WAG Recruiting timeline table?

[raenndrops]

This allows for repeating L8 and L9, which not all athletes need to do for both levels, so that could skew the grades-levels by a bit based on the path your gymnast takes. My dd did L7-8-9 in 5th-6th-7th and made L9 Nationals. She would have been behind in 5th grade, but is not now. So...it's a guideline, but not a hard and fast rule. Info like this is interesting, but shouldn't cause anyone too much indigestion!

But since there is nothing to be done in the recruiting process before 8th grade, when it "mattered" she was on track And extrapolating down (with Kindergarten and 1st grade being age dependent),
4th grade - Level 7
3rd grade - Level 5 and / or Level 6
2nd grade - Level 4 or Level 5
1st grade - Level 3 or Level 4
Kindergarten - Level 2 or Level 3
It allows for no repeating in Compulsories and potentially skipping Level 6 unless they are doing score outs.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Good thing I am already well aware (and totally OK with!) college gym not being likely in DDs future, lol! My kid is OLD (just turned 13, heading into 8th grade and L8...).

 

[Seeker]

But since there is nothing to be done in the recruiting process before 8th grade, when it "mattered" she was on track And extrapolating down (with Kindergarten and 1st grade being age dependent),
4th grade - Level 7
3rd grade - Level 5 and / or Level 6
2nd grade - Level 4 or Level 5
1st grade - Level 3 or Level 4
Kindergarten - Level 2 or Level 3
It allows for no repeating in Compulsories and potentially skipping Level 6 unless they are doing score outs.

People will drive themselves crazy if they try to plan their kids' careers all the way down to kindergaren.

Here's a real wrench in the works -- my daughter started gymnastics in 2nd grade.

 

[ascarter1]

People will drive themselves crazy if they try to plan their kids' careers all the way down to kindergaren.

Here's a real wrench in the works -- my daughter started gymnastics in 2nd grade.

My dd started in 2nd grade as well. She is now a rising 8th grader training lv 9. Although she is behind (according to the table) I feel like she is right on track. I have seen, soooo many times, a 4-6 year lv 10 completely miss their senior year due to injuries, and can't help but think that so many years at 10 can and will break the body down. She is on track to have 3-4 years at level 10, and I'm perfectly ok with that! Our Gym has girls competing for colleges, D1 schools, so I trust the HC's process.

 

[Seeker]

Totally agree, @ascarter1 -- injuries can happen at any level, but those puberty years can be really tough. I think this model aims to get them to L10 before that hits so they can ride that wave from the top of the heap, but it doesn't always work that way. I don't even have to try very hard to come up with an unfortunately long list of kids that were pushed too hard when young and burned out or kids that push themselves so hard and wind up injured/missing seasons/etc. I know several D1 athletes and/or current recruits that didn't follow this rather steep trajectory and it has worked out okay for them in the end.

Who knows what will happen in the coming years, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. It is what it is.

 

[gymgal]

Yes, it is good to strive for hitting 10 by 8th, for exposure, but if you are an excellent gymnast from a gym that regularly has commits, you are going to get noticed. So if you are in 9th and going to easterns with near L10 skills, coaches are still going to be interested.(maybe not the top 10 schools, but all the others). On the flip side, it won't matter that you are a L10 by 8th/9th, if you are not competitive. Those coaches won't give you a second glance. It is all about performance at the big meets.

Then there are injuries - all that planning and one injury can take it all away, depending on the timing. For a gymnast who hasn't committed yet, a serious injury in/around 10th grade that takes you out of training and competition seasons is really hard to come back from, since this is the year that the majority of the scholarships are committed. For rising juniors this year, there are only roughly an average of 50 D1 scholarships sitting out there. Could be a lot less if the schools are not committing 3 spots this year. Certainly there are still Walk-ons, the ivies and D2/3 spots but even those are likely accounted for even if they have not been officially named. This is where dd find herself this year, coming off an injury that had a very long recovery this past sophomore year. Now everything rests on this junior season, trying to catch the eye of the coaches at the more academic and lower ranked schools. It is a tough position to be in as she is just now getting back to where she was last summer. She is beginning to video skills again but she doesn't have routines to send to the coaches, add those are still months away from perfecting. So she really is going to be relying on this next completion season.

