Level for College gym?

[gymnasticsluver12!]

Hey guys! I was wondering what level most gymnasts are when they go in to college gymnastics? I recently found out that at my gym competes 2 years of 7 and 8. I'm going to a Modified Optional (novice or intermediate) my freshman year. So that means by the time I'm a senior I will be a first year level 8, my DREAM is college gymnastics, and now I've almost lost all hope. :/ I always thought you need to be a level 9 or 10 to go to college gym..?

 

[bookworm]

Hey guys! I was wondering what level most gymnasts are when they go in to college gymnastics? I recently found out that at my gym competes 2 years of 7 and 8. I'm going to a Modified Optional (novice or intermediate) my freshman year. So that means by the time I'm a senior I will be a first year level 8, my DREAM is college gymnastics, and now I've almost lost all hope. :/ I always thought you need to be a level 9 or 10 to go to college gym..?

Well this is true...you need to be at least Level 10 to do college gymnastics at a top D1 school but if you will be level 8, some of the lower ranked schools could take you on such as the D2 and D3 schools. I have seen some schools compete and their gymnasts weren't much above a level 8 skill-wise (Rhode Island College and Wilson come to mind) ...so if you keep your expectations realistic (i.e you won't be looking for a gymnastics scholarship), you probably can still do gym in college.

 

[jsfofec]

You do have options. Are there any other gyms in your area that have a more accelerated program? Every gym has their own rules and goals. Have you sat down and talked to your coach about your goals. Maybe they can work with you to get you there. Sounds like you are around the 8th grade right now...what level are you currently? We have a girl on our team that started gymnastics when she was 12 and by the time she was 16, she was a level 9...but she was a super talented kid.

Another option is that by the time you are a senior, if you haven't reached level 9 or 10, you could continue to compete USAG and go to college or even a junior college until you are able to get the opportunity to compete at the college level, maybe as a walk on.

Don't give up hope, talk to your parents and coaches and see if you can find a solution

 

[iwannacoach]

I'm not trying to scold you or anything, but have your coaches insisted that you can't make progress at a rate comparable to your abilities and determination? Some clubs set up their program to focus on a ceratain destination for their top gymnasts, such as level 8. It's possible they don't want to deal with the complexities, logistics, or expense of training beyond 8's, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't allow you to "pack" your routines to the allowable limit as long as you are able to perform cleanly.

If you were to leave your program packed to the limit on a few events, and were referred to a d1 school by a coach who could represent the challenges you had overcome to get as good as possible, you would have a fair chance of landing a non-funded (no scholarship) spot. After that it would be up to you to prove you have "plenty left in the tank".

Having been "under coached", I was only reasonably skilled as I left high school, but after spending a year between high school and college to work and save up for college, I made my college team, qualified for d1 nationals, and placed higher than any other freshmen on my best event.

About the only thing I had going for me was determination and a belief that I was capable of doing so much more than was possible under the guidance of a high school football coach, who took the gymnastics job when he wasn't chosen to coach the football team. You may not have the best training available to you, but you can still make the best of your training.