Gymcastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Oklahoma sophomore, Haley Scaman (L), co-national champions Oklahoma and Florida, Florida senior Mackenzie Caquatto embraces Alaina Johnson (R).  In the news, Jess, Uncle Tim, and Spencer from our absolute, hands-down favorite NCAA gymnastics analysis website, The Balance Beam Situation, chat about : The Ljubljana World Cup - the return of Ana Pavlova with a win on bars, Danny Pinheiro-Rodrigues with his light as a feather-stiff as a board inspired, super-human skill on rings and Mr. Oleg Verniaiev winning two events. The Korea Meet - Louis Smith beat Krisztian Berki (woah!), Brandon Wynn gold, Yang "The God of Vault" Hak Seon debuted a new vault and why Olivia Vivian and John Orozco should be on Dancing With The Stars. Komova's latest injury and Ferlitto is forced to pull out of Euros. Romania vs. Belgium vs. France -  Iordache won everything, Diana Bulimar impresses in her comeback and we fall in love with a buttery french chocolate- eclair of a routine from France's Loan His. Jessica gives us a behind t

  An all-interview episode with 1988 Olympic alternate at the Seoul Games and Florida head-coach, Rhonda Faehn. She is a super gym-nerd, just like us. We discuss: Competing at World Championships with no ligaments left in her ankle. The pile of injuries that led to her injury-retirement from UCLA. How she met her super-hot, French, tennis coach husband at Florida. What was Rhonda thinking as her team made uncharacteristic falls at Regionals. What it was like living away from home with Phoebe Mills and then the Kristie Phillips family. Being a Karolyi Kid; one of the first crop of gymnasts to train with Nadia's coaches when they first came to the US. If there were any perks, like extra leo sparkles for becoming national champions. Mackenzie Caquatto won a silver medal with the US team at the Rotterdam World Championships in 2010. Then she became a key player at the University of Florida and led the Gators to their first ever, national championship. Can having a boyfriend actually improve a girl's gymnastic

British all-around Champions, Rebecca Tunney and Max Whitlock. Why is his cup so much bigger than hers?!   In the news, Jess, Blythe, and Emma chat about: Would dismounting onto a bed of nails be punishment enough for this coach? After his domination at Doha, could Epke Zonderland take over p-bars next? The return of Australian Floor World Champ, Lauren Mitchell at Doha. Our new and veteran favorites from the British Championships. Princess Catherine of Europa - was her leo created with the metal from an actual crown? Our picks for Commonwealth and European Championships teams. Can Azerbeijan grow their imported team into a sustainable future? All the British gymnasts we want to come to the US to do NCAA gymnastics. To see all four of our Gymitation contest winners go to our website here.  Prizes are first come, first serve. E-mail us at gymcastic@gmail.com to claim your prize.  Someone recruit this girl to NCAA stat! We can't get enough of Laura Mitchell from Heathrow Gymnastics in London. She is fierce

University of Georgia head coach, Danna Durante.   This week's guest is Danna Durante (née Danna Lister). She grew up as an elite gymnast in Oklahoma. After the 1988 Olympic Trials she went on to a successful career at Arizona State where she scored 5 perfect 10's, then became a judge and college coach. She had a very rocky start at the University of Georgia. It was easy to see that the team was still loyal to outgoing coach Jay Clarke and reluctant to embrace a new head coach. But in her first year, she lead Georgia to their first NCAA Championship final in four years. Entering her second year at Georgia, we discuss: If she will be wearing sequence gowns and heels like her predecessor Suzanne Yoculan. Lindsey Cheek's vault - fans want it to get a 10 already for crying out loud! Collaborating on choreography with Georgia alum, Cassidy McComb  How she got her very divided, Jay Clarke devoted team on board when she took over. If former head coach Yoculan gives her advice or Creating a welcoming environment fo

