GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Professional
**GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast**

GymCastic Podcast is a weekly gymnastics talk show. The hosts interview people who love gymnastics almost as much as we do, discuss the latest news, events and offensive leotard fashion.

Latest Episodes:

324: The Jade Carey Situation & a Miss Val Book Interview Drinking Game Oct 04, 2018

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

The roster for the US worlds selection camp has been named—and Jade Carey isn't on it!
- What the LKJDF;LKSJDF is going on around here?
- Why this doesn't make strategic sense for the US women's program
- Why this might make strategic sense for Jade Carey herself
- We foresee several dozen cans of worms this could open
The Paris World Cup and the Case of the Missing Touch Warmup
- Why that's bad and also probably against the rules
- Ellie Black and the French dominate
- Igor was so incredibly Igor that we cannot even begin
- It took over 5 damn hours, and Jessica is not having it
The requisite amount of Russian team drama

MISS VAL INTERVIEW

Miss Val's book Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is available now in print or audio form! Jessica chatted with Miss Val, her co-author Coop (conflict of interest disclaimer: who also happens to be Jessica's husband), and our potentially overqualified sound engineer for the evening Aimee Boorman, and things may have descended into a Netherlands drinking game. So, normal GymCastic stuff.

What came first, deciding to retire or writing the book?
Why Miss Val really retired from ballet dancing.
What Suzanne Yoculan and Miss Val have in common when in comes to leotard feelings.
Why American Olympic gymnasts are all the same personality type but foreign Olympians are not.
How this book will change your life!

CONTEST

What: 5 winners get a copy of Miss Val's book: Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance Grand Prize: Book and 15 minute personal phone call with Miss Val. How to Enter: Using the #DontWaitToDance on Twitter or Instagram tag us @GymCastic with a 5 second video doing your favorite UCLA floor choreography. Doesn't have to be you, use your dog, fingers, make a friend do it. Bonus entries: Link to the book. Enter as many times as you want. When: Now to October 5th *Conflict of Interest Disclaimer: Jessica's husband co-authored this book.

FURTHER READING

National Team Rankings – October 2018

Reese's Cup 1996 – A GIFcap

Things Are Happening – September 26, 2018

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here. Worlds merchandise now available!

RELATED EPISODES

323: Miss Val Retires, Inside Men's Doha Selection, and the MLT Debrief Sep 26, 2018

Show notes

CONTEST

THE BIG STORIES

Miss Val will retire after the 2019 season (3:30)
- Nostalgia for the age of larger-than-life coaches
- What does UCLA do now? And is it a knife fight for the head coach position?
MLT interview - the aftermath (20:20)
- How Jessica feels about it now and why she never wants to do it again
- "This is a sense in which reconciliation can serve as a powerful force for societal healing. But at the same time, these negative consequences on the individual psyche are still there."
- Reactions, regrets, impressions, hopes, frustrations, and feedback
- What Jetter and her dad had to say
Kensley attended US men's selection camp and has ALL THE SCOOPS (59:40)
- Mikulak, Moldauer, Yoder, Modi, and Van Wicklen will go to Doha
- Why Whittenburg was left off the national team
- Marvin Kimble drama-things
- Why Brett McClure is scared of the Olympic tour
- The trashy gym and mismatched equipment the US men have to use

MEET NEWS

Pan American Championships (1:31:13)
- Dominance from the US women (duh)
- Grace McCallum's world championships chances
- Trinity Thomas makes history
- Don't sleep on Team Mexico
- JUSTICE FOR THE WOMEN OF CUBA
- The US men won with consistency
- Manrique was the Manrique of the meet
Becky Downie is doing a 6.6 BARS ROUTINE

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:46:29)

Ropes and Gray is delayed until the end of 2018
Mary Lou Retton is on Dancing with the Stars
- ......
- Lobbied Senator Feinstein against the SafeSport bill
Alyssa Beckerman with Inside Gym: "You hear a lot that Larry Nassar was a tumor on an otherwise perfect system and… NO! Larry preyed upon a broken system." Note to MLR
FYI: World Championships is canceled
- Celine Van Gerner and Eythora Thorsdottir will not compete
- Bram Verhofstad didn't make the Dutch men's team
- Coline Devillard is out for France
The Thema Williams trial has begun
Peyton Ernst is retiring
Stacey Ervin did a WWE something or other

FURTHER READING

US Men – World Championship Selection The Miss Val Show Pan American Championships – What Happened There?

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Our worlds merchandise is HERE! Check it out!

