What athletic skills do college recruiters look for in their prospects?
A7: For the women, there are no clear generalizations that can be made with regard to recruiting. However, athletically, we frequently hear college coaches express similar criteria in terms of skills. Besides a certain skill level, attributes such as natural athletic ability, good execution, clean lines, and excellent fitness are valued in varying combinations by recruiters. Although the weighting of criteria may differ, in general, college coaches tend to value gymnasts that can already demonstrate 10.0 start value routines that also meet the minimum criteria for composition in the NCAA. These routines must also be competed with good consistency, good execution, good form and amplitude. Here are a few examples of skills sought by teams in the Top 36 nationally: On vault, the Yurchenko Layout 1/1 and 1/2 have become commonplace. 10.0 start value vaults with saltos are preferred. On UB, a major release such as a Gienger, Tkachev or Jaeger plus another D release is viewed favorably. An E
