WAG Too old to be eligible for College Gymnastics???

[AgingHippie]

Hello all! I have been reading for a long time but this is my first post/question here. My dd will be 10 in late summer and competing at L5 in the fall. We started gymnastics late, at the age of 8 so she attended 1 rec class, competed at 3 and then 4. Our gym has a strict 1 level per year policy with a requirement of a 36 to move up to the next level. They have on occasion let girls do a score out meet to level up but it is not common. Assuming dd wants to stay in the sport and doesn't have to repeat a level (which I find unlikely) does this automatically take her out of the running for college gymnastics which is her goal right now. Of course this is subject to change, because yeah.....she's 9, however she does spend her spare time researching colleges and their gymnastics programs quite often so it has me wondering. Any thoughts?

 

[bogwoppit]

No not too late. Some girls have had offers in their senior year. If she progresses at one level a year she would be L10 by 16. All good. Though things do not always happen that way.

 

[AgingHippie]

Yes, I'm thinking repeating a level or two will certainly be a possibility.

 

[AgingHippie]

Makes me sad, like I messed up. Wish we would have started earlier.

 

[bogwoppit]

Gee now that is no way to look at it. She will be if she can be, if she cannot be she will be something else.

I did not put my kid in gym so she could have bilateral stress fractures, back surgery at 13 and a life of back pain. but I did it.

You cannot obsess over what if's, but you can enjoy them enjoying life.

 

[CoachMeg]

How often does your gym up train? In other words, is your gymnast allowed to work higher level skills during the season or is she strictly working only on what she is competing? Most gyms in my area either compete 5 or 6, but usually not both unless the gymnast doesn't get their giants (levels 5 and 6 are very similar). So by my calculations....she'll be:
10 years old @ level 5
11 years old @ level 7 (assuming she up-trains and does not have to compete level 6)
12 years old @ level 8
13 years old @ level 9
14 years old @ level 10

This is if she progresses a level per year. Which is difficult but not at all impossible. And by this chart ^, she'll have 3-4 years until she graduates high school so this could be used if she repeats a level (levels 8 and 9 are commonly repeated).

Not impossible at all. She'll have to work hard, but it can be done. Also, taking her to college camps or workshops will help give her some exposure to the coaches. I would wait until she's an optional though - perhaps level 8 or 9.

 

[AgingHippie]

Yes, your way of looking at it is much better, I'm going to go with that! Back pain is terrible, I am so sorry to hear that happened, Yikes!

 

[MeetDirector]

AgingHippie -

First of all, take a deep breath. You have not done anything wrong and you have not had a negative impact on your daughter's future.

The colleges out there that want the multi-year level 10's are the top of the top tier (Florida, Georgia, Utah, etc). There are a lot of other very, very good Division 1 schools that do gymnastics and some D2 and even a few D3 schools. What you need to be doing now while she is still young is educating yourself on the process; don't worry about recruiting.

You need to be worrying about whether your dd is having fun, is staying healthy, and is doing her best academically. Let the gymnastics happen on their own timetable. Enjoy your dd's skill growth over the next couple of years; keep providing her opportunities to grow and experience all that life has. If gymnastics is her passion, you will have enough time to stress when she gets to the upper optional levels.

Good Luck.

 

[AgingHippie]

Thanks Coach Meg. They do very little training up (I think, we are not allow to watch practices) but it does happen with certain gymnasts from time to time. They may allow it if they think your gymnasts is ready and they know college is the goal.

 

[AgingHippie]

That's what I was wondering Meet Director. Thank you. I didn't know if all schools were the same or if different schools had different requirements. That is good to know.

 

[kandkfunk]

@AgingHippie-

Does your gym require girls to compete full years at both level 5 & 6? These are basically the same level, so many gyms don't compete both. However, many gyms do, which ultimately adds a year to the journey.

Either way, she will be fine. It is a long road to college gymnastics, and being only 9, it is natural for her to dream about such accomplishments. The reality is, most girls will never make it that far, for varied reasons. I wouldn't stress about something so far in the future. Just enjoy the journey. It will be over before you know it.

 

[Natasha]

Do not beat yourself up about starting your dd "late." Often the older girls in the younger levels pick up skills much quicker. There is really no way to know if she would be further along if she had started younger or not. My dd started at age 8 as well. She competed L4 (now L3) with 8 other girls who had started 2 years earlier. She and one other girl are the only 2 still doing gymnastics at L 9 and L10 as 14 yr olds.

 

[wgymmom]

This is basically the boat I find myself in, and it's looking worse and worse if they make her do L6 next year.

 

[AgingHippie]

Thanks for all the input everyone, it really has helped and it was the reality check I needed. I am not really sure if they will make her do L6 or not. Heck she might have to do L5 again. The bars look pretty difficult and that is where we struggled in L4 with her highest score being a 9. Only time will tell.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

The bigger question you might consider is whether your gym has any experience and success in producing college athletes. Do they even send L10 athletes to JO Nationals regularly? If not, then the one level per year requirement is not the true issue. If they do have success at L9-L10 and college recruiting, then don't worry about anything. If your dd is capable, then they won't hold her back. If they have little or no success at L8 and above, then college is probably not an option without changing gyms. Keep in mind, the VAST majority of girls who compete L3 will never make it to L7. Only a small fraction will make it to L8 and above (and it's not always relative to talent at drive at age 10). So, whatever you do, make sure she is happy and that you are content with the investment of time and money no matter where she ends up.

 

[AgingHippie]

Yes, they usually have about 5 gymnasts a year that go on to do college gymnastics, so they know what they are doing. They seem to excel at the higher levels but getting thru compulsories can be painful. Great point, JoyAvenueMom.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Compulsories are painful in a lot of ways!!! Can you imagine being a compulsory coach and NEVER escaping the music!!!

Our gym sends multiple girls to college each year. Their philosophy is, if a girl can reach L10 at any point, and stay in gymnastics through HS, they will help her find a place to do college gym. It may not be full ride D1, but I've seen a couple get walk on spots at good schools as well as some D2. The more that get there, the better it looks for the gym.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Makes me sad, like I messed up. Wish we would have started earlier.

wrong minded...

 

[Aussie_coach]

It doesn't nessesarily work that way. Some kids start gymnastics at 2 or 3 but it doesn't nessesarily make their journey any quicker. Those kids might get stuck at several points moving through the levels. Other start at 12 and blow you away by moving up several levels per year.

 

[titanic]

Ludivine Furnon won bronze on floor at worlds in 1995 after four years of training. Daiane dos Santos won gold on floor at worlds in 2003 after nine years of training. Both were 11 when they started gymnastics.

And also, I had a friend walk onto one of the best collegiate team right before her senior year and make the team after only one year of level nine or ten (I can't remember), a break, and then transferring into the school. Hardly ideal, but she worked really hard and achieved what she wanted.