RELATED EPISODES

322: Mary Lee Tracy Truth & Reconciliation Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

THIS WEEK'S INTERVIEW

Mary Lee Tracy (MLT) has coached two Olympic gold medalists (four Olympians total) and has had over 25 national team members. Mary Lee was recently hired as USA Gymnastics Developmental Coordinator, only to be asked to resign after survivor backlash and "contacting a survivor." She was joined by Valorie Kondos-Field (Miss Val), UCLA head coach and advocate for culture change at USAG. This interview was conducted on September 9th 2018. We discuss:

Criticism of MLT's coaching methods, including: nutrition, weigh-ins, injuries and tone-deaf social media posts.
What both coaches have done wrong in the past and understanding victim shaming.
Her thoughts on Marta Karolyi and the culture at the Ranch.
Her defense of Nassar interview.
If she ever stood up to Martha Karolyi or asked for changes at the Ranch.
Her social media posts and comments, including Kelli Hill's response to Aly Raisman on our Facebook page.
What she has learned from talking to survivor, Amanda Jetter.
Prevention of grooming behavior and why banned coach, Steve Elliot, was fired from her gym.
And some fun stuff about artistry, like Martha vetoing Lexi Priessman's floor routines over and over.

FURTHER READING

BOOK CLUB CONTEST*:

What: 5 copies of Miss Val's book: Life is Short, Don't Wait to Dance Grand Prize: Book... plus a 15 minute personal phone call with Miss Val. How to Enter: Using the #DontWaitToDance on Twitter or Instagram, post a 5 second video doing your favorite UCLA floor choreography. Bonus entries: Link to the book. Enter as many times as you want. When: Now to October 5th *Conflict of Interest Disclaimer: Jessica's husband co-authored this book.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy one of our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

321: Consequences, Felonies, and Tumblers Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

Jessica spent the day with Mary Lee Tracy. WHAT????????
Dumpster Fire News
- A post-mortem on the Perry Years (year) (nine months).
- Where does USA Gymnastics go from here?
- The DOJ is investigating why the FBI didn't open a formal investigation for nine months. MMMhmmmm.
- Debbie van Horn was arrested upon returning to Texas from China.
- Kathie Klages is being charged with lying to investigators and could face jail time
Reflections on the interview with Aly and Lynn Raisman
The sad story of Sae Miyakawa, the abusive coach, and the federation. (There is video of the coach hitting Sae. Warning: it's awful.)
The first women's national team camp at EVO concluded over the weekend
Help save UIC Gymnastics

MEET NEWS

Asian Games
- North Korea shines with Kim Su Jong and Jon Jang Mi
- We debate whether Pyon Rye Yong's Amanar is terrifying or not
- Yeo Seojeong is your new vault queen
- We complain about the "0.000" rules on vault (again)
- Lighting candles for Dipa
- Rifda Irfanaluthfi is a home-nation HERO
We all need to talk about Jia Fangfang, the tumbling world champion who is trying WAG floor
Fan Yilin is back, and Zhao Shiting has a very unfortunate name but very fortunate beam potential

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Vote for us in the People's Choice Awards
Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

FURTHER READING

RELATED EPISODES

320 Spencer Blogcast: USA Gymnastics Is an Exploding Garbage Monster Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

This week, it's a special Spencer Blogcast all about the latest USA Gymnastics disasters, from the appointment of Mary Lee Tracy, to the resignation of Mary Lee Tracy, to the resignation of our least favorite scarf model, Kerry Perry. It's been quite a little week.

ESSENTIAL ARTICLES AND SCREENSHOTS

-Mary Lee Tracy defends Larry Nassar as "amazing" (Dayton Daily News)

-Mary Lee Tracy defends the ranch as "a learning environment"

-Dominique Moceanu and Alyssa Beckerman recall MLT's coaching

-Tom Forster and Lori Forster defend Mary Lee Tracy

-Mary Lee Tracy says she's being cyber-bullied (WCPO)

-Mary Lee Tracy says she has to resign because she tried to contact "Ali"

-USA Gymnastics announces the resignation of Mary Lee Tracy -Mary Lee Tracy un-resigns and is seeking counsel

-Mary Lee Tracy actually isn't seeking counsel (NYTimes)

-Lynn Raisman says Aly Raisman was never contacted by Mary Lee Tracy

-Votes of no confidence from the US Elite Coaches Association for Women's Gymnastics (1, 2) and the US Athletic Club Owners Association

-The USOC has nothing but disappointment (USA Today)

-Kerry Perry has resigned (USAGym)

