Choosing a college gymnastics program for many gymnasts feels stressful and overwhelming. Oftentimes they don’t even know where to start in trying to filter through all the chaos. They feel stuck, pulled in several directions from coaches, teammates, friends, family or even worse society and what’s being said on social media.
After fitting down with numerous former college gymnasts and college coaches we came up with a checklist of questions to make sure you have so that you can make sure you’re choosing a college gymnasts program thats best for YOU.
Before you even begin there is a simple way to start filtering out which programs are right for you.
There are five essential questions every gymnast must honestly answer to figure out whether a program is truly the right fit.
1. What Are 3 Reasons You Want to Go to This School?
This seems simple, but it is the foundation and to be blunt most people don’t actually know the answer to this. That program was just “good” or “they heard good things about them”. But we need to be able to name three specific reasons for YOU…
And if you can’t is a red flag in the beginning.
Your reasons could reflect both your gymnastics goals and your life goals. Maybe you love the coaching staff’s philosophy, you align with the team’s dream outcome/mission, or the academic reputation aligns with your career path.
We must get specific for that team meaning you have to know what each team’s mission is, what is winning for them because each program could be different.
Whatever they are, write them down. Choosing a college gymnastics program starts with powerful reasons.
2. Research the Admissions and Academic Standards
I know the NCAA Eligibility Center does not require tests scores but the admissions to that score might and it’s important to know. Most gymnastics programs take their academics pretty seriously and some more than others…
So when choosing a college gymnastics program its more than just researching qualifications about the athletics, you must know admissions as well.
Most of this information can be found online but its extremely important to know before you spend time drafting 50 emails to schools you might not be able to get into.
Before falling in love with a program, make sure you can actually get in and thrive academically once you are there.
Look up the school’s average GPA requirements, standardized test expectations, and available majors. The last part of this is extremely important too, if you know your major make sure they offer it!
Choosing a college gymnastics program at a school where the academic demands are misaligned with your abilities or goals sets you up for unnecessary stress down the road.
3. Research the Previous Year’s Gymnast Score Averages
Know the competitive landscape you are walking into based on the experience you want to have. For example if a school is interested in you and they have said you need some development and you’re ok with that for a year or two great.
Or do you want to go be on a team that you can compete right away. Great too. But you gotta know roughly what you are aiming at.
Look up the team’s scores from the previous season. What are the average scores on each event? The easiest place is go to www.roadtonationals.com You can click on any school and look at team event scores and gymnast averages.
This research helps you set honest expectations about your role on the team and whether the level of competition will push you to grow.
Choosing a college gymnastics program where you are either drastically under- or over-matched can affect your development and enjoyment of the sport.
4. Does It Meet Your College Experience?
This is the biggest question, super straight forward and it has four distinct buckets to consider when choosing a college gymnastics program:
Gym: Does the coaching style, culture, environment and team dynamic align with how you perform best? Do you feel supported and challenged? Can they help you achieve YOUR dream outcome as a college gymnast? (Hint you gotta know the answer to this first)
Personal Growth: Will this environment push you to become a better version of yourself? Does the program invest in their athletes? How important is personal development for you some programs invest tons more than others.
Spiritual: Does the program align with your faith or values? Will you find a community that supports who you are at your core? Not right/wrong or good/bad but some programs have faith more embedded in their program than others.
Social: Can you see yourself building real friendships here? What college experience is important to you? Is it all about football games/tailgates, greek life or are you really just school and gym focused.
Choosing a college gymnastics program that checks the gym box but misses the others can leave you feeling unfulfilled. All these buckets matter and you might even have some additional buckets of your own.
5. What Is the Number One Thing That Stands Out to You About This Program?
The final question when choosing a college gymnastics program…After doing all your research, sit quietly and ask yourself: what is the one thing that sets this program apart from all the others I have learned about.
Really try to make this as specific to that program as possible. This is where you might have to ask around to former gymnasts that have competed their before or people like me that might have worked with the team and give an inside scoop about things they do…
But you wanna find something that isn’t really public facing that they do inside their program that you love or would wanna be a part of!
Choosing a college gymnastics program comes down to knowing yourself well enough to trust what stands out and being honest if nothing does.
Bringing It All Together On Choosing A College Gymnastics Program
Choosing a college gymnastics program is not a decision to rush or make based on pressure alone.
Use these five questions as your framework, do the research and give yourself permission to hold out for the right fit.
The goal is to find a place where you can compete at your best and become who you are designed to be. To step into the most powerful version of you!
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