GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Leotard Episode Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

An episode all about the glorious leotard! Spencer, Lauren, and Jessica chat about leos leos leos; biggest leotard fails, the most patriotic, custom theme leos, Australia, cut outs, crushed velvet, rules for leotard design, technology, sewn in underpants, leotard deductions, controversies and the most notorious leotards of all time. Visit gymcastic.com to view all the leotards we talk about in this episode.

NCAA Championships: A Victory for Execution (and Curses) Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

NCAA Gymnastics Championships

We discuss Suni's interview about whether (and how long) she's going to stay at Auburn
Oklahoma is the national champion! How they did it despite a bad start, how they fought for every detail on the final three events, and how Spencer singlehandedly inspired them to victory
How Florida successfully avoided a Florida postseason implosion but lost the title on vault, and the equipment problem in the semifinal that made everyone have to swaddle Trinity
Jessica explains the very rare Triple Jinx that kept Utah in third place, and why Auburn was the second happiest group of people in Texas
Rage about the lack of individual title acknowledgement and the AUDACITY to STAND UP and MOVE AROUND during certain routines
Trinity Thomas won the all-around and two event titles, and Megan Skaggs surprised for 3rd AA as a perennial leadoff gymnast
Michigan. Sigh.
Stellar performances from Missouri and Minnesota to finish 5th and 6th.

Man Things

Kensley is here to recap men's gymnastics nationals including the inevitability of Stanford's victory, Oklahoma's lineup strategy, and Paul Juda's all-around victory over Brody Malone
When everyone qualifies to nationals, it's a problem
Plus, when are men's and women's nationals going to the same site?

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- - - Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
    - Donate to family of Alabama volunteer assistant coach in Ukraine
    - Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
    - To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
    - NCAA Preview and Jesolo Mime Recap
    - Are You In (Bounds) or Out?
    - 36 Enter, 8 Leave: The 2022 Regionals Preview
    - It's Just a Buckeye Leaf!
    - Chief Director of Drama and Chaos
    - The 198 Era
    - 2022 Winter Cup Recap
    - Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
    - Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
    - Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

NCAA Preview & Jesolo Mime Recap Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Jessica, Spencer, and the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion VANESSA ATLER will recap the 2022 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship Semifinals and take your questions live. Join the GymCastic Crew at the Rose Marine Theater on Friday, April 15. The show will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CDT) with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. (CDT). TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW.

NCAA Championship Preview Part I

A quiz on the Most Decorated Freshman Class of All Time
Who is Spencer picking to win nationals? And what do each of the favorites need to do to get that title.
The all-around competition is intense. Trinity? Jade? Suni? Leanne? Justice for form? We break it all down.

Jesolo

We spend nearly as long talking about the opening ceremony at Jesolo as the ceremony itself took! But COME ON. We have to dissect this perfect insanity.
Who impressed us at Jesolo, from McClain's multiple event titles, to Shilese's beam, to Asia D'Amato delivering in the all-around.
Plus, nerding out about beam composition credit, McClain's insane Pak save, a Norah Flatley moment, Romania hopefulness (????), and Ellie Black being all Ellie Black.

NCAA Championships Preview Part II

The race between Utah and Alabama to advance out of the semifinal will get serious. And can Auburn really upset Michigan to get to the championship?
If there's any justice in the world, who will win the event titles? We throw a bunch of names out there to see if any of them stick.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

Download Your NCAA Championship Cheat Sheet!

Club Gym Nerd members get your free NCAA Championships cheat sheet which explains how the teams are seeded in the regions, how they qualify, how individuals qualify, and how each advances. Plus a bracket you can fill in.

