Life as a high school athlete is busy. On top of going to school and practicing your sport, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on making decisions about your future. Whether this means taking the S.A.Ts, applying to schools, or going on college visits, a majority of these four years are spent planning for the next four. During this time, you are essentially responsible for marketing yourself to get to this next chapter even though not all of these final decisions are in your hands.
The recruitment process from the point of view of the coaches–the people actually in charge of making these decisions–is rarely discussed. The big question is, what exactly are these coaches looking for and how are they making these decisions?
There are 86 schools in the United States across all divisions that have NCAA sanctioned women’s gymnastics programs. While this number may seem like a lot, there are many more athletes with the hopes of doing college gymnastics than can be accommodated by 86 rosters. In 2024 alone, there were 1,791 gymnasts in total across all 86 rosters, with 1,000 of these athletes actually having the opportunity to compete for lineup spots each season. Though some programs have been added over the past few years, there have also been universities that have eliminated their gymnastics programs, resulting in a relatively consistent number of available team spots and not nearly enough to accommodate all aspiring NCAA gymnastics competitors.
For many gymnasts, getting to compete in the NCAA at any level is the dream from a young age. In reality the ability to pursue this dream is partially in the hands of another person: the college coach. Speaking with a head coach from a program within each division on their recruiting process, it was truly insightful to hear their perspectives and how a gymnast looking to continue their career can give themselves the best chance in these four years leading up to the NCAA.
For most schools, there is a designated staff member in charge of fielding responses and communications from recruits, but the head coach does like to stay involved in this process. College coaches get countless numbers of prospective recruits contacting them on a week-to-week basis, so how can you make sure you are one of the athletes being seen?
Missouri head coach Shannon Welker, who is entering his tenth season in this role, said, “I can only respond to so many athletes at a time to make sure they really feel like they are being seen … [However], the communication [with a college coach] should increase every year of high school.” Especially with the NCAA rule change in 2019 that allows a coach to communicate with prospective athletes beginning in their junior year, many gymnasts are confused as to when they should actually start contacting coaches. The answer, according to Welker, is early; just don’t expect a response.
“In the beginning of high school, send an email every other month. … As a sophomore, send a monthly email, [showing] ‘here’s what I’m working on,’ including a short video, and / or typing out your routines. [Recruiting] is like an elevator pitch … keep it short and sweet and keep your strong stuff first.”
Direct contact is the best way to make sure you are being seen by a coach and to really stick out among the other hundreds of recruits that are also vying for a spot on college teams. Kim Valenti, head coach of the Ursinus gymnastics program, said, “[There are hundreds of] people that go on and fill out our recruiting questionnaire; so if you are just filling this out and thinking ‘I did my part’, you are going to get lost somewhere [unless you follow up with more communication along the way].”
Most gymnasts looking to compete in the NCAA usually start with a mass email to coaches when they begin the recruiting process, whether they are contacting them because it is their dream school, or just to keep their options open. Even though the number of programs with gymnastics is more limited than most sports, Welker says, “Similar to recruits, colleges don’t want to feel like they are one of a thousand; personalize [the message] when you are contacting coaches.”
Texas Woman’s head coach Lisa Bowerman shares this sentiment when marketing her program. “We want athletes that want to be a part of [TWU]… We share with them the values and the culture of [the program] and we really look for athletes who want to be a part of that.” TWU is a Division II program and Bowerman feels there might be some who don’t give the school a fair chance because of its division, even if these programs are equally as competitive as those in Division I.
Valenti resonates with the aspect of marketing her program, sharing how a DIII may not be an athlete’s first pick, but, “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what division you end up at … it’s an opportunity to get to continue to do what you love.”
Communication is one of the biggest parts of getting recruited, from keeping in touch starting at the beginning of your journey to being intentional about what you post on social media. Coaches are not only looking at the gymnastics you show them and the way you compete, they are also looking at how well your personality meshes with the rest of the team, your academics, what kind of teammate you are, and how you can help build on the foundation they have already created.
