Episode 56: Preventing Abuse in Gymnastics
Classic Episode: Tim Daggett
Tim Daggett, Olympic Champion and NBC commentator. In this classic episode we bring you our full interview with Olympic gold medalist and longtime NBC commentator, Tim Daggett. Recorded in September 2012, Tim talks about his life-threatening leg injury at the Rotterdam World Championships, the Produnova vault, what he wants hardcore gymnastics fans to know, his thoughts on the direction the code is going, the loss of the perfect 10, cheating and kindness in coaching.
Related: Episode One: Tim Daggett Part One Episode Two: Tim Daggett Part Two
58: Charlotte Drury, Fall Euro Series Meets and NCAA de-commits
59: Cirque Talent Scout, Supermega Dream Job
Ever wondered what it's like to travel around the world finding the best talent for Cirque du Soleil? We sat down with talent scout, Marceline Goldsteinto ask her all of our burning Gym Nerd questions: who is the oldest person she ever recruited, are there any injuries that preclude employment, how many years can a career at Cirque last, how does Cirque manage to not piss off federations who may want a competitor to stay in the sport, how they support the disciplines like acrobatics which is so essential to Cirque's survival, is being able to hit at meets an essential prerequisite (you'll be surprised), what kind of support system is in place for longevity and health.
Our friend, Evan Heiter joins us once again to chat about the Mexican Open, which US Senior should go, who will win the Stuttgart World Cup, Octavian Bellu and Mariana Bitang's latest contract negotiation/vacation from Romania. Then in our new gymternet news segment, we speculate on Katelyn Ohashi's emphatic message; Nastia once again working with the great choreographer, Travis Wall; why comedian Michael Buckley and Evan should do Kiss & Cry interviews for gymnastics; and ponder important questions like - should men and women cross-compete on the same event (a la Paul Ruggeri on uneven bars) or should artistic gymnastics be done with their routines if they fall as is required in trampoline? All this, plus Danusia Francis's new dismount, Simone Biles yurchenko double back and Utah's dramatic leotard reveal video. Tacky or genius?
Next week, our guest will be Olympic Medalist, three-time NCAA champion at Alabama and current the athlete representative on the USA Gymnastics Team Selection Committee, Terin Humphrey.
More:
GymCastic guide to Movember
Our interview with Cirque Artist, Nebraska Gymnast, Tricia Woo
Our interview with Simone Biles
Our interview with Charlotte Drury
Our interview with Svetlana Boginskaya
This week's video playlist
60: Terin Humphrey
Above - World Champion, two-time Olympic silver medalist, and two time NCAA Champion, Officer Terin Humphrey.
This week in meet news: Larisa Iordache pulls out both fulls on beam at Elite Gym Massilia but first year British senior Claudia Fragapane stole the show, yet another World Champion for the US, as Brandon Krzynefski wins in tumbling, NCAA signing day excitement happened here, while Catalina Ponor was adorable with her boyfriend for the Gala de Estrellas de Gimnasia series in Mexico.
Around the Gymternet we chat about: Al Trautwig going semi-postal on a Tweeter; Jessica tells her leotard injury story; gymnastics' answer to Batkid, Faith Falzon who's wish to compete in a gymnastics meet came true; video of Simone Biles double double off beam, Aly Raisman training and Jordyn Weiber's new release and a scary new study about a possible carcinogens in pits.
Our lovely guest this week is Terin "I'm a very honest person" Humphrey. Oh, is she ever! She told us about conditions at The Ranch back in the day, what it was like having Courtney McCool as a training partner, surviving the injury plagued 2003 World Championships, why the treatment of alternates should be changed, navigating college recruiting in an inhospitable club environment, how she was informed of her retirement from Alabama, being burnt-out, partying and wanting to be normal, what being the athlete rep for USA Gymnastics entails, how disputes are resolved within the selection committee, what she thought- Brenna Dowell's experience in Antwerp, those infamous GAGE leos, the Code, Memmell's petition denial in 2012, sweaty feet on bars and finally in this round of Gymternet Myth-busters we find out just what ethnicity Miss Humphrey really is!