 

[ascarter1]

Totally agree, @ascarter1 -- injuries can happen at any level, but those puberty years can be really tough. I think this model aims to get them to L10 before that hits so they can ride that wave from the top of the heap, but it doesn't always work that way. I don't even have to try very hard to come up with an unfortunately long list of kids that were pushed too hard when young and burned out or kids that push themselves so hard and wind up injured/missing seasons/etc. I know several D1 athletes and/or current recruits that didn't follow this rather steep trajectory and it has worked out okay for them in the end.

Who knows what will happen in the coming years, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. It is what it is.

Yes, yes, yes!!!

 

[gymmom10]

Thankfully my daughter and I were blissfully unaware of this timetable for most of her years! I have decided to share her story for all the late starters out there.... she started on team at 9 years old, (old) L2; hit L7 at 13 yrs, 7th grade; L10 at 17 yrs, junior HS. After 1st year, received scholarship offer from top school. She did have a high degree of difficulty. But the point is, it can be done, but your daughter has to want it and do whatever it takes, not just you. My daughter wanted it more than anything else in the world.

 

[gymmom10]

P.S. To the above- my advice would not be to get bogged down in the timetables, all they will do is cause many of you angst... just let your daughter do what she is doing (with an eye of course to taking the proper actions st the appropriate times). If she really wants to do college gymnastics, there will almost always be a way!

 

[Seeker]

Thankfully my daughter and I were blissfully unaware of this timetable for most of her years! I have decided to share her story for all the late starters out there.... she started on team at 9 years old, (old) L2; hit L7 at 13 yrs, 7th grade; L10 at 17 yrs, junior HS. After 1st year, received scholarship offer from top school. She did have a high degree of difficulty. But the point is, it can be done, but your daughter has to want it and do whatever it takes, not just you. My daughter wanted it more than anything else in the world.

And she brought big skills with her, at exactly the right moment. Congrats to her!

 

[flipster]

GymMom10, your DD probably had amazing coaches to support her journey.

 

[gymmom10]

We credit her main coach, who is made of steel, with everything.

 

[profmom]

Just in case any parents of boys are reading here, keep in mind that the timetables don't work the same way. Post-puberty training and skill acquisition is much more important for boys.

 

[BachFlyer]

There are lots of kids that are multi year L10s that don't get scholarships, too. Even if they aren't hurt. Even if they are very competitive. There are lots of stories out there, including at our gym, of girls who were not L10s until junior/senior year who have scholarships or ended up as a walk on, or like in gymmom10s case, even an offer to a top team. Check this link out and look at the various years - I found it very interesting how many kids in my dd's class, that I KNOW are great gymnasts and multi year 10s, don't have scholarships. Link Removed

My daughter first competed level 10 in seventh grade, and we starting doing visits after her 8th grade season. We visited quite a number of schools. She got an offer in her sophomore offer and only had two offers, one of which she accepted. Even having been through it, we don't really know what the college coaches minds are truly at, and until they start openly sharing their strategies no one will really know. She had two programs that expressed a LOT interest only to one day stop communicating and verbal a first year 10 or one with less skills. Several of our friends were or are going through the process, and we've watched over and over again where the decision to commit someone seemed a bit of a mystery on paper. In the end, it's still a mystery. My feeling is that it's not just about exact skills or even perfect skills, but more about having the right level of proficiency in the event(s) that the program needs and whether or not they see your kid's potential to develop. It's also about being a good personality/culture fit, sometimes about living in state or in region of the team, having a coach that is involved and willing to do a lot of communication on your kid's behalf, and also your coach/team/gym reputation (ie do they have college coaches coming in to visit often, whether or not your coach has connections or past D1 commits, how they run their program).

