Parents L10 parents, can you share your gym successes/shortcomings for younger college path athletes?

[gymjunkie]

Yes

Why is that JBS? I know who she is, but none of my scholarship recipients have used anyone and I am just wondering how much of a difference it actually makes.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

I would recommend using jill hicks for a lower level or middle of the road level 10 trying to get recruited. A high scoring and placing level 10 is will already be on most colleges radars.

 

[JBS]

Why is that JBS? I know who she is, but none of my scholarship recipients have used anyone and I am just wondering how much of a difference it actually makes.

I think Jill is great at connecting the parents into the process and getting them to understand everything as well.

I single 1 hour Zoom can take a parent from zero to hero and really show them the reality of where their child is at.

It would not make much of a difference if the athlete is of extreme talent or if an experienced coach is already helping out with the process.

 

[JBS]

I think Jill is great at connecting the parents into the process and getting them to understand everything as well.

I single 1 hour Zoom can take a parent from zero to hero and really show them the reality of where their child is at.

It would not make much of a difference if the athlete is of extreme talent or if an experienced coach is already helping out with the process.

To further what I said above… if your coach says…

“That’s your job… we don’t help with that.”

or

“Stop posting all those gymnastics videos on the Insta-thing.”

…then Jill Hicks is for you.

My wife and I did a 1 hour Zoom with Jill and my daughter. I thought it was great and she was right on point.

 

[JBS]

Also great for… I have bail toe up blind full double and want a full scholarship to Utah.

She’ll educate you with some Utah…

 

[bookworm]

The thread you refer to was in WAG and titled "Div 1 Walk On Offer" with a ton of questions to ask colleges/coaches ...Meet Director and I kinda commiserated in that 14 page Q & A thread...my biggest caveat for the recruiting path is TRUST YOUR GUT....ask tons of questions , and tons more. You might have to pull it up in a link Bog had that is way above my techno paygrade , sorry...

And update, my D1 gym competitor still loves gymnastics but her body is glad to be done...still says she loved competing on the NCAA stage... and her horrible coaches were removed from coaching over the past few years (yay!)... and my youngest was also a D1 competitor, but for diving, and broke her school's records in a brand new sport so folks, they're happy , healthy and doing the "muggle" (non gym) life and loving it.

There was a very informative and honest thread about this topic that bookworm wrote in. I’ll try to find it or if someone else can please post the link. She had two daughters that were level 10’s for about 6 years, both were recruited to college. One daughter was injured before starting and went on to dive for the college that recruited her for gym. The other competed D1 for 4 years. She didn’t have the happiest path but she posted valuable practical advice that I still pass along when it’s appropriate.

 

[LJL07]

I would recommend using jill hicks for a lower level or middle of the road level 10 trying to get recruited. A high scoring and placing level 10 is will already be on most colleges radars.

That’s very helpful.

I think Jill is great at connecting the parents into the process and getting them to understand everything as well.

I single 1 hour Zoom can take a parent from zero to hero and really show them the reality of where their child is at.

It would not make much of a difference if the athlete is of extreme talent or if an experienced coach is already helping out with the process.

our state rarely produces scholarship level 10s. very, very rarely. We’ve got kids with potential in the state but the gym resources are incredibly limited. And my child posts everything on her Instagram. Fails and all. Should we wait to do this until she competes a season of 10? Or get started now?

 

[JBS]

That’s very helpful.

our state rarely produces scholarship level 10s. very, very rarely. We’ve got kids with potential in the state but the gym resources are incredibly limited. And my child posts everything on her Instagram. Fails and all. Should we wait to do this until she competes a season of 10? Or get started now?

I would start now with a gym Instagram account. A coach is usually the best one to help with what videos to post.

Remember… everyone can throw a double off of everything into loose foam. Not everyone can do 5 nice kip cast handstands in a row.

 

[LJL07]

I would start now with a gym Instagram account. A coach is usually the best one to help with what videos to post.

Remember… everyone can throw a double off of everything into loose foam. Not everyone can do 5 nice kip cast handstands in a row.

Yes, we have no idea what "they" are looking for. Our coach is awesome, but our group could definitely use some guidance. It looks like you have to buy a package from Jill Hicks though and commit off the bat to one of her package options, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[txgymfan]

The thread you refer to was in WAG and titled "Div 1 Walk On Offer" with a ton of questions to ask colleges/coaches ...Meet Director and I kinda commiserated in that 14 page Q & A thread...my biggest caveat for the recruiting path is TRUST YOUR GUT....ask tons of questions , and tons more. You might have to pull it up in a link Bog had that is way above my techno paygrade , sorry...

Bog found it. Future college parents, read this.