“We have really figured out who we are as a program,” said Welker. “We have built a staff that loves gymnastics [so] we want people that love gymnastics, people that want to be great teammates, and are great humans. … When you build a team on these values, they attract other people that are like that. … There are a lot of talented athletes, but there are only a few that will fit the best into our program.”
“Ideally, [we all want] to marry the strong student with the strong gymnast but also the great person,” says Valenti. “[What we need] is very dependent year to year in terms of gymnastics. … [However], our culture is in a really great place and this is a critical piece to the recruiting process.” Valenti emphasizes the importance of being a coachable athlete. For example, how are you after you’ve missed a series or don’t make it in the lineup one week? How are you as a teammate when you are moving mats during timed warm up or cheering on the side? These aspects make a big difference when putting together a cohesive team, and deciding whether or not an athlete has that team-oriented attitude during the recruiting process can be a deciding factor.
Bowerman recognizes the importance of all these pieces working together, but also explains how another element plays a role in her recruiting process. DII and DIII schools typically have larger rosters than those of DI programs, and while coaches would love to offer a spot to every athlete who wants to be a part of their team, sometimes it can come down to an athlete having the chance to be competitive.
“We are looking for athletes who have the skills, but we also want them all to have an equal chance to be competitive,” says Bowerman. “Potential plays a big role in [who we recruit] and we love to see athletes grow when they get to our program. [We do look at] filling in holes in the team and it does depend on where we are in our recruiting cycle. If we have a really strong set of bar and beam workers, we might look more towards floor and vault when we recruit.”
Speaking specifically to the gymnastics piece, Valenti explains, “If you attend a college meet and see skills similar to your own, [or a skill set that looks different] you should get a better idea of what programs you should target.”
Welker adds to this, stating, “We are looking to fill these needs; we first look at ‘does the gymnastics makes us better?’ and ‘is this the right person’? [We then] have to ask, ‘Do they check our box and meet what we need in terms of gymnastics?’ But, we also need them to check the box of, ‘Are they a good person, a good teammate?’ and that is the non negotiable.”
Whether you are a coach making the decision or an athlete pursuing the NCAA route, it is a difficult position to be in overall.
“One of the first questions I ask recruits is ‘what are you looking for? What are you looking for in a team, a program, a campus?’” says Bowerman. “All [these aspects] play into the final decision. Look for the school that has all the right aspects for you, even if it might be difficult to let go of a potential opportunity.”
While a majority of the four years of high school are setting you up for your NCAA career, the four years in college are setting you up for life, and this factor is crucial to take into account when making a decision.
“… You have to ask yourself, ‘What do I want out of this next chapter?’… This has to be the priority,” says Valenti. “You [then] have to ask yourself, ‘Am I even happy at this school?’ ‘Is this everything that I wanted?’”
Even if you have been set on a school, sometimes looking in other places that might not have been on your radar initially will lead you to where you are supposed to be. Not writing off programs because of a potential label and keeping all your options open is crucial. Valenti elaborates on how some athletes will circle back around to a DIII school if they haven’t gotten picked up by a big DI program. “There is a home out there for everyone, it just might look different than you thought. Maybe it’s not a scholarship to the Division I program, but maybe you become a record setter at a Division III school. … This is all part of your path, and you do have to believe that and embrace all that comes with [the] experience.”
Being consistent, keeping in contact with coaches, going on visits, and attending clinics are all excellent ways to stay in the conversation when it comes time for both you and the coaches to make decisions.
Ultimately, you as an athlete have to find your own right fit, and maybe this requires you to broaden your horizons. “[When you are looking at programs] widen your net and see if this helps. Just because this school wasn’t on your initial list, doesn’t mean it won’t be a great fit for you,” says Welker. “As long as you are keeping an open mind to any opportunity and marketing yourself correctly, the right school will find you.”
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Article by Julianna Roland
