Gymcastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

The US camp roster featuring Simone Biles, Trinity Thomas's elite return, Chuso dropping out of Worlds, Iordache not coming back, Eli Seitz continuing to dominate, and more. American Classic We begin by gushing about Melanie de Jesus dos Santos's  beam routine and why it might be the best one she has ever done Kayla DiCello returns to elite competition for the first time since NCAA Myli Lew took the all-around title with one of the top bars scores in the US this year Amelia Disidore said AMPLITUDE The juniors are going to be OK—floor routines from Aki Tanda and Reese Esponda Gymternet News Russia and Belarus have been cleared to compete at Asian Games. What does that mean for gymnastics? Plus, the Livvy Fund, dream Worlds hosts, and more from around the gymternet JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of ou

The Alabama legend has returned to the NCAA, this time as one of the few black head coaches in college gymnastics. The "tall" (actually just slightly above average at almost 5'8") Miles Greig won a bronze medal with the U.S. team at the 2001 World Championships and made vault finals. She won the Honda Award (college gymnast of the year) and was a 4x NCAA Champion. We discuss: Why she idolized Elena Produnova. Which skills were hardest for her to learn. Which skill Simone Biles and Daiane Dos Santos competed that she also trained. Her experiences with Martha Karolyi and national team camp at The Ranch. Did she hate double tuck jumps as much as the fans did? What it was like competing with Raducan and Khorkina. If her height effected her gymnastics and experience with elite training and the advantage it gives her in coaching. How her family and friends protected her from unhealthy comments during her career. Transitioning to gymnastics at the University of Alabama and why she decided to become a sports comment

It's HAPPENINGGGGGGG The roster for US Classic is out, and Olympic all-around champions Simone Biles and Suni Lee are both on it! In this breaking news mini-sode, we discuss: How remarkable and (nearly) unprecedented it is to have two Olympic AA champions compete together in the same meet Are we surprised by Simone's return? The timing? How do Simone's 2021 routines hold up in the new code of points? What Simone could have in common with president Grover Cleveland, and other facts about her return to competition How will the end of Suni's 2023 college season affect expectations for her elite path in 2023? JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show i

Today, we’re calling out the worst, stupidest, most self-defeating and awkward rules and conventions in gymnastics, starting with... Leotard Rules - aka the Olympics of regulating women's bodies Venture with us to a world where "elegant," "proper," and "modest" are all words found in the official rule book of a competitive sport in the year 2023—and breasts are expressly prohibited Why Is Gymnastics Still the Military? Saluting and lining up in front of the generals for inspection? Where are we? The Apparatus World Cup of Stupidity From the assumption that all women are the same height, to what the FIG considers to be "undisciplined and abusive behavior," to that thing where a double front doesn't fulfill the front tumbling requirement, we take on the worst rules on each event Rules Mythbusters Things someone (usually Martha) pretended were rules, and everyone believed it, but they actually aren't Plus, they may not be rules, but some old-fashioned and infantile gymnastics conventions are on our

Did Mr. Sacramone acci-purposely leak Simone's return? Asian Championships Who qualified to worlds and who missed out? How did Aleah Finnegan and Emma Malabuyo do representing the Philippines in their returns to elite competition? Breaking down what Olympic pathways remain for Chuso and Malabuyo The new seniors impressing for the champion Chinese team—and how they measure up to the rest of the world Plus, what country is going to surprise in Antwerp, the biggest upset of worlds qualification, and the one gymnast who should get above a 5 in execution Melanie returned to elite competition at French Nationals, winning bars Japan finished naming its worlds teams and confirmed our all-beam, all-the-time dreams A BIG score-mistake controversy from the Osijek World Cup Plus, crazy new bars combination from Sanna Veerman all the headlines from around the gymternet JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the p

