WAG Gymnastics recruiting services

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tomtnt

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thoughts on whether college gymnastics recruiting services are “worth it”?

I’m guessing for the elites and top tier JO gymnasts (national winners), service probably won’t help that much as the colleges will already be after these ladies.

For the rest, does the connections that some of these recruiters possess help when it comes down to two equally qualified gymnast?
 
thoughts on whether college gymnastics recruiting services are “worth it”?

I’m guessing for the elites and top tier JO gymnasts (national winners), service probably won’t help that much as the colleges will already be after these ladies.

For the rest, does the connections that some of these recruiters possess help when it comes down to two equally qualified gymnast?
Yes
 
Wait, why does the gymnast's family pay for the recruiting service? Shouldn't the college programs be paying? Employment recruiters typically charge the employer, not the employee. If the gymnast's family pays, they aren't recruiters, they are talent agents.
 
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Wait, why does the gymnast's family pay for the recruiting service? Shouldn't the college programs be paying? Employment recruiters typically charge the employer, not the employee. If the gymnast's family pays, they aren't recruiters, they are talent agents.
A gymnast family hires a recruiting service to help guide them in finding a school that will be a good fit for gymnastics and academics .
 
If your athlete has a true dream and desire to go to college and continue gym I would think that it is in your athletes best interest to contact coaches and show the desire inside. They should be calling and sending videos to the choice coaches weekly. Make the college coach know they are serious make that coach say let me see what this athlete can offer my program. My 2 cents.
 
If your athlete has a true dream and desire to go to college and continue gym I would think that it is in your athletes best interest to contact coaches and show the desire inside. They should be calling and sending videos to the choice coaches weekly. Make the college coach know they are serious make that coach say let me see what this athlete can offer my program. My 2 cents.
What does this have to do with a hiring a college recruiter for help?
 
well, yes- all that does happen but when you are talking about a limited number of spots and a very large number of talented level 10 gymnasts, the competition for those spots is fierce. If choosing between 2 equally talented gymnasts with similar academic achievements perhaps the recruiter with the right connections may be able to influence that decision.

To be fair, similar services exist for non-athlete applying to extremely competitive schools.

If your athlete has a true dream and desire to go to college and continue gym I would think that it is in your athletes best interest to contact coaches and show the desire inside. They should be calling and sending videos to the choice coaches weekly. Make the college coach know they are serious make that coach say let me see what this athlete can offer my program. My 2 cents.
 
I don't know the answer so this is a guess..... I would think it's less about the connections and more about the consulting and services. Like other college counseling services, I don't think these consultants are pulling strings to get anyone into a school or get a scholarship. What they are doing is sharing their expertise and knowledge about a fairly complex system. They are also helping a student get and stay organized, and sometimes serving as a buffer between the parents and the teen during what can sometimes be a stressful time.

I would think that if a gymnast/family has the time and inclination to educate themselves on the process, formulate a plan, and follow that plan, then a consultant or service may not be necessary. But if a gymnast/family wants to get some help, both in terms of expert advice and in formulating and helping to guide a plan -- and has the means to pay for such a service -- then it could be a worthwhile investment.

And just like a student who goes to a private high school with many college counselors may have as much of a need for a private counselor as a student who goes to a large public high school without college counselors, a gymnast who goes to a gym with coaches who are connected and engaged in the recruiting process may not benefit as much for these services as a gymnast whose coaches are less connected/engaged in the recruiting process.

Of course, those of you who have used these services and/or been through the recruiting process will know more!
 
some excellent points...

I think the main issue with the process is that the college coaches really have all the advantages in the situation. They are adults whose jobs involve recruiting athletes year in and year out. They are experienced and know exactly what to say to recruits and their parents. .

On the other side, you have 13-17 year old gymnasts who have little to no experience and families who have probably never been through the process and it's trial by fire.

Add to that the rules that change every year, the increasing competition for the spots from rising number of level 10s, former elites, and foreign elites as well as the the limited number of spots (never seem to be any new college programs, only programs closing..)



I don't know the answer so this is a guess..... I would think it's less about the connections and more about the consulting and services. Like other college counseling services, I don't think these consultants are pulling strings to get anyone into a school or get a scholarship. What they are doing is sharing their expertise and knowledge about a fairly complex system. They are also helping a student get and stay organized, and sometimes serving as a buffer between the parents and the teen during what can sometimes be a stressful time.

I would think that if a gymnast/family has the time and inclination to educate themselves on the process, formulate a plan, and follow that plan, then a consultant or service may not be necessary. But if a gymnast/family wants to get some help, both in terms of expert advice and in formulating and helping to guide a plan -- and has the means to pay for such a service -- then it could be a worthwhile investment.

