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

[Deleted member 18037]

Just curious.....................

 

[aerials]

I don't know but my guess is that it's different with each school. My dd has former coaches that went to Ohio State and Kent State, both D1 schools and both loved their experience.

 

[chalkbowl]

I doubt we are going to hear negatives from parents of athletes currently in college for fear of being reprimanded. The below is all second and third had knowledge as I was not a college athlete, am not the parent of a college athlete, nor have I coached an athlete to a college scholarship (yet!).

From the grapevine I hear that although 20 hours a week is the limit for NCAA rules, many coaches hold "optional" hours of practice and it's made VERY clear that the hours are less on the optional side than the mandatory side if they want to keep their spot in the line-up/spot on the team/their scholarship for next year.

There are many many many early morning hours of training involved since schedules have to be worked around classes. I'm recall hearing about 5:30-6:00am training times (not necessarily gymnastics, but cardio & strength...things like that).

There is constant pressure to be at your best to keep your spot in the line-up. Your spot is always threatened with the tiniest slip-up here or there. Also being in a group of college aged female athletes I can only imagine that cattiness that goes along with that type of team competitiveness.

I have also heard what a wonderful experience it is to have a built in group of friends who are your teammates. What a great experience it is to go to an arena full of fans shouting and cheering for you. How encouraging it is to have a group of athletes in the same boat as you and understand your sport and dedication.

I have no doubt that the experience various from athlete to athlete and from school to school.

 

[gymjunkie]

Stressful!

 

[Stormy]

I doubt we are going to hear negatives from parents of athletes currently in college for fear of being reprimanded. The below is all second and third had knowledge as I was not a college athlete, am not the parent of a college athlete, nor have I coached an athlete to a college scholarship (yet!).

From the grapevine I hear that although 20 hours a week is the limit for NCAA rules, many coaches hold "optional" hours of practice and it's made VERY clear that the hours are less on the optional side than the mandatory side if they want to keep their spot in the line-up/spot on the team/their scholarship for next year.

There are many many many early morning hours of training involved since schedules have to be worked around classes. I'm recall hearing about 5:30-6:00am training times (not necessarily gymnastics, but cardio & strength...things like that).

There is constant pressure to be at your best to keep your spot in the line-up. Your spot is always threatened with the tiniest slip-up here or there. Also being in a group of college aged female athletes I can only imagine that cattiness that goes along with that type of team competitiveness.

I have also heard what a wonderful experience it is to have a built in group of friends who are your teammates. What a great experience it is to go to an arena full of fans shouting and cheering for you. How encouraging it is to have a group of athletes in the same boat as you and understand your sport and dedication.

I have no doubt that the experience various from athlete to athlete and from school to school.

Remember to factor in the community service work and remember there is a ton of academic pressure as well because the Coaches want their gymnasts to be academically the best as well! Its incredibly tough to balance.......so much pressure from all directions!

 

[mimi]

Honestly there has been so much talk on this subject lately that, even if my daughter does make it to the point of being able to do college gymnastics, I'm not sure I would even want her to. :/

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

My daughter went on a few college recruiting visits and that was enough to have her decide that after 10 years of doing gymnastics and thinking it was her lifelong dream to do college gymnastics, that she didn't want to do it anymore. There was that much pressure in just the visit. I felt the pressure just sitting there and decided right then and there that it wasn't something I wanted her to do even if it she had wanted to do it! (although it was her choice) These were schools that were ranked between 20-30 at the time about 5 years ago. Two of her good friends do college gymnastics for lower ranking D1 schools and they find it way too stressful and nothing like they thought. I have gone to several of the meets with my friends and most of the parents have a lot to say, a lot of which is negative! I'm sure this isn't everybody's experience, but it is one side. I'm sure there is positive as well.

 

[Seeker]

This thread (and others like it) have really surprised me. I have two good friends that did college gymnastics and I also have personal other/different college athletics experience. For all of us -- it was a predominantly good experience.

Of course it is stressful -- college life is anyway, no matter what you're doing. Of course there is pressure to perform, that is sort of the whole point of competition. It is different, for gymnastics in particular, because of the team focus once you start competing in college, and I think that may be something that can be hard to adjust to. If you mess up, you're letting down the whole team rather than just yourself -- so yeah, there is pressure.

There is also a whole lot of good in the experience though -- I have a large group of lifelong friends that I met through athletics. Not just gymnasts either, I have friends from all sports. It is a shared experience that is different than a traditional college experience for sure, but it certainly is not an all bad one. It may not be the right choice for everyone and it is good to know yourself (or your child) well enough to know what you want and what you would/would not enjoy, but I can't imagine it being any different for me. I would not have wanted to miss out on those experiences.

 

[2G1B]

Something that I have been wondering about college athletics... If you have a kid who is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, can they take their meds if they are an athlete? Or are those meds not allowed?

