Gymnastics Fans... Please Help!!

Below is an email sent from Mr. Carl Schrade, chairman of New York State Boys Gymnastics and Head Boys Team Coach at World Cup Gymnastics in Chappaqua, NY. He has forwarded a letter from Mr. Roger J. Burke, Head Men's & Women's Gymnastics Coach at James Madison University, regarding JMU's decision to drop 10 varsity athletic programs including Men's & Women's Gymnastics effective July 1st, 2007.

As you may or may not know the plight of college gymnastics is a sad one. Thirty years ago there were hundreds of Men's & Women's collegiate gymnastics programs across the country. Today there are only 19 Men's and 80 Women's college teams in the country. There are also a number of club teams (like our Men's club team at SUNY Brockport), yet these clubs receive little recognition or support from their schools. Unfortunately, many talented and hard working gymnasts have no opportunity to continue gymnasts past high school because there are no alternatives at the college level. Losing another long standing program such as JMU just quickens the demise college gymnastics in it's entirety.

Those of you that are traveling to the West Point Open in January will have the opportunity to see the high level of gymnastics, excitement, and team spirit of a college gymnastics tournament. There is nothing like it!

If you would please read the email below and send a short response to the listed JMU administrators voicing your support for college athletics and gymnastics in general it would be much appreciated. Every vote of support counts. Thank you for your time and support of gymnastics!

***********************************************************************************************************Greeting Colleagues, friends and supporters of NCAA Gymnastics.On September 29 the Administration at James Madison University announced that 10 sports would be eliminated effective June 30, 2007. The Sports eliminated include Men’s Sports programs: Archery, Cross Country, Gymnastics, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, Swimming and Wrestling as well as the Women's Sports Programs: Archery, Fencing and Gymnastics.

This New Athletic Program will take effect on July 1, 2007.

There quickly formed a group of concerned parents who have been relentless in their advocacy for changing the decision made. They have met with the University Administration and are in continued dialog fighting to keep all 10 sports alive here at JMU.

I received the following from that group and feel that it is time to help the administration to understand that these sports are important not only to the athletes here and their parents but in the much farther network of the gymnastics family, intercollegiate athletics as well as in the age group/club scene.

The parents group is now asking for your help to fill their Thanksgiving Table with emails of concern and support for the 2010 option. I know this is a band-aid of sorts, but it is a vital and necessary step to providing the time (an extra two years) to fight for changes that will hopefully allow for the reinstatement of the programs now slated for elimination.

As always, please forward this on to all who you think may be able to help. Numbers of support are what is needed now. We are a group in need of assistance at this time. PLEASE ASK YOUR ATHLETES and all you know to put a few lines of support together tonight before they attend to their personal needs this weekend. We are looking for a large number of supporters with just a few lines of support not any major dissertations based on years of research.

“Affected Parents,The Parent Coalition had a follow-up with Dr. Rose this week and JMU continues to investigate the 2010 option. IF it can be worked out, it would mean that the 10 affected sport teams will not be eliminated until all freshmen can play out their respective sports for all four years.

We need your help now emailing Dr Rose, Jeff Bourne and all the BOV's telling them that you support the 2010 option. We need to communicate this in the next 2 to 4 days. In our meeting last week Dr. Rose brought up the fact that five years ago the parent uproar died down quickly. We need to let him know this is not dead.”

Email addressesDr. Linwood Rose and Mr. Jeff Bourne

president@jmu.edu , bournejt@jmu.edu

Please copy the members of the Board of visitors on the athletics committee at the addresses below.

mbowles@mwcllc.com , jdamico@roundtablehp.com , cfoster@landam.com , jhartman@truckenterprises.com , ray_murphy@mckee.com