GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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354: American Cup and Jesolo Explosion Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

LIVE SHOW TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Remember: Tickets to our live show from NCAA nationals—the Flipping Four After Party presented by Tumbl Trak —go on sale to the general public on Wednesday March 6th. Get 'em while they're hot.

Men's Program Clarification (4:55): Paul Ruggeri is the new athlete representative on the USAG Board of Directors. Steven Legendre is still the athlete advocate representative for the men's team.

THE MEETS!

American Cup – Women (7:39)

LEANNNEEE WONNNNG THE END
- Fact-checking Jessica's feelings, brought to you by Uncle Tim (!!!!)
- Why someone needs to get Armine a Spotify subscription
Kim Bui is a bars NINJA and Jessica has a plan to get her an Olympic medal
Grace McCallum will do Grace McCallum every single Grace McCallum for Grace McCallum points. How she rode being Grace McCallum to the E-score title
TIE FOR BRONZE between Black and Murakami
- There were four whole world-medal-level gymnasts at the top of their games fighting for medals. At AMERICAN CUP. You guys.
The true winner of the meet: the NBC trio's Night of Honesty during commercial breaks (27:45)

American Cup – Men (32:42)

MATH NERD RAGE: Spencer discusses how Moldauer and Mikulak really should have tied, except the FIG doesn't know how to math good. It's the strongest he's ever felt about anything.
Moldauer did Moldauer, and Mikulak did Mikulak
Jessica scores Ma Yue's stick celebration and has a theory about Bart's performance that involves Bambi

Jesolo – Seniors (50:17)

Sunisa Lee is HERE! She won the AA with 56.466—WITH A FALL
In which we learn what led Jessica to scream "THEY'RE DOING IT" in the middle of a Best Buy and then start crying.
Ting Ting for silver. We break down her NCAA-performance floor routine and her most glorious beam
Emma Malabuyo took bronze as the most consistent competitor of the whole meet, making us forget all about the back problems of 2018
Qi Qi is everything, and Italy has one allowable bars composition, but it's AMAZING

Jesolo – Juniors (1:07:10)

AHHHH KONNOR MCCLAIN AHHHH
- She won the junior AA title and proved an understanding of slapstick comedy far beyond her years
Everyone is obsessed with Guan Chenchen on floor
We have a moment about the Russian juniors. More like seven moments (1:11:46)
- Vladislava Urazova won the hairstyle award again — and also like the AA silver or whatever
- Elena Gerasimova's fantasy gymnastics video game beam routine is EVERYTHING
- Viktoria Listunova is the people's floor champion and has set a new standard for getting into a wolf turn position

NCAA (1:20:51)

Perfect 40 Watch
- What kept Kyla "Kayla" Ross from a Perfect 40 on Sunday, and a discussion of whether she will get it before the end of her career
- We have national championships sign plans involving one Brenna "McDowell."
- When your floor routine makes your coach break into a spontaneous college salute, you know it was a win

FURTHER READING

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353: The Carol Address and Olly Hogben Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

NCAA NEWS

How to get your early release tickets for our live show at NCAAs.
A little something called the UCLA/Utah meet. We have many thoughts about how crazy the internets are being about MyKayla Skinner and newspapers. Also gymnastics isn't cotillion, and you all got overscored. (10:22)
The Carol Address. An email about the sudden phenomenon called bias in judging (which just started now) was sent to the NCAA judges this week. We perform a dramatic reading. (24:10)
By popular demand, the Oklahoma fish net leotard discussion (27:35)
Trinity Thomas went to national team verification directly after the Florida meet. We discuss what the elite program can do to encourage more athletes to do both college and elite at the same time. (29: 47)
A shout out to Sarah Finnegan's right leg for its unwavering support during these troubled times.
Crack or correct: The trouble with DIII scoring, when this Y1.5 gets 9.600. Plus Natalie Wojcik's make-up 10 and the inconsistent application of "form forgiveness" in evaluating DTYs. (40:44)

MELBOURNE WORLD CUP (47:38)

Vanessa Ferrari returned with a new floor routine that has Jessica soaring to the heavens. Plus, missed opportunities presented by the small women's field, how China is cleaning up and coming for all your spots, Chris Remkes and the 6.9 D, our new favorite beam dreams, and a rundown of all the events, EVEN MEN'S.
OLLY HOGBEN Interview (1:12:22). Jessica chatted with our favorite Olympic Channel maestro about how he went from drama teacher to gymnastics commentator extraordinaire, unintentional dismounts, puns, and other genius rules for being a kind commentator.