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

319: Aly and Lynn Raisman Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

THE ALY INTERVIEW

Aly's experience, in her own words. On August 19th, the morning before the women's final at US Championships, Jessica had the opportunity to visit the amazing Raisman vegetable garden and spend the morning with Aly and Lynn Raisman, speaking about...well...everything—from USAG's insane official policies about abuse, to Steve Penny's shady business dealings, to what Aly really thinks about Martha. Plus,

How Aly feels about being victim-shamed by coaches on social media
Why she decided to come forward in a book, and getting misquoted in the media
The less-than-warm welcome she received from USAG and Ron Galimore in 2017
A mysteriously canceled NBC interview
Why it's impossible to trust SafeSport
How USAG treated Mattie Larson at 2010 worlds
What happened at 2015 worlds, and the need to impress Martha
Extreme weight pressure and the lack of dietary and medical education in US gymnastics
The monetary exploitation of US Olympic gymnasts, featuring crazy Steve Penny sponsorship stories
What she thinks of Rhonda Faehn's role and responsibility
Solutions - what needs to happen to make US gymnastics safe and healthy before we can move forward

LINKS

2013 NBC Interview at American Cup in Worchester, MA
Boston Globe: Forster said he wants gymnasts to feel they can voice complaints without fear of retaliation."Some of the fear — I don't know if it was real, but it was certainly perceived, and we want to change that," he said.
In May, the Indianapolis Star reported that a USAG lawyer and Ron Galimore helped Larry Nassar provide a cover story rather than tell the truth about being suspended from USAG for sexual abuse.
Aly's speech at the 2017 USAG Hall of Fame Induction
International Gymnastics Camp's booth at 2017 USAG Congress "Alliance for Accountability"
USAG Sexual Abuse Reporting History and Changes
- USAG III. PROFESSIONAL MEMBER BEHAVIOR POLICY (unknown date)
  - C. Such above described behavior will be penalized as follows:
    - 1. First Offense: Verbal warning will be issued by the Meet Referee/Technical Director and/or designated representative of USA Gymnastics.
    - 2. Second Offense: Withdrawal of floor credential, necessitating ejection from the competitive floor area (or possibly the entire competitive arena)
  - USAG Policies 2015 B. Enforcement of Code
  - USAG Bylaws 2013 10.02 Filing a Complaint
Get Trained: Darkness to Light Flip The Switch free online training
Get Help: Darkness To Light

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

318: 2018 US Wonder Woman Nationals Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

2018 US NATIONALS (8:35)

Feelings Corner: Starring Jessica O'Beirne and TEAL WONDER WOMAN GUARDIAN ANGEL HUGS
Discussion: This was a historically well-hit nationals. Does it undermine the notion that the women need regular national team camps? And is it weird how much credit we give the coaches instead of the athletes?
Gushing: Simone, Morgan, Riley. Duh.
Err: What was the deal with Ragan Smith?
Plus: Jade Carey sticking a Moors, justice for Kara Eaker, TRINITY, some love for Jaylene Gilstrap, and Jordan Chiles' attempt at Wolfkino Part 2 didn't really work out. Twice.

RAGE (36:04)

We're very concerned that Tom Forster doesn't understand the Olympic qualification process
- 2020 Olympic Qualification Explained
Kerry Perry deigned to address the media, and it was awful
Ron Galimore: STILL THERE
What change can really happen when people who DON'T EVEN BELIEVE THE SURVIVORS are being given positions of power in the women's program?

OK, BACK TO NATIONALS (1:06:56)

All the behind the scenes goodies from the So You Think You Can Dutch meet-up contest
Juniors (1:11:50) Leanne Wong is the junior national champion because of EXECUTION
An update on Jordan Bowers' status
Jessica is putting Konnor McGregor-McClain on all the Olympic teams

MEN! (1:26:36)

Where does champion Sam Mikulak fit in the international all-around scene?
Day 1 was....bad. But it's all going to be OK.
LEAVE. POMMEL. HORSE. ALONE. (It's the good event now.)
Team conundrums
- Kensley and Spencer debate Allan Bower's place on the team
- Donnell Whittenburg wasn't even named to the national team, and John Orozco has some thoughts. Is there racial bias in the men's program dressed up as concerns about "work ethic"?
- Should Colin Van Wicklen be doing this Dragulescu?
Massive conflicts of interest and judging favoritism aren't just a women's thing!
Most importantly: Taco Bell sponsorship ideas

GYMTERNET NEWS (2:05:00)

