WAG College Letters

[GymDad9.9]

If anyone has the time and wherewit

You are correct Meet Director because you sign the NLI with the school, not the coach. I would think that if a Penn st recruit and her parents went to Barbour and Greene that they were scared to death to come and compete for the Thompsons with what they have heard and wanted a release, that it "should" be granted....but Penn St seems to make a habit of behaving in ways you shouldn't....

And from what I have heard about families even entertaining their girls signing with penn st, they're all in the magical thinking world that it won't happen to their kid...I say, future penn st gym mums and dads, prepare for the sleepless nights to come as your kid calls you crying every day...not worth the freebie in my book...

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/w-gym/psu-w-gym-body.html

At the bottom of this psu gymnastics page are the sponsors of Penn State Gymnastics. They should be asked why they sponsor the horrible treatment of student-athletes.

 

[duyetanh]

Agreed. But some of this poop was hitting the fan way before the NLI's were signed in November. I had read about it well over a year ago on collegegymfans.

In the past, if poop hit the fan after the NLI, then they can get out of it....but yes, this fan was stinky way before November...

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

I know of several younger gymnasts (ages 11-13) who have received letters of interest from colleges. I'm curious if anyone here knows how the colleges choose these girls. Do they look at posted scores? Or do they decide based more on what they see from the girls at meets? Or are there other variables that I haven't thought of?

I worked in higher ed recruiting for 8 years. I wasn't directly involved in athletic recruitment, but had enough conversations to add a little insight. In general, colleges are realizing the need to start "conversations" with prospective students of all types earlier in their lives. Higher Ed is a business, and the idea has sunk in that they have to compete for students. Many schools now look for ways to at least introduce themselves to the types of students they want to ultimately attract. It's a percentage game. For example, a college with a strong music program may send letters to all All-State orchestra musicians congratulating them and asking them to keep College X in mind when the time comes. The college isn't actively "recruiting" everyone who rec'd a letter. They will likely only offer scholarships to those who major in music. But..now they have planted a seed that College X is a great school for someone who loves music. I don't know for sure why the gymnasts you mentioned were contacted, but my best guess is that they achieved something that puts them into a pool of possible recruits. That "something" may or may not be age specific, like making Easterns/Westerns or Nationals. If I were recruiting for an NCAA program, that is what I would do. I would rather have LOTS of interested prospects to pick from when the time comes to heavily recruit. It is highly doubtful those colleges know much about them or have even seen a video. (but not out of the question...after reading some of the craziness posted here!) One of our young L10's rec'd a similar letter lately. She had quit the sport, but reconsidered after receiving the letter. (It was from a top 20 Div 1 program) She might not have ever thought about attending this school, but simply getting a letter expressing their congratulations had a powerful impact on her.

 

[Gigi]

Hi all,

I am getting very discouraged reading the threads on this site. My daughter has just completed L8 as an 8th grader. She did very well, but L8 apparently doesn't count. She will be L9 as 9th grader, competing Spring 2017. If she is lucky enough with no injury, and have good training, the first possible prospect of L10 is sophomore year. It seems as though she has missed the window to get recruited by college. Other gymnasts have been L10 since 7th or 8th grade. By sophomore year, all spots would have been taken!

Please give me your insights, opinions, thoughts, any remedies/tactics on how to possibly offset / mitigate how late we are to the game. Are we completely out of luck and don't even bother?

Thanks

 

[gymgal93]

Hi all,

I am getting very discouraged reading the threads on this site. My daughter has just completed L8 as an 8th grader. She did very well, but L8 apparently doesn't count. She will be L9 as 9th grader, competing Spring 2017. If she is lucky enough with no injury, and have good training, the first possible prospect of L10 is sophomore year. It seems as though she has missed the window to get recruited by college. Other gymnasts have been L10 since 7th or 8th grade. By sophomore year, all spots would have been taken!

Please give me your insights, opinions, thoughts, any remedies/tactics on how to possibly offset / mitigate how late we are to the game. Are we completely out of luck and don't even bother?