More
Results from the episode 50 Gym Nerd Poll
Our Chellsie Memmel interview
Our Laurie Hernandez interview
This week's video playlist
61: Katelyn Ohashi Clears The Air
Katelyn Ohashi. The beautiful art compliments of My Crazy World of Graphics.
It's Gym MythBusters: Katelyn Ohashi Edition!
This episode is devoted entirely to the Empress of Pajama Pants & 2013 American Cup Champion, Katelyn Ohashi. She puts an end the rumors by answering true or false to the gymternet's burning questions: Is she still training at WOGA, being coached by Valerie, going level 10, injured, starring in a Disney show with Simone Biles and Victoria Moors or been escorted out of Walmart for frightening customers with her comedy pajama routines?
62: Pavlova to Azerbaijan, Oleg in Stuttgart and The Mexican Open Extravaganza
- The $10,000 leo awarded to Ukrainian's Angelina Kysla
- The genius of the Mexican Open marketing and the US juniors, Bailie Key and Laurie Hernandez
- Oleg Verniaiev finally lives up to his potential at the Stuttgart World Cup
- Mustafina's new beam series, Peyton Ernst's nerves, Elizabeth Price's killer Amanar, Sophie Scheder luxurious bar set and John Orozco's vault issues.
- The terrifying bar dismounts of Tatiana Nabieva and Yao Jinnan in Stuttgart.
- The gymnastics coup d'etat: Azerbaijan recruiting Anna Pavlova and Yulia Inshina to compete for them instead of Russia.
- Speculation on the truereasons for Oksana Chusovitina return to Uzbekistan.
- McKayla Maroney on the TV show Bones, this Friday December 6th.
- How to play in the world's only Fantasy Gymnastics league! Follow them on Twitter @FantasyGym and use #FantasyGym to talk smack. Draft period is December 7-28. Don't miss the deadline. This is so freakin' cool!
- The greatest gym nerd gift guide in the entire world, made by us.
Elizabeth Price Svetlana BoguinskayaLaurie HernandezTerin Humphrey

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64: Glasgow World Cup and NCAA 2014 Previews
Medalists from the 2013 Glasgow World Cup.L-R Daniel Purvis (GBR), Elizabeth Price (USA), Larisa Iordache (ROU), Oleg Verniaiev (UKR), Vanessa Ferrari (ITL), Andrey Likhovitskiy (BLR)
It's an all news episode to start the week off. In the news, Uncle Tim and Jess chat about:
- The Glasgow World Cup: Popa dazzles, equipment fails, the after party and Ilordache on top even after a fall on her full!
- Espoir Championships - Watching the GB juniors dancing their booties off!
- Reviews of the NCAA intrasquad preview: Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, Utah and UCLA. The choreography tragedies, skill trends and Kathy-Johnson inducing moments.
- Remember to vote for us on the Stitcher Podcast awards!
- Check out our holiday Gift Guide.
We cover all the latest news stories from around the gymternet:
- Follow up questions about Shawn Johnson's ACL sprain vs a full tear
- Feedback from newly crowned Hero of the Gymternet, Dr. Larry Nassar
- Afanasyeva's ankle surgery
- A Kalon Ludvingston update
- Leotard injury! A listener had one!
USA Gymnastics Team Dr. Larry Nassar interview
Elizabeth Price interview
Stuttgart World Cup recap show
2012 Glasgow World Cup show
Jill Hicks interview
Coach Justen Millerbernd on husband Kalon Ludvingston's injury
This week's video playlist. Watch as you listen!
On Friday, we are bringing you an all interview show with Temple University men's coach Fred Turoff, NCAA recruiting expert, Jill Hicks and NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff. We will discuss:
- How to save men's gymnastics at Philadelphia's Temple University
- What coaches are saying about the scourge that is early recruiting
- Gym Myth Busters, true or false:
- In the 1970s a gymnast streaked a meet?
