WAG College Letters

[Sneezyone]

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.

In this vein, my alma is rebuilding its competitive program after dropping it in the 80s. They competed their first season NACGC (?) this year. It can be done.

 

[Tigtimes]

Bookworm - want to printout your post and hang it in the gym. Listened to yet another parent discuss next year pulling child out of school so more hours in the gym, all in hopes of college gym, like it was a badge of honor. Think parents have lost their grip along with the NCAA. These are young children it is the parents responsibly to keep their feet on the ground. It is so hard to not get caught up in the crazy, the hours, the need to get "x" skill now, who is getting what skill before the other. My child is a young optional, I feel I am fighting a battle everyday to keep it real, get her to remember she is a child of 10. As the levels get higher it is getting ever harder and I often feel I am in the minority. I want my child to aspire to college to learn not feel she has to beat herself up due to aquiring some skill so she is on some timeline.
Anyway sorry for the rant this sport has exhausted me this week and had to get it out.
Disclaimer - I do not sit in gym for those who will go down that road with relies.

 

[ladybird]

Just got the newest issue of USA Gymnastics magazine in the mail today. There is an article on page 40 on the recruitment process for NCAA gymnasts. Penned by Jeff Thompson (pun intended)!

 

[GymDad9.9]

Just got the newest issue of USA Gymnastics magazine in the mail today. There is an article on page 40 on the recruitment process for NCAA gymnasts. Penned by Jeff Thompson (pun intended)!

Unbelievable what cheek! If you check page 14 USAG runs an ad highlighting April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Bad form USAG. Bad form.

 

[BachFlyer]

^^wow

 

[ladybird]

Unbelievable what cheek! If you check page 14 USAG runs an ad highlighting April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Bad form USAG. Bad form.

The magazine only comes out quarterly so I suppose it would have been hard to stop production for this reason.

 

[bookworm]

The magazine only comes out quarterly so I suppose it would have been hard to stop production for this reason.

But the Thompsons have been abusive going back to their Auburn years so they're definitely not the poster couple for Child Abuse Prevention anything....and info about them has been around for a while so USAG should have known better...

 

[GymDad9.9]

But the Thompsons have been abusive going back to their Auburn years so they're definitely not the poster couple for Child Abuse Prevention anything....and info about them has been around for a while so USAG should have known better...

Sadly, when the Thompson get a pass from their AD, their University, the B1G Conference, the NCAA, and in this case USAG, the problem is unfortunately systemic.

 

[Natasha]

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

Unfortunately there are very few D3 Schools, almost all are in the North/NorthEast, with Wisconsin having several. I just wish there were more options!

 

[gymgal93]

Unfortunately there are very few D3 Schools, almost all are in the North/NorthEast, with Wisconsin having several. I just wish there were more options!

This is true and, unfortunately, D3 teams are often the most likely to get cut in an economic downturn due to smaller athletic department budgets. MIT and Wilson cut their programs in 2009 and 2012, respectively. And Rhode Island College and Gustavus Adolphus both were cut and then reinstated during the past five years or so. However, Centenary College in Louisiana has recently transitioned from D1 to D3 (they are incorrectly classified on USAG's list) so that's one more program to add to the D3 list!
http://www.centenary.edu/news/2014/0000138

Currently, they compete in the USAG National Championships for D2 & non-fully funded D1 teams but I wouldn't be surprised if they switched to competing in the NCGA National Championships for D3 teams in the future.

 

[Gigi]

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.

So true about UT and OU rivalry. Another ludicrous one is not having a program at USC, they would be make great rivalry with UCLA.

 

[Sneezyone]

So true about UT and OU rivalry. Another ludicrous one is not having a program at USC, they would be make great rivalry with UCLA.

USC is working on it. Not that it's 'needed' per se. They already dominate the crosstown cup. IJS.

 

[profmom]

I'm just glad that a few more options are starting to develop for young men who want to continue gym after JO. Right now it's almost impossible unless you're at the top of the pack AND have the right magic combination of event strengths that one of the remaining 15 programs needs. It's bad enough with the girls, but every once in a while I run across a compulsory or early optional boy parent who says something about an NCAA scholarship and I just want to say, "Oh, honey," and shake my head.

