Gymcastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

This week’s episode is commissioned by Club Gym Nerd Member Ryan, who asked for an episode all about GYMNASTICS FAILS—“the craziest, jaw-dropping-est, and most importantly hilarious instances when it simply wasn’t someone’s day—the most ridiculous falls, the wardrobe malfunctions, and infamous equipment fails. No one is off limits for gymnastics blooper reels. I want this episode to be lighthearted, nostalgic, and a reminder that gymnastics is a struggle for basically all of the human race at one point or another.” Time Stamps Gymnastics Fail Challenge (2:43) Vault and Bars (12:36) Bart Deurloo and The Case of The Wondering Nuts (34:39) Beam (38:10) Floor (55:27) Hilarious Saves (1:02:38) Wardrobe Malfunctions including Stacey Ervin and the Case of the Escaped Nut (1:06:52) Equipment Fails (1:13:20) Oops I Forgot (1:17:51) WATCH LIST Follow along as we discuss each magnificent fail, which are linked in the order in which we discuss them. Martina Rizzelli Michelle Kenney Laura Mitchell Margret Kristinsdo

USAG DUMPSTER FIRE NEWS Last week, Kerry Perry laid off a number of USAG employees, including Senior Vice President Rhonda Faehn in the middle of the only national team camp of the year. We dedicate this episode to Scott Bregman, savior of  the gymternet, champion of transparency and live streams who was laid off this week as well.  Watch Kerry Perry testify before Congress on May 23rd and 10am Eastern here A blow-by-blow of everything that went down—and why it was carried out so terribly We break down the argument against Rhonda, the argument for Rhonda, everything in between, the inconsistencies that abound, and the questions we still have LISTEN—Episode 293: Inside Elite Verification with Rhonda Faehn What would you have done in Rhonda's position? What was with the timing of this move, and why it's so revealing Why the athletes felt they had no choice but to turn to social media Why we feel Kerry Perry has failed in her most important job What we know and still don't know about the Nassar timeline GY

This week's episode is commissioned by Club Gym Nerd Member Alison and her Gym Boys, Foster, Quint, Valis, and Aaron, who commissioned an episode all about THE GYMCASTIC OLYMPICS. It's our Olympics, and we can cry if we want to. We also get to select our all-time, all-star Olympic teams without any stupid limitations like geographical borders or the concept of time—don't worry, the power goes immediately to our heads and turns us crazy—and decide where it's going to be held, how much AI is involved (a lot), what extra medals will be awarded that are definitely better than bars or whatever, and exactly which acts will be performed in the super tacky gala. You know, the important stuff. Come for us drafting our all-time personal Olympic teams, stay for the fight about whether Phillip Boy is sexy enough to be in a promotional rap video for our Olympics. So yeah, it goes off the rails right quick. If you have half as much fun listening to this episode as we had recording it... Time Stamps: The Draft (7:33), The E

MEET NEWS This week, we are joined by Luba from Gymnovosti (become a patron of Gymnovosti on Patreon here) to tell us all about the Mustafina Championship. We mean Russian Championship (7:00).  But....MUSTAFINA IS BACK! And she finished 4th! And gave a fantastic interview that every gymnast and coach should read: "Pregnancy was my vacation." Do Mustafina and Komova look on track for Euros and worlds teams this year? Is Angelina Melnikova...like...consistent now?!?!?!? How did Irina Alexeeva do in her Russian debut? How did the Russians commentators react to her Americanness? Plus: Nabieva is coming out of not-retirement to be officially not retired, tears for Seda, Abliazin's Olympic strategy, obligatory Oleg Stepko drama, and the Russian commentators are even worse than Al Trautwig with some Rage-o-Meter-worthy things to say about Simone.  Plus, the Pacific Rim Championship (44:31) —because if you're not on the Pacific, you can't sit with us, unless you're Argentina or Cuba.  Jessica says the words "suns

Preview of NCAA's and interview with Texas Dreams elite and Florida Gator great, Kennedy Baker!  If you are a Club Gym Nerd member, you can watch a video of the live show here by logging into your account. 

