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.

Your gymnast's brain needs energy, too.

Kerry Bair joins Ali to explain the connection between fueling, brain function, emotions, confidence, and gymnastics performance. They discuss why gymnasts may struggle more with mental blocks or skills later in practice when they haven't had enough food throughout the day.

You'll hear how school schedules can create barriers to fueling, including skipped breakfasts, limited snack opportunities, long gaps between meals, and social pressure around what gymnasts eat.

Kerry also shares one of the most common issues she sees: gymnasts not eating breakfast. Instead of expecting a complete breakfast immediately, she recommends starting with something small and consistent, then gradually building from there.

The goal isn't perfection. It's giving your gymnast's body and brain the energy they need to learn, train, recover, and perform.

00:00 – Meet Kerry Bair, The Gymnast RD
01:52 – Why nutrition matters for gymnasts
02:30 – The connection between nutrition and mental blocks
03:16 – How much energy a gymnast's body needs
05:00 – Why the brain needs energy to function
06:03 – How low energy can affect mood, focus, confidence, and fear
07:19 – Why mental strategies are harder to access when the brain is low on energy
08:00 – Why returning to school can increase energy demands
09:44 – How Kerry evaluates a gymnast's daily fueling
10:56 – “But I'm eating healthy!”
11:28 – Why healthy doesn't always mean adequate for a gymnast
13:00 – Social media, food expectations, and judgment
14:00 – School lunch and the challenges of fueling during the day
15:38 – The breakfast problem
18:24 – The biggest consistent nutrition issue Kerry sees
18:40 – Why breakfast can be difficult for gymnasts
20:00 – Starting small and building the habit
22:28 – Five-minute breakfasts and grab-and-go options
23:34 – Why small steps work better than an all-or-nothing approach
25:41 – How to work with The Gymnast RD
27:25 – Final thoughts

🏅 Learn more about working with Gymnastics Mindset Academy

Get Free Resources: Help your gymnast dismantle her perfectionist mindset. Access our free mental block resources at gymnasticsmindsetacademy.com/mental-blocks.

💻 Explore our private coaching, boot camps, and mindset programs designed to help gymnasts overcome fear, mental blocks, perfectionism, and performance anxiety.

🥣 Looking for nutrition support? Learn more about Kerry Bair in The Gymnast RD, a hybrid program combining nutrition education, challenges, goal setting, worksheets, and one-on-one support for gymnasts and their families.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics family who could benefit from it.

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Going back to school changes almost everything about your gymnast's day.

She's waking up earlier, using her brain for hours at school, managing homework, planning meals and snacks, and then heading to a demanding gymnastics practice—all while trying to maintain the same level of performance she had during the summer.

Stacie and Ali explain why this transition can lead to mental fatigue, physical exhaustion, changes in focus, and temporary setbacks in the gym.

They also share practical ways parents can support their gymnast, including helping her understand that mental fatigue is real, allowing time for her brain to rest, supporting proper fueling, protecting sleep, and resisting the urge to panic when progress isn't perfectly linear.

Your gymnast doesn't need to perform exactly the same every day to be making progress.

Sometimes she simply needs time to adjust.

00:00 – Why gymnasts often struggle when school starts
01:22 – Schedule changes and why change can feel difficult
02:00 – Mental fatigue after a full day of school
03:00 – Physical fatigue and earlier mornings
04:00 – Why sleep becomes a major issue for gymnasts
05:00 – The challenge of planning nutrition and fueling
06:00 – Why school transitions can affect gymnastics performance
08:00 – Why temporary setbacks don't mean something is wrong
09:00 – How parents can help their gymnast manage mental fatigue
10:21 – Why gymnasts need mental breaks during practice
11:17 – Nutrition and supporting mental and physical energy
12:00 – Why the transition is harder than the routine itself
Later in the episode – Supporting your gymnast without panic or pressure
Later in the episode – Creating realistic expectations during back-to-school season

🏅 Learn more about working with Gymnastics Mindset Academy

Get Free Resources: Help your gymnast dismantle her perfectionist mindset. Access our free mental block resources at gymnasticsmindsetacademy.com/mental-blocks.

💻 Explore our private coaching, boot camps, and mindset programs designed to help gymnasts overcome fear, mental blocks, perfectionism, performance anxiety, and confidence struggles.

Follow us on social media for more gymnastics mindset tips and parenting advice. Join Our Community

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics family who could benefit from it.

#gymnasticsmindset #gymnasticsparents #mentaltraining #sportspsychology #mentalblocks #gymnasticsconfidence #youthsports #athletemindset #gymnasticspodcast #confidencecoach

Your gymnast may be capable of doing a lot—but that doesn't mean she needs to do everything.

Stacie and Ali explain how overcommitting can affect sleep, mental health, gymnastics performance, school, and even a gymnast's enjoyment of the sport. They share practical ways to simplify routines and help gymnasts make sustainable progress without falling into the trap of perfectionism.

You'll learn why progress naturally comes with ups and downs, how mistakes help the nervous system learn physical skills, and why parents should celebrate progress instead of expecting perfect consistency.

They also discuss balancing high-level gymnastics with demanding school schedules, AP classes, recruiting responsibilities, homework, and time for fun—and why learning to choose where to spend your time is an essential mindset skill.