 

[munchkin3]

I believe that stimulants are allowed as long as you have documentation of the condition, and Dr. Diagnosis. But understand that stimulant abuse is rampant in colleges, and there is a big belief that they are performance enhancing.
My son needs to be off them if he wants to peruse his career dream.

 

[Faith]

The impression I get from here is that yes, its very competitive and high pressure.

I am reading with interest, as university costs in the UK are ever increasing, with no sports scholarships, so a US university is an option we have half an eye on. Not gymnastics though

My question would be even given that it's tough, is it worth it? Those that have been there, is having the financial pressure eased worth the pressure of a scholarship? Do you think these young adults are better off in paid employment to offset university fees, would that impact studies less or more?

 

[profmom]

Faith, I would say it depends a lot on the individual team and the coaches' attitudes toward studies . Some programs have a positive effect on college coursework and encourage their athletes to follow their interests and support them effectively. Others will push them into majors and programs with which other athletes have had success (not necessarily because they are easy, but rather because they don't involve things like labs that cannot be made up effectively). Still others foster a blow-off culture and when those athletes stumble into my classes, they are a pain in the tuchis and usually drop quickly if they are there often enough and paying attention when I'm telling students what's necessary for success.

I've seen successful and unsuccessful athletes from a lot of different sports. The only major difference is that at D1 schools, there's an infrastructure for academic support for athletes that other students do not have. But whether or not it is used effectively depends a lot on the coaches and the norms established by the other athletes.

Yes, we can tell when your child's papers are written by someone else, and some of us will hunt your child down to the corners of the earth to make her/him pay for it, and yes, a second offense can get your child kicked off the team.

 

[gymgal]

I am reading with interest, as university costs in the UK are ever increasing, with no sports scholarships, so a US university is an option we have half an eye on.

I thought the UK had free tuition for college/university? Is that not the case?

 

[my4buffaloes]

And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

My question would be even given that it's tough, is it worth it? Those that have been there, is having the financial pressure eased worth the pressure of a scholarship? Do you think these young adults are better off in paid employment to offset university fees, would that impact studies less or more?

IMO, I think it really depends on the kid. I have 4-all were in upper level sports. As a parent, you have to look at it as what is best for each of them individually. I knew my daughter couldn't handle the stress of college gym. My son couldn't handle the pressure of college track at a big ten university. For them, it wasn't a good fit. The other two would do okay in a situation like that. There is A LOT to take into account-it's a complex issue once you take into account their mental toughness, time management ability, social level, injury level, etc. Are they a good fit for college sports? Risk vs. benefit, so to speak. It's not a one size fits all answer. If you ask ME, I don't think it's worth it, but if you ask others, you'll see that they do. I could have had a college scholarship for gymnastics but quit before then. Most of us at our little elite gym back in the day had enough of that crazy training by then, but the girls who went on to do college gym went on to have a good experience, as far as I know. Of course, today college costs are HUGE, so it does make a difference in choices depending on financial ability!!! As far as grades, the college programs my kids looked into or were in made sure that their student athletes were STUDENTS first, so grades came first and they had resources in place to make sure that grades standards were met, but both of my student athletes were overly driven and grades weren't an issue. I think that paid employment can effect grades as can athletics-but the athletics programs are more likely to make sure that one's grades stay up!

 

[ginnymac]

And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.

Not all D3 are alike. Some can be intense as well.

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

]And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.

I know a lot of girls doing D3 gymnastics and they seem to really love it, as do their parents. That seems to be a great way for the girls who really love the sport to continue and be involved in their school. A lot less pressure, for sure!

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

Something no one has really touched on is the injury level in college gymnastics. I really see that as a big deterrent as well. As their bodies go beyond the training that they have already put in, there are really a lot of injuries. One (as a parent and as a gymnast) has to question if 4 more years of pounding is really worth it. The surgeries, concussions, etc. all have risks and as a former upper level gymnast who just turned 50, I can tell you that it takes a toll! My friend's daughter who is a D1 gymnast suffered her 3rd concussion last year as a freshman gymnast and it's had some serious long term consequences. Yes, gymnastics helps keep you fit, but all 3 of my girls who are former gymnasts stay very fit as one is a Dance major in college, one is a runner, and one is on her Dance team in High School. The two that had to quit gymnastics because of injuries have not had an injury in since quitting. (Just aches and pains!) I am NOT trying to deter anyone from doing college gymnastics. I think that a gymnastics scholarship has it's benefits for sure, but there is a reality that people don't think about when all they talk about is their kid getting a scholarship!

 

[gymgal93]

]And this is why I am pushing my dd to look at DIII gymnastics rather than DI. Her dream is college gymnastics, but I don't see her handling DI at all.

I know a lot of girls doing D3 gymnastics and they seem to really love it, as do their parents. That seems to be a great way for the girls who really love the sport to continue and be involved in their school. A lot less pressure, for sure!

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.

 

[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.

Can you please tell me what type of academic support you had as a D3 gymnast, and do you know if the amount, quality, and hours required or recommended differ by whether the school is a D1, D2, or D3?