- A judge can take vulgarity deductions.
- It is not against the rules to compete in full face paint with a mohawk.
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65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
Temple University Men's Gymnastics Coach, Fred Turoff (left). NCAA Judge, Dean Ratliff (top). NCAA recruiting expert, Jill Hicks.
An all interview show with three NCAA guests! First we talk to NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff. We discuss:
- How judges are reviewed, assigned and favoritism curtailed in the NCAA.
- The weirdest and wildest things Dean has seen during his 28 years of judging high school and NCAA meets.
- How judges are assigned to judge NCAA gymnastics meets.
- The continual, meteoric rise in scores from the top 36 college gymnastics teams.
- How much puppy-mill-style-factory-farm-mega-meets suck for judges, parents and kids.
- What Dean thinks of Jessica's genius idea that judges should score live on an iPad and give the audience (the fans!) access to the scoring sheets after each routine.
- How judges address accusations of bias bias bias and more bias.
Next up is former US national team member, occasional USAG selection committee member and long-time coach of the Temple University Owls, Fred Turoff. Last week, the Philadelphia institution announced they were dropping seven of their 24 sports, including men's gymnastics. Coach Turoff told us the despicable details including:
- The way Temple University told student athletes that their sports were being dropped the Friday before finals week.
- The impact Temple's disappearance could have on all of men's gymnastics, NCAA gymnastics and by extension Team USA.
- How the committee who made the cuts met in secret over months to avoid allowing the coaches to appeal to the Board of Trustees, which they had done successfully in 1994 when the program was threatened.
- What you can do to help the program survive.
Next we talk with, NCAA recruiting expert, Jill Hicks. She did a survey of coaches to find out what they thought about the scourge that is early recruiting. We discuss:
- If early recruiting can be stopped
- Advice for recruits and their parents on how to avoid being pressured into committing early.
- The best way for coaches and gym owners to get their gymnasts recruited
- The new sport that is recruiting gymnasts for college scholarships (It's not cheerleading! Sheesh. Do you seriously think we'd talk about it, if it was? Come on people.
The episode also features the greatest Gymnastics Myth Busters in the history of the show! We find out if these statements are true or false:
- There was a gymnast-streaker at an NCAA championships.
- It is possible to accidentally hang upside down by a jock strap from high bar.
- Make-up, facial jewelry, mohawks and painted nails are prohibited.
- Judges can take artistry and vulgarity deductions.
- Judges can stop a gymnast from performing a skill that is too dangerous.
- Olympians and gymnasts from the top teams, receive "status" bonuses.
Contact Fred Turoff to find out what you can do to help save the men's gymnastics program.
Here is our ranking of gymnastics schools with the best recruiting pages for their gymnasts:
- Wildfire
- Olympus (includes GPA's for each athlete)
- Illinois Gymnastics Institute
College scholarships opportunities for gymnasts in the sport of Tumbling & Acrobatics, governed by the NCATA. They get to wear cool uniforms like the University of Oregon team.
Judge Ratliff is the Technical Director of the National High School Gymnastics Association. Find out about the Senior Showcase Invitational in Florida here
Our hero, (above) the woman who brought the dangers of face sparkles to the fore, Oregon State's, Kelsi Blalock of skin-bling meets balance beam face. We thank you for your service and courage Miss Blalock! *gymternet salute*
Judge Ratliff refers to this type of jewelry in his interview. This is what a ear gage or plug looks like.
