WAG Buckeye gymnast-- Go fund me

[flippin out]

I feel for her family and hope things turn around for them soon! Sad about her dad, praying for a match for him.

https://www.gofundme.com/2gxe9vge#

Jones just verbaled to Florida though....does this gofundme, and the way it's worded jeopardize that? It makes it appear that if you do not donate then jones will have to give up gymnastics and that these funds will be used for gymnastics (quote "But Shilese's future in gymnastics will come to an end if she cannot afford to continue. Buckeye Gymnastics has Shilese on scholarship but even so the financial burden of Shilese's travel (those trips to Texas are not cheap), medical care, and living expenses are mounting.")

I worry that as awesome as this is for a family in need of help, that the wording or even the page itself may jeopardize her scholarship. Has anyone looked into whether NCAA has an issue with these?

 

[MILgymFAM]

A few thoughts. First, it seems worded in a way that suggests the money is going to her father for regular living expenses rather that for gymnastics. Second, I feel for this whole family. But third.. Third is that while I appreciate that she doesn't want to put her dream on pause, "I'm not going anywhere" seems like an awfully self-centered response for a teenager who is old enough to understand her fathers health issues and monetary predicament. At some point (and yes it's a different point for every family/situation) gymnastics has to shut up and take a back seat. Just my opinion.

 

[flippin out]

It won't allow me to post a pic, but there are several FB pages and people sharing the go fun me with caption "Click here to support Save Shilese's gymnastics & her dad by David Holcomb". ---to me that is implying that by donating you are donating to her gymnastics. I know it's semantics but ....it implies that. Just would hate to see her eligibility ruined. I do agree though that we all (every family) has a line of financial responsibility that they can not cross where hard decisions are made. I'm sure there are plenty of families that have had to pull the dream away from their children bc parent was laid off or the expenses overcame the income....we could all use a gofundme page to keep our kids in this sport.

 

[gymdog]

I'm not sure but it's a good question. What a state of rules though...as long as your parents have money and can privately bankroll your sport no problem, but if a kid from a financially struggling family receives money to continue training in a sport you can't participate in without money...just who are these athletic scholarships supposed to help, anyway?

 

[Ali'sMom]

I just took a look at it, and the man who started it has a comment down below about NCAA eligibility "The funding does not go to Shilese. The funding goes to her father. Plus, there will be no NCAA ramifications if she cannot afford to continue to train. Good question."

I "get" it, if she doesn't stay in gym she won't need NCAA, but, that seems kind of short-sighted to not try and figure out to make certain that it's worded "to help Sylvester's kidney".

 

[notthatmom]

I think that they should take all of the gymnastics information out of there entirely. Who cares what they're going to have to cut back on financially if they have to pay for the medical expenses themselves? The daughter's gymnastics should not be used as a ploy to encourage people to help. The family needs friends and family to help them out, plain and simple. Utilizing the daughter's gymnastics career is shady, and it could potentially deter her from NCAA eligibility (even with the disclaimer) so they just need to remove the gymnastics language entirely. People who know them know the "real" situation, so there's no need to put it in writing.

 

[flippin out]

I just took a look at it, and the man who started it has a comment down below about NCAA eligibility "The funding does not go to Shilese. The funding goes to her father. Plus, there will be no NCAA ramifications if she cannot afford to continue to train. Good question."

I "get" it, if she doesn't stay in gym she won't need NCAA, but, that seems kind of short-sighted to not try and figure out to make certain that it's worded "to help Sylvester's kidney".

Hmm.....still think they are in iffy territory. I mean couldn't I get a bunch a people to donate money to me and then I can use that to pay my dd's gym bills? The money is in my name, so how I spend it is my business and I could claim that the donated money was all spent on my house and car loans and that I Only use my paycheck to pay gym bills.....again its semantics. If I don't have donated money then the gym bills don't get paid or my house doesn't get paid. I agree with Notthatmom, they should not even bring up Shilese's gymnastics into this. If it HS nothing to do with her gymnastics then leave her out of it. It's too iffy

 

[gymbeam]

third that opinion. the money is paying for doctor bills so they can afford gymnastics.
if it wasn't related to gymnastics, then why is it mentioned.
yuck.

 

[MomIdidit!]

I feel for the family situation but agree about removing the gymnastics section.

I have wondered about this.....I noticed on one of the girls that dd follows on instagram has a go fund me account. Does that mean that she will never be eligible to participate in college gymnastics and only international? Sad to think that because the girl is only 11 years old.

 

[flippin out]

I feel for the family situation but agree about removing the gymnastics section.

I have wondered about this.....I noticed on one of the girls that dd follows on instagram has a go fund me account. Does that mean that she will never be eligible to participate in college gymnastics and only international? Sad to think that because the girl is only 11 years old.

Yes, that's what I was wondering too..if these pages are in violation or if this type of thing is too new and NCAA hasn't caught up to it yet and therefore technically it's ok (until NCAA catches on and makes a ruling that is). That's why I posted ....was curious if there has been a ruling as of yet.

