GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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295: Elvire Teza & Cecile Canqueteau-Landi Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

ELVIRE AND CECILE!

Get excited. This week, Jessica had the pleasure of chatting with legendary daredevil beam queen and two-time Olympian Elvire Teza and her partner in French greatness, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, 1996 Olympian and coach of 2016 Olympic gold medalist for team USA, 2015 bars world champ, Madison Kocian and—now—Simone Biles!

How training has changed from the 80's and 90's.
Being part of the French superstar era of firsts with Isabelle Severino, Ludvine Furnon and Eloidie Lussac.
Stereotypes of French training vs. American training: cigarettes, boyfriends, wine, baguettes, artistry, etc.
Adriana Pop and Laurent Landi bringing the makeup to the French-style performance game.
How Teza learned her crazy eponymous skills and dealing with her constant fear.
Why Cecile chooses to stay in the United States for the "more rewarding" gymnastics, especially NCAA and level 10s.
What they think of the current Code of Points and how they'd do under todays code.
What it's like coaching Simone Biles and which crazy skills we can convince Simone to do.
The 1996 Olympic Games in the loud Georgia dome, AKA the butter-smell arena.
How to avoid burnout the French way: All the naughty things they did to get a break from their grueling schedules.
Why Cecile and Laurent took a long break after Rio.

Required Viewing

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi floor 1996 Olympics, and beam from 1998 featuring "tusk mount" jump half-turn to handstand from side Elvire Teza fluff from 1998 American Cup, floor 1996, beam 1997, bars 2000

Live Show at NCAAs

Seats limited. Get your tickets here

T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST

OVERVIEW The college gymnastics season is in full swing, and we're on the hunt for designs to put on t-shirts and swag that celebrate our love of this amazing sport. That's why we're bringing back our GymCastic design contest bigger and better than ever before (think Ebee's DTY). Submit your best college-themed designs and you could be one of 5 winners whose art will be seen on the bodies of gymnerds everywhere. THE PRIZE

Your design and name/website featured on our page
Your artwork made into merchandise to be sold in the GymCastic store
A free t-shirt of your choosing from our merch store.

THE MISSION Create an college gymnastics-centric design that will make us moan like Kathy Johnson-Clarke.

Submit your original design by posting it on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram with hashtag #gymcasticdesigncontest and email it to us. Bonus points for collage-style images!

We use a site called TeePublic to print our merchandise. They do a great job of explaining their artwork requirements on their website. The most important thing is that if you win you will need to submit your art as a PNG file with a transparent background. Check out their Design FAQ at www.teepublic.com/faq

WARNING: This art must be your own original design. Directly using an image of a person (or the logo of a team or word NCAA) without their consent is frowned upon, and also a intellectual property violation. We can't use your design if you do. Silhouettes are a gray area, and are usually acceptable.

Deadline: Saturday, March 17 (St. Patty's Day!) Questions? Email us at GymCastic@gmail.com.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

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294: American Cup 2018 Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

AMERICAN CUP (5:00)

We get to talk about actual gymnastics this week! UNCLE TIM, Jessica, and Spencer discuss the big headlines

Morgan Hurd won all the everythings and has improved SO MUCH, even since worlds
Mai Murakami had the best performance by a non-American since 2011
Yul Moldauer's form (and hair) is the entire point of gymnastics
Kenzo had a no good, very bad day
Mao Yi broke her femur on an UNSAFE VAULT, but Morinari Watanabe brought her 100,000 bags of chips so it's all OK
Maile O'Keefe's ankles might have special powers, and we should look into that
From Petro Pakhniuk to Lorette Charpy to BROOKLYN'S FLOOR to Sun Wei's vault height, we pick our special highlights of the meet. Jessica has five. (32:16)

It didn't all go...great, so we select our un-highlights from this year's American Cup, including

"The People's Republic of Japan" and why the PA announcer made Spencer feel unsafe
Brooklyn Moors breaking everyone's hearts/it does't matter because Brooklyn Moors
The failures of E score in the current quad (there are a lot)
Unacceptable behavior from cable-holders and camerapeople (48:27)

And then there was the broadcast

A certain someone was missing from the broadcast team, and it was AMAZING
The way NBC handled addressing all the...everything...that has been happening. Yea or nay?
All those commercials for SafeSport and the USAG "athlete assistance fund"
And of course the Kerry Perry commercial. Oof. We have some thoughts.

