“Looking at their grades before they even enter the 9th grade is useless,” stated Clark, “They have 4 years of high school ahead of them so it’s impossible to tell how they will do at the collegiate level.”
“I’m not pointing fingers at anyone; I’ve been a participant myself. I’m just saying we have a problem and we need to work together with USAG or with club coaches and get it solved. Women’s Gymnastics is too small of an organization to withstand the kind of negative effects that come from this. I believe we will wind up going after each other’s recruits and harm the future of Women’s Gymnastics at the NCAA level if we allow these early commitments to continue.”
Clark says things will never be as they once were, but it’s possible to slow things down and restore some sanity because it is making a mockery of our sport, “Early verbal commitments are not in the best interest of the student-athlete, which is a core value of the NCAA.”
What do you think? Are early verbal commitments
beneficial or harmful to the gymnasts and coaches?