And just like a student who goes to a private high school with many college counselors may have as much of a need for a private counselor as a student who goes to a large public high school without college counselors, a gymnast who goes to a gym with coaches who are connected and engaged in the recruiting process may not benefit as much for these services as a gymnast whose coaches are less connected/engaged in the recruiting process.

Of course, those of you who have used these services and/or been through the recruiting process will know more!
 
I won't divulge any particular information about who we contacted regarding their services but below is a breakdown of what the costs would have been:

1. Unlimited Access Plan: $3,500 for unlimited advising through 12th grade.

With the Unlimited Access Plan you can also deposit $500 and make monthly payments, $200 a month is the minimum allowed. I would need to know the amount you would like to pay monthly and the day of the month you plan to pay. I will then send you a Terms of Agreement.

2. Hourly Plan: $500 for 5 hours of advising. The $500 can not be rolled into the UA plan.

When we reached out to our coaches to ask if this was something we should pursue and they advised us against it. But I do think it would be beneficial to gymnasts that are at a gym where the coaches leave the recruiting up to the gymnast and her parents. It can be a very daunting process, trying to figure out what the gymnast can and can't do in regards to recruiting, when and how they should start communicating with the college coaches, how to determine which college is a viable choice for them based on their level and skills, etc...
 
My dd is elite and I used one of these services. I made the mistake of listening to everyone say don't worry about it... she's elite, she will get something anytime. Well, the schools do fill up and you can miss the boat. We are in the process of recovering from that.

My take is if you have a gym/coaches that are helpful in the process, you can do it on your own. We don't have that, so we have been blind in this. Knowing what I do now, I would have started the process earlier and probably not needed the help. BUT, I love having someone else working with my dd and me just being the supportive parent.
 
My dd is elite and I used one of these services. I made the mistake of listening to everyone say don't worry about it... she's elite, she will get something anytime. Well, the schools do fill up and you can miss the boat. We are in the process of recovering from that.

My take is if you have a gym/coaches that are helpful in the process, you can do it on your own. We don't have that, so we have been blind in this. Knowing what I do now, I would have started the process earlier and probably not needed the help. BUT, I love having someone else working with my dd and me just being the supportive parent.

Are you saying you have a child who is competing elite but doesn't have D1 college options?
 
I have been wondering about this also. I believe I have researched the same recruiting service as Lily's mom as the breakdown was exactly the same. The thing that got me and I'm still trying to figure this out, is it was mentioned that they have 500 clients they are working with. If one recruiting service that is mainly dealing with gymnasts has 500 clients, then many of their clients are in direct competition for the same placements. For the company to be seen as successful, meaning they have many placements, it seems that they would be working harder to place their more successful clients, rather than those that need the service the most. I'm definitely not saying anything bad about the service as I think my daughter (and family) will need one, I'm just trying to figure out how it works.
 
I have been wondering about this also. I believe I have researched the same recruiting service as Lily's mom as the breakdown was exactly the same. The thing that got me and I'm still trying to figure this out, is it was mentioned that they have 500 clients they are working with. If one recruiting service that is mainly dealing with gymnasts has 500 clients, then many of their clients are in direct competition for the same placements. For the company to be seen as successful, meaning they have many placements, it seems that they would be working harder to place their more successful clients, rather than those that need the service the most. I'm definitely not saying anything bad about the service as I think my daughter (and family) will need one, I'm just trying to figure out how it works.
What is a successful client? The service is there to help clients find the right fit. The recruiter directs and recommends programs that they can be recruited from. In my eyes it’s more impressive when you see her clients that have many years of injuries or setback get a scholarship or even an Ivy League spot. To a lot of gymnast academics are more important then gym. Any girl that gets any spot on a college team is successful.
 
What I was trying to say is that there are some clients that would seem more desirable because they have more qualifications, such as elite careers or multiple JO nationals and are probably easier to place. When there are 500 clients, I was wondering if someone with lesser qualifications could be lost in the shuffle. I also think getting on any college team is successful and that it's impressive when anyone gets a scholarship regardless of the school. I only have an 8th grade L9, who may or may not want to do college gymnastics. I'm just trying to figure out if a big recruiting service would benefit her in the near future. I rarely post on the main forum anymore and now I remember why, things are always misconstrued.
 
I was wondering the same thing!!
I hadn’t thought of it in that way... so yes she has D1 options. It is a little more complicated for us than that.

She had a lot of interest and then spent the better part of two seasons injured. Interest certainly dissapated. Did is healthy now and is in the process of having to prove herself. Having someone to help us navigate that and getting some interest sparked has helped. We are still on this journey....

Through this process dd has watched as many other clients have had success and committed to schools she would have loved. It is about finding the right fit for sure. Dd is learning to be patient.
 

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