WAG So, what is the life of a college gymnast really like????

[Stormy]

My four years as a D3 gymnast were, without a doubt, the most rewarding and enjoyable four years of my gymnastics career. For me, it was everything college gymnastics was hyped up to be: a fun, team-oriented atmosphere with positive coaching where I was able to fall in love with gymnastics again. I was NOT a superstar club gymnast (a good L9 with some L10 skills on 3 events), and struggled with mental blocks, self-confidence, and consistency. I know I would have cracked under the pressure of a top D1 program. Instead, my confidence in myself as an athlete, and more importantly, as a person, grew tremendously with the support of my D3 teammates and coaches. I learned several new skills during college and was doing the best, most consistent gymnastics of my life during my senior year. I also developed valuable leadership and communication skills that I use daily in my post-gymnastics life... Oh yeah, and I got a fabulous education and was able to take advantage of all the great things my school had to offer!

This is not to say that it was all sunshine and rainbows. It can be hard to manage your time as a student-athlete and it can be hard to be a part of a team of 15-20 opinionated, driven, college-aged girls. And yes, being taken out of a line-up hurts and having to deliver a hit routine when your team needs it is stressful. But for me, the positives of the whole experience far outweigh the negatives, and I wouldn't trade those four years for anything.

I strongly urge everyone with a potential college gymnast to check out D3 schools. The gymnastics at these schools is getting better and better each year (especially as early recruiting gets more and more out of hand), and the gymnasts have a ton of fun training and competing. Whitewater and Ursinus have recently put out preseason videos which give a taste of the current skill level in D3.

Just thought of another question. How long ago were you a D3 gymnast? Do you think the school you went to has become more competitive since then? What were they ranked then compared to today? Do you think todays D3 recruits have set the bar higher and now there is more pressure on the Coach to win by the school/boosters which gets pushed down to the gymnasts? There was a time when D3s were less competitive, but today they are just as competitive as D1s so I am wondering if that has changed the experience of D3 gymnast to be more like that of a D1 gymnast??

 

[gymgal93]

Just thought of another question. How long ago were you a D3 gymnast? Do you think the school you went to has become more competitive since then? What were they ranked then compared to today? Do you think todays D3 recruits have set the bar higher and now there is more pressure on the Coach to win by the school/boosters which gets pushed down to the gymnasts? There was a time when D3s were less competitive, but today they are just as competitive as D1s so I am wondering if that has changed the experience of D3 gymnast to be more like that of a D1 gymnast??

@Stormy, sent you a PM.

For everyone else: (1) Academic support is going to completely depend on the program. My school had no athlete-specific academic services, but some D3 programs do.

(2) In my opinion (and from talking with both former and current D3 gymnasts and coaches), D3 gymnastics has gotten more competitive because there are a lot more great gymnasts out there who find themselves without a college commitment during their senior year of high school. In some ways, the crazy early recruiting game has actually helped D3 teams. "Late bloomers" who 5-10 years ago would have been offered a scholarship as a senior no longer are, and so they are going to D3 schools instead. This obviously raises the talent level of the teams, and closes the gap between D1 and D3, but I don't think it changes the philosophies of the coaches or the experiences of the athletes significantly.

 

[gymgal93]

Just saw Eau-Claire posted a preseason video as well. It's shaping up to be another good year for D3! Most of the teams have Facebook pages and Twitters if anyone is looking to follow along throughout the season.

 

[gasrgoose]

It seems that most of the comments have been on the negative side of D1 gymnastics. I'll list a few of the positives I've seen.

1. Continuing a sport that you love.
2. Performing in front of fans cheering for you even though they don't know you. Young gymnasts wanting your autograph.
3. Traveling as a team.
4. Team building day trips, weekends, dinners etc.
5. Lifelong friendships
6. Academic support through early class registration, tutoring, etc.
7. Preferred housing.
8. Association with other athletic teams.
9. Top of the line training facilities.
10. Top of the line physical trainers and doctors.
11. Stacks of university apparel
12. Locker rooms with refrigerators packed with healthy snacks

Not everyone's experience or each Universities experience will be the same, but the positives I've seen grossly out weigh the negatives.

 

[bookworm]

It seems that most of the comments have been on the negative side of D1 gymnastics. I'll list a few of the positives I've seen.

1. Continuing a sport that you love.
2. Performing in front of fans cheering for you even though they don't know you. Young gymnasts wanting your autograph.
3. Traveling as a team.
4. Team building day trips, weekends, dinners etc.
5. Lifelong friendships
6. Academic support through early class registration, tutoring, etc.
7. Preferred housing.
8. Association with other athletic teams.
9. Top of the line training facilities.
10. Top of the line physical trainers and doctors.
11. Stacks of university apparel
12. Locker rooms with refrigerators packed with healthy snacks

Not everyone's experience or each Universities experience will be the same, but the positives I've seen grossly out weigh the negatives.

I would just like to mention that while these positives look good on paper, they are not always accessible to all athletic teams at a college/university...the revenue sports generally will have all these but the non-revenue sports will get hit in the ones I have highlighted above...to give an example, one school's football coach has commandeered ALL TUTORS to be used only by the football team, and because he raises millions of dollars, no one has fought him on this , and the other teams at the school do not get access to tutors until the season is over...and that is not advertised to anyone.

And having been through the college gym experience, I don't know that I would say the "positives grossly outweigh the negatives" ....I think one has to think long and hard about the negatives and decide if that is the life they want for their child for her 4 years of college, regardless of the positives. I will say that I think that college gym is a different beast than it was even 5 years ago...God only knows where it'll be in another 4...

 

[ZJsMom]

I don't know if anyone here has experience with MAG NCAA, but I'm curious how the pressures and downsides compare to the women's teams. I imagine there are differences, but I'm wondering how great they are.