NCAA NEWS (1:14:20)

Why the vault judges need to PULL IT TOGETHER
The crackiest 10s in NCAA over the weekend
The important existence of Tyra McKellar
The Nastia Cup—who is going to take NCAA by storm in the near future?
- Haleigh Bryant's handspring pike 1/2 is Rachel Slocum-good
- Andrea Li's forward stalder should be in a museum
- Ways we can get Rachael Lukacs into Georgia's vault lineup...like now?
- Jaedyn Rucker's floor

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:34:57)

The FBI opens an internal review into why it took A YEAR to do anything
"The gymnasts are very aware of everything going on"
Aly will GET YOU, has filed a lawsuit against the USOC, USAG
Jacob Moore is the first male victim of Nassar to come forward
Luan Peszek is no longer employed by USAG.
- We discuss whether a total purge is the right way to go and consider Aimee Boorman's letter
Simone is back on the national team
Claudia Fragapane has torn her Achilles
We finally get to talk about diarrhea. Jessica has a special story to share.
- Oh and also good coaching practices or whatever. Mostly diarrhea.
We break down the latest announcements from the FIG executive committee

T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST

Your design and name/website featured on our page
Your artwork made into merchandise to be sold in the GymCastic store
A free t-shirt of your choosing from our merch store.

THE MISSION Create an college gymnastics-centric design that will make us moan like Kathy Johnson-Clarke.

Submit your original design by posting it on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram with hashtag #gymcasticdesigncontest and email it to us. Bonus points for collage-style images!

We use a site called TeePublic to print our merchandise. They do a great job of explaining their artwork requirements on their website. The most important thing is that if you win you will need to submit your art as a PNG file with a transparent background. Check out their Design FAQ at www.teepublic.com/faq

WARNING: This art must be your own original design. Directly using an image of a person (or the logo of a team or word NCAA) without their consent is frowned upon, and also a intellectual property violation. We can't use your design if you do. Silhouettes are a gray area, and are usually acceptable.

Deadline: Saturday, March 17 (St. Patty's Day!) Questions? Email us at GymCastic@gmail.com.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

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293: EXCLUSIVE Inside Elite Verification Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

ELITE VERIFICATION

Jessica was at LSU for elite verification! (5:00) Much like Santa Claus, Jessica Claus arrived in the middle of the night to bring us

All the inside scoop we could ever ask for
Trinity Thomas, Margzetta Frazier (43:30), and Jordan Chiles (50:13) reacting to the new verification experience in their own words
An exclusive interview with Rhonda Faehn where she discusses (59:20)
- What her job actually is, especially now
- The search for a new NTC: whether the position will be split into different jobs, who will be making that decision, and what USAG is looking for from its new NTC
- Why people should trust her, a former Karolyi gymnast, to bring a change in culture
- The search for a new national training center, and much more

Plus, Jessica answers all of our (so, Spencer's) questions about verification like

What was the atmosphere? And more importantly, was it weird?
How is Safe Sport being employed in the national team system now?
What was the parents' reaction to being invited in?
What do those involved think about the changes and the future of USAG?
WHY WHY WHY were so many gymnasts not shown on the live stream?
Is there still a selection committee? Who is on it? How involved were they in the verification? Were they giving feedback?
Were the international assignments based directly on the results of verification?
For how long will this temporary system be in place?
Did anyone give a big dramatic speech addressing all the elephants in the room?
What is the new LSU gymnastics palace like? Were other NCAA coaches there?
What happened that would NEVER have happened at a Martha camp?