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- - - Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
    - Donate to family of Alabama volunteer assistant coach in Ukraine
    - Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
    - To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
    - Are You In (Bounds) or Out?
    - 36 Enter, 8 Leave: The 2022 Regionals Preview
    - It's Just a Buckeye Leaf!
    - Chief Director of Drama and Chaos
    - The 198 Era
    - 2022 Winter Cup Recap
    - Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
    - Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
    - Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

Are You In (Bounds) or Out? Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Live Show

Jessica, Spencer, and the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion VANESSA ATLER will recap the 2022 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship Semifinals and take your questions live. Join the GymCastic Crew at the Rose Marine Theater on Friday, April 15. The show will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CDT) with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. (CDT). TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW.

Regionals Headlines

LSU was eliminated in the regional semifinals. What happened there?
The OOB that wasn't. Or was it? We break down the controversial finish between Missouri and UCLA
Stanford delivered in the most exciting semifinal of the weekend
Florida recorded the third-highest score in history, and Trinity got 8500 tens. Can she beat Maggie and Kyla?

Elite News

We got timely results (!) from the US women's Jesolo selection camp. We discuss the impending era of New Shilese, Zoe Miller's bars D, and what the Jesolo teams would have been if the highest-scoring team were selected

Regionals Deep Dive

NC State: LSU's moments to be proud of, what was up with the Michigan lineups, Iowa peaking at the right time, UCLA's leos, and the cardio award for regionals
Oklahoma: Oklahoma's vault lineup finally arrived, Carly Woodard's magical beam save, vault difficulty making the difference, the travesty of not having any Cal gymnasts at nationals, Arkansas figured out bars when it counted, and Arizona is a beam team
Auburn: Kentucky outscored Auburn in the semifinal in Auburn, that time Suni hit her foot on the low bar, Denver's valiant effort, and the importance of ninja L10s
Washington: That time Utah was in last place after floor, this Michigan State season, injury evaluation periods, and individual qualifiers making it for the wrong event
Plus, pouring one out for the individuals who should be at nationals but won't

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

Download Your NCAA Championship Cheat Sheet!

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- - - Donate grips and tape for Ukranian gymnasts
    - Donate to family of Alabama volunteer assistant coach in Ukraine
    - Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
    - To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
    - 36 Enter, 8 Leave: The 2022 Regionals Preview
    - It's Just a Buckeye Leaf!
    - Chief Director of Drama and Chaos
    - The 198 Era
    - 2022 Winter Cup Recap
    - Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
    - Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
    - Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

36 Enter, 8 Leave: The 2022 Regionals Preview Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

USAG has announced that it will not hire a new women's high performance director but will instead split the position into three equal roles, one in charge of development, one in charge of strategy, and one in charge of technical gymnastics. We're...pleased?

Live Show

Jessica, Spencer, and the 1997 U.S. national all-around champion VANESSA ATLER will recap the 2022 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship Semifinals and take your questions live. Join the GymCastic Crew at the Rose Marine Theater on Friday, April 15. The show will begin at 7:00 p.m. (CDT) with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) for icebreakers and door prizes. PRE-SALE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW FOR CLUB GYM NERD MEMBERS.

Regionals Preview

We talk our way through each of the four NCAA regionals coming up this week, highlighting the favorites, the biggest storylines, and the individual battles royale that will surely ensue.
NC State: Can Missouri play spoiler? What of UCLA's utter UCLAness? Will the Iowa and UCLA floor lineups really have to battle for 1 specialist spot at nationals?
Oklahoma: Who qualifies, Cal or Minnesota? Who has the edge in the Arizona State v Arkansas semifinal clash? What obviously amazing bars routines won't make it to nationals?
Auburn: Can anyone possibly upset Auburn at home? What will we do without the Gymnasties on the floor? Can Denver hold on? And who is the major frontrunner for AA qualification?
Washington: How will Luisa Blanco and Kaitlyn Yanish figure at regionals? Which individuals will be the most burned by having to compete in the same regional as Jade Carey?

