At the 8th annual College Bound Invitational in Orlando I attended a free College Recruiting Seminar for Parents with Tom Kovic.
Tom was an NCAA gymnastics coach for 19 years. He runs a company that offers an educational service for gymnasts, coaches and parents. He consults for male and female gymnasts, as well as other sports in the NCAA.
College gymnastics is a great opportunity. But NCAA regulations are complex and strictly enforced. Tom can help you navigate the murky waters to help find the Team that best fits your athlete. And helps you “market your gymnast”, putting together the best possible video and application.
Tom says you must look “big picture”, not only at possible scholarship opportunities. He recommends you ask potential University coaches for a “financial pre-read” — an estimate of all costs for the athlete / year. (Travel, accommodation, books, etc.) Scholarship covers only part of the total cost. Fortunately, at many Universities there are other bursaries available for student athletes.
For example, Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. They have other ways to help you pay for your degree. I was surprised when Tom told us that only 30% of the 360,000 (approx.) NCAA athletes are on athletic scholarship.
I specifically asked Tom about foreign athletes. He said NCAA coaches are very interested in signing non-American gymnasts right now. It’s almost a “trend”. The major difficulty for the non-American athlete is that the cost to the family (after scholarship) is often higher than for American students. Foreigners, in particular, must consider the “financial pre-read” closely.
If interested in learning more:
After that, if you want to try it, buy a Victory Recruiting 4 Hour “Block” Advisement. From that introductory session, you can decide if you want to do more.
Ideally you would do this when your child is in Grade 10. With 2 years of High School remaining.
The best way to reach Tom Kovic is by email via VictoryRecruiting.com
Gymnastics Coaching.com 