What do college gymnastics coaches really look for when recruiting athletes? It's about more than skills, scores, and competition results.

In this episode, Coach Ali Havel sits down with Kasey Crawford, head coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Sam Scherwinski, assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, to talk about the realities of college gymnastics recruiting from the coaches' perspective.

They discuss how the recruiting landscape is changing, when gymnasts should start communicating with college coaches, and why consistent, personalized emails can make a difference. You'll also learn what coaches notice beyond gymnastics, including coachability, communication, how athletes respond to mistakes, and whether they fit the team's culture.

The conversation also covers what to do when a coach doesn't respond, how injured gymnasts can stay connected during recovery, and why one disappointing meet doesn't have to end a recruiting opportunity.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Division I and Division III recruiting timelines can differ
• When to start reaching out to college coaches
• How to write emails that help coaches remember you
• What coaches look for in practice, at competitions, and during campus visits
• Why mistakes and setbacks don't automatically ruin your chances
• How to communicate with coaches during an injury
• Why persistence, self-awareness, and coachability matter
• How to find schools that fit your gymnastics goals and priorities

Timestamps

00:00 – Meet the college coaches
01:10 – Their journeys in college gymnastics
03:12 – Why recruiting can feel mentally overwhelming
04:22 – How the recruiting landscape is changing
06:17 – How Division III recruiting timelines have shifted
07:13 – Is it ever too late to get recruited?
08:17 – When should gymnasts contact college coaches?
09:58 – How often should you email coaches?
11:12 – What makes a recruiting email stand out?
12:37 – How to show genuine interest in a school
13:32 – Why personality and team culture matter
15:14 – What coaches notice about coachability
16:33 – What coaches look for during campus visits
17:33 – What coaches observe at competitions
18:26 – Why one bad meet doesn't ruin your chances
19:13 – How athletes can learn from mistakes
21:20 – Can confidence and resilience be developed?
21:50 – Recruiting red flags coaches notice
22:18 – What to include in your gymnastics videos
22:46 – Asking about NIL, scholarships, and team culture
24:17 – What to do when a coach doesn't respond
25:39 – How injured gymnasts can stay on coaches' radar
27:10 – Communicating your recovery plan
29:26 – Why injuries are part of an athlete's journey
31:14 – Advice for gymnasts starting recruiting
31:52 – Finding the right recruiting level and school
32:26 – GMA's Get Recruited course

College recruiting can feel overwhelming, but your gymnast doesn't have to navigate every decision with self-doubt or pressure. Understanding what coaches are looking for can help her take meaningful steps toward finding the right fit.

Resources

Ready for support with the mental side of recruiting?

Download GMA’s free Recruiting Mindset Playbook for mindset tools and practical strategies to help your gymnast build confidence, trust herself, and take ownership of her college gymnastics recruiting journey.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics parent navigating college recruiting.

What should a parent actually do during the college gymnastics recruiting process?

In this episode, Coach Ali Havel talks with her former club coach and recruiting mentor, Tami Shaftsma, about what it really takes to support a gymnast through recruiting without taking the driver's seat.

Tami shares lessons from helping gymnasts find their way to club gymnastics, D3 programs, and D1 schools, including full-ride opportunities.

You'll learn:

• Why communication is one of the most important recruiting skills
• How parents can support without creating additional pressure
• Why your gymnast's sport should be something she does, not who she is
• How to help her identify realistic schools and reach schools
• Why college fit is about more than gymnastics
• How coaches can help gymnasts understand where they currently fit
• Why showing personality can help a gymnast stand out to college coaches
• How to make recruiting feel manageable instead of all-consuming
• Why the fear of putting yourself out there can hold talented gymnasts back
• How parents can help without taking over the process

If your gymnast is starting to think about college gymnastics, this episode will help you approach recruiting with more confidence, perspective, and support.

Episode Summary

College recruiting can feel overwhelming for both gymnasts and parents. Tami Shaftsma joins Ali to share what she's learned from years of coaching and helping gymnasts find the right college fit.

The conversation focuses on communication, athlete ownership, parent support, realistic versus reach schools, finding the right team environment, and showing personality during recruiting. They also discuss how perfectionism and people-pleasing can make gymnasts afraid of disappointing their parents and why creating space for the gymnast to lead is so important.

Timestamps

00:01 Meet Tami Shaftsma
01:16 Tami's college gymnastics journey
02:43 Helping gymnasts find the right fit
03:39 Coaching and leadership today
04:58 Building trust and communication
07:01 The "favorite dinner" communication analogy
09:31 The parent's role in recruiting
09:53 Perfectionism and people-pleasing
10:39 Letting your gymnast drive her journey
12:00 The pressure of disappointing parents
13:53 When a coach doesn't know recruiting
14:59 Questions parents can ask their coach
17:17 Realistic schools vs. reach schools
19:03 Turning goals into actionable progress
21:37 Finding the right personality fit
24:35 How gymnasts can stand out
25:48 Fun Fact Friday and Scoop on Dupe
27:31 Why being yourself matters
28:59 Advice for recruiting parents
30:47 Advice for gymnasts
32:01 Why recruiting is hard for teenagers
33:30 Creating recruiting boundaries
34:46 The Recruiting Power Hour
35:29 GMA's recruiting mindset course
36:21 Final thoughts

Resources

💻 Ready to support your gymnast through recruiting?
Download GMA’s free Recruiting Mindset Playbook for mindset tools and practical strategies to help your gymnast build confidence, trust herself, and take ownership of her college gymnastics recruiting journey.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics parent navigating college recruiting.

Mental blocks aren't simply a matter of needing more practice. When a gymnast physically knows how to perform a skill but her brain is blocking her, there is usually a reason behind the fear.

Stacie and Ali explain how internal self-talk, external pressure, and physical fear can all contribute to a mental block. They also walk through how gymnasts can understand their brain, regulate fear, develop safety within themselves, and build the belief that they can handle difficult situations.

The episode includes a real-time coaching demonstration of a beam back handspring and explains why mental blocks often require mindset work, not simply more repetitions.

00:00 Mental blocks as competition season approaches
01:16 Why SOS mental block requests increase this time of year
02:00 Competing is a separate skill from performing skills
03:00 What exactly is a mental block?
04:57 Internal sources of fear
06:37 External pressure and expectations
07:30 Physical fear and fear of fear
08:54 Understanding and normalizing the brain
09:49 Why judging fear can make it worse
10:00 Regulating the fear response
12:10 Learning safety beyond the coach or equipment
13:48 Finding safety within your own control
14:08 Building resilience and self-confidence
16:11 Live coaching example: back handspring on beam
16:57 Finding the "what if" behind the block
17:45 Challenging the brain's worst-case scenario
19:52 What to do in the moment
20:54 Breathing, visualization, and safety self-talk
21:35 What parents can learn from the coaching example
23:42 Rewiring the subconscious brain
26:00 Why this is an important time to address mental blocks
27:47 Results from the Mental Block Rewire experience
28:23 Why GMA created the Mental Block Bootcamp
29:23 The power of community and knowing you're not alone

🏅 Want to help your gymnast overcome her mental block?
Join the next Mental Block Rewire / Master Mental Blocks Bootcamp and learn the tools GMA uses to help gymnasts understand, regulate, and rewire their fear response.

💻 Parent Training: Learn more about the upcoming training and enrollment.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics parent who needs to hear it.