Thanks

You are correct that, given the current state of recruiting (which is absolutely out of control), there are not likely to be many D1 scholarships available if your daughter becomes a L10 as a sophomore or junior. However, this does not mean that she does not have a chance of doing collegiate gymnastics! D2 and D3 schools, and even a few low-ranked D1 schools (including those in the Ivy League), have rosters filled with gymnasts who took paths similar to your daughter's.

If I were you, I would focus my energy on researching these schools, making sure your daughter stays on top of her school work to potentially qualify for academic scholarships, and not getting caught up in the early recruiting craziness. D2/D3 is a really great option for a lot of athletes that is often overlooked in the recruiting process.

List of all college teams (D2/D3 are at the bottom). I recommend searching the teams on YouTube to get a sense of the gymnastics they are doing.
https://usagym.org/pages/home/college/womeninfo.html

 

[Seeker]

Don't give up or lose faith. There are several recent examples of girls walking on D1 teams. Some eventually windup with a scholarship, some just stay walk-ons, but the opportunity is there. A girl from my dd's gym had 2 seasons of L10 -- one of which she spent injured, but had a successful L9 record and showed promise/desire/something enough to be a walk on at a D1 school. Just finished her freshman year. She did not compete this year, but thoroughly enjoyed her experience and will continue. I guess it just depends on what you want...but there are opportunities if you look hard enough and in the right place.

 

[GymDad9.9]

There is a girl from our gym who just got a scholarship to a Division II school listed in the link and she is not even Level 10. Keep the faith.

 

[bogwoppit]

There are girls who had their first L10 year in grade 11 and still signed with a D1 team on a full ride.

But what I know now is that parents have to be really proactive, get your kids name known. Have your child contact college coaches saying that they are very interested in their school.

Many schools recruit late, but these are not the big D1 schools you see splashed all over the place. But they have great teams and academics.

Many early commits drop out of gym or decide not to follow through with signing the NLI.

 

[esor]

Hi all,

I am getting very discouraged reading the threads on this site. My daughter has just completed L8 as an 8th grader. She did very well, but L8 apparently doesn't count. She will be L9 as 9th grader, competing Spring 2017. If she is lucky enough with no injury, and have good training, the first possible prospect of L10 is sophomore year. It seems as though she has missed the window to get recruited by college. Other gymnasts have been L10 since 7th or 8th grade. By sophomore year, all spots would have been taken!

Please give me your insights, opinions, thoughts, any remedies/tactics on how to possibly offset / mitigate how late we are to the game. Are we completely out of luck and don't even bother?

Thanks

Don't get discouraged! As Seeker indicated, there are lots of options still for your DD. We have a girl at our gym who got a D1 scholarship after one year of L10 when she was a junior. Not one of the top gymnastics schools, but a school she really wanted to go to, and is a good school academically. There are many examples of that from our gym and our coach and the parents really work to get the schools interested. Also, there are some really good D2 and D3 schools that really hold their own with the D1 schools. D2 schools also work with the girls to do gymnastics/academic scholarships.

Its really great when a girl can compete at the really competitive D1 schools, but I also think that education is really the main thing here. If they can enjoy their sport and the benefits that come with competing and being on a team, as well as get a great education which will last the rest of their life, its a win/win no matter what school they go to (except Penn St. and others like that - boo to those schools!).

 

[GymDad9.9]

You are correct that, given the current state of recruiting (which is absolutely out of control), there are not likely to be many D1 scholarships available if your daughter becomes a L10 as a sophomore or junior. However, this does not mean that she does not have a chance of doing collegiate gymnastics! D2 and D3 schools, and even a few low-ranked D1 schools (including those in the Ivy League), have rosters filled with gymnasts who took paths similar to your daughter's.

If I were you, I would focus my energy on researching these schools, making sure your daughter stays on top of her school work to potentially qualify for academic scholarships, and not getting caught up in the early recruiting craziness. D2/D3 is a really great option for a lot of athletes that is often overlooked in the recruiting process.

List of all college teams (D2/D3 are at the bottom). I recommend searching the teams on YouTube to get a sense of the gymnastics they are doing.
https://usagym.org/pages/home/college/womeninfo.html

I'm fairly new to the gymnastics world but I would think that one of the major mandates an organization like USAG should have is to lobby the NCAA and the respective athletic conferences to enlarge the pool of universities and colleges that offer gymnastics as a sport. Now maybe they do already but it never hurts to put extra effort towards something like that given the inherent benefits to its membership.