THIS WEEKEND (1:36:47)

Clear your schedules! No lives please! This weekend you have American Cup, Jesolo, the Nastia Cup, and UCLA/Oklahoma. We discuss the announcement of the US rosters for Jesolo and Gymnix following national team camp.

FURTHER READING

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It's almost time for our annual NCAA CHAMPS LIVE SHOW in Fort Worth—after the NCAA finals on April 20th. Listen for instructions on getting tickets.

RELATED EPISODES

352: The Rachel Borden Appreciation Episode (and other things about gymnastics) Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

LI LI LEUNG (1:38)

The new USAG President and CEO is Li Li Leung formerly a vice president at the NBA.
We evaluate whether or not she is the right choice for USAG (another *cough* marketer *eye roll* and of course analyze, her actual gymnastics.
Here are some of the former junior elite and University of Michigan gymnast's routines FX, BB.

NCAA NEWS (19:40)

Crack or correct
- The mega-controversial Georgia/Kentucky meet
- A perfect 9.950 from Sarah Finnegan, and what should have been one from Sarah Shaffer
- The latest UCLA 10s from Kyla Ross and Katelyn Ohashi
Gymnasts are NINJAS (37:40)
- Anna Warhol's epic vault save
- Jessica pens a love ode to her new wife, Rachel Borden of Illinois
Womp womp news
- The Toni-Ann Williams injury that's NOT FAIR
- Spencer takes issue with UCLA's alleged pride meet
Safety (59:45)
- The NCAA responds to our questions about safety and equipment failures

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:06:19)

Dan Purvis announces his retirement
GYMNASTICS IS FOR EVERYONE, screams Jessica
Utah Gymnastics: Red Rocks Retrospective
Kenzo can do a piked Arabian double to a punch front double full. OF COURSE!
Gymnastics Canada launches probe after former coach acquitted in sex assault trial
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals will be made from recycled electronics, a.k.a. our chance to get excited about the 2020 opening ceremony

WINTER CUP (1:16:53)

Day 1 and the WINTER CUP OF SPLATS - we relive the best falls
Who made national team? Was it based on reality and results, or...nah?
Kensley and Spencer discuss NT snubs (Levi Anderson! Eddie Penev!), the epic importance of athletic goggles, tired old pommel horse narratives, and what the point of having a points system is if you just ignore it because it's so dumb
What is the criteria for being sent to individual Olympic qualification world cups? (Spoiler alert: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

CHRISTY LINDER AND DEANNA HONG

We talk to Christy (1:56:33) and Deanna (1:39:43) about becoming a professional photographer/videographer in gymnastics, what they've learned on the job, the specific coverage challenges gymnastics presents, how to be athlete respectful, and how we stop gymnastics articles from choosing the WORST photos of leaps.

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FURTHER READING

351: Rosé Then Slay Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

MEET NEWS

It's a party! Jessica and Spencer are joined by Kensley AND Evan to discuss all of the many, many (many) gymnastics-related events of the past week.

WOGA Classic (1:18): Kensley was there and discusses Ashton Locklear's return, the Blakelys, and the presence of the entire Brazilian women's team
NCAA news (6:38)
- How the mid-season blues affected LSU, Georgia, and apparently shorted out live stream and live score capabilities across the country
- The bars drama at Denver and why Brenna Dowell did not compete
- Evan needs you to know that if you're not Lynnzee Brown's double layout, you're doing it wrong
- George Washington's best meet promotion ever
- Trinity Thomas is too perfect for this code
- Nebraska's entirely non-pusillanimous vault rotation, and the floor-side throne that brought out peak-narcissism Spencer
- The worst commentary disasters of the weekend
- Why Missy Marlowe and Jenny Hansen reigned as heroes
Crack or correct—10s edition (56:45)
- Lynnzee Brown's tumbling AND dance element brilliance, Katelyn Ohashi's split-leg DLO is back, and Jessica takes Spencer (a.k.a., the 10.0 Grinch) to movement science school over Kyla Ross's vault landing
- 67% of the 10s awarded this season have gone to UCLA. What's up with that?
- Do teams with meets against UCLA, Oklahoma, and Florida get crack-by-association?
Mini-commission - the "bubble" teams (1:29:38)
- A mini-commission from Mohini Bhardwaj Forever has us profiling the bubble teams for regionals qualification like Utah State, North Carolina, Bowling Green, and UIC, plus thoughts on the new play-in format for NCAA postseason competition (spoiler alert: we likey)

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:43:30)

Skinner 2020?
Related: Maile O'Keefe is heading to Utah a year early and competed L10 in Las Vegas this weekend
Larisa Iordache has been cleared to return to training, and guess who's out of retirement (again) to coach her.
A rundown of the latest DUMPSTER FIRE news (it's a dumpster fire)
Katelyn Ohashi was on Busy Tonight and Jessica has feelings about it. Plus, Ohashi's parents gave great quote in the Seattle Times.
It was Svetlana Boginskaya's birthday, so celebrate by listening to our 2015 interview with her.