00:00 – Is your back-to-school reset setting your gymnast up to fail?
01:01 – The problem with trying to change everything at once
02:30 – The all-or-nothing mindset and unrealistic routines
03:55 – How to create realistic routines and priorities
05:00 – Making fueling easier for busy gymnastics families
08:24 – What babies learning to walk can teach us about gymnastics progress
10:30 – Why progress isn't supposed to be perfect
12:37 – Helping your gymnast focus on one thing at a time
14:41 – Perfectionism, homework, and wasted time
16:18 – AP classes, high-level gymnastics, and realistic expectations
20:05 – The cost of overloading your gymnast
21:22 – Recruiting + school: why the combination can be overwhelming
24:19 – When too much pressure makes gymnastics no longer feel worth it
25:16 – Choosing your priorities and avoiding overcommitment
26:40 – Time-management support for gymnasts

🏅 Learn more about working with Gymnastics Mindset Academy

Get Free Resources: Help your gymnast dismantle her perfectionist mindset. Access our free mental block resources at gymnasticsmindsetacademy.com/mental-blocks.

💻 Explore our private coaching, boot camps, and mindset programs designed to help gymnasts overcome fear, mental blocks, perfectionism, and performance anxiety.

📚 Looking for support with time management? Gymnastics Mindset Academy's Next Level Membership includes resources to help gymnasts manage their time and make sustainable progress.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics family who could benefit from it.

#gymnasticsmindset #gymnasticsparents #mentaltraining #sportspsychology #mentalblocks #gymnasticsconfidence #youthsports #athletemindset #gymnasticspodcast #confidencecoach

Your gymnast will experience fear. She'll feel nervous before a competition. She'll get frustrated after a mistake. She may feel embarrassed when a skill doesn't go as planned.

Those emotions don't mean something is wrong.

In this episode, Stacie and Ali explain why emotional regulation is such an important part of gymnastics mental training. They discuss the difference between reacting to emotions, running away from them, and allowing yourself to actually feel and process them.

You'll also hear why trying to cover negative emotions with forced positivity doesn't work, how parents can model emotional regulation at home, and why being able to handle uncomfortable emotions may be one of your gymnast's biggest competitive advantages.

True confidence isn't “I won't be afraid.”

It's “I can be afraid and still do what I need to do.”

00:00 – Why your gymnast's feelings may be getting in the way
00:40 – What emotions actually are
02:22 – The emotions gymnasts struggle with most
04:00 – Why gymnasts try to avoid negative emotions
09:30 – When avoiding emotions creates numbness
11:55 – How emotions naturally move through the body
13:00 – Why resisting fear can keep gymnasts stuck
15:00 – The difference between allowing and reacting to emotions
17:00 – Why positive thinking can't simply cover negative emotions
19:55 – Why processing emotions can unlock progress
21:00 – How parents can help their gymnast
23:05 – Modeling emotional regulation for your gymnast
25:00 – Why emotional regulation creates real confidence

🏅 Learn more about working with Gymnastics Mindset Academy

Get Free Resources: Help your gymnast dismantle her perfectionist mindset. Access our free mental block resources at gymnasticsmindsetacademy.com/mental-blocks.

💻 Explore our private coaching, boot camps, and mindset programs designed to help gymnasts overcome fear, mental blocks, perfectionism, and performance anxiety.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with another gymnastics family who could benefit from it.

#gymnasticsmindset #gymnasticsparents #mentaltraining #sportspsychology #mentalblocks #gymnasticsconfidence #youthsports #athletemindset #gymnasticspodcast #confidencecoach

Does your gymnast struggle to believe in herself?

Maybe she says, “I’m just not good at beam,” “I’m not good enough to get recruited,” or “I’ll never be able to do this skill.”

Those statements may sound like facts to her—but they’re actually beliefs. And beliefs can be changed.

A belief is a thought your brain has repeated so many times that it starts to feel like a fact.

For gymnasts, beliefs like “I’m not good enough,” “I’m bad at beam,” or “I’m not recruitable” can quietly influence how they think, feel, and perform.

Stacie and Ali explain neuroplasticity, the brain’s “highway” system, and the Reticular Activating System (RAS) to show why your gymnast keeps finding evidence that supports what she already believes.

They also explain why positive affirmations alone often don't work—and why building a new belief requires repetition, evidence, progression, and practice.

And for parents, there’s an important reminder: you can believe in your gymnast before she is able to believe in herself.

• A belief is a thought repeated so often that it feels like a fact.
• Your gymnast’s beliefs can influence her confidence, actions, and results.
• The brain naturally looks for evidence that confirms existing beliefs.
• Neuroplasticity means new thought patterns and beliefs can be built.
• Simply saying “I’m good enough” isn’t always enough to change a deep-rooted belief.
• New beliefs need to be built gradually through realistic thoughts, repetition, and evidence.
• Mental blocks and confidence struggles often require the same kind of belief rewiring.
• Parents can play a powerful role by believing in their gymnast while she learns to believe in herself.

00:00 – Why your gymnast may struggle to believe in herself
00:53 – What is a belief?
02:50 – How beliefs affect the Think-Feel-Do Cycle
03:30 – The “I’m not good enough” belief
05:47 – How gymnasts protect themselves from failure
07:12 – Neuroplasticity and building new thought pathways
09:40 – The RAS: how your brain filters information
11:38 – How gymnasts find evidence for limiting beliefs
14:49 – Are you willing to do the work for your goal?
18:15 – Parents: is it okay to believe in your gymnast’s dreams?
19:29 – What if your gymnast doesn't want college gymnastics?
20:57 – Why rewiring beliefs can change more than gymnastics
24:28 – Why positive thinking alone isn't enough
27:00 – Building a Thought Ladder
30:31 – Why parents get frustrated when gymnasts don't believe in themselves
32:24 – The power of believing in your gymnast
35:24 – Help her believe—and trust the process

🎧 Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform.

▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube.

📖 Actually Think Positively: The Recruiting Playbook — a free resource mentioned in this episode for gymnasts who want to get recruited.

💻 Learn more about Gymnastics Mindset Academy programs and coaching to help your gymnast build confidence, overcome mental blocks, and rewire limiting beliefs.