Special Commentary: The State of the College Gymnastics

So here we are again, another year passes, another program disappears. For three straight years this has happened. This year MIT cut both of its gymnastics program as part of cuts of many teams including Hockey (one of the big four sports). Cal State Fullerton is in the midst of a USAG sponsored pledge drive to keep the program going, and rumors are flying about the status of the Nebraska mens program. It is clear that the sport will continue to be a first choice to be cut at schools as revenues are challenged amidst a tough economy, though many gymnastics programs were cut during good economic times as well.

USAG has gotten involved in Cal State Fullerton though I’m not sure why they were not apparently involved in battles to save others. If they were I apologize, it didn’t seem apparentat the time, but its possible it escaped notice.

Gymnastics costs a lot of money, it involves equipment, and liability. As more programs get cut the distances to travel will increase and thus costs will increase as well. Though it is a credit to many athletic departments that they keep the sport and promote it.

On the message boards debates are raging over what to do. Gymnastics authorities like Greg Marsden are arguing for changes to the championship format, though this will do little for the numerous programs who never see the inside of the NCAA finals. But other proposals are flying over how to better get the sport marketed and its a complicated matter to say the least.

Gymnastics faces numerous challenges:

1.) The fanbase which becomes rabid during olympic years dissipates in between.
2.) The number 1 expected fans of gymnastics, gymnasts, are often busy at their own meets during collegiate meets.
3.) The economy is putting pressure on colleges and athletics departments to cut where they can.
4.) Title IX, is a well meaning measure and has provided opportunities for women to participate in sport, but some athletic departments have been suspected of utilizing it as an excuse to cut both men’s and women’s sports. This has led to some odd results.  The powers that be need to cut this out so that Title IX can remain what its meant to be,  a way to provide opportunities.
5.) The sport is easy to watch but hard to follow without announcers, scoreboards, and help understanding what is happening.
6.) Gymnastics is an expensive sport.

But it also offers numerous advantages.

1.) It’s popular, even if people take time off from following it, they love it in Olympic years.
2.) It’s acrobatic, and the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, and action movies indicate people like acrobatic feats.
3.) It’s cheap. It’s still relatively cheap to by a ticket to see a meet, sometimes even free.
4.) It doesn’t involve much time commitment. There aren’t that any meets per season to go, so it can easily be scheduled.

But in the meantime, teams and their histories, and their routines are vanishing. Something needs to change.

Well I really failed at updating.

I’ll have to do better with posting updates in the future.

New England/New Jersey College Gymnastics Preview 1/24-1/25

Posted a modest preview of the weekend in College Gymnastics in New England and New Jersey

Click here to read it.

Posted a wrapup of New England/New Jersey College Gymnastics 1/16-1/18

by David F.P.
(Scores from Troester)
Here’s just a quick look at the past weekend in New England/New Jersey College Gymnastics. (literally typed hastily for time reasons) There will be more detailed posts to come in future weeks featuring discussions of routines, and more than just score posts. The first few weeks are tough as I rarely see more than a few teams first hand, and in this case due to weather haven’t seen any except on video. As the weeks go on as well I will also delve into more context regarding the teams faced as well as the teams in the region, but in the first few weeks it’s still a period of seeing how the teams are shaping up.

Click to read wrap-up.

Weather weather weather…

My trip to Brown was called off by a large snow storm, a variety of accidents and an official warning from the State of Rhode Island. However I did watch the meet on line and we’ll be able to provide some insights to Brown later in the week.

I am currently waiting for all the scores and info to come out about this past week and then I’ll be able to start writing about this past week and look towards next week where hopefully it will not snow again. New England gets snow but this is ridiculous.

More updates to come!

MIT, Yale, UNH, SCSU, Rutgers Mini Reports up and the week ahead.

Using what I have to work with I’ve got mini-reports up from this weekend in New England gymnastics as well as preliminary looks at the routines UNH and Rutgers are doing.

Rutgers at UNH mini meet report

Mini report for MIT, Yale, SCSU meets

UNH routines page (It’s a start, more updates to come.)

Rutgers routines page (Also a work in progress.)

I’ll also be writing up a Bridgeport season preview, as well as previewing this weeks meets, delving into the regional picture more, and updating the floor music lists if possible.

Modest previews of SCSU, Brown, MIT, UNH, Yale, and Rutgers.

I’ve posted modest team previews, which certainly have plenty of limitations as usual, but should they be of any interest they’re up. Bridgeport’s preview is coming next week. I wanted to add more color to them, but time didn’t allow it, but I will be putting that into meet reports.

http://gymnasticsreport.net/super/index.php?cat=16

As a fan the amount that I don’t know about gymnastics far outweighs what I do know so these previews are basically based on what I can write about, but admittedly I’m no expert in many areas. My goal is to increase awareness of college gymnastics as well as teams that don’t get a lot of attention, so I do what I can.

