WAG Must read for anyone with NCAA aspirations...

[gymmom10]

As another L 10 parent I also struggle when these negative stories come out and make me question college gym for my daughter....Thank you gasrgoose for the reminder that all experiences are not these and it is the negative ones that end up getting the most publicized. That said, my eyes are wide open. But I'm not sure what a parent would do- tell their child NOT to do college gym because of a bad experience that might not happen??

 

[gymmomx2]

When you are "asked" to write an article about your experience (and you're on scholarship, and team captain) I doubt you have the option of declining or writing truthfully if your experience isn't positive...if my scholarship were on the line, I'd do the exact same thing she did.

In the more recent article, she is very clear that it reflects her OWN experience, and she acknowledges that others have much more positive experiences, even saying she is envious of those. I for one am not surprised that an article written as a team member can be different than one written once one has left the team.

OF COURSE there are many who have positive college gym experiences, in fact given what we see on social media one would assume that most girls have positive experiences. That's why it's also important to hear about the other side of the coin because that side is rather hidden and seldom talked about.

 

[txgymfan]

I was able to access the blog through her Twitter link just now. I got screen shots of it. If someone can't get the link to work and wants to read it, I will PM it to you.

I also noticed her Twitter promotes LSU, what is her connection there?

 

[kecks]

she was not "lying" in the first article. she was just selling the college dream to gym kids and their parents as her boss asked her to do. it is like you boss telling you to tell customers at work whatever - you just do as you are told and tell folks whatever. a) your job is on the line and b) this is just business. it is not about your true feelings, not at all. thinking it to be about this is naive in my opinion.

 

[bookworm]

1. When you are "asked" to write an article about your experience (and you're on scholarship, and team captain) I doubt you have the option of declining or writing truthfully if your experience isn't positive...if my scholarship were on the line, I'd do the exact same thing she did.

2. In the more recent article, she is very clear that it reflects her OWN experience, and she acknowledges that others have much more positive experiences, even saying she is envious of those. I for one am not surprised that an article written as a team member can be different than one written once one has left the team.

3. OF COURSE there are many who have positive college gym experiences, in fact given what we see on social media one would assume that most girls have positive experiences. That's why it's also important to hear about the other side of the coin because that side is rather hidden and seldom talked about.

1. I can't like this enough! And I think this is exactly what happened.

2. And she makes that quite clear in the recent article that is is her experience, one that she hoped would be better....because that's all you ever hear is about how everything is fabulous.

3. And I'm sure parts of her experience were positive, and that tends to be what is posted on social media ( because it is monitored). I think Briley's point in her June post on her personal blog was to enlighten others looking into college gymnastics that it's not all hearts and flowers...because when you think about it, she was a good gymnast on a Big 10 team who was ranked 7 (twice) , 10th (once) and a low of 13 (once) when she was there so they were a very successful team so things , in a perfect world, were going pretty well for Michigan, they were winning the Big 10 championships 4 years in a row, going to NCAAs so one would think it would have been pretty good...but teams are made up of individuals and there's your wild card with behaviors and experiences....

 

[gymgal93]

When you are "asked" to write an article about your experience (and you're on scholarship, and team captain) I doubt you have the option of declining or writing truthfully if your experience isn't positive...if my scholarship were on the line, I'd do the exact same thing she did.

In the more recent article, she is very clear that it reflects her OWN experience, and she acknowledges that others have much more positive experiences, even saying she is envious of those. I for one am not surprised that an article written as a team member can be different than one written once one has left the team.

OF COURSE there are many who have positive college gym experiences, in fact given what we see on social media one would assume that most girls have positive experiences. That's why it's also important to hear about the other side of the coin because that side is rather hidden and seldom talked about.

Yes! For a more positive, but still seemingly truthful, account of a collegiate gymnastics career, I recommend reading the banquet speech given by Zoe Draghi from Cal. It is posted on the university's athletic website, but it appears to really come from the heart and is beautifully written.

Link Removed

 

[txgymfan]

I read the speech. It's good but I would be more inclined to believe in its authenticity after she or anyone left the University.

 

[txgymfan]

Agreed. It seems if things were so bad, a senior (21 or 22 years old) would have said "don't put my name on the positive article." She was either lying in one of the articles or confused. There aren't many other ways to spin it.
.

There is no way she could have said "no " to writing a positive senior article.

I volunteer at a hospital, I love it and have been there for years. I've even had a chance to do media interviews about it. You would think it's been all sunshine and roses. It hasn't. There are rude, mean people in everything. I would never say in public some of the things that have happened. Even my family doesn't know.