Also, the gymnastics (1:22:24) ! Detailed news on all the various perfections (Riley McCusker! Shilese Jones! Olivia Dunne! Adeline Kenlin! Jafree Scott! Kara Eaker! Kayla DiCello! Leanne Wong! Audrey Davis! Jordan Bowers! Konnor McClain! Alyona Shchennikova!) that you didn't see on the live stream.

GYMTERNET AND MEET NEWS

Kensley joins in to keep everyone vigilant about what's going on with the men's program and why it's not being held to the same standards of change as the women's program. AKA, welcome to the "conflicts of interest" portion of the show! (1:46:59)
A period of mourning for Kennedy Baker's Achilles and a story about Kennedy Baker bringing old nemeses together and basically single-handedly creating world peace because Kennedy Baker (1:52:40)
Cal beat Utah for the second time ever and set ALL THE RECORDS in the process
Exciting US MAG World Cup assignments, and why they kind of don't make sense (1:59:58)
All the big developments from the Melbourne World Cup including Chen Yile, Georgia Godwin, Milad Karimi, Aruna Buddy Reddy, and Hidetaka Miyachi (2:03:24)
British Gymnastics has officially fired Eddie van Hoof, who led the MAG team from 2005-2017, for very vague reasons following an independent investigation (2:09:00)
More Stacey Ervin WWE news!

LIVE SHOW AT NCAAs

We're doing a live show at NCAA nationals this year, featuring Jessica, Spencer, and maybe some very secret, very special guests! Details and tickets here. WHEN: Thursday, April 19th from 7:30-9:00pm in St. Louis.

T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST

Your design and name/website featured on our page
Your artwork made into merchandise to be sold in the GymCastic store
A free t-shirt of your choosing from our merch store.

THE MISSION Create an college gymnastics-centric design that will make us moan like Kathy Johnson-Clarke.

Submit your original design by posting it on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram with hashtag #gymcasticdesigncontest and email it to us. Bonus points for collage-style images!

We use a site called TeePublic to print our merchandise. They do a great job of explaining their artwork requirements on their website. The most important thing is that if you win you will need to submit your art as a PNG file with a transparent background. Check out their Design FAQ at www.teepublic.com/faq

WARNING: This art must be your own original design. Directly using an image of a person (or the logo of a team) without their consent is frowned upon, and also a intellectual property violation. We can't use your design if you do. Silhouettes are a gray area, and are usually acceptable.

Deadline: Saturday, March 17 (St. Patty's Day!) Questions? Email us at GymCastic@gmail.com.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

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292: Winter Cup 2018 and FIG official statement on hosting World Championships in anti-gay country Feb 23, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS (2:05)

The Preventing Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act has been signed into law!
- What it says, why it's important, and also GO TO THE POLICE!
USAG probably lied to the Senate, and MSU's dog ate its homework
In "not just gymnastics" news, USA Swimming may be even worse in scope and duration
Aly, McKayla, and others refuse to participate in the USOC investigation and lay the smackdown on Scott Blackmun
We rage about those HORRIBLE local news fluff pieces where coaches proudly proclaim that none of their gymnasts were abused.
- Dave Chapelle on imperfect allies in part two of his Netflix special, The Bird Revelation.
USAG will be STREAMING the LSU verification meet. Is this meaningful transparency?
A whole bunch of US individuals will be competing at Jesolo, just like we told them to!
Skinner is entertaining the possibility of going for 2020 (39:48)
- A rundown of how that would work in the super-complicated 2020 qualification format
- Thoughts on Megan Marsden's less-than-enthusiastic reaction to the idea
Elena Eremina had back surgery, so life is canceled for six months
The official response from the FIG regarding LGBT gymnasts and staff in Qatar for the world championship (1:08:57):
- "We understand your concerns with regards to LGBT gymnasts and staff at the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Doha.However, as a FIG member and by hosting the championships, the Qatar Gymnastics Federation adheres to the FIG Rules that does not allow any kind of discrimination or any violation of human rights as per Article 2.2 of the Statutes and Article 1. of the Code of Ethics.During the last ten editions of the Doha World Cup no incident has become known, where a gymnast, coach, official or fan has faced any mistreatment in this regard. The same applies to World Championships of other sports that have been held in Doha, including the 2015 IHF Handball World Championships, the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships and the 2016 UCI Road World Championships as well as the annual ATP and WTA Qatar Open tennis tournaments.As long as the participants, coaches, officials and staff, irrespective of their race, sex, language or religion, respect the law of the host country and abide by the rules, there is no reason to fear imprisonment."