In the news, Jessica, Uncle Tim, Lauren Hopkins U.S. editor at The Couch Gymnast chat about: Norah Flatley, the best thing out of Iowa since Chow landed, is going to Jesolo! The Australian gymnasts have been released from gymnastics prison! We like Georgia Godwin. Low scores, fulls on beam and clean gymnastics at Cottbus. Rodionova, Scheder or Komova -who will be the new queen of the inbar stalder? Princess Catherine Lyons of Europa teaches us how to salute Broken floor plates, vault mastery and Louis Smith at the English Championships. The 30 year-old swan of Chilean gymnastics, Ochoda ballet's it up on floor. Danusia gets a 10 on beam with her insanely difficulty dismount. GYMITATION CONTEST: Enter our #gymitation contest by imitating your favorite gymnast. Just take a photo or video of you doing a pose, skill or impression of a gymnast. Tell us who you are imitating, tag us and include the hashtag #gymitation. We’ll pick our favorites to win one of these fantastic four prizes! Check them out here. No sh

Jenny Hansen (R) with her coach Randy Lane. Jenny Hansen is here! Follow her on Instagram as you listen this week and you'll be giggling along with us. The Wisconsin native attended the University Kentucky where she won three consecutive NCAA All-Around Championship titles between1993 and 1995. She is the only person to ever win three straight All-Around titles. Jen won a total of eight national titles. She accomplished all of this while competing as an individual, without a team to set up her scores at NCAA Championships. Then 14 years after her career ended, Make It Or Break It pulled Jen right back into gymnastics when she started doing stunts for the show. In 2011, she went elite again at age 37. We discuss: Why you should never drink before taking a backflip bet while wearing steel toe boots The sport that drew her to the University of Kentucky (Hint, it involves Fascinators). Why she stayed away from elite gymnastics in her youth, but not as a adult. The importance of fans when competing as an indivi

This week Jessica and Lauren Hopkins from The Couch Gymnast chat about: The 5th annual Nastia Liukin Cup: pink, roses, great level 10s and no ties! Márta Karolyi commentating live during the Nastia Cup broadcast! SQUEAL! Elizabeth "Ebee" "Consistency "Price winning by almost 3 points. The solution for Orozco's mental game--we are sending him to Texas Dreams. American Cup a preview of World floor podium? Ferrari, Ebee and Moors? Why Moors' coach,Elvira Saadi, should always carry a spare leotard. NBC broadcast commentary, including, "She doesn't look very Japanese." Why John Macready should have his own game show for kids. The level of difficulty for the women at the American Cup versus NCAA. TV etiquette for gymnastics fans. Shame on you parents of North Carolina! Coming soon our website, Christy Linder's In The Arena: a photo essay from The American Cup.  March gym nerd contest: Enter our #gymitation contest by imitating your favorite gymnast. Just post a photo or video doing a pose, skill or impression of

  In the news, Jessica, Uncle Tim, and Evan Heiter chat about: Screaming women losing their minds at the Winter Cup Anthony Macullum - the JayZ of double layouts Dannel Leyva failing to make the national team Is the Olympic Training Center the next great gymnastics "club?" Why The Nastia Liukin Cup is one of the best all-around events in the biz (Kyle Shewfelt's meet where the judges wore clown outfits was tied before it was retired) American Cup preview - our picks for winners and cool skills Gabby Douglas and UCLA get a fantastic new coach in technical phenom, Dominic Palange. This week's NCAA 10's: Illinois's Amber See on vault, Sydney Sawa on Floor and controversy over score escalation at the Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma. And here are the latest news stories from around the gymternet: Louis Smith and Dan Keating back in the saddle! Shawn Johnson having trouble being critical as a commentator Nastia explains why Russians don't smile Unrest in Ukraine disrupts gymnastics Jess's Rage-o-Meter strikes

Miss Aly Raisman, the most decorated American in London and the Olympic champ on floor. She used to be called "my mini-me" by Alicia Sacramone and then she became one of the most consistent gymnasts in the United States. She clinched team gold for the Fierce Five  in London with a clutch performance on floor. That routine featured some of her trademark INSANE tumbling. She's back in the gym and ready to return to competition later this year.  We discuss: If she's still on track to be back for Classics in Chicago. Bars, bars and bars, yes, she talks about her love/hate relationship with bars. Her advice about handling pressure (because she's so freakin' good at it!) Crazy skills she's been working on. Kenzo look out! What helped her improve her flexibility and toe point last year. What happened with Jordyn in the training room when Aly advanced to all-around finals without her. How her relationship with coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan has changed since the Olympics. Her thoughts on the Chinese age controv

