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Deleted member 18037
Just curious.....................
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Remember to factor in the community service work and remember there is a ton of academic pressure as well because the Coaches want their gymnasts to be academically the best as well! Its incredibly tough to balance.......so much pressure from all directions!I doubt we are going to hear negatives from parents of athletes currently in college for fear of being reprimanded. The below is all second and third had knowledge as I was not a college athlete, am not the parent of a college athlete, nor have I coached an athlete to a college scholarship (yet!).
From the grapevine I hear that although 20 hours a week is the limit for NCAA rules, many coaches hold "optional" hours of practice and it's made VERY clear that the hours are less on the optional side than the mandatory side if they want to keep their spot in the line-up/spot on the team/their scholarship for next year.
There are many many many early morning hours of training involved since schedules have to be worked around classes. I'm recall hearing about 5:30-6:00am training times (not necessarily gymnastics, but cardio & strength...things like that).
There is constant pressure to be at your best to keep your spot in the line-up. Your spot is always threatened with the tiniest slip-up here or there. Also being in a group of college aged female athletes I can only imagine that cattiness that goes along with that type of team competitiveness.
I have also heard what a wonderful experience it is to have a built in group of friends who are your teammates. What a great experience it is to go to an arena full of fans shouting and cheering for you. How encouraging it is to have a group of athletes in the same boat as you and understand your sport and dedication.
I have no doubt that the experience various from athlete to athlete and from school to school.
I thought the UK had free tuition for college/university? Is that not the case?I am reading with interest, as university costs in the UK are ever increasing, with no sports scholarships, so a US university is an option we have half an eye on.
Not all D3 are alike. Some can be intense as well.And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.
]And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.
I know a lot of girls doing D3 gymnastics and they seem to really love it, as do their parents. That seems to be a great way for the girls who really love the sport to continue and be involved in their school. A lot less pressure, for sure!
Can you please tell me what type of academic support you had as a D3 gymnast, and do you know if the amount, quality, and hours required or recommended differ by whether the school is a D1, D2, or D3?My four years as a D3 gymnast were, without a doubt, the most rewarding and enjoyable four years of my gymnastics career. For me, it was everything college gymnastics was hyped up to be: a fun, team-oriented atmosphere with positive coaching where I was able to fall in love with gymnastics again. I was NOT a superstar club gymnast (a good L9 with some L10 skills on 3 events), and struggled with mental blocks, self-confidence, and consistency. I know I would have cracked under the pressure of a top D1 program. Instead, my confidence in myself as an athlete, and more importantly, as a person, grew tremendously with the support of my D3 teammates and coaches. I learned several new skills during college and was doing the best, most consistent gymnastics of my life during my senior year. I also developed valuable leadership and communication skills that I use daily in my post-gymnastics life... Oh yeah, and I got a fabulous education and was able to take advantage of all the great things my school had to offer!
This is not to say that it was all sunshine and rainbows. It can be hard to manage your time as a student-athlete and it can be hard to be a part of a team of 15-20 opinionated, driven, college-aged girls. And yes, being taken out of a line-up hurts and having to deliver a hit routine when your team needs it is stressful. But for me, the positives of the whole experience far outweigh the negatives, and I wouldn't trade those four years for anything.
I strongly urge everyone with a potential college gymnast to check out D3 schools. The gymnastics at these schools is getting better and better each year (especially as early recruiting gets more and more out of hand), and the gymnasts have a ton of fun training and competing. Whitewater and Ursinus have recently put out preseason videos which give a taste of the current skill level in D3.