NCAA NEWS (50:46)

Arizona put up only 2 on vault and 3 on floor this week, and we are FASCINATED
Breaking down the week's 10s from Sydney Snead, Ivy Lu, and Elizabeth Price
Crack or Correct: The weekend's stuck DTYs (9.975 for Price, 9.950 for Skinner) and how they compare to other DTYs—and other vault scores from the same meets. Yeah, we talk about that Nia Dennis vault.

WINTER CUP (1:21:45)

Jessica is joined by Kensley to discuss this year's Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas. They break down Sam Mikulak's dominant victory, how it wasn't the most terrifying competition in the history of gymnastics (WHAT?), and a gymnast who stole the whole show by the name of Asher Hong.

Who made the National Team and changes to the national team selection process and the dreaded point system (link to Day One points)
Our theories on why this meet wasn't terrifying this year
Should 18-year old NCAA athletes be allowed to compete with true juniors?
Sam Mikulak, a fall in the all-around and it doesn't matter.
Marvin Kimble goes 12 for 12 and shouts it from the rooftops
Highest D and E winners

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
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MY GYM JUDGE

MyGymJudge bridges the gap between you and the judges! It's simple. Go to www.mygymjudge.com, submit a video of your routines, and receive detailed analysis from one of our incredible judges. My Gym Judge sets out to empower athletes, coaches, and parents with the knowledge to both UNDERSTAND their scores and HOW to improve upon them. Their certified judges include judges who judge at Olympic Trials and World Championships, like Chellsie Memmel and Loana Cruz!

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291: Not a Good Look Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

First, Jessica has two op-eds out, one in HuffPo and one in the LA Times—which you MUST read otherwise we can't be friends anymore. Also, we explain why you might see that Nassar interview showing up in your feeds this week. BUT THEN:

Clarifications about the February verification at LSU regarding chaperones, compensation, and reimbursement
WOGA is in trouuuuuuuuble for its handling of sexual abuse complaints
Aly says Geddert might have known in 2011. He's also facing a criminal investigation. Oh, look how that worked out.
The House of Representatives is initiating an investigation into all the major players. Spencer and Jessica have dreams about what comes next.
GUH. FRAN. COME ON.
MSU might actually fire someone. Whaaaaaaa?
The FIG president issues a plan to address sexual abuse. What Jessica thinks his fashion choices tell us about his intentions.
The Oleg Verniaiev interview that must be read to be believed.

MEET NEWS

Is UCLA for real? Is Florida...going to be for real?
Ivy Lu is the best bars worker you've never seen
Kennedy Baker got a 10! We compare her "piked" Dos Santos to the OG "layout" Dos Santos.
Crack or Correct: Should Myia Hambrick be getting 10s? The most hilarious overscore of the week. Plus, Alex McMurtry's DTY scores.
Brenna Dowell did beam exhibition, and it was AMAZING.
Could Romania have a bars solution?
Aliya did bars and beam exhibition in France, and we're making 1700 plans for her life.
English Championships!
- Ellie Downie is back!
- Amy Tinkler and Claudia Fragapane are basically bars specialists now
- Georgia-Mae Fenton is bringing throwback Valdez realness on beam

FEEDBACK

Triceratops hair
The overtraining epidemic among the littles
A new listener (you might recognize) is almost, kind of obsessed with us
Stacey Ervin tries out for WWE. Jessica dies.
JESSICA LIES
The virtues of the national camps
Hypocrisy from college coaches?!?!?! Never!
Mother Earth tries to sabotage Khorkina
A special Jessica RAGE-O-METER about broadcasting gymnastics

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
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MY GYM JUDGE

NORBERT'S

This episode is brought to you by Norbert's athletic products. February's special deal is a Pink and Purple panel mat, delivered to you with free shipping for $199. Check out that and all their other equipment at norberts.net.

