WAG 8th grade Verbal recruit

[wallinbl]

It is happening all the time in soccer and football too. And I am sure some other sports, but those are the big ones.

College coaches are absolutely out at the big soccer tournaments, and they're watching kids all the way down to 11 year olds. The parents are well aware of it, and many of them put pressure on the kids to play well at these tournaments because they're being watched.

 

[Midwestmommy]

My dart being thrown in the darkness is that her parents have some business/church/personal connections in Utah. Roots grow deep there.

 

[wallinbl]

My dart being thrown in the darkness is that her parents have some business/church/personal connections in Utah. Roots grow deep there.

She's at a gym that's very good at this. College coaches no doubt know that if these coaches say she's good, she's good.

 

[mpkbt]

My dart being thrown in the darkness is that her parents have some business/church/personal connections in Utah. Roots grow deep there.

I honestly don't think that the Marsdens are LDS. I don't think that it is a church connection...now if it was BYU I would say definitely.
I also wonder if it is commitment for a scholarship? Unless I missed something I saw no mention of a scholarship offer. I haven't checked gymdivas yet.
It really annoys me that Greg is often complaining about the process starting so early but he is the biggest offender. He has given talks at my dd old gym and always talks about how he wants it stopped...really? He was the first!
I know that U of U has a camp every year and I wonder if that is how he knows this kid (I mean baby) is already worth the commitment.
And finally...to those saying that she is really a rising 9th grader because she is graduating early...She isn't graduating early until she actually graduates early. She could find high school extremely tough and then what? She hasn't even tried high school courses yet. It is one thing to say you are graduating early when you only have a couple of credits left until graduation but she hasn't even started yet.
I am not sure how the new rules for the NCAA will change the recruiting process for gymnastics. I know they are geared for the revenue sports but we are thrown in with them in terms of outcome. Is the pac 12 considered one of the big 5?

 

[gymgal]

.....I also wonder if it is commitment for a scholarship? Unless I missed something I saw no mention of a scholarship offer. I haven't checked gymdivas yet.
.........
And finally...to those saying that she is really a rising 9th grader because she is graduating early...She isn't graduating early until she actually graduates early. She could find high school extremely tough and then what? She hasn't even tried high school courses yet. It is one thing to say you are graduating early when you only have a couple of credits left until graduation but she hasn't even started yet.

Aren't all early commit connected with scholarship offers. I always thought that was a given. As for graduating, it would be doubtful they would announce an early grad if they weren't confident she has the ability to do it. High school courses are not "that" difficult for high level college bound students. The site say that she plans to go to a local public school for high school, after being homeschooled, so that leads me to believe she likely already has high school credits under her belt.

 

[mpkbt]

If her gym doesn't do the elite thing, why is one of her videos labeled developmental camp? I would guess it is a submission video to Marta?

As for graduating, it would be doubtful they would announce an early grad if they weren't confident she has the ability to do it. High school courses are not "that" difficult for high level college bound students. The site say that she plans to go to a local public school for high school, after being homeschooled, so that leads me to believe she likely already has high school credits under her belt.

I have known more then one elite gymnast that finds it hard to do high school courses and train elite.... It seems to me there are a lot of "ifs" in this commitment.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Didn't read all of the above, but currently I have a 17 yr old former gymnast, trying to decide on a college. This is a HUGE decision for my 17, read 17, almost adult, high school senior!

My 14 yr old current gymmie was in same position as the subject of this post, a year ago, she was just turned 13 preparing for first L10 season, the differences being she did compete at Easterns, and is not homeschooled. There was no way that she could have said that a) Oh, X college is going to be right for me in 5 years, and b) I'm going to graduate high school a whole year early just so I can go to X!

Now, if someone said to me, we are offering your child a full ride... OMG, it would be awfully tempting to say YES! However... going back to above 2 paragraphs... HUGE DECISIONS!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

High school courses are not "that" difficult for high level college bound students.

Really? "Difficulty" as in being capable of comprehending the work is one thing. Difficulty with managing a high school workload, including honors/AP courses, when you are training 25+ hours is something entirely different.

 

[gymdog]

My dart being thrown in the darkness is that her parents have some business/church/personal connections in Utah. Roots grow deep there.

Seems way more likely her coaches have a connection within the gymnastics world.

 

[raenndrops]

Committing to college in any capacity before a child has even set foot through the doors of high school is ridiculous in my opinion. What is often forgotten in the whole race for a scholarship is that it is also important for the child to choose a school that is going to serve her needs personally and academically so that she is well equipped to go out into the world with an education that supports her career of choice.

Even the most mature children (and gymnasts seem to be among some of the most mature individuals), are not able to make that decision as an eighth grader.

I agree with the part in red... however, I disagree with the underlined part.
I knew where I wanted to go to college in the 2nd grade. I also knew what my major would be. Before anyone speculates, this wasn't a "legacy" decision or have anything to do with parental influence. Neither of my parents went to college and it was completely up to me where I went.
In 7th grade, when I took the SATs for the first time, Some of the high school girls there asked me questions... like why I was there, where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to major in, what were my safety schools. They were in awe that I knew what I wanted to do at such a young age.
I was so confident in my choice that I only applied to that ONE college - no "safety school" for me.