Gymternet News

A men's college update!
Plus, there's a letter going around in support of Valeri Liukin, Canadian gymnasts have issued a letter of complaint to GymCan, an Iowa men's gymnastics galley, Hatakeda has retired, there was a Gadirova sandwich at British championships, and some of your questions.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

Download Your NCAA Championship Cheat Sheet!

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- - Donate grips and tape for Ukranian gymnasts
  - Donate to family of Alabama volunteer assistant coach in Ukraine
  - Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
  - To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
  - It's Just a Buckeye Leaf!
  - Chief Director of Drama and Chaos
  - The 198 Era
  - 2022 Winter Cup Recap
  - Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
  - National Collegiate Achilles Apocalypse
  - Masterful, Exceptional, Perfection
  - You Can't Sit on Two Chairs
  - Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
  - Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

It's Just a Buckeye Leaf! Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

College Gymnastics

The regionals draw is out! We discuss who is going where and the juiciest matchups and potential upsets
The Airing of Grievances: "geographical" placement, Iowa State getting hosed, "Lexy Rainier" and "Jordan Chillus," play-ins as a failed species, and why we need more snakes
If all the conferences can give out a bunch of awards, so can we. We decide to throw some random awards at some random people
About conference championships: Suni's 9.450, the Lauren Guerin affair, a weed-a-tard, and more.

Elite Gymnastics

At the DTB Cup, the US women took the senior title over Italy on D score, and Andreoli established herself as our favorite of all time forever
What the head coach of the US team actually does at international meets, Vanessa Atler's post about Valeri, and...is Cecile Landi up for the national team coordinator position or not?
The Cairo World Cup, and the importance of warm weather and arena design.

Gymternet News

Carlos Yulo has launched a perfume company.
Chuso is getting a gymnastics school named after her.
Another ex-WOGA gymnasts comes forward.
King Kohei has released an NFT collection to commemorate his retirement.
Rustam Sharipov, head coach of Ohio State's men's gymnastics team, is calling on Ohioans to donate athletic tape and hand grips for gymnasts competing with the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

Download Your NCAA Championship Cheat Sheet!

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- - Donate grips and tape for Ukranian gymnasts
  - Donate to family of Alabama volunteer assistant coach in Ukraine
  - Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
  - To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
  - Chief Director of Drama and Chaos
  - The 198 Era
  - 2022 Winter Cup Recap
  - Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
  - National Collegiate Achilles Apocalypse
  - Masterful, Exceptional, Perfection
  - You Can't Sit on Two Chairs
  - Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
  - Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

Chief Director of Drama and Chaos Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

College Gymnastics

Is there a favorite for the title? Who is it? Who would be a surprising winner?
Lexy Ramler did two bars routines in the same rotation, featuring a toe-on Shap full because Lexy Ramler
Spencer is challenged to begrudgingly acknowledge which 10s this year were actual 10s
Jessica explains why conference championships are dumb, and we discuss what's actually at stake this coming weekend—like UCLA 198-bombing someone's regional and everyone being scared to get sent to Auburn
What was up with the Pac-12 Network's coverage of Sekai Wright's floor?
Why why why why are all the conference championships at the same time?

Elite Gymnastics

The DTB Cup in Stuttgart is this weekend. We discuss the format, how to watch, and how a stacked Italian team is going to steal everyone's gelato.
What is USAG's responsibility when most of the coaches have SafeSport allegations?

Gymternet News

Becky Downie competed floor this week, Kohei performed in his send-off celebration, Fisk announced its head coach, and more

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- Recognize gymnastics skills like a pro by using the Clickable Code of Points with gifs from The Balance Beam Situation
- To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
- The 198 Era
- 2022 Winter Cup Recap
- Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
- National Collegiate Achilles Apocalypse
- Masterful, Exceptional, Perfection
- You Can't Sit on Two Chairs
- Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
- Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