 

[bookworm]

Hi all,

Please give me your insights, opinions, thoughts, any remedies/tactics on how to possibly offset / mitigate how late we are to the game. Are we completely out of luck and don't even bother?

Thanks

I'm going to be blunt because I don't want to beat around the bush...there's nothing you can do about "how late you are to the game" so stop beating yourself up about it...it is what it is. From what I can figure out in your post, your daughter just finished a season of Level 8 and is heading into high school, hopefully competing as a 9..and as you say, the earliest "possible" Level 10 season is as a sophomore...and that's if all goes well. There have been Level 9s that go on to do college gym so while the gold standard is being a multi year Level 10 or elite, girls who have had similar paths to your daughter's do go on to be on college teams. So if she has just a so-so year at 9, she may not get to 10 as a sophomore but she still has options to do college gym.

I think the thing you should realistically think she is probably out of contention for is a full athletic scholarship for gymnastics...and begin planning accordingly for getting merit money; in state tuition at some great state schools that also have gym; savings etc. There have been girls who have gotten scholarships in the Sr year ( after having a rock star season) but generally the stars all have to be aligned or you have to know someone who knows someone etc...my point being, I wouldn't be planning on it as my source for college funding. If she gets one, great... but my eggs wouldn't all be in that basket..

There are also college club teams that allow girls to continue gymnastics in college. My daughter often said that the girls on the club team at her university always seemed to be having more fun than they were having being on the D1 team! So don't count this out as a possibility either.

I'm sorry to sound like Debbie Downer but the recruiting has gotten SO much earlier that this is the lay of the land going forward...I'm not saying it's good for the sport or the gymnasts but until the NCAA steps in and has real enforceable penalties for any contact with middle schoolers, it will continue, and it will get worse...Even having gone through this process with both my girls , the timetable was moved forward 2 years for my youngest and she was only 3 years behind her sister..so it didn't take long ( YDD was verballed in her soph year and we hadn't really even looked at schools for ODD at that point , and she was a 7 yr L10 and former elite...it just wasn't done that early back then)

 

[gasrgoose]

I'm fairly new to the gymnastics world but I would think that one of the major mandates an organization like USAG should have is to lobby the NCAA and the respective athletic conferences to enlarge the pool of universities and colleges that offer gymnastics as a sport. Now maybe they do already but it never hurts to put extra effort towards something like that given the inherent benefits to its membership.

There have been 2 petitions on social media recently asking for signatures to add a NCAA gymnastics program in Mississippi and Texas. I'm unaware of who was sponsoring the petitions. But I would guess unfortunately it is unlikely a school would add a gymnastics program. HBO Real Sports last month stated last month that all but 22 NCAA division 1 athletic departments are losing money. Adding a gymnastics program would likely add to the losses. Unless, one of the profitable programs decides to add a program (Texas or Texas A&M might be profitable). The benefits athletes receive are substantial and costly and ever increasing. I've been told by college coaches in 2 sports that the trend (spending more money every year) can't continue, there's just not enough money.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Hi all,

I am getting very discouraged reading the threads on this site. My daughter has just completed L8 as an 8th grader. She did very well, but L8 apparently doesn't count. She will be L9 as 9th grader, competing Spring 2017. If she is lucky enough with no injury, and have good training, the first possible prospect of L10 is sophomore year. It seems as though she has missed the window to get recruited by college. Other gymnasts have been L10 since 7th or 8th grade. By sophomore year, all spots would have been taken!

Please give me your insights, opinions, thoughts, any remedies/tactics on how to possibly offset / mitigate how late we are to the game. Are we completely out of luck and don't even bother?

Thanks

A junior who is L9 at my DDs gym was approached at westerns by recruiters, and she's particularly strong on only one event. I would continue to let your DD do her thing and support her. You never know what's going to happen.

 

[GymDad9.9]

There have been 2 petitions on social media recently asking for signatures to add a NCAA gymnastics program in Mississippi and Texas. I'm unaware of who was sponsoring the petitions. But I would guess unfortunately it is unlikely a school would add a gymnastics program. HBO Real Sports last month stated last month that all but 22 NCAA division 1 athletic departments are losing money. Adding a gymnastics program would likely add to the losses. Unless, one of the profitable programs decides to add a program (Texas or Texas A&M might be profitable). The benefits athletes receive are substantial and costly and ever increasing. I've been told by college coaches in 2 sports that the trend (spending more money every year) can't continue, there's just not enough money.