Kyla and Madison appear on CBS This Morning
Yelena Shushunova has died at 49 due to complication from pneumonia
More athletes and other coaches come out about abuse from Han at Everest.
The Tayo Fakiyesi story

FURTHER READING

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

317: 2018 US Nationals Preview Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

US Championships Preview

SENIOR WOMEN
- Hurd, Smith, McCusker, and the quest to be the #2 all-arounder
- Spencer has already decided the worlds team. Jessica tells him why he's wrong
- Explaining the Marz Frazier UCLA/Parkettes situation
- Getting excited for Trinity Thomas and Maile O'Keefe
- Jessica's very realistic predictions and anticipated miracles
JUNIOR WOMEN (42:25)
- The Big Four battle it out, and we pick who's going to win among Sunisa Lee, Jordan Bowers, Leanne Wong, and Kayla DiCello
- More discussion of Levi Jung-Ruivivar because duh. We're 99% sure she invented the violin. Don't worry about it.
SENIOR MEN (48:45)
- Mikulak vs. Moldauer will be the best clash of nationals
- Who's injured, who's coming back, and who needs a big meet
- A period of mourning for Eddie Penev's ACL
- Is Yoder the new pommel prince? Will Modi keep getting Brenna'd? Who are the NCAAers to watch? Are the guys just going to phone it in because they're too cool for school?

Men's European Championships (1:01:30)

That bonkers team final and the unexpected ending on high bar
We break down the British team reaction and assign roles
Italy's vault disaster is all of us
Event Finals: Rhys is King, Smart Rings is making our robot judging dreams come true, and no one even fell on high bar (?!?!)

Gymternet News

Paul Ruggeri is engaged. You've both done very well.
Jeff Thompson is suing Penn State (LOL)
EVO Athletics (aka Aimee Boorman Athletics) is the new temporary home of the US women's national team training camps
We have more info about how the International Elite Committee changed the qualifying rules for nationals AFTER US Classic, and we rant about the IEC.

And Remember

Watch CBS This Morning on Thursday
We have NEW SWAG available in the GymCastic store!
So You Think You Can Dutch? Listen for details on our Boston meet-up and and Precision Choreography contest at The Greatest Bar from 4:30-5:30 on Sunday before women' finals!
Join Club Gym Nerd here.

FURTHER READING

RELATED EPISODES

315 The Simone Is Back Classic Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

US CLASSIC

Simone won, duh
- We detail all the quad records she set. With a fall. And a shattered toe.
- The upgrades – Moors, Fabrichnova, Van Leeuwen
- Thoughts on the weird floor scoring and her new choreography
Riley McCusker was FANTASTIC
Morgan Hurd's floor is a dream
Why does Texas Dreams (almost) never compete AA at Classic?
Shilese Jones is a silent assassin that NBC didn't show at all
A little...social media drama...you might have heard about...
All the times Jessica screamed internally
- Jordan Chiles' wonder woman Egyptian goddess leotard
- Luisa Blanco's side roll
- Madelyn Willians musicality clinic
- Deanne Soza and her Yezhova
PAGING CAROL: We have some bonkers scores to discuss
Tom Forster's excellent performance
Kerry Perry pulled a Steve Penny
The bizarre, stupid USAG judge shortage
The good and bad of the NBC/Olympic Channel broadcast
THE ARTFUL JUNIORS
- The GAGE gymnasts put on a beautiful, perfect show
- Kayla Di Cello and Jordan Bowers are the real deal
- Sunisa Lee casually won beam without a dismount
- All the times Jessica screamed internally, junior edition
  - Olivia Greaves on bars
  - Skye Blakely on floor
  - Levi Jung-Ruivivar's PAIN OF A NATION
  - Sophia Butler's non-background music
  - Zoe Gravier's floor music, a deep discussion
  - Trista Goodman's gold leotard and Beauty and the Frickin' Beast routine
  - Cassie Rice's epic bars spotting
Plus, what's infuriating us right now in US routines

GYMTERNET NEWS

Kerry Perry went back to Congress and got BURNED — #ItWasThursday
Aly tried to meet the new CEO of the USOC, and it went...not great
John Engler continued to be an actual monster
The presentation to the survivors at the ESPY Awards
The Daniels Report progress page and the web of lies it reveals
What's going on with Ashton Locklear, her coach, and those bullying reports
A preview of the European Injury Championships, beginning this Thursday

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
Buy Miss Val's new book, Life is Short Don't Wait to Dance co-authored by Jessica's husband here

RELATED EPISODES

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected