There is another thread about early verbal commitments for college scholarships, the fairness of it, and whether it ruins the chances of other gymnasts who have taken a little longer to get to L10. It got me thinking about the true chances of girls getting scholarships. There is a number floating out there of about 10%, but I think that is in general, taking all levels and ages into consideration.
my dd is a L7 and in middle school. I don't know what the future holds for her but we have been of the mindset that we would like for her have the chance if she wants it and if she is capable. And I'm not just talking scholarship - just a spot on the team, if that's what she wants. We are betting on academics and our own finances to carry her through...
Well, during a bout of insomnia last night, I began playing with some numbers and here is what I found...
first, *on average*, there is about 185 scholarships awarded by D1 schools each year to incoming freshman gymnasts. In 2012, there were roughly 350 L10 high school seniors who competed at regionals (did this by counting the the girls in the age groups with 17+yr olds, then calculating 2/3 of that, as I figured about 1/3 of 17yr olds are juniors, not seniors). I know there are some elites and injured athletes in the mix as well but it doesn't change the numbers drastically.
So we are talking roughly 350 incoming college freshman gymnasts for around 185 slots. That's about a 50% chance *if* you get to L10 and stay healthy through senior year, but my guess is that it is a bit higher because not all these girls will want to do D1 gymnastics (or not do any gymnastics), and some are 1st yr level 10's who likely didn't catch the eye of the recruiters as sophomores/juniors to be in line for scholarships. So 2nd and 3rd yr L10s certainly have the advantage. Of course, this is all moot if you have a gymnast who is really picky and only wants certain schools but for the majority of girls who just want to continue their gymnastics career and get a good education at the same time, those are a lot better odds than the 10% often quoted for all gymnasts - *IF* you can stay healthy....
Of course... you could also look at it as: spending 10+ years training and competing for the chance of a scholarship, making it to level 10, staying healthy and you still only have a 50% chance of a scholarship.
Now, it would be interesting to break down the HS seniors by the number of years they have been a L10 and how many of each group get scholarships. also, the percentage of these girls who make it to Nationals as 10th-11th graders - as in: do you have to go to nationals to have a good shot at scholarships (I'm talking beyond the top 20 schools). But there isn't enough info out there to do it and it's too time consuming....
So, for those more experienced parents and coaches who have btdt - do my numbers add up? Am I in the ballpark with the figures?
my dd is a L7 and in middle school. I don't know what the future holds for her but we have been of the mindset that we would like for her have the chance if she wants it and if she is capable. And I'm not just talking scholarship - just a spot on the team, if that's what she wants. We are betting on academics and our own finances to carry her through...
Well, during a bout of insomnia last night, I began playing with some numbers and here is what I found...
first, *on average*, there is about 185 scholarships awarded by D1 schools each year to incoming freshman gymnasts. In 2012, there were roughly 350 L10 high school seniors who competed at regionals (did this by counting the the girls in the age groups with 17+yr olds, then calculating 2/3 of that, as I figured about 1/3 of 17yr olds are juniors, not seniors). I know there are some elites and injured athletes in the mix as well but it doesn't change the numbers drastically.
So we are talking roughly 350 incoming college freshman gymnasts for around 185 slots. That's about a 50% chance *if* you get to L10 and stay healthy through senior year, but my guess is that it is a bit higher because not all these girls will want to do D1 gymnastics (or not do any gymnastics), and some are 1st yr level 10's who likely didn't catch the eye of the recruiters as sophomores/juniors to be in line for scholarships. So 2nd and 3rd yr L10s certainly have the advantage. Of course, this is all moot if you have a gymnast who is really picky and only wants certain schools but for the majority of girls who just want to continue their gymnastics career and get a good education at the same time, those are a lot better odds than the 10% often quoted for all gymnasts - *IF* you can stay healthy....
Of course... you could also look at it as: spending 10+ years training and competing for the chance of a scholarship, making it to level 10, staying healthy and you still only have a 50% chance of a scholarship.
Now, it would be interesting to break down the HS seniors by the number of years they have been a L10 and how many of each group get scholarships. also, the percentage of these girls who make it to Nationals as 10th-11th graders - as in: do you have to go to nationals to have a good shot at scholarships (I'm talking beyond the top 20 schools). But there isn't enough info out there to do it and it's too time consuming....
So, for those more experienced parents and coaches who have btdt - do my numbers add up? Am I in the ballpark with the figures?