And really USAG would have been better off printing four blank pages in the magazine.

 

[LemonLime]

If you do not have what a particular college needs in 9th grade, you are very unlikely to receive a Wave 1 type of offer. To me, Wave 1 offers are the type that go to 8th through young 10th graders and are the ones we think about when we think of verballing. For a Wave 1 offer, you can either be a healthy AAer with great scores, consistent competitions, and 10.00 COLLEGE SVs or a specialist. Specialists generally have a 10.0 vault (above 1/1 yurchenko) and big power, or great lines and many beam/bar skills. Some teams are so large they can get away with specialists, while others are naturally smaller (budgets, admission restraints, coach preference) or accidentally smaller (gymnasts who medical and gymnasts who retire for greener pastures) and need more AAers. Each school is different.

I have seen a massive growth, however, in Wave 2 offers. These are offers that pop up after junior year. Has anyone noticed the huge upswing in de-committing and new signings, including into April of senior year? I think this year around 15-20 gymnasts received brand new offers during their senior year. To be recruited as a late-junior or senior, you need skills, health, and a great body, but it is possible. These Wave 2 athletes are filling spots pulled from Wave 1 athletes (for gymnastics reasons, academic reasons, and health reasons) and due to losses on current teams.

Always respect the power of competing and consistency. College teams compete something like 10 weekends in a row. If your gymnast misses meets (due to illness, injury, school, family conflicts), she will be at a disadvantage. Teams need members they can count on to make lineup and produce. Missing one season due to a significant injury is explainable, but sporadic misses year after year is very impactful on the ability to be recruited.

Most teams want gymnasts minimally capable of 9.8 scores on two events, and many gymnasts even in this category are walk-on candidates. What this means is a full vault, E or triple series on beam (or minimally 2 D with one in combination), E release and E dismount on bars (some will take giant full/double tuck), and E or D combination tumbling on fx (at all times two passes with D). MANY gymnasts make lineups, even at top colleges, without these exact elements, but offers go to gymnasts with these abilities. Plus the gymnasts we know with lesser skills are usually in lineup because they hit, are super clean, and are filling out spots other gymnasts recruited for those events could not fill. These factors are generally unknown in 8th grade -- 5 years before lineups are announced. ;-P You don't necessarily have to have your skills on hard surface in meets (again, depends on the college), but they need to be advanced enough to show clear potential. Meaning, please don't do a full in into a pit on a mat with your head at landing surface and count it as an E. Please also don't count a shootover not to hand as a shootover. These differences are very important to scoring potential in college. NCAA coaches are looking for CLEAN skills that COUNT. What is clean enough and counts enough at JO, is not clean enough or counts enough at NCAA.

The power of relationship and experience is also key. If you love certain schools (you favorites) AND they have an interest in you, please go to their camp. There are probably 5 qualified athletes for every spot on a top 10 NCAA team. There are probably 50 qualified athletes for every spot on a top 30 team. Try to form a positive relationship with teams you would like and let them know about your interest. In most circumstances, sending an email after every meet is not enough. In most circumstances, focusing solely on 5 teams is not enough. Think broadly and work hard at it. You may get nothing in the end, but if you love gymnastics and have a 9.8 on two events, you have to give it all you have until time runs out.

 

[gymgal]

Thanks Lemon-Lime - great info! For the benefit of the main board, can you talk a little more about the path for those pursuing the highly academic colleges? I know they are different in their recruiting tactics because they need to ensure the gymnasts will make it through the admissions process. Obviously the Ivies don't have scholarships but what does their recruiting look like in terms of timing?

 

[cftmoonlight]

We just got a letter from Utah for our little level 9...she hasn't even finished the 6th grade! As a coach, I'm happy for her(of course she is oblivious to this whole recruiting world still), but I feel so much for our high school level 9 and 10 girls who obviously aren't getting that same attention. Way to early to be recruiting, IMO.

 

[bookworm]

We just got a letter from Utah for our little level 9...she hasn't even finished the 6th grade! As a coach, I'm happy for her(of course she is oblivious to this whole recruiting world still), but I feel so much for our high school level 9 and 10 girls who obviously aren't getting that same attention. Way to early to be recruiting, IMO.

