WAG So when do you think/consider college gymnastics?

[htimcj]

So when do you start having to consider your options for college? It seems like academically you have to start thinking about college earlier and earlier and I was wondering when do you have to start making decisions gymwise about competing? Is there a level and age? What do you have to consider? DD10 L6 currently wants to compete in college at a D1 school like Boise State (top 20 or so). Does she have to be an "elite" gymnast or can she do several successful years at L10? At her current pace she'll be a L10 by 14 or so so she'll have a chance of 3 years of L10 before she graduates.
I know she is still young and can obviously change but it does seem that some type of decision would have to be made in the next couple of years and I am a planner

 

[Quadqueen]

It is hard not to think about this kind of thing....I agree! But, it's so hard to plan that far ahead. You are going on the assumption that your DD will never repeat a level, and from what I've seen, it's very common to repeat optional levels (before L10) a few times. Plus, factor in injuries, interest in other/school activities, etc., and there's no way to know how far they'll go. They do not need to be elite to do D1 schools, but they do need to be a very strong L10. Division II and III schools are an option for others. I believe a lot of D III schools take L9s.

 

[LizzieLac]

My understanding is that most D1 schools will be looking at girls that place top 5 at L10 nationals. Seems like a very select group of girls. I think I also read on this site that D3 (maybe some D2) schools will look at strong level 8s and levels 9s.

 

[Natasha]

I am a planner too. Two years ago my dd was also age 10 at L6 and at that time wanted to compete for the Georgia GymDogs. I let her have that dream and we talked a lot about what she needed to do at gym each day (short term goals) even though I knew that her goal was very unlikely but I didn't need to explain to her all the differences (yet) of DI, DII, DII, etc.... However, I have looked at where all the colleges are, what the current options are (mostly DIII), etc. just so that I know what the possibilities are. My dd at L7 last year spent 5 months recovering from wrist fractures and a finger fracture. This year training L8 she has been out 3 months with ankle fracture and growth plate issues and will most likely be doing L8 again (Hopefully the new 8). However, after multiple orthopedic visits she has now decided that she wants to be an orthopedic MD specializing in sports. And, now she has been researching colleges and grad schools that will help her with that. She still wants to do college gymnastics, but her primary goal is to find the best school for orthopedics. Now, she is only 12 and I know that may all change again (probably mutliple times!) But the point is, it is really to early to plan for any of it. All I can do is encourage her to do her best at school (recently we had a discussion about the importance of memorizing her Latin Stems and how that will help with Med School) and at gym (What she can do each day at practice to support whatever her long term goal is). And, well, other than that there really isn't any planning to do until she is further along in gym and school. Oh, and a side note to college scholarships- We recently had a recruiter at my dd's school to talk with parents about the process of (academic) scholarships. He said that schools have moved away from looking at students with "lots" of extra-curricular activities and now they are really looking for students who show dedication over a long period of time to 1 or 2 things.

 

[Gymmommy71]

After watching my daughter's progression TO a 10yo L6, I am now pretty much positive that she *won't* make it to L10 by the time she is 14. She already had to repeat Level 5 cause of bars, and I'm sure somewhere along the line vault will be an issue...and yeah, all of this is assuming no major injuries *and* her not wanting to quit (which I've seen a lot of really talented girls who looked like they were full speed ahead to L10 by freshman year do once they hit middle school). A question I have is what age/grade is *too late* for hitting L10 and still getting on a D1 team? Do they just need to make it by Junior year and do really well that one year? My daughter has a fall birthday which makes her actually old for her grade (she's only in 4th grade now) - I think that may end up buying her an extra year maybe? ...

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Our gymnasts are asked to start thinking about a list of schools around 8th/9th grade... DD is 12 and currently Level 9. Of her former teammates, only one had been elite (and dropped back). The other girls who ended up with scholarships to D1 schools had all been L10 for a few years.

Gymtigermom - how awesome that your DD already has a career goal and started researching!

 

[Gymdad2]

You don't really need to plan anything yet if your dd is L6. Like others have said, so much can happen between now and college, but there is no reason not to start researching. If you are thinking d1 scholarship, then elite or very good L10 is necessary because there just aren't that many d1 scholarships available. My dd made L10 as a Jr. in HS and was successful as a 10 but did not make nationals, and now is a walkon at a d1 school but not sec or pac12 or big10 which take only the best. However, there are other options such as like dd at a lower level d1 school or d2 and d3. However, don't forget that after college, gym is over, but education is for life, so be sure to consider the quality of her education before gymnastics, and don't overlook academic scholarships either. They can make a big difference. good luck.

 

[JessLW]

It is never too early to start thinking or dreaming, but planning can wait. At 10 years old, and realistically, even at 13 or 14 years old, college is still in the distant future for a kid. For us as adults, 4 years doesn't seem like a long time, but when you're 14, 4 years is more than a quarter of your life and a lot can change. Think back to what you wanted when you were 12, or 14, or even 16, and did you end up doing that? I changed my major after three whole years of college.