MEET NEWS Live Show with Kennedy Baker and our overall impressions of the weekend (3:58) UCLA wins its 7th national title in remarkable upset fashion! (Super Six 13:19) Peng. Peng Peng Peng Peng Peng. Peng. Oklahoma finishes less than a single deduction behind UCLA. It's the Gutsu/Miller of our time.  We break down the small, tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal differences that decided the title Jessica and Spencer argue over how to count to 4. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. Most exciting Super Six EVAH? BYES ARE OVER. Why this was the best possible advertisement for a four-team final, and why it's going to get even harder next year. Important Moments about Feelings with Jessica (28:56) Cereal gobbling, romance, wedgies, hot dads, crying, car accidents, positivity, red pants, hype planes, chariots, dino buns, Disney World, EEEEEEEEEEEEE...you know how it goes Probably too much discussion of coach fashion and hot random staff members (just kidding) (it's never too much) (Suzanne's heels, you guys) Special New Segment: C

MEET NEWS Jesolo! (3:00) Emma Malabuyo is the new queen of Italy Ragan Smith returns for first competition since worlds qualification Adeline Kenlin is officially a national treasure BRAZIL! Flavia is back and being so perfectly Flavia that line judges just ignore OOBs Jade Barbosa is partying like it's 2007 Romania had two whole people (neither named Larisa) who hit bars at the same time Elena Gerasimova has speed, backward shoulder rolls, and a wolf turn fake-out for the ages Vladislava Urazova's asymmetrical braid took the juniors by storm SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMEDY Liu Jinru with the most preposterous 3/1 + punch front in Chinese history Perebinosova got caught in a twister and Eleonora Afanasyeva body slammed herself Lara Mori's vault run is a victory in itself Desiree Carofiglio's Popeye shuffle is the highlight of the whole competition The Jesolo award ceremony is a psychotic meltdown with surreal fever-dream trophies Tokyo! (53:48) When the Olympic Channel freaked everyone out

MEET NEWS NCAA regional competition has narrowed 36 teams down to 12. We break down the goodies and baddies from all six meets. (6:25)  Tuscaloosa – Georgia upsets Michigan! Beam Hero Sabrina Vega's long road from 2011 worlds (which was SEVEN years ago you guys) Illinois's against-the-odds amazing season ...what's the deal with Michigan? Minneapolis The beauty Olympics! Kentucky makes nationals as a team for the FIRST TIME EVER The NCAA writing staff got the individual all-around qualifiers exactly right this season Salt Lake City PHEW! Elizabeth Price qualified for the all-around The legacy of Jenny Hansen and Kelly Garrison Auburn's unfortunate record of missing nationals with really high scores Columbus OK. We HAVE to talk about that 0.1 ND for UCLA on vault Bowling Green! Jovannah East qualifies to nationals and India McPeak makes history Feedback about how you should be able to CHEER at a damn SPORTING EVENT like a NORMAL PERSON Raleigh The one that was supposed to be close and exciting. A

GYMTERNET NEWS A CNN investigation into John Geddert spoke with seven gymnasts/families about their experiences with him, and it wasn't pretty Physical abuse, verbal abuse, suicide attempts Police complaints dating back to 1986 A letter to USAG in 2013 detailing the problems Steve Penny KNEW and chose to do nothing. Because publicity. CNN also has the May 2017 Karolyi depositions. They aren't pretty either. Apparently the Karolyis had very little to do with the ranch and barely ever met or talked to Larry Nassar. Huh? It was all USAG's and Kathy Kelly's fault "I wanted them to be safe, but..." Nassar's boss, William Strampel, has been arrested for insane 1970s sexual misconduct. That's the official charge.  Those two MSU trainers who were informed about Nassar and did nothing still work there  MSU spent $500K in January monitoring social media accounts of Nassar survivors and journalists. We definitely can't think of a better use for that money USAG Athlete Assistance Fund application and the Sa

This week, Jessica and Spencer are joined by Craig Zappa from ENA in Paramus, the coach of US national team member Olivia Dunne, who is here to tell us all about Olivia's progress and preparations for Jesolo, how that whole Jesolo-as-individuals thing came about, how he felt about the live stream of verification (total scores), and to join our discussion of all the major news of the week—while Jessica definitely oversells Olivia's new floor routine and loses it about the cuteness of Cory the Gym Dog.  MEET NEWS NCAA Conference Championships! The Pac-12 and SEC Championships were...not great? Crack or Correct: Was UCLA held up by the judges? Beam perfection—Kiana Winston and Alyssa Baumann edition Peng Peng Lee continues to make history (Six more years! Six more years! Peng 2024!) The SEC Network Gymnerd dream feed (and what NBC could learn...) Conference Championships RAGE-O-METERS Gun sound effects. Other sound effects exist, people. Jessica has suggestions Always change the camera angle to the FRONT