My goal is to attempt to bridge a gap between the more technical expertise of the sport and the genral fans who may not know what the moves are called but are amazed by them anyway so really my focus will never be on the more technical aspects, which are best left to those who are true experts. I believe though the growth of the sport relies on first getting current gymnastics fans out to meets, and secondly drawing in more fans who can just enjoy what’s happening without knowing that skill was worth X difficulty but it’s a balancing act.

I remain eternally worried about the state of gymnastics.

(Edited December 2nd with the addition of this paragraph.)
Just to be clear, as it may not have not been from my original post. I do not believe Title IX caused the loss of so many Gymnastics programs. Many programs were cut for economics as opposed to Title IX compliance. This is not a piece critical of Title IX.  It discusses some of the things that have gone in recently that may involve it (or may not) but I am not arguing that Title IX led to the decline in gymnastics programs.

It may seem trivial to worry about sports and maybe it is to some degree. Compared to all the problems of the world, sports is a luxury.  But on the other hand, we’re put here on this earth to live, and once we get through with working and doing what we have to, to survive, isn’t the point of surviving to enjoy things like sports, or any other interests? If there is nothing left to enjoy, there isn’t much to live for one would think.

To that end I am often worried about if Gymnastics will survive.  High school programs are cutting the sport, colleges have been cutting the sport, and although over 70 programs remain at the college level and there are a ton of club gymnasts, things like the economic upheaval may hurt a sport already facing questions about whether it is in decline or not.

I live in the Northeast which has seen numerous college teams cut within the past few years  and even more across my lifetime.  One of my alma maters, the University of Connecticut, cut its program in the mid eighties, it’s rival from across the stateline, UMASS, cut their team in 2000 or around then, and another state school URI, cut their program just last year to make way for lacrosse, though the economy actually resulted in lacrosse being shelved and swimming being axed as well at URI so in the end the gymnastics team was sacrificed not for one team but just for money.  At SCSU which still has a women’s program, the men’s program was disbanded despite the fact that the field house sits on a road named after a male olympic gymnast.  (In fairness to SCSU I’m not as familiar with the reasons for the shuttering of the program. I have read up on the other closings though.  I’m not critical of SCSU just noting the loss of the program in the overall context.)  One of URI’s opponents, James Madison, had both gymnastics teams cut among 10 that were dismantled. The administration claims this was due to Title IX reasons but there is now a court battle ensuing.  One of SCSU’s fellow D2 teams West Chester University of Pennsylvania cut their gymnastics program but a court battle reinstated it.  Brown University had a court battle over the status of their program many years ago, though the team seems to be well supported now as far as I can tell.  Northeastern University and Vermont also got rid of their teams in the recent era.  And this is JUST in my neck of the woods.

It is far too easy for rational and well meaning decision makers to look at gymnastics as a burden in tough economic times.  On the men’s side it is especially seen as a sport in decline, due the lack of college programs and the like, and there is admittedly more interest in the women’s side then the men’s side as far as fans are concerned, and I think that can be helped.  Male gymnasts have to be incredibly athletic to do what they do and they take just as many risks as the women do, I’m sure high bar has resulted in many an injury.  But even on the women’s side.  Gymnastics is a sport with a lot of expensive equipment, and no doubt liability issues.  It is not seen as popular as the other “major” sports and is fending with sports like Lacrosse and Volleyball. Sports which I have no interest in knocking as I like them both and go to plenty of volleyball games.  But theoretically it is easier for a person to join a Lacrosse or Volleyball team then to get into Gymnastics at a high level.

Now as for popularity, college teams like Georgia, Alabama, and Utah (and probably others) manage to sell out their arenas, Georgia gives Gymnastics a prominence on their website reserved for just football and basketball usually and they reaped rewards in terms of spectatorship. In this region, New Hampshire draws very well as well and there are plenty of fans that can be tapped.  Though obviously there going to be issues with meets scheduled opposite each other as well as opposite USAG meets. Nonetheless if Georgia can do it, other schools can do it at all levels.

The fans that enjoy the olympics can also be drawn to these meets. There is untapped potential that may need to be reached to keep the sport alive. Otherwise it may contract to a few colleges, a few high schools, a few clubs.  And as a fan I worry about that.  I’m no expert but I know one thing. Gymnasts put a ton of time into what they do, and for them to have fewer options as they advance just doesn’t seem fair.

I have 17 blogs already so I’m still figuring out what to do with this one.

I like to use different blogs for different reasons so I’m still figuring out what aspects of gymnastics I’ll cover in this one.

GymnasticsReport.net is my College Gymnastics site. (Also a WordPress set up)

LinkstoGymnastics.com is my Gymnastics links site. (It might use a blog attached.)

DFPSports is my blog dedicated to all sports not Gymnastics.

There’s also the LiveJournal version.

I may use this one for more general coverage or opinion or something.  I needed another wordpress login anyway, so I’ll work on this one.