FURTHER READING

Jessica's interview with physical therapist-gymnastics coach, Dave Tilly on the Shift Show
Week 6 Ranking Notes
Sunday Live Blog – February 10, 2019
Saturday Live Blog – February 9, 2019
Friday Live Blog – February 8, 2019
Things Are Happening – February 8, 2019
Roster Notes – Week 5
2019 RQS Calculator
Only the Best – Week 5

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350: There Are No Rules in This House Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

NCAA NEWS (5:22)

An extended crack or correct about basically every routine at that insane Oklahoma/Florida meet
- A fall is a fall is a fall is a fall is a fall
- Confusion about the code of points and rules used to judge NCAA (also from the actual judges, apparently)
  - Rules Modifications for NCAA
- The deductions that should have been taken in an example routine from this preposterous display of scoring
More Hall of Fame crack with UCLA and Oregon State
The worst crime of the whole weekend: UCLA's leotards
Sad crack: the underscoring of Sarah Shaffer's perfect Y1/2
Anger come-down: Oregon State's death by hugging, Emily Muhlenhaupt's 9.975 on bars, and Lexy Ramler's perfect beam
The SHOCKING TRUTH about NCAA scores in 2019
Bowling Green wins this week's random stick-themed nonsense award

MINI-COMMISSION The Anti-Wolf Turn (1:09:41)

Abzug has commissioned a segment all about turns, asking most crucially, do any less ugly turns have the same difficulty as wolf turns? Oh my yes. We discuss. Jessica talks about backspins. A good time is had by all.

MEET NEWS (1:26:21)

Ana Padurariu is the new all-around champion of Elite Canada, Ellie Black has a million floor pass options just because she can, and junior Zoe Allaire-Bourgie competed with the seniors due to awesomeness and took 3rd AA.
Kristal Uzelac Bodenschatz competed at the Buckeye Elite qualifier after five months of training, and we highlight all the newest qualified elites
News on Maile O'Keefe and Adeline Kenlin

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:37:52)

Annie Heffernon is the permanent senior vice president of the women's program
Michigan Radio NPR: Federal Regulators release report citing 21 instances of Clery Act violations by Michigan State
North Korea is considering participating in the Korea Cup in South Korea
New York has passed the Child Victims Act
Oleg had all the surgeries again
Diego Hypolito says, "it seems that the Brazilian athlete has no value"
Jessica makes Spencer talk about a feel-good story and he barely knows what to do
Simone Biles is a badass (duh)
Updates on post-birth college gymnastics, leadoff 10s, and beam music

FURTHER READING

349: The Stick Stick and the Money Gun Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

NCAA NEWS

Oklahoma extends its national lead at Metroplex, and Maggie is back
Jessica has a moment about Stanford, featuring a story of public embarrassment from her college years (yay!)
Auburn has a stick stick, Washington has a money gun, and Maryland has a sparkly turtle shell. The real heroes.
Weekly feelings alert: The Ari Guerra story
- Or, does gymnastics fetishize and celebrate risking your future health too much?
- Example, Kim Hamilton's excellent book starts with her post-gymnastics crawling on the floor, in too much pain to stand.
The problem with scoring the rotation order—and what's the best lineup strategy if you know Carol is coming to town?
Crack or correct: The Natalie Wojcik problem and the most WTF vault score ever for Penn
So that happened: John Roethlisberger, the Auburn dudes, and we'll never be the same
A sexism Rage-o-Meter from...Spencer? Stop listing the names of the parents like that's a stat, and maybe hire some more women for these jobs

GYMTERNET NEWS

We discuss how much money USAG is paying Steve Penny, Mary Bono, and Box of Scarves. NOT GREAT, BOB.
The Senate has an "AHEM, HEM" moment re: decertification and the USOC's tax-exempt status.
Katarzyna Jurkowska-Kowalska is retiring
Getting ready for Elite Canada and the Buckeye Kristal Uzelac qualifier this weekend
Updates on Amy Tinkler, Ashton Locklear, Roxana Popa, Beth Tweddle, and the potential for world peace
The latest on Jessica's quest to become an arm scientist
Why doesn't the high bar have padding on it?
Nina gets another...oddly shaped award

