Club to College: Emalee Frost's Journey to Collegiate Gymnastics

<p>In this new series, Club to College, we will look at the recruiting process of current and retired collegiate gymnasts. These athletes share their journey through recruiting, college, and what their main takeaways have been throughout their gymnastics careers. For the young gymnastics tuning in, these athletes offer real-life experiences and advice that I hope you can resonate with. I want to highlights athletes with various backgrounds to give today's recruits a general idea of what to expect from the recruiting process and maybe find some tools to help make the college search a little easier. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Introducing our Athlete:</h2>   <p>Emalee Frost is a 5th year gymnast currently on the Illinois State roster. She previously competed at the University of Nebraska and entered the portal for her final year of college competition. She trains all four events and showcases her unique talent and stunning form all-around. Let's look at how she describes her experience with recruiting and advice she has for gymnasts hunting for future programs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was Emalee's recruiting experience?</h2>   <p>In response to "What was the recruiting process like for you", she shared that it was very stressful and additional stress was added if you were not considered a "top recruit". This is a commonly shared feeling in our sport given how we compete for medals, high scores, and roster spots. Emalee mentioned how she reached out to many coaches, but not all responded. Again, a familiar feeling for plenty of athletes, but she noted coaches who took interest in her remained interested. This must have felt validating to her hard work at practice and competitions. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What qualities or priorities did Emalee look for in schools?</h2>   <p>Emalee shared that she primarily looked for teams with supportive team atmosphere and great coaching staffs. She loves sports and wanted to incorporate her enthusiasm for by going after schools with large sports teams. This is a great example of ways to include your personality in the qualities you look for in future teams you might want to be a part of.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How did Emalee perceive college gymnastics in club?What were the biggest changes she experienced going from club to college?</h2>   <p>During her club days, Emalee was unsure of how to imagine life as a collegiate athlete. She was optimistic with practice being 20 hours and classes having a different intensity. However, the expectation she went into college with quickly shifted. </p>   <p>Emalee noticed that when she arrived at college, the main difference was in the consistency demanded by NCAA gymnastics. With lower numbers, efficiency in her skills, while maintaining clean technique was a critical thing to learn. Another difference she noticed was that the intention behind training shifts from being focused on how many skills you have to perfecting the routines you are planning to compete. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How does being a Student Athlete impact Emalee?</h2>   <p>According to Emalee, being a student athlete has given her the opportunity to create lasting friendships and meet people she would have never had the chance to meet. She also described how her time management skills have improved and learned that quality is better than quantity in our intense sport. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What advice does Emalee have for recruits?</h2>   <p>Emalee wants recruits to know that they shouldn't be afraid to share their personality throughout the recruiting process. She also says that it is important to ask lots of questions because the more you know about a school's gymnastics program, the more informed you will feel when deciding on your future home.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts:</h2>   <p>It was an exciting honor to have 5th year senior from Illinois State, Emalee Frost, offer her experiences and advice. This new series, Club to College, will continue to feature current and retired collegiate gymnasts to help provide some support for the young gymnasts with dreams to one day be a gymnast in college too.</p>   <p></p>

In this new series, Club to College, we will look at the recruiting process of current and retired collegiate gymnasts. These athletes share their journey through recruiting, college, and what their main takeaways have been throughout their gymnastics careers. For the young gymnastics tuning in, these athletes offer real-life experiences and advice that I hope you can resonate with. I want to highlights athletes with various backgrounds to give today's recruits a general idea of what to expect from the recruiting process and maybe find some tools to help make the college search a little easier.