Has there been a decline in the number of NCAA institutions sponsoring womens gymnastics?
A. Yes. Sponsorship of women’s gymnastics peaked in 1981-82, the first year the NCAA sponsored women’s championships. That year, 22.7 percent of all institutions — with 35.7 percent of institutions in Division I — sponsored the sport. In 1981-82, there were 99 institutions in Division I sponsoring women’s gymnastics. In 2004-05, there were 63 institutions sponsoring the sport, representing 19.3 percent of the membership in the division. In all three divisions, there were 179 institutions sponsoring women’s gymnastics in 1981-82 and 85 institutions sponsoring the sport in 2004-05 (8.1 percent of institutions in all three divisions).