The 198 Era Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

The Russia Situation

The FIG has now followed the IOC's "recommendation" and banned all athletes, coaches, and judges from Russia and Belarus from competition until further notice.
The ban does not extend to members of the Executive Committee or Technical Committees. We discuss the issues with that.
At Doha, Russian gymnast Ivan Kuliak wore a tape Z on his chest on the medal stand alongside Ukrainian PB champion Ilia Kovtun. The FIG has opened disciplinary proceedings into this violation of the code of conduct. FIG Executive Committee member and president of the Russian GYmnastics Federation, Yuri Titov says he will defend Kullak.
The gymnastics implications of the Russian ban moving forward to worlds and the Olympics
And the happy news that meanest coach on earth, Russian rhythmic head coach, Irina Viner and her husband had their mega yacht seized.

News

Valeri Liukin is no longer under consideration for women's high performance director at USAG.
Liukin is under investigation by SafeSport for allegations of verbal and psychological abuse, and gymnasts McKenzie Wofford and Megan Marenghi spoke about their experiences at WOGA to the OC Register.
When is "under investigation" not enough?

College Gymnastics

4 of the top 11 scores in college gymnastics history happened on Friday as the 198s flew. We discuss why this is so frustrating to us (Spencer), the disparate quality of routines all getting the same score, and whether anything will be done—or should be done—about it.
A deep discussion of beam caps and equipment malfunction redos.
Plus, your questions about a Trinity 5th year, regional placements, DIII gymnastics, concussion protocols and more

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

RELATED EPISODES & RESOURCES

- To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine on gymnastics, go to Gymnovosti
- Over the Limit documentary
- 2022 Winter Cup Recap
- Nile Wilson Interview & Winter Cup 2022 Preview
- National Collegiate Achilles Apocalypse
- Masterful, Exceptional, Perfection
- You Can't Sit on Two Chairs
- Spitfire: The Movie (Commissioned)
- Nadia: The Movie (Commissioned)

2022 Winter Cup Recap: Russian Invasion Bunker Edition Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

The Russia Situation

The IOC has "recommended" that sport federations bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions. What should the FIG do? We discuss.
Jessica updates us on Putin's secret rhythmic gymnastics family.

Women's Winter Cup

Konnor McClain won the all-around title without full difficulty and with a bars error, because that's what winners do
Gymnasts who impressed us like Nola Matthews, Addison Fatta, Zoe Miller, and Azaraya Ra-Akbar
Plus, the February of it all, the disturbing lack of drunk gym moms, and our concerns about the new code and lack of direction in the women's program
Stories from the meet: The girl who owns Sam Mikulak now, the $500 Uber, and a coach/judge confrontation

Men's Winter Cup

Kensley and Documents are here to take us through the men's national team, the way it makes sense and the way it maybe sorta doesn't
We discuss a crazy bonus system that didn't go as planned, why Yul has barely had a break in a whole year, and what needs to change about funding
Plus, Asher Hong, Asher Hong, Asher Hong, and the gymnasts who need to be sent to a world cup like yesterday.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
We have masks too!

RELATED EPISODES

Nile Wilson Interview plus Winter Cup Preview Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

Winter Cup Women's Preview

We preview this weekend's Winter Cup women's competition: what team selection is at stake, which gymnasts we're most looking forward to seeing compete under the 2024 code, what new seniors might shake things up, and a rule change for junior vaulting.

Nile Wilson Interview

Nile's second book: My Story, tackles his struggles with gambling, addiction, depression and anxiety; how he found help and what he thinks can be done to prevent the suffering he endured in the future; why he left the club he had grown up in; why he spoke out against British Gymnastics; his plan to value athletes, literally, by helping them earn what they are worth in the sport's marketplace; owning his own gym and why he loves adult gymnastics.

Winter Cup Men's Preview

Jessica and Kensley discuss who's competing, the senior debut of junior legend, Asher Hong; who's retired or injured or busy, the requisite drama around national team and selection procedures and funded spots, and BUM BUM BUM forbidden headphones!

College Gym Updates