MEET NEWS  (6:23) STUTTGART! Komova is back and as gorgeous as ever on bars and beam "It's all fun and games until Russia goes to beam" Nina Derwael has a 6.4 D on bars and is ridiculous Axelle Klinckaert has the insane Harry Potter floor routine we've been waiting for all our lives. Spencer breaks it down second-by-second because he needs medical help. World Cup The winner is Zhang Jin like everyone predicted! Jordan Chiles took bronze with big vault and floor sets. Now, about that routine composition... Melnikova wins the hilarious save competition Our favorite skills: Tisha Volleman's Arabian beam mount! Sarah Voss's Delladio! Brinn Bevan used a medical emergency to warm Jessica's heart A special tribute to Danusia Francis's floor save from the British Championship The Baku World Cup restored our fervor for a CHUSO AA 2020 campaign. GYMTERNET NEWS (58:05) In a Washington Post article, Aly Raisman and trainer Melanie Seaman detailed the poor conditions at the ranch. Then, all hell broke loose on

ELVIRE AND CECILE! Get excited. This week, Jessica had the pleasure of chatting with legendary daredevil beam queen and two-time Olympian Elvire Teza and her partner in French greatness, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, 1996 Olympian and coach of 2016 Olympic gold medalist for team USA, 2015 bars world champ, Madison Kocian and—now—Simone Biles! How training has changed from the 80's and 90's. Being part of the French superstar era of firsts with Isabelle Severino, Ludvine Furnon and Eloidie Lussac. Stereotypes of French training vs. American training: cigarettes, boyfriends, wine, baguettes, artistry, etc. Adriana Pop and Laurent Landi bringing the makeup to the French-style performance game. How Teza learned her crazy eponymous skills and dealing with her constant fear. Why Cecile chooses to stay in the United States for the "more rewarding" gymnastics, especially NCAA and level 10s. What they think of the current Code of Points  and how they'd do under todays code. What it's like coaching Simone Biles and which c

AMERICAN CUP (5:00) We get to talk about actual gymnastics this week! UNCLE TIM, Jessica, and Spencer discuss the big headlines Morgan Hurd won all the everythings and has improved SO MUCH, even since worlds Mai Murakami had the best performance by a non-American since 2011 Yul Moldauer's form (and hair) is the entire point of gymnastics Kenzo had a no good, very bad day Mao Yi broke her femur on an UNSAFE VAULT, but Morinari Watanabe brought her 100,000 bags of chips so it's all OK Maile O'Keefe's ankles might have special powers, and we should look into that From Petro Pakhniuk to Lorette Charpy to BROOKLYN'S FLOOR to Sun Wei's vault height, we pick our special highlights of the meet. Jessica has five. (32:16) It didn't all go...great, so we select our un-highlights from this year's American Cup, including "The People's Republic of Japan" and why the PA announcer made Spencer feel unsafe Brooklyn Moors breaking everyone's hearts/it does't matter because Brooklyn Moors The failures of E score in the curre

ELITE VERIFICATION Jessica was at LSU for elite verification! (5:00) Much like Santa Claus, Jessica Claus arrived in the middle of the night to bring us All the inside scoop we could ever ask for Trinity Thomas, Margzetta Frazier (43:30), and Jordan Chiles (50:13) reacting to the new verification experience in their own words An exclusive interview with Rhonda Faehn where she discusses (59:20) What her job actually is, especially now The search for a new NTC: whether the position will be split into different jobs, who will be making that decision, and what USAG is looking for from its new NTC Why people should trust her, a former Karolyi gymnast, to bring a change in culture The search for a new national training center, and much more Plus, Jessica answers all of our (so, Spencer’s) questions about verification like What was the atmosphere? And more importantly, was it weird? How is Safe Sport being employed in the national team system now? What was the parents’ reaction to being invited in? What do tho

GYMTERNET NEWS (2:05) The Preventing Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act has been signed into law! What it says, why it's important, and also GO TO THE POLICE! USAG probably lied to the Senate, and MSU's dog ate its homework In "not just gymnastics" news, USA Swimming may be even worse in scope and duration Aly, McKayla, and others refuse to participate in the USOC investigation and lay the smackdown on Scott Blackmun We rage about those HORRIBLE local news fluff pieces where coaches proudly proclaim that none of their gymnasts were abused.  Dave Chapelle on imperfect allies in part two of his Netflix special,  The Bird Revelation. USAG will be STREAMING the LSU verification meet. Is this meaningful transparency? A whole bunch of US individuals will be competing at Jesolo, just like we told them to! Skinner is entertaining the possibility of going for 2020 (39:48)  A rundown of how that would work in the super-complicated 2020 qualification format Thoughts on Megan M