How disturbing is this?! Former Utah HC Greg Marsden is always giving lip service to how he "hates" early recruiting and it needs to be stopped....and it was done when he was there, and continues with his wife and Tom Farden so it's evidently a Utah mind set....and it won't stop until the NCAA makes enforceable penalties for contact of any kind with middle schoolers....

 

[tomtnt]

Does minimally capable of a 9.8 mean routinely scoring 9.8+ at JO meets? We aren't seeing many girls hitting the 9.8 mark, even ones who have signed NLI and/or vereally committed.

If you do not have what a particular college needs in 9th grade, you are very unlikely to receive a Wave 1 type of offer. To me, Wave 1 offers are the type that go to 8th through young 10th graders and are the ones we think about when we think of verballing. For a Wave 1 offer, you can either be a healthy AAer with great scores, consistent competitions, and 10.00 COLLEGE SVs or a specialist. Specialists generally have a 10.0 vault (above 1/1 yurchenko) and big power, or great lines and many beam/bar skills. Some teams are so large they can get away with specialists, while others are naturally smaller (budgets, admission restraints, coach preference) or accidentally smaller (gymnasts who medical and gymnasts who retire for greener pastures) and need more AAers. Each school is different.

I have seen a massive growth, however, in Wave 2 offers. These are offers that pop up after junior year. Has anyone noticed the huge upswing in de-committing and new signings, including into April of senior year? I think this year around 15-20 gymnasts received brand new offers during their senior year. To be recruited as a late-junior or senior, you need skills, health, and a great body, but it is possible. These Wave 2 athletes are filling spots pulled from Wave 1 athletes (for gymnastics reasons, academic reasons, and health reasons) and due to losses on current teams.

Always respect the power of competing and consistency. College teams compete something like 10 weekends in a row. If your gymnast misses meets (due to illness, injury, school, family conflicts), she will be at a disadvantage. Teams need members they can count on to make lineup and produce. Missing one season due to a significant injury is explainable, but sporadic misses year after year is very impactful on the ability to be recruited.

Most teams want gymnasts minimally capable of 9.8 scores on two events, and many gymnasts even in this category are walk-on candidates. What this means is a full vault, E or triple series on beam (or minimally 2 D with one in combination), E release and E dismount on bars (some will take giant full/double tuck), and E or D combination tumbling on fx (at all times two passes with D). MANY gymnasts make lineups, even at top colleges, without these exact elements, but offers go to gymnasts with these abilities. Plus the gymnasts we know with lesser skills are usually in lineup because they hit, are super clean, and are filling out spots other gymnasts recruited for those events could not fill. These factors are generally unknown in 8th grade -- 5 years before lineups are announced. ;-P You don't necessarily have to have your skills on hard surface in meets (again, depends on the college), but they need to be advanced enough to show clear potential. Meaning, please don't do a full in into a pit on a mat with your head at landing surface and count it as an E. Please also don't count a shootover not to hand as a shootover. These differences are very important to scoring potential in college. NCAA coaches are looking for CLEAN skills that COUNT. What is clean enough and counts enough at JO, is not clean enough or counts enough at NCAA.

The power of relationship and experience is also key. If you love certain schools (you favorites) AND they have an interest in you, please go to their camp. There are probably 5 qualified athletes for every spot on a top 10 NCAA team. There are probably 50 qualified athletes for every spot on a top 30 team. Try to form a positive relationship with teams you would like and let them know about your interest. In most circumstances, sending an email after every meet is not enough. In most circumstances, focusing solely on 5 teams is not enough. Think broadly and work hard at it. You may get nothing in the end, but if you love gymnastics and have a 9.8 on two events, you have to give it all you have until time runs out.

 

[bogwoppit]

Does minimally capable of a 9.8 mean routinely scoring 9.8+ at JO meets? We aren't seeing many girls hitting the 9.8 mark, even ones who have signed NLI and/or vereally committed.

A 9.8 college routine is not the same as a 9.8 JO routine. If you watch NCAA gymnastics you will see lots of deductions you would take in JO or FIG, but the scoring system is just not the same.

 

[jjsmom]

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.

Gymnastics is a VERY expensive sport to sponsor, with insurance rates 2nd to football...many schools cannot afford to sponsor gymnastics programs.