WAG Class of 2023 first verbal

[tomtnt]

https://www.redandblack.com/sports/...cle_7d40beca-e2e2-11e7-b550-a71195de96d3.html

New rules are working great! Lol

This article is very well researched given the overall obscurity of gymnastics recruiting...

 

[bogwoppit]

Ridiculous isn't it. I read the article yesterday. This needs stopping until at least high school.

 

[SMH]

A 7th grader. Man. I taught middle school, and even the most mature, thoughtful, grown up 7th grader is still so young to be making a huge decision about their lives years down the line.

 

[Seeker]

It is rather ridiculous and I’m really shocked/disappointed/dismayed that this happened. I thought it odd that the coach posted the announcement on Twitter too (and spelled ‘accepted’ wrong no less). Usually gymnasts announce themselves and then maybe a coach will congratulate. Maybe I missed her announcement somewhere, since she’s 12 and hopefully her accounts are private.

 

[gymmomx2]

This is ridiculous, so much can happen in the next 6 years. The other side of the coin is that they have one less scholarship to offer to someone maybe more talented down the line.

 

[raenndrops]

A 7th grader. Man. I taught middle school, and even the most mature, thoughtful, grown up 7th grader is still so young to be making a huge decision about their lives years down the line.

For MOST 7th graders, I agree... However, I am one that knew WHERE I was going to college (nobody in my family at that time had ever been to college, so it wasnt a "the family goes there" thing) and WHAT I wanted to major in. When I took the SAT that year, while waiting, I was talking to some seniors also taking it (we were taking the SAT about 50 miles from our school and nobody knew us) and told them exactly what actually ended up happening when I finally did go to college... of course, I had them believing it would be happening the next year, lol.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

So long as they allow it, good for her. Maybe Georgia is her dream school

 

[Deleted member 18037]

For MOST 7th graders, I agree... However, I am one that knew WHERE I was going to college (nobody in my family at that time had ever been to college, so it wasnt a "the family goes there" thing) and WHAT I wanted to major in. When I took the SAT that year, while waiting, I was talking to some seniors also taking it (we were taking the SAT about 50 miles from our school and nobody knew us) and told them exactly what actually ended up happening when I finally did go to college... of course, I had them believing it would be happening the next year, lol.

Knowing is one thing. Committing and being admitted entirely different beasts. My kid has her Ivy picked out. And I’m not letting her start her application yet. Maybe her answer will be the same in 6 years maybe not.

I thought my HS boyfriend was going to be my husband one day. You could not have told me any different from 14-20. And then he wasn’t.

It should not be allowed. They are minors. 16 is soon enough.

 

[Texasmomof3]

This is ridiculous, so much can happen in the next 6 years. The other side of the coin is that they have one less scholarship to offer to someone maybe more talented down the line.

Except the verbal is non-binding, so Georgia can still always offer it to someone else if they want.

 

[MeetDirector]

Except the verbal is non-binding, so Georgia can still always offer it to someone else if they want.

Exactly!! A verbal offer is only worth the paper its printed on. What happens if these your gymnasts don't stack up academically? What happens if they don't score well enough on the SAT/ACT to get into the school? I'll tell you what happens - the school moves on and the gymnast is left out in the cold because they have taken themselves out of the recruiting process for any other school.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

Newbie question here: What exactly is the point of a verbal offer? If either the school or student can choose differently in the end, why offer it? She’s also only a 7th grader. That’s a lot of years to possibly suffer injury or even *gasp* decide not to do gymnastics. It’s a weird system to me.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Newbie question here: What exactly is the point of a verbal offer? If either the school or student can choose differently in the end, why offer it? She’s also only a 7th grader. That’s a lot of years to possibly suffer injury or even *gasp* decide not to do gymnastics. It’s a weird system to me.

Because she thinks she is going to do college gym and they think they grabbed her before anyone else did.