The argument as to why athletic departments are losing money may be because they spend too much on the administration and for extravagant salaries of coaches in certain sports and if you follow the way the University of Utah has promoted their gymnastics program gymnastics could be a revenue gain/revenue neutral sport. Can't say the same for field hockey or women's lacrosse or swimming. Power 5 conferences are establishing lucrative television network revenue streams. Next to Football and Men's Basketball, Women's gymnastics is the most watched programming on the Pac12 Network. It's ludicrous that five University of Wisconsin schools have gymnastics programs but the big school in Madison is not one of them. That is just one of many many examples. It's even more ludicrous there is not a gymnastics program at University of Texas in Austin. Think of the rivalry they would have with Oklahoma! Money shouldn't be the issue not to try. You have to fight for it and someone needs to fight the fight. Lot of little girls whose parents pay annual membership fees for their children to USAG. I'd pay an extra $50 to $100 a year in order to fully mobilize that organization to fight the fight.

End of rant.

 

[gasrgoose]

The argument as to why athletic departments are losing money may be because they spend too much on the administration and for extravagant salaries of coaches in certain sports and if you follow the way the University of Utah has promoted their gymnastics program gymnastics could be a revenue gain/revenue neutral sport. Can't say the same for field hockey or women's lacrosse or swimming. Power 5 conferences are establishing lucrative television network revenue streams. Next to Football and Men's Basketball, Women's gymnastics is the most watched programming on the Pac12 Network. It's ludicrous that five University of Wisconsin schools have gymnastics programs but the big school in Madison is not one of them. That is just one of many many examples. It's even more ludicrous there is not a gymnastics program at University of Texas in Austin. Think of the rivalry they would have with Oklahoma! Money shouldn't be the issue not to try. You have to fight for it and someone needs to fight the fight. Lot of little girls whose parents pay annual membership fees for their children to USAG. I'd pay an extra $50 to $100 a year in order to fully mobilize that organization to fight the fight.

End of rant.

Some very good points. And I'm for more programs, but I'm also realistic. Utah has done incredible with the sellouts but so far has not been duplicated. I'm hopeful, but it would surprise me if a program was added. I think Texas is the best chance, but I've heard nothing about them even considering it. Following an Olympic year would be the best chance to try to ride the momentum from the (hopeful) success of USA gymnastics

Money is the issue though.

 

[gymgal93]

I'm fairly new to the gymnastics world but I would think that one of the major mandates an organization like USAG should have is to lobby the NCAA and the respective athletic conferences to enlarge the pool of universities and colleges that offer gymnastics as a sport. Now maybe they do already but it never hurts to put extra effort towards something like that given the inherent benefits to its membership.

The NCAA coaches association, the NACGC/W, started the Collegiate Gymnastics Growth Initiative to try to get more programs added (and less cut). I believe they were one of the forces behind getting the Lindenwood team started a few years back. I am not sure to what extent, if at all, USAG is involved, but the committee encourages clubs to support their efforts by donating a small fraction of invitational meet entry fees to the initiative, as Twin City Twisters does. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see what they're up to. While we may not see any programs added right away, I'm sure every bit of support helps!

http://nacgcw.roadtonationals.com/nacgcw/growth-initiative/

 

[meganliz77]

Just came across this article from ESPN in my FB newsfeed... found it rather interesting (although not gymnastics specific), does discuss the early recruitment of athletes. Thought I would share. I had not considered the impact that such early verbal commitments could have on the overall morale of other teammates/kiddos/athletes.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/article/15509558/the-impact-early-recruiting-players-coaches

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I think I would rather my kid do Div 3 with academic money then Div 1 any day.

 

[tomtnt]

someone posted this timeline in another thread...

hope the proposals discussed in that ESPNW article come to fruition and sanity returns to the recruiting process

 

[Gigi]

Thank you so much for your comments and insights.
We have a lot to think about.
Thank you and take care.