 

[profmom]

Raenndrops, that makes you quite unusual. Heck, most traditional (starting college right after high school) students don't even know for sure what they want to do when they are in their first year or two of college! It's a good thing for the overwhelming majority of kids going right into college after high school that they are making the decision about where to go during their senior year.

Fortunately, as long as your child goes to a comprehensive college or university with a strong liberal arts environment, s/he should be able to get a well rounded education that will enable her/him to go into the next stage in life well prepared, no matter what it may be. And regardless of whether they get scholarships or not, gymnasts tend to be pretty organized, motivated, and willing to take a few risks, so they are likely to get more out of college than your average bear. The real risk, IMHO, is focusing or specializing too early on career aspirations. Your college students should keep themselves open to exploring a variety of paths that may suit them well in the long run, not preparing narrowly for one thing that may or may not end up being right for them. If you encourage them to go to schools that have a decent range of excellent offerings in the broadly defined areas that interest them PLUS a strong liberal arts program, they should be fine.

I agree with the consensus that this is pretty silly and that the NCAA should change its rules, but I don't think it means that people with "slowpoke" girls who don't make it to L10 until they are a little older should freak out. The key question is whether you are at a gym that has a track record of getting girls onto college teams. DD's gym, for instance, does not play the early recruit game. They've been known to hide their 12 and 13 year olds when college reps are around to look at the older girls. But guess what? We get the big announcements and the signing ceremonies too -- but more when the girls are juniors or early in their senior years, as it should be.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I have a HS junior and the college thing is difficult for sure. This is his life! The decisions are huge! That being said - if we teach our kids to make the most of every situation then it really doesn't matter very much which college our kids go to.

I had my life planned out as well and then half way through my senior year my parents moved across the country and told me I had to go with them. I had to re-write my plan. My college was not my first or even 50th choice but it ended up being a great experience. And I got what I needed out of it. These kids that make early choices and commit to schools at 13 or 14 are probably going to do great at the college they choose. The decision will likely be just fine for them as long as they make the most of it. And it would be kind of nice not to go through the difficulties of getting to be a junior or senior and figuring it all out then. And if they choose a big enough school pretty much every major will be covered.

 

[gwenmom]

For my DD, if the local Div 1 school asked her to verbally commit, she would. Even as an 8 yo level 4 lol. She has met every single girl on the team and 'trained' with them at their summer camp. She has already decided that's where she is going to college. And she's stubborn enough I believe her.

So IMO there is probably some sort of connection there.

 

[gasrgoose]

. Is the pac 12 considered one of the big 5?

Yes.

 

[ivyagogo]

My friend's daughter is a star hockey player. The colleges weren't allowed to even come around until junior year. Sure, they watched at matches and tournaments, but couldn't start recruiting. She was offered several scholarships, but decided on her career instead and went to a school that offered her an academic scholarship and the program she wanted. She will play some hockey on the side if it fits into her schedule. Very well rounded young lady she has turned into. Now, what would have happened if they came around when she was in 8th grade?

 

[MILgymFAM]

I knew where I wanted to go to college in the 2nd grade. I also knew what my major would be. Before anyone speculates, this wasn't a "legacy" decision or have anything to do with parental influence. Neither of my parents went to college and it was completely up to me where I went.
In 7th grade, when I took the SATs for the first time...They were in awe that I knew what I wanted to do at such a young age.
I was so confident in my choice that I only applied to that ONE college - no "safety school" for me.

You sound just like my ODD! She took the ACT last year and was considering college instead of middle school. She had also known she wanted to be a dr and attend Johns Hopkins since she was about 4- she is 13 and hasn't wavered. Honestly, I am in awe of her. I hope you got in, and I hope she does also.

 

[MeetDirector]

Having just been through the college recruiting process, I look somewhat sideways at these kind of announcements. This girl is a rising 8th/9th grader; she has her entire high school academic career ahead of her to include meeting all of the NCAA academic eligibility rules. She hasn't taken a single standardized test and has no sense of whether or not she can even academically qualify for the school. Let's not forget that being a fabulous athlete is all good, but an athlete must still be academically admitted to the college of choice. Some schools are forced to wait to make thier athletic scholarship announcements because the academic admission is so stringent.

 

[emorymom]

If it's an LDS thing ... not useful to discuss as a general trend. It may be the only school with a gymnastics team on her table so to speak.

 

[gasrgoose]

She hasn't taken a single standardized test and has no sense of whether or not she can even academically qualify for the school. Let's not forget that being a fabulous athlete is all good, but an athlete must still be academically admitted to the college of choice. .

Though I agree that this seems early to commit to a college, I think we should stay away from specifics about this particular child. Unless you know her personally, you do not know if your statements are true. Many kids take the SAT in 7th grade (mine did) through Duke TIP. And many will produce a score in 7th grade that would gain them admission to college. Sure they still have to complete the courses, but that's not very difficult if you are academically gifted. So it's completely possible to predict an 8th grader would be approved by admissions. It might not be appropriate and that discussion will be much more productive. Talking about the general topic in relation to her commitment is one thing. But making statements regarding her specifically is just not wise.

 

[emorymom]

My SAT score in 7th grade was the same as the score one of my classmates used as a senior to get into Vanderbilt. Just to be obnoxious. But yes, not only must they be admitted but they must have a high school transcript or portfolio that is vetted by NCAA.