Recruiting 101: How To Prepare Your Gymnasts For NCAA Coaches At Practice

Recruiting 101: How To Prepare Your Gymnasts For NCAA Coaches At Practice

Here are some tips on how you can prepare your gymnast for this important visit prior to her junior year by a college coach.

Mar 30, 2017 by Jill Hicks
Recruiting 101: How To Prepare Your Gymnasts For NCAA Coaches At Practice
Often if a college coach sees an athlete they are interested in at a meet or on YouTube, they will call the club coach and schedule a visit to the club gym to watch practice. Below are some tips on how you can prepare your athlete for this important visit prior to her junior year by a college coach:

1. Have a meeting with your athlete and parent before the college coach's arrival. Review the NCAA rules and regulations.

2. Have a discussion with your athlete and parent about the desired schools of interest and know your gymnast's GPA and test scores.

3. Prepare your gymnast for the practice. Discuss which skills and routines you want her to show the college coach. If the gymnast is dealing with injuries, it is OK to make adjustments to events and routines. Most gymnasts do not practice on four events a day. However, sometimes it is a good idea to shorten each event and schedule all four to be done. This may be the only time the college coach will attend practice.

4. Discuss the importance of not just her gymnastics but also how her attitude and personality are being observed by the college coach.

5. Encourage your gymnast to write a thank you note to the college coach following the visit.

6. Remind your gymnast that they do not have to be perfect the day the college coach visits. The college coach is verifying the skills that they have seen on videos and watching to see how the gymnasts interacts with other teammates and her club coach.

Jill Hicks Consulting is an advising business for parents and club gymnasts. Families hire JH Consulting to help them through the college recruiting process. To contact JH Consulting and to view the details of the advising service go to: www.jhicksconsulting.com