GYMTERNET NEWS First, Jessica has two op-eds out, one in HuffPo and one in the LA Times—which you MUST read otherwise we can't be friends anymore. Also, we explain why you might see that Nassar interview showing up in your feeds this week. BUT THEN: Clarifications about the February verification at LSU regarding chaperones, compensation, and reimbursement WOGA is in trouuuuuuuuble for its handling of sexual abuse complaints Aly says Geddert might have known in 2011. He's also facing a criminal investigation. Oh, look how that worked out.  The House of Representatives is initiating an investigation into all the major players. Spencer and Jessica have dreams about what comes next.  GUH. FRAN. COME ON.  MSU might actually fire someone. Whaaaaaaa? The FIG president issues a plan to address sexual abuse. What Jessica thinks his fashion choices tell us about his intentions. The Oleg Verniaiev interview that must be read to be believed. MEET NEWS Is UCLA for real? Is Florida...going to be for real? Ivy L

GYMTERNET NEWS (03:28) Valeri Liukin has RESIGNED as National Team Coordinator! Our reactions Was Valeri forced out, or did he decide this himself? Who should succeed him as NTC? The state of the current WAG program We discuss the new verification competition being held at LSU ...and the ensuing, totally predictable NCAA coach freak out The 180 USAG just did on the family chaperone issue, along with our concerns #WST Larry Nassar's FINAL sentencing (37:33) We might never have to look at him again! The dad who lunged at him in court. Yea or Nay? Michigan State offices raided by law enforcement The USOC failed to act on Nassar's abuse for a full year (Shock! Surprise!) Senator Gillibrand calls for the DOJ to investigate the USOC The New York Times says at least 40 people were abused by Nassar AFTER the FBI already knew about him. What an ACTUAL FBI agent told Gina Nichols, and why it sort of blows up USAG's party line THE. SIMONE. MOVIE. (52:38) Ironically amazing or actually amazing? WHAT

GYMTERNET NEWS Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include: Victim Impact Statements and why everyone should go to USAG meets dressed as Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. Mattie Larson made a big impact talking about how USAG created an abusive environment.  McKenzie Wooford backed her up.  Rachael Denhollander gave a speech to go down in the history books, "What Is A Little Girl Worth?" Who should play her in the Oscar-winning movie? We explain why Judge Aquilina was legally allowed to be partial so everyone can calm down. USOC cracking down...now...suddenly. We have feelings.  Why the Daniels Report wasn't enough. Aly Raisman hit the USOC back with her own demands for an independent investigation. We want a Truth and Reconciliation hearing with Valeri Liukin. Congress passed Senate Bill 534 Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act. Next step is Trump's signature.  These three voted against the bill. Feel free to vote them out of office:

IN THE NEWS Victim impact statements in the sentencing for Larry Nassar began last week and continue this week. You can continue to watch it live here. Update: Upon order of USOC, Paul Parilla resigns. John Geddert suspended ! Kyle Stephens: “Little girls don’t stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world.” Lindsey Lemke: “Larry, I hope you, Lou Anna Simon, Kathie Klages, John Geddert, and all of USAG are scared, because you have pissed off the wrong army of women.” The awfulness of Geddert, quote by quote, story by story 14 were warned of Nassar abuse at MSU, at least one of whom is still working with the gymnastics team! WHAT?! Jordyn Wieber: "Larry Nassar is accountable. USA Gymnastics is accountable. The U.S. Olympic Committee is accountable. My teammates and friends have been through enough and now it's time for change." Aly Raisman: “Imagine feeling like you have no power and no voice. Well, you know what, Larry? I have both power and voice, and I am only beginn

GYMTERNET NEWS Jessica and Spencer discuss Simone Too Shutting down the ranch and options for an athlete and parent association Karolyi Ranch PTSD is real Maggie Nichols is Athlete A Maggie and her coach Sarah Jantzi reported Nassar to USA Gymnastics in June 2015 Complaint states that Steve Penny discouraged her parents from reporting to law enforcement Nassar was allowed to see patients for two years while under criminal investigation by MSU USAG's awful reaction statement reveals not a web of lies, but a web of stupid We break down USAG's commitment to "well, actually"-ing the survivors, while simultaneously admitting misdeeds The trouble with Fran. When is an "investigator" actually an "investigator"? USAG claims it did not identify interviewed athletes by name. Really, though? At what point is it time to close down USAG and start over? Geddert In motion to dismiss, he claims Rachael should really be suing her own mom Survivor statements indicate he knew as early as 1997 A listener asks why