WAG - Div I NCAA Walk-On Offer Info

My daughter received an offer to walk on to a NCAA Div I team in 2017. She is interested in the school but wants to continue to explore other schools. A major concern with this school is that is about $45,000 grand per year so the amount of debt she will have upon graduation really scares her...

chalkbucket.com

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Yes, we have no idea what "they" are looking for. Our coach is awesome, but our group could definitely use some guidance. It looks like you have to buy a package from Jill Hicks though and commit off the bat to one of her package options, but maybe I'm wrong.

Honestly, they are looking for form and the ability to stick landings. Huge skills are great, but college coaches are looking for consistency. Watch a few college meets, there aren't a lot of huge, olympic level skills being thrown. They also want to see a 10.0 start value or higher on each event. Doesn't do much good to be a level 10 with a 9.5 start value on everything.

 

[doublestrike]

Be patient, my kid was a late bloomer due to an injury and being at a gym early in high school that did very little conditioning which she needed. They had elites, national team members but no help in recruiting so we went to another gym which had better college contacts. She’s a D 1 gymnast now at a major school as a walk on and turned down scholarships at smaller programs. She began emailing colleges as a freshman and attended a number of camps. She was only scoring in the 36s as a freshman, 37s as a sophomore and junior, and 38s by the time she was a senior. The colleges she focused on didn’t start calling her until she was a junior and didn’t offer her until that summer. She held out for what she wanted and got it. She got some academic scholarships that helped too. I ditto the above re Jill Hicks, you don’t need her if you’re scoring 37s or at a gym that helps with recruiting, it’s better to save $$ for camps. We know a lot of gymnasts that also got into D2 D3 schools by their own diligence and really just level 9s.

 

[lathyrus28]

Be patient, my kid was a late bloomer due to an injury and being at a gym early in high school that did very little conditioning which she needed. They had elites, national team members but no help in recruiting so we went to another gym which had better college contacts. She’s a D 1 gymnast now at a major school as a walk on and turned down scholarships at smaller programs. She began emailing colleges as a freshman and attended a number of camps. She was only scoring in the 36s as a freshman, 37s as a sophomore and junior, and 38s by the time she was a senior. The colleges she focused on didn’t start calling her until she was a junior and didn’t offer her until that summer. She held out for what she wanted and got it. She got some academic scholarships that helped too. I ditto the above re Jill Hicks, you don’t need her if you’re scoring 37s or at a gym that helps with recruiting, it’s better to save $$ for camps. We know a lot of gymnasts that also got into D2 D3 schools by their own diligence and really just level 9s.

This is very helpful. The "no help in recruiting" is the piece of the picture I just have a (VERY) early eye on. I know that this is still premature, and I will watch and wait over the next year or two to see what puberty and middle school does with her progress, but the truth is, I simply don't know if we are at a gym that has connections or college contacts. And IF she ends up wanting to pursue it in college, I don't want to be wishing we switched gyms earlier on, for more help with this. My gut says no, that if she has the talent, and awareness early on of the recruitment game, that might be enough, but, maybe not? We had a rather mass exodus this summer at our gym after a coach left, so I guess that's what has started my questioning. At any rate, I'm glad for all the feedback.

 

[LJL07]

I would recommend using jill hicks for a lower level or middle of the road level 10 trying to get recruited. A high scoring and placing level 10 is will already be on most colleges radars.

One more question about this process: assuming we are in a generally "noncompetitive area," I am guessing grades and respectable test scores are going to be equally important as "skills" if not more so in terms of recruitment. Would a kid with strong grades/test scores and solid but not fancy level 10 skills with good form be more desirable than a kid struggling academically but with high level skills on bars and not the best form? I'm just trying to understand all of this.

 

[bookworm]

One more question about this process: assuming we are in a generally "noncompetitive area," I am guessing grades and respectable test scores are going to be equally important as "skills" if not more so in terms of recruitment. Would a kid with strong grades/test scores and solid but not fancy level 10 skills with good form be more desirable than a kid struggling academically but with high level skills on bars and not the best form? I'm just trying to understand all of this.

To answer honestly, no ... and any coach who tells you differently is lying. They will take a rock star athlete who struggles academically over others for a few reasons : 1. They want to win titles, period 2. I think they feel with the academic supports in place at college that they can get the struggling academic rock star to remain eligible while killing it at a meet.

I saw this on my daughter's team ... a girl who I was shocked even got in to the school struggled academically all 4 years , but remained eligible and eventually graduated... she got a ton of academic support with tutors, one on one tutors when on the road , course selection that wasn't the toughest etc .... all while winning events at meets and being named all conference 1st team for athletics all her 4 years, second team all amercan ....others on the team were academic all Americans but not her. Her job was to compete and remain eligible , and that's what she did.

