College Divisions?

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loveforgym

I know i still have a loonng way to go, but i'm interested in college gymnastics. I'm currently 13 and level 7, so i was wondering if i would atleast be able to make it to an easy college. What skills/ or level are most division 3 college gymnasts? I know colleges like Florida and Georgia want level 10/elites, but are there any colleges that accept level 9's?
 
Some colleges accept level 9s that specialize on certain events to get them up to college standard. That is all I can really tell you,because I dont know a lot about D3 school.s
 
It really depends on what school, but I know some will take levels 7/8! D1 and 2 schools only want 10's and maybe some 9's, but D3 will definitely take lower. It usually depends on the school though, because some D3's will only take 9s. My friend does Division 3 gymnastics and she was about a level 8, but at her meet were schools doing more level 7/basic skills.
 
I am in a unique position to answer this question because my daughter was a member of a Division II team for two years and then transfered to a Division I school. I have watched a lot of teams from all three divisions over the past few years. To answer your specific questions:

Q: What skills/ or level are most division 3 college gymnasts?

A: Level 9 and 10.

Q: I know colleges like Florida and Georgia want level 10/elites, but are there any colleges that accept level 9's?

A: There are even some Division I schools who will take level 9s, but not many. Last year, there were new Level 9s at Air Force, Centenary, Illinois-Chicago, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, Sacramento State, Temple, and Western Michigan.

There are 5 Division II schools and 15 Division III schools.

Of the five Division II schools, West Chester University is the most likely to recruit Level 9s because its gymnastics program was killed in 2003 and reinstated by a court order. They have been rebuilding ever since. Also, Lindenwood University will join Division II in the 2012-13 season with a brand new gymnastics program. In contrast, the top teams, University of Bridgeport and Texas Womens University will only recruit Level 10s although they may take the occasional Level 9 walk-on. As you probably already know, Division II schools only offer partial scholarships and Bridgeport and TWU beat most of the Division I schools they go up against. Southern Connecticut State University and Seattle Pacific University did have new Level 9s on their roster this year, although they also prefer Level 10s.

Division III schools offer no athletic scholarships and have the greatest variability. Every year, there will be Division III gymnasts who will qualify for the same NCAA Regionals that Florida, Georgia, UCLA, Utah, Alabama and Stanford attend. On the other hand, some Division III schools actually have tryouts for their teams, for example Rhode Island College. In theory, you could have NO USAG JO background and still make the team. You can actually watch Rhode Island College meets on their archived video: RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE ATHLETICS
It's hard to give a definite answer to your question because it really varies with each particular school. The better teams have some Level 10s. The teams at the bottom don't have any Level 10s.

The bottom line is that coaches look at start level and not USAG Level. If you have a 10.0 start level in anything, especially bars and vault, you will be an attractive recruit, whether you are Level 9 or 10.

Good luck!
 
Looking at the list of division 3 schools, at least the ones in the Eastern division, they seem to be mostly expensive private colleges. And, of course, those are the ones with no scholarships. It seems like NAIGC may be the most realistic option for gymnasts who want to continue to train/compete in college but who don't get a college scholarship. NAIGC
 

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