Level 8 college gymnastics

[cecivonh]

Hi! My daughter is Level 8 trying to move up t0 level 9 and will be a high school junior next semester. She wants to continue doing gymnastics through college. I understand Division I schools look for level 10 or elite gymnasts. What about division 2 or division 3 schools? What level do they look for? Also what schools would you recommend for a level 8 or level 9 gymnast to attend? Thanks!

 

[coachmolly]

There are some opportunities for high school juniors who are level 9s, you usually just need to look for them yourselves. There also aren't athletic scholarships available for DII and III schools, so keep that in mind while searching.
Some DI teams are willing to take a level 9 IF they have an outstanding event, but those are also situations where you would need to really get your daughters name out there yourselves and it is becoming more and more rare with more girls choosing the NCAA route. But never say never! It is also not unheard of for Ivy League schools to take a solid level 9.
What part of the country are you in or where is your daughter looking to attend college? I strongly encourage her to look at schools first, gymnastics later. Many of the DII and DIII schools are smaller schools, so it's so important she finds one with the major she desires and at a cost your family can afford. Also, some of these teams I've heard just have open tryouts for newcomers early in the year, a place on the team isn't a sure thing until then. But it all depends on the school. Location also matters. Wisconsin and Minnesota have some DII and DIII schools, but they also have really big high school gymnastics programs providing them with solid level 9/10 range gymnasts. But, don't let that discourage you, it really does depend more on skills than a level number.
As for schools to look into, I don't know a ton of specifics but can give you some links and basic info.
I knew a girl who was on the team at Wilson College in Pennsylvania who was only a level 7. She was outstanding on beam though. It is, however, a VERY small school with limited offerings. They have an excellent equestrian program though if your daughter happens to be interested in that.
Ursinus College, near Philadelphia, is an EXCELLENT school academically. Very small, very pricey, but incredible. From what I have seen of their coach he seems really great and does a nice job with the team. One of their gymnasts was 1st AA at the Collegiate National Championships. They compete against many DI schools in the area and usually hold their own against them.
West Chester University, also near Philadelphia, has a DII team which also competes against some DI schools pretty regularly. The school has a good education program.
Rutgers in New Jersey has a DI program but they took one of my teammates who was a not very experienced level 10, so it could also be an option.
Here are some links with some links to schools:
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Hope this helped at least a little. It's great that you are starting to get the ball rolling on this!

 

[livelifetumble8dx]

Front Tuck and Ariel?

coach molly had great advice!

 

[cecivonh]

Thanks for the great advice! We are from Puerto Rico and she would like to study in the US preferably on the east coast and a not too huge school. She is undecided about a major. She has average grades and will probably not have high SAT scores but has a lot of extracurriculars. Any suggestions about schools that offer are appreciated! Also what is club gymnastics like?

 

[gymkat]

It is possible to compete D1/2/3 as a L9, but it's also quite uncommon. Perhaps a more realistic route would be NAIGC, which is college club. NAIGC uses L9 rules with bonus for Ds and Es: NAIGC. The most competitive gymnasts are former L9s and 10s (e.g. I was a solid L9, and I was consistently in the top 15 AAers at nationals), but you'll see a variety of levels.

 

[bookworm]

It is possible to compete D1/2/3 as a L9, but it's also quite uncommon. Perhaps a more realistic route would be NAIGC, which is college club. NAIGC uses L9 rules with bonus for Ds and Es: NAIGC. The most competitive gymnasts are former L9s and 10s (e.g. I was a solid L9, and I was consistently in the top 15 AAers at nationals), but you'll see a variety of levels.

Good advice Gymkat from someone who sounds like she's been there...

 

[iggy1988]

I believe you can receive a sports scholarship from a Div 2 school so that may be an option as well..

Div 1 schools are allowed 12 scholarships
Div 2 schools are allowed 6 scholarships

I believe there are currently 64 Div 1 schools for Gymnastics and 6 Div 2 schools.

 

[bpatient]

There’s some discussion related to your question in this thread:

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I wrote that in a recent year (2007) only 10 of the 278 new NCAA gymnasts had not reached Level 10 or elite. (Two went to Air Force, which has rather special recruiting requirements. One went to Cal--she was a four-year Level 9 and a state, regional, and Western National champion at that level--Centenary, Kent State, Rutgers, Seattle Pacific, Southeast Missouri, and Towson (2) also added Level 9 gymnasts to their rosters that year.)

You might find some more recent information at collegegymfans.com, which maintains a list of recruitable gymnasts. Information at that site suggests that about half of the dedicated athletes who manage to endure and maintain their interest in the sport and to graduate from high school at Level 10 go on to compete in the NCAA.