So bottom line, I agree with gymmom10, don't get all hung up on a chart. They don't recruit based on a chart. Start making contact when your kid has college level skills to show, cast a wide net, have big goals and aim for nationals but remember that it's not always about numbers/scores/placements, let your gymanst do most of the communication and share more about what kind of person and teammate they are rather than just their individual accomplishments, and be extra thankful if your coach is helpful!

 

[SeaActually]

Thankfully my daughter and I were blissfully unaware of this timetable for most of her years! I have decided to share her story for all the late starters out there.... she started on team at 9 years old, (old) L2; hit L7 at 13 yrs, 7th grade; L10 at 17 yrs, junior HS. After 1st year, received scholarship offer from top school. She did have a high degree of difficulty. But the point is, it can be done, but your daughter has to want it and do whatever it takes, not just you. My daughter wanted it more than anything else in the world.

Wow!

 

[BachFlyer]

My dd also started gymnastics in 2nd grade, competed old L5 in 3rd, L7 in 4th, L8 in 5th, L9 in 6th and level 10 in 7th. So you do NOT have to have a plan starting in kindergarten. And any team that tells you your 7-8 year old is too old to be competitive is full of poo-poo.

 

[wallinbl]

She had two programs that expressed a LOT interest only to one day stop communicating and verbal a first year 10 or one with less skills. Several of our friends were or are going through the process, and we've watched over and over again where the decision to commit someone seemed a bit of a mystery on paper.

I'd guess it has to do with the club coaches and the college coaches having a history/relationship. Some gyms seem to have a pipeline to certain D1 schools. Knowing the club coach and trusting the club coach reduces uncertainty, and makes the college coach less concerned a gymnast won't pan out. A sure fire B+ may be preferable to a possible A, possible C.

 

[Gigi]

Yes, it is good to strive for hitting 10 by 8th, for exposure, but if you are an excellent gymnast from a gym that regularly has commits, you are going to get noticed. So if you are in 9th and going to easterns with near L10 skills, coaches are still going to be interested.(maybe not the top 10 schools, but all the others). On the flip side, it won't matter that you are a L10 by 8th/9th, if you are not competitive. Those coaches won't give you a second glance. It is all about performance at the big meets.

Do college coaches to to L9 Easterns/Westerns? I looked around but didn't spot any. They don't have tables set up like JO Nationals.
Does "interested" mean the will contact you? Our gym girls competed with some L10 skills on floor and on beam and placed relatively well but no one heard anything as far as I know. In the past, I think some girls have received form letters but not this year

 

[Gymmom0403]

My dd is a rising sophomore heading into her first year level 10. Last year was her first year level 9. She qualified for nationals and with a fall on beam placed 4th all around (without that fall would have been possible for the win. But things happen and that's where you learn the most). Anywah her floor routine last year could be done at level 10 for a 10.0 sv. she actually has the skills for level 10 except for one on bars -- just needs that release move consistently. But her bars difficulty will be high even without the release.
Is she on the old side for being recruited - sure she is. can it be done? You never know. It's her dream so I will support her fully. Her gym is good at getting kids to college -- just hasn't had a lot of seniors recently. We will see what the future holds.

 

[gymgal]

Do college coaches to to L9 Easterns/Westerns? I looked around but didn't spot any. They don't have tables set up like JO Nationals.
Does "interested" mean the will contact you? Our gym girls competed with some L10 skills on floor and on beam and placed relatively well but no one heard anything as far as I know. In the past, I think some girls have received form letters but not this year

Yes, they go. They are at state and regional meets as well and some of the big meets during normal competition season. It is nothing like nationals, where they sit at the tables. they just walk around. But I mainly was talking about that if you are in a gym that has many recruits, chances are coaches are visiting and if you are good (even though you may be "old" by standard), you will get noticed. I realize "interested" is a vague term. I just meant that you would be on their radar.