1984 FIGHT! Opening Assumption: Athletes from the Eastern Bloc would have won all the golds and nearly every medal at the 1984 Olympics had they attended. The 1984 Olympic medals, while amazing accomplishments, do not mean you were “best in the world” in 1984. Is that actually true? Today, we're putting it to the test. Part 1: Gymnastics history with Jessica and Spencer. What happened in 1984 and why? What were the Friendship Games, and why are gymnerds so obsessed with them? Should the results from the 1984 Olympics have an asterisk because of who was absent? What about the similarly boycotted 1980 Olympics? What about any event where the top athlete was absent? Why footage from Olomouc is one of the gymternet's greatest triumphs Part 2: Event-by-event. We take each event in turn and compare the routines, Olympics vs. Olomouc What the Soviet vaulting taught us about the importance of Yurchenkos What Ma Yanhong taught us about ROV and beam choreography Olga Mostepanova's beam, end of conversation The importa

SHE WAS ROBBED! Today, we take on the most dramatic, heinous, unforgettable robberies in gymnastics history and declare who really should have won that gold (or bronze). The 1992 Olympic All-Around: Was Shannon robbed??? The 1988 Olympic All-Around: Was Silivas robbed??? Un-American Heresy: We reassess the 1984 Olympic final and 2011 worlds all-around By Why Would I Be Second? We bring in the CSI team to pick apart the 2008 Olympic bars final, with shocking results Not Guilty: We take on a famous Olympic controversy in which there is actually no hint of robbery anywhere Deep Cuts: The 1996 vault final, the 1997 beam final, the 1980 beam final, and other moments we feel too strongly about Pickpockets and Pirates: Robbery through tie breaks, decimals, and other things out of the judges hands Bronze Is Still a Precious Medal: The 2004 all-around, the 2008 Olympic vault final, and other painful bronze results JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes e

The Pan-American Championships saw the US women win team gold alongside a stellar performance from the Mexican women's team that earned silver We continue gushing about Mexico's meet (the vault difficulty! the dramatic bars! the leap completion!) and assess how they would have stacked up at worlds last year Which fan favorites qualified to worlds as individuals, which didn't, and what was most surprising about this weekend's race to keep Olympic hopes alive Event titles for Alexa Moreno, Nola Matthews, Tiana Sumanasekera, and Josc Roberson, and a special shout-out to everyone who is doing a double front at 30. At African Championships, Kaylia Nemour made all our dreams come true, Sandra Elsadek qualified to worlds, and South Africa turned the tables on Egypt Qiu Qiyuan continued to be the star of Chinese Nationals, with titles in the AA and on bars and beam, and Ou Yushan took silver with the whip, whip, 3/1 that dreams are made of Plus, Shang Chunsong putting all those young whippersnappers to shame, e

Emma Spence Interview Tokyo Olympic alternate, Emma Spence, represented Canada at the 2022 World Championships and Commonwealth Games winning bronze in the team event at both competitions. The World bronze was the Canadian women's first team medal ever. Emma is currently a gymnast at Nebraska while serving on the FIG Safeguarding Working Group. We discussed: Traveling on a pre-G7 peace mission with other gymnasts and FIG President Watanabe to Japan. And of course, cultural goofs. Which parties are the best;  elite or college. Simultaneously competing for a world medal and speaking at the first ever FIG Safeguarding Symposium at Liverpool Worlds. Yes, literally on the same day. The current state of Gymnastics Canada under investigation for abuse. All the culture shock competing at Nebraska; including wild things Americans have said to her international college athlete group. Having to get ultrasounds at Nebraska to make sure her spleen was safe to return to training before Worlds. Why a coach had to come ou

The Best Beam Routines All other apparatuses take a seat. Today is a beam day. We discuss what makes beam the best apparatus and the qualities consistent across history's greatest beam routines The best overall beam routines, starring Yang Bo, Li Li, Fan Ye, Tatiana Lysenko, Kui Yuanyuan, and Chen Cuiting Honors for excellence in specific fields of study, such as badassery, hands, spinning, ease, aggression, rhythm, and Kathy Johnson moans And finally, how do we make beam more like Yang Bo? JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here. Buy our awesome clothing and