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290: Valeri is Out Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS (03:28)

Valeri Liukin has RESIGNED as National Team Coordinator!
- Our reactions
- Was Valeri forced out, or did he decide this himself?
- Who should succeed him as NTC?
The state of the current WAG program
- We discuss the new verification competition being held at LSU
- ...and the ensuing, totally predictable NCAA coach freak out
- The 180 USAG just did on the family chaperone issue, along with our concerns
- #WST
Larry Nassar's FINAL sentencing (37:33)
- We might never have to look at him again!
- The dad who lunged at him in court. Yea or Nay?
Michigan State offices raided by law enforcement
The USOC failed to act on Nassar's abuse for a full year (Shock! Surprise!)
Senator Gillibrand calls for the DOJ to investigate the USOC
The New York Times says at least 40 people were abused by Nassar AFTER the FBI already knew about him.
- What an ACTUAL FBI agent told Gina Nichols, and why it sort of blows up USAG's party line

THE. SIMONE. MOVIE. (52:38)

Ironically amazing or actually amazing?
WHAT WAS THAT RANCH?
That thing where Aimee has to explain to Martha what gymnastics is
The Biles is really just a whip 1/2, you guys
Why the casting of the national team maybe needed some work
And SO MUCH MORE.

MEET NEWS (1:08:57)

All about THAT Oklahoma/UCLA meet
- We find out how many times Jessica cried
- Why this meet perfectly encapsulated everything about college gymnastics and everything sport should be
- Spencer has to ruin the mood by whining about the scores
Charlie Tamayo is out at Georgia
Alex McMurtry explains why she opted out of elite
Brooklyn Moors won Elite Canada and has a new, UPGRADED floor routine (1:34:18)

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
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MY GYM JUDGE

This episode is brought to you by MyGymJudge. MyGymJudge bridges the gap between you and the judges. It's simple. Go to www.mygymjudge.com, submit a video of your routines, and receive detailed analysis from one of our incredible judges. My Gym Judge sets out to empower athletes, coaches, and parents with the knowledge to both UNDERSTAND their scores and HOW to improve upon them. Their certified judges include judges who judge at Olympic Trials and World Championships, like Chellsie Memmel and Loana Cruz! GO to www.mygymjudge.com today and use the code GC20 to receive a 20% discount!

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175 Years Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include:

Victim Impact Statements and why everyone should go to USAG meets dressed as Judge Rosemarie Aquilina.
- Mattie Larson made a big impact talking about how USAG created an abusive environment. McKenzie Wooford backed her up.
- Rachael Denhollander gave a speech to go down in the history books, "What Is A Little Girl Worth?" Who should play her in the Oscar-winning movie?
- We explain why Judge Aquilina was legally allowed to be partial so everyone can calm down.
USOC cracking down...now...suddenly. We have feelings.
- Why the Daniels Report wasn't enough.
- Aly Raisman hit the USOC back with her own demands for an independent investigation.
- We want a Truth and Reconciliation hearing with Valeri Liukin.
Congress passed Senate Bill 534 Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act. Next step is Trump's signature.
- These three voted against the bill. Feel free to vote them out of office:
  - - - Justin Amash, Michigan's 3rd congressional district
      - Thomas Massie, Kentucky's 4th congressional district
      - Mark Sanford, South Carolina's 1st congressional district
John Geddart of Twistars was suspended, then hilariously announced he is going to retire.
- He moved the gym into his wife's name, if/when he is banned by USAG, he will have to be entirely unaffiliated with the gym if the gym wants to retain its membership.
- Jessica called the police on him and it didn't go well.
MSU
- Lou Anna Simon resigned. Still no one fired at MSU except for Nassar.
- MSU produced two different Title IX investigation reports. The the version not given to the victim said Nassar was "exposing patients to unnecessary trauma…"
- Joel Ferguson, a trustee and vice-chair of the MSU board, has not stepped down. Instead he supported Simon: "There's so many more things going on at the university than just this Nassar thing."
Miss Val on radio last week said, ex-USAG President, Steve Penny, told her he let Marta get away with being abusive because she won.