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348: Break the Beam, Literally Jan 22, 2019

Show notes

COLLEGE GYMNASTICS (03:36)

SEC excitement won the day on Friday. We ask: is there actually a way to make wins and losses matter in college, or is it just a nice idea?
- Plus, Ruby's shriek of joy, Alexa Al-Hameed's Tkatchev, the Priessman/Hundley friendship featurette for people with feelings, Finnegan being all Finnegan, and Baumann being all Baumann
- Crack or correct: Lexie Priessman's 9.825 VT (8:08) and Trinity Thomas's 9.950 FX
Sabrina Vega literally broke the beam in Georgia (or it bowed to her greatness)
Spencer has no words for the insane scoring at the UCLA/Arizona State meet.
Oklahoma scores 197.000, which is like 193.000 for Oklahoma
- Maggie Nichols out with a bruised heel
- Crack or correct: Anastasia Webb's 9.950 on beam (45:20)
McKenna Merrell-Giles wins the hilarious beam fall award, and what's the deal with Skinner's scores?
Random stick-themed nonsense of the week: Oregon State's stick chainsaw, and Illinois' stick STICK
Shout outs to Arden Hudson of Ball State for vaulting a handspring repulsion 2/1, and Sophia Hyderally of Alaska for her magical floor.
Crack or correct: Ona Loper's 9.750 vault, New Hampshire's 49.425 beam rotation ((1:24:00)

ADVICE CORNER (1:08:59)

What is proper meet etiquette? Jessica and Spencer have some...differing views about how one should behave in the audience at a gymnastics competition. As you might imagine.

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:26:44)

John Engler finally resigned from MSU
Kathryn Carson has a board update. Everything is great apparently, unless you ask anyone
US women have national team camp at EVO this week, and there's drama over who got invited and who did not
TRIGGER WARNING: The trouble with SafeSport
Rosters are out for the Stuttgart AA world cup (SIMONE AND ALIYA) and Melbourne event world cup

FURTHER READING

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347: The Michigan Mess and the Viral Queen Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

CONTEST:

Prize: University of Denver hat, shirt and sweatshirt. How to Enter: Tell us why you love Denver gymnastics and use the #DenverGymCastic on Twitter or Instagram. Deadline: Sunday, Jan 20th at midnight Pacific. Do I have to be a Club Gym Nerd member? No! Open to all.

IN THE NEWS

The Rhonda debacle: Michigan hires, then fires, Rhonda Faehn in the span of a single weekend. Because gymnastics totally has its life together.
- What the team members are saying, what Rachael Denhollander is saying, and how we navigate the politics of whose voice gets to matter—especially when people we agree with happen to disagree with each other
- Why gymnastics fans largely have a better impression of Rhonda than of the other USAG employees involved
- How the University of Michigan royally screwed this up in every way
Dan Baker replaced MLT as the developmental program head coach (from what we can tell), and USAG didn't say a word about it

COLLEGE GYMNASTICS

Auburn upsets LSU
- Derrian Gobourne is a star (1:14:15)
- The entire Auburn bars lineup is taking Abby Milliet pills
- What happened to McKenna Kelley
- How DD handled the dudes in the front row
Denver defeats Michigan and Alabama
- Gushing about Alexis Vasquez for all eternity (15:40)
- Jessica's inside stories from visiting Denver during the preseason
- Alabama has a stick bedazzled Thor's hammer
Plus...
- We're desperately worried about Maggie limping after floor
- Trinity Thomas debuts for Florida (1:16:56) and Kathy is everyone
Anaheim quad meet
- College meets are playing the national anthem before the athletes enter
- Ohashi goes viral for her floor routine again (our first interview with Ohashi in 2013)
- Special appreciation for Kelley Hebert and Sarah Liddle of UC Davis, Alma Kuc and Sofie Seilnacht of Cal for NOT BEING BASIC
- Why Jessica cried over Marz Frazier's floor routine
- Spencer rants about the competition's horrible strip club poster
"Splashdown"-gate
How would an Olympic team of Nichols, Ross, Finnegan, and Skinner do?
Crack or Correct: Justice for Lexy Ramler, leo scoring is real, and more bizarre judging in Alabama

GYMTERNET NEWS

The American Cup roster is out! We break it down gymnast by gymnast
USAG hasn't been paying the men's national team. RUH ROH.
- Update: They've now been paid for January—why it's too late and way too little
Plus: USAG finally suspends internet troll Don McPherson, Geddert case updates, Aly broke a bone, and rules about FIG nationality changes

FURTHER READING

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346: Peng Is Here! Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