Svetlana Boginskaya and William Yee tell their love story! Photo from Svetlana Boginskaya on Instagram. Click the photo to link   This week Jessica and Evan (Uncle Tim has laryngitis!) chat about: Coverage of the Winter Olympics so far (hint, O'Beirne is furious). Should NCAA judges be paid equally no matter where the meet is held? CNBC's Soviet-born reporter translated the shocking things Russia's "Rossiya-2 Sport" channel is saying about gymnasts and their bodies. The Gabby Douglas movie - an O'Beirne review. The latest 10s in NCAA, who was robbed of a 10 and the polar vortex takes it's first gymnastics victim. Leotards that made us want to light a bonfire and dance around it until Project Runway rescues us. A listeners' Valentine's day letter of gratitude to her coaches. And then! The little sound bite Jessica has been saving forever! Svetlana Boginskaya and her husband tell us both sides of their love story. Follow Svetlana on Instagram at Svetlanaboguinskaia, check out the schedule for her camp here 

UCLA's six-time NCAA Championship winning coach, Valorie Kondos-Field.Copyright Christy Linder 2014   It's a Classic Episode with UCLA's ballet-dancer turned six-time NCAA Championships winning coach, Valorie Kondos-Field. Miss Val chats with Dvora Meyers, Blythe Lawrence, Jessica, and Uncle Tim about: The power of an athlete identity as retirement looms Collegiate gymnastics as one big life skills class The problems with basing self-esteem on performance Incentivizing artistry Her most embarrassing moment as a dancer Why so many of her athletes have the desire to go back to elite after college The actual dollar amount and experiential cost of losing NCAA eligibility What advice she gave Jordyn Wieber about going pro We discover how Miss Val and her former roommate inspired one of the creators of the television show Will and Grace Why Canadians thrive in NCAA Lastly, she tells the story of the amazing wedding gift she gave to a fan The Bruin Gymnastics YouTube channel. 15 years of UCLA routines, including

An update on Melanie Sinclair (front) the NCAA star, who's kicking ass as an Amazon in Cirque du Soliel's Amaluna.   First! We present our scientific review of Amaluna. Then our guest, is the vivacious and effervescent, Melanie Sinclair. Before becoming an acrobat in Cirque du Soliel's goddess powered Amaluna, she was a US National Team member during the Nastia, Sacramone, Memmel years.   Always a fan favorite for her sideline antics (see gif and videos below) and emotional filled routines, she finally gained the attention she deserved at University of Florida. She was a leader on the team, putting Florida on the map. She was fun to watch no matter what she was doing - competing or dancing with herself during warmups. She exemplifies all of the reasons gymnastics fans adore NCAA gymnastics. We discuss: The old school uneven bars act she performs in Amaluna Growing up at Orlando Metro under the tutelage of Jeff Wood and Christi Barineau The true friendship of her teammate, Amanda Castillo. How she became so

The Tigress Giantess! We love 5' 9", former elite, current All-American, Sarie Morrison of LSU. In the news, Uncle Tim, Evan, and Jessica chat about: Favorite moments from our John Orozco interview Kytra Hunter and Bridget Sloan 10's versus the Dabrtiz 9.975 A judge responds: taking .025 deductions Michigan's eight (yes, eight!) E level mounts on floor. Whaaaaa?! The Gopher who's tunneling into our hearts, Minnesota's Lindsay "Precision" Mable Danna Durante speaks out on early recruiting LSU's exquisit gymnastics giantess, 5' 9", Sarie Morrison The Balance Beam Situation's post re Georgia vs. Florida. Coach Rick's thoughtful post with illustrated chest positions. Mattie Larson's exit interview with International Gymnast. The FIG's entertaining newsletter,"The FIG Help Desk." Don't forget to take the Listener Survey! 70: The 2014 NCAA Season Has Begun! 69: 2009 World Champion Kayla Williams & Alabama's Sarah Patterson Listener Survey A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Bars 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Ea