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66: GymCastic Classic World Champion Simone Biles
2013's breakout star, Simone Biles talks to us about competing at the American Cup, her planned upgrades on floor and vault, who she should star in a realty show with, the triple-twisting yurchenko, what to do if surprised by a confetti bomb or wild peacocks, gives advice on handling fear, and tells us her goals for 2013. Simone's coaches Aimee Boorman and Luis Brasesco from Bannon's Gymnastix, tell us what it's like to coach a person who, as Aimee's says, "On any given day could have three new skills named after her in the code of points." The duo opened up about strategy, concerns and philosophies on coaching Simone as a person and an athlete. We hear how Luis approaches coaching a skill that has never been done before (yes, we mean the triple twisting yurchenko in WAG), what happened the first time Aimee saw Simone, which coaches they learn from at The Ranch, how they balance Simone's power and difficulty level while considering fun, happiness and safety. Finally, and obviously most importantly, we asked about their reaction to the video of Simone trying the standing double back!
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67: GymCastic Classic with NCAA & World AA Champ Bridget Sloan
It's a Classic episode this week. Back in January we talked to 2009 World All-Around Champion and University of Florida freshman, Bridget Sloan. She is now the NCAA all-around champion. In this episode, she tells us about the transition to NCAA gymnastics, the athletic trainer who she calls her surrogate father, air pollution at the Beijing Olympics, age falsification and Martha Karolyi commenting on her weight on television.
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68: Most Fascinating People of 2013
Uncle Tim, Blythe, and Jessica chat about:
- Our picks for most fascinating people of 2013.
- Routines from 2013 that people will still be talking about 20 years from now.
- Victoria Moors at the Tokyo International.
- Oleg Verniaiev and Danell Leyva at the Valerie Liukin Invitational
- Tatiana Nabieva's retirement.
- Plus Rowena Needham, Kohei Uchimora, Mykayla Skinner and Sam Mikulak's cool new skills.
We give our opinions on the latest news stories from around the gymternet:
- Our fantasy gymnastics teams.
- The bars falling down in Ellie Black's gym.
- Aliya Mustafina's fan Q&A session on VK.com (translations thanks to World of Gymnastike).
- A Gabby Douglas gymnastics update.
- Lexie Priessman and Amelia Hundley health updates.
- Simone Biles new choreographer.
- The airport adventures of Sam Peszek and Eric Stonestreet (Cameron on Modern Family).
- Our two solutions for making elite floor more fun with less tumbling passes even though the Stork Stand is here to stay.
- We respond to listener Questions & Comments:
- In tirade news - Jessica responds to a listener's offense over her designation of cheerleaders as wearers of "slutty" outfits.
- The best camcorder for recording gymnastics meets.
- Should USAG hold a red-carpet award gala like USA Swimmings' Golden Goggles?
- GymCastic's Top 6 Episodes of 2013
- By the Numbers: 2013's Top All-Around Gymnasts
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Bars
- 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
- Episode 62: Pavlova to Azerbaijan, Oleg (Finally!) in Stuttgart & The Mexican Open Extravaganza
- Episode 48: Kyla Ross
- Episode 40: Michigan's Stacey Ervin
- Episode 39: Victoria Moors
- Episode 38: Svetlana Boginskaya
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69: World Champ Kayla Williams with her Alabama coach Sarah Patterson
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 KaylaRoseWms
University of Alabama Gymnastics: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
- Episode 26: Ivana Hong
- Episode 18: Bridget Sloan
- Episode 10 : Greg Marsden
- Episode 12: Miss Val Part 2
- Episode 11: Miss Val
- Episode 13: Justin Spring
- 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
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70: The 2014 NCAA Season Has Begun!
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.
As always we discuss the latest stories from around the gymternet:
- Gymnasts at the Golden Globes
- Louis Smith comes back to elite gymnastics
- Shawn Johnson launches The Body Department
- Beth Tweddle's next skating show
- The Gabby Douglas story already has an air date
- Episode 30: Women's NCAA & European Championships
- Episode 29: Vanessa Zamarripa and Danusia Francis
- Episode 28: Kristen Maloney
- Episode 27: Tricia Woo - An Artistic Gymnast Finds Her Home in the Circus
- Episode 26: Ivana Hong
- Episode 23: Lloimincia Hall & The American Cup
- Episode 18: Bridget Sloan
- Episode 16: Elizabeth Price
71: The Chest Position Enforcement Bureau
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 at Fantasy Gymnastics. Hahahahh!