COLLEGE GYMNASTICS WEEK 1

Jessica and Spencer are joined this week by a special guest, the legend that is Peng Peng Lee, to recap the first weekend of the college gymnastics season

RECORDS: Oklahoma sets a first-weekend record and BRENNA DID BEAM, breaking Jessica
Peng reveals the secret to perfect beaming
INJURIES: Bailie Key is going to miss another season and Lexie Priessman is coming back from her 9th surgery
- Peng takes us through the roller coaster that has been her injury history, from back injuries that could have left her paralyzed, to stopping gymnastics for a year, to her multi-season ACL drama
- Plus, how Peng's sixth year came about, why bridges are stupid and no one should do them, and where you can find her now
OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMEDY: Arkansas has a hog nose on a chain, Alex Hyland has Fresh Prince of Bel-Air floor music, and Maya Bordas wins the beam save award
HIGHLIGHTS: Natalie Wojcik is our freshman of the week, Gracie Kramer's floor is Spencer's favorite because of weird, and Claire Gagliardi from Ohio State has the most fantastic Yezhova (14:38)
CRACK OR CORRECT:
- Rachel Dickson's mathematically impossible beam score
- Maddie Desch (1:05:55) receives 9.250 for a beam routine with no fall—we discuss what's right and what's wrong about this score
- Were any of the vaults really 10s?

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:33:30)

KENZO DID MAI'S FLOOR ROUTINE AHHHHHHH
KRISTAL UZELAC IS RETURNING TO ELITE AHHHHHHH
Jessica has been reading too many spy novels: Russian doping conspiracy theory edition
USAG and Safesport news:
MELANIE AHHHHHHHH

LINKS

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345: So Long 2018 Dec 19, 2018

Show notes

INSPIRATION NEWS (1:58:00)

We're going to Tokyo!
Rachael Denhollander and Maggie Nichols are inspirations (duh)
Simone is dominant (also duh)

ROPES & GRAY (9:10:00)

The Ropes and Gray Investigation released its report
- What we learned about Scott Blackmun and Alan Ashley
- Nassar's unsatisfactory score in 2012 and unpacking Martha's not wanting "the gymnasts to be with the boxers" comment
- The FBI...what were you even doing?
- Kathy Kelly and Renee Jamison were in charge of handling abuse reports...so nope
- THEY KEPT THE RECORDS IN A BARN
What do we do with this information? What was the point? What do we need now?

GYMTERNET 2018 – A Year In Review (1:08:46)

The GymCastic Indictment Draft – As we review the events of the year that was, yell DRAFT every time you want to put someone (or something, or a concept) on your all-indictment fantasy list

BRING ON 2019 (1:37:07)

New seniors we're too excited about
- (ITALY)
  - Giorgia Villa - Youth Olympic Games Champ - Bars
  - Elisa Iorio - Bars
  - D'Amato twins, Asia and Alice - Asia Floor
- Ksenia Klimenko (Russia) - Bars
- Anastasiya Bachynska (Ukraine) - Beam, Floor
- Qi Qi (China) - Beam
- Tang Xijing (China) - 4th AA at Youth Olympics - Floor
- Amelie Morgan (Great Britain) - 2nd AA at Youth Olympics - Floor
- Emma Slevin (Ireland) - Bars
All the elites heading to college competition in 2019. Next time we meet, the college season will have started! (1:43:25)
- - Marz Frazier and Norah Flatley (UCLA)
  - Trinity Thomas, Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Leah Clapper (Florida)
  - Emily Gaskins (Alabama)
  - Alexis Vasquez (Denver , another Chow-baby in college!)
  - Olivia Trautman (Oklahoma)
  - Bailey Ferrer (LSU)
  - Molly Frack (Auburn)
  - Grace Quinn (Cal)
  - International Elites in the college:
    - Canada: Shallon Olsen (Alabama), Megan Roberts (Georgia), Madeline McLellan, Meaghan Ruttan (Washington), Meixi Semple (Iowa State)
    - Great Britain: Abi Solari (Cal), Phoebe Turner (Iowa State)
    - Spain: Ana Palacios (Iowa State)
    - Czech Republic: Anna-Maria Kanyai (Bowling Green), 2014 world
Study proves adult gymnastics is the foundation of youth :
- "People in their 70s who have been exercising regularly for decades seem to have put a brake on the aging process, maintaining the heart, lung and muscle fitness of healthy people at least 30 years younger... As for muscle health, the findings were even more significant... researchers were surprised to find the 75-year-old muscles of lifelong exercisers were about the same as the muscles of the 25-year-olds."