 

[MeetDirector]

I totally echo what @bookworm said. We saw that on the recruiting end as well. This being said with the exception of the Ivies; there they do have strong academic requirements, but I would still bet that Stanford has the ability to slip the academic requirements a bit for a kick-butt athlete.

We also saw during recruiting/visit phase a push toward the "less technical" majors; ours wanted to do pre-med which was strongly frowned upon. On that original thread, one of the take-aways you should have seen was that you absolutely need to go into the process with your eyes WIDE open and to not shy away from asking the tough questions of the college program.

Good Luck in the process.

 

[gymgal]

One more question about this process: assuming we are in a generally "noncompetitive area," I am guessing grades and respectable test scores are going to be equally important as "skills" if not more so in terms of recruitment. Would a kid with strong grades/test scores and solid but not fancy level 10 skills with good form be more desirable than a kid struggling academically but with high level skills on bars and not the best form? I'm just trying to understand all of this.

Do you mean that you are from a less competitive region? This really doesn't matter when it comes to recruiting. The coaches are not going to look at gymnasts from less competitive areas any differently than those from top areas. It comes down to whether you have the package or not. Now, gymnasts from less competitive areas do have a better shot of getting on the national stage where college coaches can see them, which may help.

I would agree with bookworm and meetdirector if the academically struggling gymnast was a solid/high scoring AA-er but you asked about a gymnast who has high level bar skills with so-so form and struggling with academics. Unless they desperately need a bar specialist and think they can clean up the form issues, colleges likely are going to pass up that gymnast.

Regardless, the truth is that there are enough gymnasts out there who check off both academic success and high level AA skills. The college coaches don't need to make that choice. I have seen a few exceptions to this but they seem to be cases of "who you know" - excellent 4.0 students who will never actually compete. I doubt you would see this in the top tier teams but it does happen on the lower ranked teams.

 

[LJL07]

Do you mean that you are from a less competitive region? This really doesn't matter when it comes to recruiting. The coaches are not going to look at gymnasts from less competitive areas any differently than those from top areas. It comes down to whether you have the package or not. Now, gymnasts from less competitive areas do have a better shot of getting on the national stage where college coaches can see them, which may help.

I would agree with bookworm and meetdirector if the academically struggling gymnast was a solid/high scoring AA-er but you asked about a gymnast who has high level bar skills with so-so form and struggling with academics. Unless they desperately need a bar specialist and think they can clean up the form issues, colleges likely are going to pass up that gymnast.

Regardless, the truth is that there are enough gymnasts out there who check off both academic success and high level AA skills. The college coaches don't need to make that choice. I have seen a few exceptions to this but they seem to be cases of "who you know" - excellent 4.0 students who will never actually compete. I doubt you would see this in the top tier teams but it does happen on the lower ranked teams.

Our region is actually very competitive. It's our state that is not competitive. We may have had two girls attend nationals this year. I would have to look.

I guess you would have to define a solid all-arounder. We don't have any super high scoring all-arounders in our area. You kind of answered my question in the last paragraph. It seems like there are plenty enough girls with high level bar skills, clean form, AND good grades that skills alone are not a huge advantage.

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

Our region is actually very competitive. It's our state that is not competitive. We may have had two girls attend nationals this year. I would have to look.

I guess you would have to define a solid all-arounder. We don't have any super high scoring all-arounders in our area. You kind of answered my question in the last paragraph. It seems like there are plenty enough girls with high level bar skills, clean form, AND good grades that skills alone are not a huge advantage.

Skills trump academics. There are enough easy college courses to pad your 120 credit requirement, where only a C is required and they will provide the tutoring to get a student there. If you’re not coming in with the skills though, there’s no guarantee they can get you there. Our previous head coach was a DI athlete at a school she would never have gotten into on academics and she scrapped by on a LOT of tutoring, she said they literally held her hand all the way through college so she would compete because she was not book smart and would not have made it through a degree on her own.

 

[doublestrike]

I think it depends on the school, ie., D1 or D3. Grades and good form will help a gymnast get into a D3. Of course you will need the great skills for the top D1's and they don't look at grades first. Stanford requires the same level of academic achievement as the average student there-for gymnasts (4+ GPA, 4-6 APs, 99% on test scores). They will dip down for football and basketball and they have a formula for those sports to meet a team average. A solid all arounder is someone scoring close to 9.5s on all events, at least getting 37s. Many awesome gymnasts though have one really strong event that can pull their AA score up, but they likely won't do AA in college if they are low 9s on an event.