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Bars
- 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
- 64: Glasgow World Cup & NCAA 2014 Previews
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Beam
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Floor
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72: John Orozco
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 parties!
John Orozco Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Vine.
- Episode 40: Michigan's Stacey Ervin
- Episode 35: Jake Dalton
- Episode 32: Sam Mikulak & 2013 Men's NCAA Championships
- Episode 24: Sho Nakamori & Match-Play Meet Debrief with Justin Spring
- Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt
- Episode 13: Justin Spring
- Episode 7: Ruggeri, FIG Elections, Geddert on Goodbyes & Halloween Costumes Ideas
- Episode 4: Louis Smith, Spanny's Athlete Oath, Making Men's Gymnastics More Popular
- Tim Daggett: A GymCastic Classic Episode
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73: When is a 10 a 10?
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, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
- 64: Glasgow World Cup & NCAA 2014 Previews
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Beam
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Floor
Nebraska's B.I.G. 10 Conference logo
YouTube Playlist here
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74: Melanie Sinclair & Amaluna Review
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 consistent in college when it was so illusive in elite.
- The power of fun and being oneself in gymnastics.
- How she recovered when she gymnastics career was cut short and what advice she'd give to gymnasts in similar situations.
- How Cirque helps her treat her body like a temple and stay healthy even after a lifetime of gymnastics.
- The rhythms and cycles of a predominantly female cast.
Above - Her career wasn't complete without Amanda Castillo.
Everything about Cirque's AMALUNA. This show features college gymnastics' uneven-bar favorites: Amara (Amy) Defilippo (Arkansas), Melissa Fernandez (Illinois), Summar Hubbard (LSU), Linday Bruck-Ayotte (Michigan), Brittany Urbain (Iowa) and Laura-Ann Chong (Oregon).
The man who actually makes juggling SUPER HOT Victor Key
- 59: What it's like to be a Cirque du Soleil Talent Scout
- Episode 27: Tricia Woo - An Artistic Gymnast Finds Her Home in the Circus
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Bars
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Beam
- A Gym Nerd's Guide to NCAA Floor
- 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
- 69: 2009 World Champion Kayla Williams & Alabama's Sarah Patterson
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75: Classic Episode with UCLA's Miss Val
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 the fan favorite, "Floor Files"; individual playlists featuring each gymnasts' routines for all four years.
Miss Val on Twitter.
UCLA Gymnastics website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.
- 69: 2009 World Champion Kayla Williams & Alabama's Sarah Patterson
- 65: NCAA Judge Dean Ratliff, Early Recruiting & Saving Temple Men's Gymnastics
- Episode 56: Preventing Abuse in Gymnastics
- Episode 43: The First Ever Panel on LGBT Issues in Gymnastics
- Episode 17: Growing Up In The Soviet Gymnastics System And Training At Round Lake
- Episode 5: Growing up at WOGA
- Episode 3: Russian Regime Change, Fashion Code and a Chat With Anna Li
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76: Valentine's Day with Svetlana Boginskaya
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 and email her for choreography or speaking engagements at info@ogccamp.com. If you are ever in the Houston area, make sure to visit the Boginskaya-Yee family restaurant, Mazzei’s Gourmet Pizzeria in Katy, Texas.
Deadspin article about anti-discrimination message left out of NBC's broadcast. Tunnel Bear VPN service to watch broadcasts in other countries. NCAA gymnastics television, radio and webisodes: Alabama, Michigan, UCLA, Georgia.
- 74: Melanie Sinclair & A Review of Cirque's Amaluna
- Episode 17: Growing Up In The Soviet Gymnastics System And Training At Round Lake
- Episode 38: Svetlana Boginskaya
University of Nebraska's lace leos.