Gymnast and ninja prodigy, John Orozco   We all know the story of his parents struggle to pay for his gymnastics lessons, his unlikely start in a borough of New York City, his meteoric rise to three-time, consecutive, junior national champion, senior national champion, Olympian and World Medalist; but what has it been like to be favored for Olympic glory only to fall short of your and seemingly, your country's goal? John speaks frankly about the highs and lows since the Olympics, and the struggle to regain his mojo. We discuss: The pressure he put on himself to support his family. How his "failure" (his words, not ours) in London changed him. Being labeled, "The Kid From The Bronx." He gymnerds-out with us about vault, vault, more vault. The cruelty of social media and how to stay positive when in the public eye. His advice and drills for being proficient on the dreaded pommel horse. The reason for his angry tweets after tearing his ACL on the post-Olympic tour. Public nudity Which meets have the best after

    The survey, the survey! Please take our Listener Survey HERE!   In the news, Uncle Tim, Evan Heiter, and Jessica chat about: Kelly Garrison, as commentator and beam innovator. NCAA gymnastics revenue quiz, Uncle Time shocked us. Joanna Sampson, will she be a force on floor and the all-around this year? The Chelsea Davis bar score controversy(?)ish. Should some floor music be off-limits forever? Another maple goddess, from the Great White North, Maddie Gardiner of OSU. LSU's Llominica Hall newest quintessential, Americana choreography. Our love for "giantess", 5' 9'' gymnast, Sara Townsend of Iowa State. Oregon State brings us Kaytianna McMillan's double backspin on floor! We discuss the latest stories from around the gymternet: What's with these weird videos the FIG has been putting up? (see playlist below) The new handstand pirouette world record The girl who is continuing gymnastics after losing a leg to leukemia. Some of favorite responses from the listener survey so far! How much Uncle Tim sucks

The Cal Bears of University of California Berkeley strut their stuff in their new backless leos on opening weekend.    Uncle Tim, Evan Heiter, and Jessica chat about these news items: Sarah Finnegan returns to competition with some new skills. The American Cup roster is off the charts amazing but will the media degrade it into a rehashing of Ferlito-Gate? Uncle Tim and Evan take a quiz on NCAA rules to answer frequently asked questions from our newbie fans. Will delve deep into the Minnesota, LSU, Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Georgia and Oklahoma meets including: Danusia Francis competing the first ever longitudinal aerial to full dismount and her floor routine, that literally made boys fall out of their seats. Georgia's new choreographer, Bulldog alum Cassidy McComb of GymCats. Has the floor finals bar been set by Lindsey Mabel's exquisite execution or Kytra Hunter's jaw-dropping tumbling? WIll Bridgeport be the first Division II team to beat a Division I team? Oklahoma's ginormous team score and difficulty.

The pride of West Virginia, 2009 World Vault Champion and member of the 2012 Alabama NCAA Championship team, Kayla Williams. We discuss: The unusual origins of her triple full side-pass Her climb from the JO ranks to World Champion in just months Why she chose to move to Mary Lee Tracy's gym. "Chuck and go" elite-gymnastics versus college requirements Her plans for the future Next we chat with Kayla's coach, arch-enemy of Georgia's Suzanne Youclan, wearer of sequin gowns, University of Alabama's six-time NCAA Championship winning coach Sarah Patterson. We discuss: Handling fear in adult athletes Her opinion on early recruiting Injuries the elite code could cause for NCAA athletes now Routine strategy: reward versus short landings If Sarah DeMeo be the first ever to compete an arabian double pike in college The role athletic directors have played in NCAA parity Advice for Men's Gymnastics - no fans means no institutional support Don't forget to take the listener survey here. Kayla Williams on Twitter K