 

[Fijiwater]

Maybe this applies here..... but the "I am not leaving." statement says to me that college gym is not her goal.

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016-17_Summary_of_NCAA_Regulations_2016_17_20160531.pdf



3. Financial Aid – All Sports.

a. You are not eligible if you receive financial aid other than the financial aid that your institution distributes. However, it is permissible to receive:


(1) Money from anyone on whom you are naturally or legally dependent;

(2) Financial aid that has been awarded to you on a basis other than athletics ability; or

Summary of NCAA Regulations – Division I


Page No. 4

_________

(3) Financial aid from an entity outside your institution that meets the requirements specified in the Division I Manual. [Bylaw 15.01]

b. You must report to your institution any financial aid that you receive from a source other than your institution. However, you do not need to report financial aid received from anyone on whom you are naturally or legally dependent.

 

[Faith]

Sometimes i am glad we don't have college gymnastics in the uk.

 

[2G1B]

I think that it is absurd that kids can't have other people kick in money to help with this stuff anyway. If parents want to ask grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc to kick in towards gym expenses instead of toys for their kid, then that should be allowed. This is not a corporate sponsorship. This is random people giving $5 dollars here, $50 there for a family to use how they see fit. I think that the YouTube channels should be a potential issue; but this shouldn't be one at all.

 

[flippin out]

Maybe this applies here..... but the "I am not leaving." statement says to me that college gym is not her .

She just verbally committed to Florida a few days ago

 

[Fijiwater]

Maybe this applies here..... but the "I am not leaving." statement says to me that college gym is not her goal.

http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016-17_Summary_of_NCAA_Regulations_2016_17_20160531.pdf



3. Financial Aid – All Sports.

a. You are not eligible if you receive financial aid other than the financial aid that your institution distributes. However, it is permissible to receive:


(1) Money from anyone on whom you are naturally or legally dependent;

(2) Financial aid that has been awarded to you on a basis other than athletics ability; or

Summary of NCAA Regulations – Division I


Page No. 4

_________

(3) Financial aid from an entity outside your institution that meets the requirements specified in the Division I Manual. [Bylaw 15.01]

b. You must report to your institution any financial aid that you receive from a source other than your institution. However, you do not need to report financial aid received from anyone on whom you are naturally or legally dependent.

I may be wrong about what I posted. I think this rule may only apply to current collegiate athletes. The more I read the more I think it does not matter who gives you money as long as it does not exceed your actual training expenses and is not from a pro team, college, or booster. I may need to go get my law degree before trying to interpret NCAA rules any further. LOL

 

[skschlag]

She just verbally committed to Florida a few days ago

I always like that "verbal" committment...at 14. does that mean anything??

Girl isn't even in high school yet... has to get the grades, stay healthy, stay motivated, etc. Such a long way off!

 

[twinmomma]

Am I reading this wrong?

"You are not eligible to compete if you knowingly participate in any sports wagering activity that involves intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics, through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method employed by organized gambling. Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to, the use of a bookmaker or parlay card; Internet sports wagering; auctions in which bids are placed on teams, individuals or contests; and pools or fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required and there is an opportunity to win a prize. [Bylaws 10.02.1 and 10.3]"

So a collegiate gymnast places a $50 bet on the Kentucky Derby online through the Derby's own site. It's internet wagering. She's blown her eligibility?

 

[cftmoonlight]

Are there any NCAA ramifications for an athlete who is "on scholarship" at her private club? This is normally a fancy way of saying that the gym allows her to be a part of the team without paying because the family has no money. What about at a discounted rate? What about a kid whose parent works off their bill at the gym by cleaning, coaching, etc? So many rules...

 

[coachmolly]

Are there any NCAA ramifications for an athlete who is "on scholarship" at her private club? This is normally a fancy way of saying that the gym allows her to be a part of the team without paying because the family has no money. What about at a discounted rate? What about a kid whose parent works off their bill at the gym by cleaning, coaching, etc? So many rules...

No, that's not a problem. Similar to how girls on the National Team are allowed to accept the stipend provided by USAG to cover training expenses. Rules against that type of thing would greatly favor athletes from higher income families and be brutally unfair.
What would be a violation is if a local company provided sponsorship for an athlete in exchange for using the athlete for marketing purposes.

 

[twinmomma]

No, that's not a problem. Similar to how girls on the National Team are allowed to accept the stipend provided by USAG to cover training expenses. Rules against that type of thing would greatly favor athletes from higher income families and be brutally unfair.
What would be a violation is if a local company provided sponsorship for an athlete in exchange for using the athlete for marketing purposes.

While I agree with what you're saying about favoring athletes from higher income families, I would argue that to even GET to a point where an athlete can get a USAG stipend requires being from a higher income family as a general rule. I understand there are exceptions, but higher level gymnastics is NOT cheap, and unless a gymnast shows immense talent at a young age, I don't think they have a shot of gyms taking a chance on them to even get them to that point in the first place. So while it may be brutally unfair to create a rule like that, the system as it sits is already brutally unfair.