The evolution of gymnastics has been to use the only platforms available to you. At one point you had to build your own recruiting sites, then came YouTube and then Instagram came along but the problem is hardly any of these take the gymnasts safety into account.
Social media is a public platform that anyone from the gymternet and all the armchair quarterbacks have the ability to give their opinions.
Along with that we know how competitive recruiting has become and gymnasts are attempting to get on coaches radars earlier which means they are starting to post at a younger age.
What if there was a way to have only the college coaches see your videos, not the entire internet without having to build your own website.
That’s one of the reasons that we created Gymnastics Plus, to take the gymnasts’ safety into account.
Now you can choose exactly who sees your videos, it brings a new level of gymnastics safety and confidence to the sport. Instead of posting to the world families can share with the people who actually need to see their work…the college coaches.
Gymnasts Safety Online: The Problem With Posting Publicly
Instagram was never built for recruiting, it was built for entertainment. When a gymnast posts a video on IG the next step is to cross our fingers that college coaches will come across our profile or our videos in their feed.
On top of that the algorithm is set up to show it to strangers many who have never set foot in a gym.
That’s where the armchair quarterbacks come in. Every video becomes an open invitation to critique form, scores and potential often from people with no coaching experience at all.
Most comments are just unhelpful considering coaches are NOT even allowed to comment when they aren’t recruitable. Other comments are just cruel.
For a young adult who has spent years chasing a dream, that type of feedback is unnecessary and can sit with a young person for a long period of time and can put a dent in their confidence and feeling of worthiness.
Gymnasts safety isn’t only about safety in the gym, it’s also about protecting athletes from unnecessary noise and negativity online.
Share With the People Who Matter
Up until now, gymnasts who wanted college coaches to see them had little choice but to post publicly and tag them and hope they would watch their videos.
Inside the Gym Plus platform, gymnasts and parents can post videos for the audience that actually needs to see them…college coaches, instead of the entire internet. The right people still see her videos, her scores and achievements. Not the internet trolls.
For many parents, this gives them peace of mind. You know where your child’s videos are going and who is watching. That’s what gymnasts’ safety looks like in a digital world.
For the gymnast it gives them more confidence to be able to share more and prioritize the gymnasts safety.
Post the Progress…Not Just the Perfect
Public posting creates another internal problem… the pressure to appear perfect.
Many gymnasts hesitate to share their wins because they feel every video must be flawless before the “world” sees it. There is the internal voice constantly of “is this good enough”. This internal voice that causes hesitation begins to put a dent in their own feelings of value and worth.
We intellectually understand that progress is not perfect. But the ability to put our pathway and growth to excellence is much harder because for most people our greatest fear is not the fear of failure it’s the fear of judgement.
That’s a major problem Gym Plus was designed to solve and has removed some of that fear of constantly being judged.
Gymnasts can post with more confidence. They can celebrate milestones as they happen without waiting for the perfect moments or bracing for a stranger’s opinion.
A Safer, More Confident Way Forward
Obviously I am a little biased but gymnasts are some of the most resilient and hard working athletes on the planet. The things they sacrifice at a young age to reach their dreams are incredible. They shouldn’t have to worry about internet criticism every time they share their journey.
Gymnastics Plus gives athletes and parents control over who sees their videos, so they can focus on what matters most… training, growing and getting noticed by the right people.
Again that is a major reason why we created Gymnastics Plus so that you can have a little more peace of mind as you tackle your recruiting journey. Prioritize your gymnasts safety!
Next Steps for Gymnasts Safety:
Create your FREE Profile and start contacting NCAA Gymnastics coaches today at gymnasticsplus.org/exclusive and start building the profile that gets you seen.
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https://www.instagram.com/thegymnasticsplus