And even when a kid has consistent goals, I think when you're dealing with a child who is L5 or L6, there are just waaay too many variables to really make a reliable plan for the gymnastics future. If you have a 9 year old L9, then sure, barring injury or a loss of interest, the kid is in a good position to go pretty far, but that's obvious, and those kids are fairly rare. For most kids, all you can really do is take it a year at a time and make sure that the coaches are on the same page. I think in middle school, if a child is still aiming at college gymnastics, having a conversation with the coach about the best way to make that happen is probably a good idea. A good coach will have a goal in mind for every gymnast though and my feeling is that (as long as the gym is capable) they're going to try their very best to make scholarships happen for kids that have the potential, regardless.

 

[htimcj]

Thanks for the replies. I was mostly looking for general info about is even available. I am fully aware of the whole injury stuff and quitting in jr. but at some point it has to be thought about and I didn't even know what was possible. Of course academics is the most important and so for so good on that front I at least I know that if all goes well she has a chance at this point. I was wondering when it would be "too late" to consider. It seems that in this sport that if it isn't accomplished by 12 it isn't going to happen and that makes me kid of sad that there is such a push to be so good at such a young age

 

[gardenia01]

I'm no expert, but I think for a strong D1 school you would need to either be a former elite or have placed very well at Level 10 Nationals - as was mentioned above. From what I have heard from our coaches, it's ideal to be a Level 10 by your freshman year of HS. That gives the gymnast a few years to compete at Level 10, hopefully make Nationals and place well. That doesn't mean that it's "too late" for gymnasts who compete Level 10 starting later in HS to compete in college. As someone else mentioned, there are other schools outside the top ten D1 schools that have gymnastics teams. However, you mentioned top D1 schools so ideally Level 10 by her freshman year.

My own dd is an 11 yr old Level 8 (in 5th grade). I fully expect her to do new Level 8 and probably repeat Level 9, so I hope that if she sticks with it and barring major injury, she can be L10 by her freshman year. Even so, I am not sure top D1 schools are in her future. Honestly, not too many kids get those spots and most of them probably were L10 by middle school. It may be sad, but it's the reality.

I would encourage you to do more research on the college recruitment process, though. It has been eye-opening to me to observe some on-line, as well as in-person, friends go through it with their daughters. Although certainly age 10 is early, I think you are wise to be at least thinking and learning about the process. Particularly if your daughter is not Alex McMurtry, there is a need to be proactive and learn the rules about contacting colleges, sending videos, making unofficial visits, how many scholarships will be available, and so forth. My dd is only in 5th grade, but I'm happy to be learning about it all now and feel I will be better prepared if the time should come when I need to assist my dd with it all. That day may never come, but better to be prepared in case!

 

[gymgal]

Dh and I have been of the thinking to get dd as close as possible to at least walk on to her school of choice (not one of the top 20) and we are really betting on academic scholarships, not gym scholarships. Dd has mixed feelings about college gym right now but as we have always told her, we would much rather know we did the best we could in case she decides it is something she wants to do than to wake up as a senior in hs to realize we didn't plan well enough and it is a lost dream. At this pace she will have 2-3 solids yrs at L10 and is a good bar worker so as long as she stays healthy, she could be in a good position to walk on.

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[thefellowsmom]

This is just speaking from my limited recent personal experience with some of the girls that have graduated and gone onto college out our gym.

Both of the girls that graduated last year got D1 scholarships.

One was a level 10 since 14 and placed top 10 at nationals her senior year and ended up at a bigger program who was trying to rebuild a bit, but not one of the big gymnastics names, at a really good academic school.

The other was not quite as good a gymnast although qualified to nationals her last two years as a level 10 although didn't place AA. She was picked up by a much smaller school, but still D1 full ride. She was quite good at a single event.

My feeling is that the coach has a lot to do with it. Ours tries very hard to get every gymnast that graduates the best educational environment possible. He pushes them to use gymnastics to access an education they may not have had access to otherwise. He is dedicated to making this happen for his gymnasts and will even plan what meets we attend around the country to make sure that gymnasts that need it get the right exposure.

Here's an article from usag on the process that might be a good read.

:: USA Gymnastics :: College Scholarships and the Recruitment Process ::

 

[shelovestoflip]

My daughter is in 8th grade and is level 8. Certainly, it would be nice to get a gymnastics scholarship! However my feeling is that I want my daughter to consider a school that will meet her academic needs first. Sure, if Yale wants her, great! But I feel like in the long run, getting an education at the best school for her (gymnastics or not) is the most important thing!

As a 13 year old Level 8, I guess it is possible if she continues to spend her last year or two in HS at Level 10. And sure, it's possible that she will get to Nationals.

But do I want to place all her eggs in that basket? No, not really. Instead, I help her recognize the importance of school coming first, doing well at school and understanding that there is life beyond the gym.

She is an honor student and has already been recommended for all advanced classes in HS.

Has gymnastics helped her hone her time management and priortizing skills? Absolutely!

Is she a passionate and dedicated gymnast who thinks it is her life? Most definitely.

I am happy she is happy, does well in school and has a passion. I think these things will carry her far in life, whether she competes in college gymnastics or not!

 

[htimcj]

This what I was thinking too. If I don't even know the possibilities then we could find ourselves Sr. going well, I didn't think of that!

 

[Committed]

I think it's smart to always consider the college education. That's why some people start college funds starting from their children's birth!
There are so many things that come up in life, it's not the best idea to ever have only ONE plan. But looking around and putting together plans is a good idea. I mean, if DD's dream of becoming a Princess Popstar doesn't pan out, I've started looking into other options!