Today, we update and revisit some of our favorite busted gymnastics myths—and bust some new myths as well Myths that sound too crazy to be true, naked gymnastics edition Dumb crap left over by haters about periods, height, and lines Who REALLY scored the first perfect 10? The myth of the "candle" mount and the "Liukin" Fighting for justice for Olga Mostepanova, Kerri Strug, Larissa Libby and more Who REALLY won the world all-around title in 2005? Is gymnastics a sport dominated by high schoolers? Was the Sydney vault REALLY set wrong? Was Olga Korbut REALLY the first to do the Korbut? Is Simone Biles the most decorated gymnast of all time? JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night N

How to Get to Paris The gymnastics qualification journey for the 2024 Paris Olympics is already underway, and we're here with a full explainer of the pathways for team and individuals. We'll explain what's different from the 2020 qualification process, answering important questions like, how do Lynnzee Brown and Oksana Chusovitina make the Olympics? Headline News NCAA moving and shaking: With Kayla DiCello deferring for the Olympics, three Utah gymnasts entering the transfer portal, and the new head coaching hires, college gymnastics has been busy since nationals Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos (FRA) is scheduled to compete at the US Classic as an exhibition athlete! Dysfunction and the Romanian federation: a rundown of the latest trouble Puflea accused Lucian Sandu of abuse. Texting her mother that she wanted to jump out the window to get away from Deva. A new head coaching staff, including Patrick Kiens (NED) were hired to coach the national team. Gina Gogean resigned and then was reinstated by the Romani

Oklahoma won its 6th title by .150 over Florida. We discuss whether this makes sense, the perils of recency bias, and the exquisite joys of motivational lying Trinity tied the all-time 10s record in her final competition and we relive the journey of watching Trinity during the warmup periods this weekend The semifinals, UCLA being eliminated with a 197.9, Cal doing its best Michigan impression, and the problems with trying to compare the two semifinals The story of Tasha Brozowski at regionals and how to help her family Maile O'Keefe, Olivia Trautman, and Jordan Chiles are individual NCAA champions Behind-the-scenes stories from the area, including the Falling Table of Doom and the Gator of Spencer's Sorrow We try to speak some rules for 2024 into existence, plus some quick items from European Championships before we get into more details next time and an update on Riley McCusker's lawsuit against Maggie Haney. Photo Galleries from NCAAs here  JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!)

NCAA Nationals Preview  It's NCAA Nationals this week! We look at the competition from a few angles: the eagle-eyed view from the second tier, the view from the fan section, and the view from the judges table, to examine what we expect to see, what the fans want to see, and what the judges should be seeing. Is Florida still a top favorite, what do Cal and LSU need to do to advance, can anyone touch Oklahoma, is Utah's W/L dominance over UCLA foreshadowing, are the judges going to differentiate Yurchenko 1.5s, and will they be willing to go 10? Our very important wish list for in-arena comedy and thoughts on the LSU documentary The all-around title: Is it going to be the Jordan Chiles show? Or will Haleigh Bryant or Leanne Wong steal the crown? Plus, Pick Your Fighter: Spoiler Edition NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE SHOW ON SALE NOW Gymternet News The men's injury apocalypse, top gymnasts to watch, and abounding sexism at this week's European Championship Gymnasts are going to the G7, and a lawsuit over NCAA volu

NCAA Regionals The Denver regional broke us. We delve into what happened with the tiebreak and what happens when the results don't match what you see with your open eyes A brief intermission from fury for important honors in the field of coach outfits and stick celebration violence Back to controversy with Oklahoma counting a fall on beam and still winning its regional. We discuss whether that was correct, and whether it should be possible to win a regional final with two falls on beam The biggest shocks of regionals, from Jade Carey not advancing to nationals as an all-arounder, to no Big Ten teams making the final 8, to which team totally cheaped out on its intro video Plus, Trinity's leg injury in the semifinal and how it did (or didn't) affect Florida, Cal recording the highest score of all the regional finals, Auburn's 3-fall bars rotation, Kentucky returning to nationals, and UCLA fending off a challenge from Missouri Individual qualification brought some surprising all-around qualifiers and some egre

