To the Gymnastics Class of 2028 ❤
If you’re reading this, you’re likely about to begin one of the most exciting, emotional, challenging, and rewarding journeys of your gymnastics career: the recruiting process.
Before anything else, I want you to know how proud I am of you.
The fact that you’ve made it to this point is something worth celebrating. The early mornings, long practices, missed events, injuries, setbacks, tears, sacrifices, and victories have all led you here. Recruiting isn’t just about finding a college—it’s a reflection of years of hard work, dedication, and believing in a dream.
As someone who went through nearly two years of recruiting, I want to share a few things I learned along the way. The first is this: You are enough.
Not because of your scores.
Not because of your rankings.
Not because of how many schools are calling.
You are enough because of the athlete and person you’ve become through this sport.
Recruiting is a two-lane road. Everyone hopes they’ll get the easy lane—the one where everything happens quickly, conversations turn into offers, and commitments happen without much waiting. But sometimes that isn’t the lane you’re given. I know because I wasn’t.
My recruiting journey lasted almost two years. There were months where I felt like I was standing still. I watched athletes around me announce commitments while I continued waiting. I had conversations with coaches, sent updates, attended camps, and kept working, but there were times when I questioned if anything was actually happening.
If I’m being honest, there were moments when I wondered if I was good enough to compete at the collegiate level. There were moments when I felt overlooked.
There were moments when I thought maybe my opportunity would never come. But what I couldn’t see then was that recruiting is so much bigger than what happens in front of you.
There are conversations happening behind the scenes every day. Coaches are discussing roster spots, scholarships, future recruiting classes, admissions, budgets, and countless other factors you’ll never hear about.
So when things feel quiet, don’t assume nothing is happening.
Just because you can’t see movement doesn’t mean progress isn’t being made. One of the most important things I learned was to keep my options open and my mind clear. Don’t become so focused on one school that you miss another incredible opportunity. Don’t create a timeline in your head and convince yourself you’re behind if things don’t happen according to that schedule.
Every timeline is a good timeline.
Some athletes commit in weeks. Some commit in months. Some commit after years. None of those timelines make an athlete more successful or more deserving than another. Your journey is yours. Trust it.
And please, do not compare yourself to someone else’s recruiting story. Comparison will make you question things you never needed to question in the first place. Someone else’s commitment date has nothing to do with your future. Someone else’s offer has nothing to do with your value. Someone else’s journey is not your journey. Stay focused on your own path. Know your worth. Believe in yourself even when the process makes that difficult. Because recruiting will test your patience. It will test your confidence. It will test your ability to trust yourself when the answers aren’t clear. But don’t let it convince you that you aren’t capable. You are. You have worked too hard and come too far to doubt that.
And here’s something I want every recruit to remember: If a coach is talking to you, they’re talking to you for a reason.
They see something in you.
They see potential.
They see value.
Even if you don’t fully understand where you stand in the process, those conversations matter.
Keep showing up.
Keep working.
Keep believing.
Because when the right school finds you, everything changes. The right school won’t make you wonder if you’re wanted.
They’ll show you.
They’ll fight for you.
They’ll advocate for you.
They’ll make you feel valued, appreciated, and special. And when that moment comes, you’ll finally understand why every delay, every obstacle, every unanswered question, and every difficult day happened exactly the way it did.
You’ll realize the timing wasn’t wrong.
It wasn’t late.
It was perfect.
One day you’ll look back on this process and see that everything fell into place exactly when it was supposed to.
So as you begin this journey, take a deep breath.
Keep your chin up.
Protect your mindset.
Speak positively about yourself.
Give yourself grace.
Celebrate the small wins.
Trust the work you’ve put in.
Trust the athlete you’ve become.
And most importantly, trust that your story is still being written.
Dreams really do come true.
I know because I’ve lived it.
To every gymnast in the Class of 2028, I am so incredibly proud of you. I’m proud of your work ethic, your resilience, your sacrifices, and your courage to chase something so big.
You deserve every opportunity coming your way. You deserve every success you’ve worked for.
And no matter how long your recruiting journey takes, never forget that where you end up does not determine your worth.
The right place is out there.
The right coaches are out there.
And your moment is coming.
Keep believing.
Keep working.
Keep dreaming.
Your future is waiting for you, and it’s going to be worth every second of the journey.
With love, support, and belief in each and every one of you
-Taylor Maye
Kentucky Signee ‘26