A college gymnast would not or could not air dirty laundry until after she, or he left the school. Even Briley was careful to be vague.

 

[gasrgoose]

There is no way she could have said "no " to writing a positive senior article.

I volunteer at a hospital, I love it and have been there for years. I've even had a chance to do media interviews about it. You would think it's been all sunshine and roses. It hasn't. There are rude, mean people in everything. I would never say in public some of the things that have happened. Even my family doesn't know.

A college gymnast would not or could not air dirty laundry until after she, or he left the school. Even Briley was careful to be vague.

Understood but I don't think comparing employment/livelihood to a gymnastics scholarship is the same. And to"air dirty laundry" is very different from signing your name on a story praising the program.

 

[CuriousCate]

I was able to access the blog through her Twitter link just now. I got screen shots of it. If someone can't get the link to work and wants to read it, I will PM it to you.

can you PM me please? I was half way through when it disappeared!

 

[txgymfan]

Gasrgoose,


I disagree, a college gymnastics scholarship is even more life consuming than a traditional job. They live where they "work" and are expected to spend much of their "non-work hours" ( which are supposed to be 20 hrs a week) socializing , "volunteering" with their team and doing extra "voluntary" workouts and recruiting their eventual replacements.

I had a job for a few years where I lived there 5 days a week and it was difficult to do or think about anything else except work even when I was off. I was literally "always on" at least mentally or available by phone. The only thing that helped was spending time with people who had nothing to do with my job and they had to be patient with my schedule.

 

[BachFlyer]

Follow up post

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[gymgal93]

Follow up post

Link Removed

I was about to post this as well. The passage that stood out to me was:

"I have iterated that I would do the whole thing again and it WAS WORTH IT. I have learned SO MUCH from the time I spent there and want others to experience it all for themselves, no matter where they decide to go to school. Don’t just take my word for it. Ask other people about their experiences. Talk to your parents. Talk to other trusted, experienced adults. Talk to alumni. Talk to coaches. Talk to other athletes!

Let me remind you again that you can have more than one kind of experience somewhere- in the workplace, at a school, in your family, with your friend group, with a significant other. It's not always so black and white all the time."

Sounds a lot like what has been said in this thread and others!

 

[txgymfan]

Wow! Now I feel worse for her. That follow up is nothing but beating herself up. I hope she finds the peace and self confidence she deserves. I don't think she has found it yet. Then again, neither have I.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I read the speech. It's good but I would be more inclined to believe in its authenticity after she or anyone left the University.

Yes

 

[BachFlyer]

Exactly txgymfan, I feel terrible for her, too. She must've gotten some serious backlash for the post, for daring to say how she felt, which to me, only makes me feel even more upset with a gymnastics culture that seems to never allow dissent. Not everything is sunshine and roses EVER. She is entitled to feel and to express both the good and the bad. As a mother of an athlete, I feel angry on her behalf that she now feels she has to berate herself for being honest about some of her feelings. Seriously, how much pressure can one young person have to be perfect before they crack?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Wow! Now I feel worse for her. That follow up is nothing but beating herself up. I hope she finds the peace and self confidence she deserves. I don't think she has found it yet. Then again, neither have I.

This.

Someone knew which buttons to push and pushed them big time....................

It is actually OK for it not to be all good all the time................................

My heart breaks for her.

 

[amiandjim]

I'm very, very sad she felt the need to write that...honestly, it's just further proof her experience wasn't good AND that she isn't "over it."

 

[ladybird]

Glad to see her original post is still there for context for those who are just now reading this.

 

[azara]

Shamelessly copied my response from my comments elsewhere, since I didn't feel like typing out the same thing again:

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Maybe it's because we're similar ages, but I easily understood where she was coming from with the first one, and I understand where she's coming from with the second one, too.

Briley wanted to make it clear that the collegiate gymnastics experience is not the magical unicorn fairy ride that it's made out to be by the athletes, by the recruiters, and by the colleges. She wanted to highlight the negatives, because the positives are highlighted by everyone else already. It wasn't super clear, but that was what she meant to do.

In the second one, she realised that most people hadn't interpreted her comments the way she meant them, and had to go back and basically write out the other side of the story.

So, if you fit them together, she has a clear mindset: college gymnastics was great, there were multiple parts for which I am grateful/blessed and from which I learned a lot, it was a positive experience overall (post #2) but unfortunately there are some pretty horrible parts that nobody tells you about, and I think you should know about them so you can make an informed decision about trying for college gymnastics (post #1). Basically, they were backwards.