NCAA Regionals Preview It's elimination season. 36 becomes 16. 16 becomes 8. We break down the regional championships, renaming each one to give it a more accurate title, assigning the official regional agents of chaos, and profiling key matchups—like Kentucky vs Alabama, Cal vs Michigan State, and the Denver regional vs the judges. All the individuals who need to qualify to nationals otherwise the sport is canceled, and a rage-o-meter about treating gymnastics like an ACTUAL SPORT. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE SHOW ON SALE NOW Plus, Jessica watched every 10.000 from this season and has the final verdict on how many of them were real, and we discuss the recurring themes of what deductions aren't taken and the hardest qualities to codify. Gymternet News and More The IOC really wants Russia to compete again, and we look at comeback season in Britain and beyond We have a mini-commission all about the wonders of Alaska gymnastics and a Rage-o-Meter about never clapping for the other team! EXTRA CLUB CONTENT Clu

The Brody Malone injury, Russia missing a critical deadline, Trinity Watch, and neutral deduction drama dominated the news this week Plus, NCAA regional assignments are out. We decide which semifinal is the group of death, learn some new pronunciations from the selection show, and explain why Arizona should start a rebellion Meet News Josc Roberson's floor final D-score exposed the code as a farce, and other developments from the DTB Cup in Stuttgart Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Utah won their conference championships. We discuss Oklahoma's program beam record, the high bars scores at SECs, improvements from Florida, and why this result was so important for Alabama Your feedback on whether we think an NCAA routine could get a 10.000 E score in elite. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE SHOW  On sale now for Club Gym Nerd members with discount. Discount expires on March 24th when tickets go on sale to general public. EXTRA CLUB CONTENT Club Gym Nerd members can watch the video version of the show, join us for liv

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE SHOW On sale now for Club Gym Nerd members with discount. Discount expires on March 24th when tickets go on sale to general public. Headlines The latest on Suni Lee's and Jordan Chiles' competition plans Should Jordan's vault this week have been a 10??????? Haleigh Bryant got 3 perfect 10s in a single meet Plus, Oklahoma said playtime is over after last week's loss, Cal set more program records than it knows what to do with, and Kentucky elbowed its way ahead of Alabama and Auburn NCAA Gymnastics Week 10 How To Get To Nationals: A GymCastic Postseason Explainer — We trace the journey of some of your favorite, deeply dramatic individuals and teams and how they can advance through the postseason All your questions about hosting, seeding, individual titles, and geographic regionals placement Who needs a score this weekend, and what are some of the sleeper conference championships to watch? Finally, the wildest things that happened on BTN+ this week, and do we think Maile O'Keefe's be

NCAA Gymnastics Week 9 Florida didn't put up full-strength lineups against Oklahoma and it was the talk of the town. The people were triggered! We discuss why it felt like a letdown and missed opportunity, make the argument in favor of Florida, and generally fix the problems with the NCAA schedule Heroes don't need capes, but they do need vault collars Updating the All-Time Record Watch for Trinity and Jade heading into the last meets before championship season Michigan upset Oklahoma (!) on Monday. We have thoughts. Spencer gives the update on how scary regionals would be if the season ended today and why Auburn is the most interesting team to follow this week Plus, your feedback on intimidating the opposition, what counts as a "hit" routine, Florida conspiracy theories, the Fisk fan club, and attending meets in person JOIN CLUB GYM NERD Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes. Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of th

Winter Cup This was the year the women truly understood the meaning of Winter Cup: Falling We discuss Lexi Zeiss going full Ellie Black on this meet, the importance of being Nola Matthews, and our breakout stars—and breakout comedians—of the women's senior session (with some Cottbus thrown in for luck) Whose floor routines escaped THE WRATH OF DONATELLA? Not many. But a couple. Like, exactly 2. One, Two. Then we send some overdone choreographic gestures to a farm upstate. The broadcast: why NBC is actually...getting better? Plus, some gymnerd deep cut YouTube assignments, and that time Yul Moldauer went "ALTERNATE THIS" all over the men's competition. NCAA Week 8 Headlines Standing full alert! An update on the 10s record chase, and we answer the question: Why does Jade Carey have nine 10s while Jordan Chiles has four? Oklahoma set a program record and an all-time NQS record this week Dear the equipment, um...are you OK? Feedback on SABOTAGE and the importance of HBCUs in gymnastics We had a rare, mythic 10