Temple has announced its intent to drop Men's Gymnastics as one of seven programs to be eliminated at the end of the year. The loss of yet another Men's program will be felt throughout the NCAA. Temple also is setting the elimination of baseball, men's crew, Men's indoor and outdoor track, Women's crew and softball. The elimination of the two women's sports is somewhat unusual in that many schools use similar high roster count sports to achieve Title IX compliance. The women's gymnastics team was not cut.
In total, 150 athletes (208 roster positions) and 9 full time coaches were impacted by today's announcement. According to Philly.com, the school has said the savings will help improve funding of the other sports, including more scholarships for women's sports (in general). Lack of adequate facilities played a role in the elimination of baseball, softball, track and crew. The school also claims that the training facility for gymnastics is inadequate to hold both the men's and women's team.
Title IX is being cited as the motivation for the change, but reportedly has helped spare the Women's team. Temple claims that with these changes, they will correct a Title IX imbalance. Currently, the school is 51% female but only 42% of the scholarships go to the women's programs.
In 1994, the baseball and gymnastics teams were proposed for elimination but were saved.
We'll keep you updated on the efforts to save the Men's program, and how you can help.
Link: Temple Release
Link: Philly.com
Natalie Vaculik, Canadian International Elite and the younger sister of Stanford's Kristina Vaculik, has committed to Georgia according to a news article. As a senior this year, Natalie is eligible to join the team next fall. However she plans to postpone college for a season or two while she works toward the next Olympic Games.
Natalie finished 2nd AA at the 2013 Canadian Championships. In the event finals, she placed 4th on bars and 8th on beam.
Rachel Slocum, L10 at Shonshine Gymnastics in N.C., has committed to EMU. Last season she finished 4th AA at regionals and qualified to JOs. She was also crowned regional vault champ.