More often then not though its the gymnast that ends up with the short end of the stick.

The deck is completely stacked in the college's favor. And that includes even after the athlete has started at college. They get hurt, good bye ride. SOL

 

[FlippinPrincess]

Because she thinks she is going to do college gym and they think they grabbed her before anyone else did.

More often then not though its the gymnast that ends up with the short end of the stick.

The deck is completely stacked in the college's favor. And that includes even after the athlete has started at college. They get hurt, good bye ride. SOL

That sucks. I bet that verbal creates so much pride and excitement for the gymnast and family. To have it possibly taken away or lost because of lack of performance/injury just seems so cruel.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

That sucks. I bet that verbal creates so much pride and excitement for the gymnast and family. To have it possibly taken away or lost because of lack of performance/injury just seems so cruel.

Yeah and meanwhile the college has moved on.

 

[tomtnt]

I agree with most of what is being said but to clarify... verbals are "worthless" is a bit of a hyperbole- in fact, most gymnasts who made a verbal commitment have ended up going to the school they verbally committed to. Of course there are exceptions and we can all point to situations we remember where the school may not have honored a verbal agreement or the gymnast may have ended up "Switching commitment". For example, Cal's incoming freshmans all made verbal commitments in 2014 to Cal as freshmans or sophomores in high school.

also, if a gymnast is injured in college while doing gymnastics, they are medically retired and continued to have their education funded (staying on as team manager, equipment manager, etc). so they aren't necessarily SOL.

Lastly, many coaches have significant pull to help the gymnasts gain admission for both scholarship athletes and preferred walk-ons.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Because she thinks she is going to do college gym and they think they grabbed her before anyone else did.

More often then not though its the gymnast that ends up with the short end of the stick.

The deck is completely stacked in the college's favor. And that includes even after the athlete has started at college. They get hurt, good bye ride. SOL

On what are you basing this statement? The athletes I have known that were hurt while at school were taken care of. You know enough cases where they were told good bye and SOL that you think a majority are?

 

[tomtnt]

Greg Mardsen puts it perfectly:

Gymnast: I promise to go to ur school if I’m still doing gymnastics & I don’t change my mind.

College coach: I promise to give u a scholarship if u are still a top recruit & I don’t change my mind, get fired or leave for another school.

 

[duyetanh]

Yes, that would be one of my big worries as a parent if my child was scholarship bound and had an early verbal.....college coaches leave all the time.....
so then what?!
Do the new coaches honor those verbals, or decide to rebuild the arsenal?

 

[kimute]

It is rather ridiculous and I’m really shocked/disappointed/dismayed that this happened. I thought it odd that the coach posted the announcement on Twitter too (and spelled ‘accepted’ wrong no less). Usually gymnasts announce themselves and then maybe a coach will congratulate. Maybe I missed her announcement somewhere, since she’s 12 and hopefully her accounts are private.

She is not old enough to post Twitter, Snapchat, FB, all say they will remove accounts if they realize you are under 13. Ironic, huh?

 

[mommyof1]

Yes, that would be one of my big worries as a parent if my child was scholarship bound and had an early verbal.....college coaches leave all the time.....
so then what?!
Do the new coaches honor those verbals, or decide to rebuild the arsenal?

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Aside from the fact that no 12-year-old should be choosing her college yet, what if the coach leaves? Even if the offers the previous coach made are honored, what if the new coach just isn’t a good fit for the child? Especially with all we have heard about college coaching styles, as a parent I would be very hesitant to allow my child to make any kind of commitment to a program without knowing anything about who would be coaching her when she finally got there.

Also, in the recruiting game do these few kids who are being recruited so early have more leverage than they apparently know? If you are good enough to get a verbal commitment at age 12, wouldn’t you expect to be even more sought-after at 14 or 15, assuming you continue to progress and don’t get injured? Or are even these very young phenoms a dime a dozen so they feel pressured to grab the first offer that comes along?