school counselors), the potential for several years in 10, consistent scores, the ability to meet the college requirements, exposure through nationals, camps, websites. All you can do is the best you can and know that it was enough. It is not any different than anything else in life.
And let's remember that we are only really talking about the top 20 teams. There are dozens more that generally do wait until sophomore year and later to offer commitments. Again, I totally agree those top 20 should be reigned in but let's not blow this out of portion. You do not need to be a 13yr old L10 and commit in 9th grade to get a scholarship and even if nothing changes, chances are we till never get to that point.