NCAA RECAP! (1:24:43)

The week of CRACK!
- Even Kathy Johnson had to take to Twitter to complain!
- The judges gave Alex McMurtry's upgraded DTY, doesn't stick, a 10
- The judges gave OU's beam rotation 9.9s, even Bre Showers
- Florida needed 9.925 to win, judges gave it to Baumann
- Maggie Nichols didn't get a 10 on vault, Kennedy Baker no 10 on floor
- Stanford/Oregon State bars scoring was ridiculous
- UCLA beat LSU at Metroplex with 197.625

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288: Ding Dong The Ranch Is Dead Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

Victim impact statements in the sentencing for Larry Nassar began last week and continue this week. You can continue to watch it live here.

Update: Upon order of USOC, Paul Parilla resigns. John Geddert suspended !
Kyle Stephens: "Little girls don't stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world."
Lindsey Lemke: "Larry, I hope you, Lou Anna Simon, Kathie Klages, John Geddert, and all of USAG are scared, because you have pissed off the wrong army of women."
The awfulness of Geddert, quote by quote, story by story
14 were warned of Nassar abuse at MSU, at least one of whom is still working with the gymnastics team! WHAT?!
Jordyn Wieber: "Larry Nassar is accountable. USA Gymnastics is accountable. The U.S. Olympic Committee is accountable. My teammates and friends have been through enough and now it's time for change."
Aly Raisman: "Imagine feeling like you have no power and no voice. Well, you know what, Larry? I have both power and voice, and I am only beginning to just use them."
That insane letter Nassar wrote to the judge
Miss Val opens can of Whoop Ass on USAG
What you can do:
- S 534 Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 — Make sure it passes.

USAG announces that it will no longer be using the ranch.

What do we make of this?
Is it progress or just cynicism?
A listener asks: Why can't the women just use the Olympic Training Center?

Plus, is decertification an option? What does that actually mean? And what was the deal with Nastia's apology?

MEET NEWS

A rundown of the current leaders in NCAA gymnastics
All of Elizabeth Price's accomplishments over the last three weeks (there have been a lot)
insane floor save from MyKayla Skinner
Sabrina Vega scores 9.950 on floor
Our obsession with the Toni-Ann Williams slip-and-slide vault warmup
Stella Savvidou's one-arm floor routine: amazing, dangerous, or both?

FEEDBACK

We respond to your questions and comments all about

Piked Arabians on beam?
The difference between moral duty and legal duty
Clarification on what "the Liukin" actually is
Does the US train too hard leading up to competition? (Hint: YES)
Why can't we just get rid of camps entirely?
Bad coaching vs. good coaching
Little Girls In Pretty Boxes
- Episode 15
NCAA gymnasts as possible individual competitors in 2020

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RXBAR

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287: Simone and Maggie Too Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

Jessica and Spencer discuss

Simone Too
- Shutting down the ranch and options for an athlete and parent association
- Karolyi Ranch PTSD is real
Maggie Nichols is Athlete A
- Maggie and her coach Sarah Jantzi reported Nassar to USA Gymnastics in June 2015
- Complaint states that Steve Penny discouraged her parents from reporting to law enforcement
- Nassar was allowed to see patients for two years while under criminal investigation by MSU
USAG's awful reaction statement reveals not a web of lies, but a web of stupid
- We break down USAG's commitment to "well, actually"-ing the survivors, while simultaneously admitting misdeeds
- The trouble with Fran. When is an "investigator" actually an "investigator"?
- USAG claims it did not identify interviewed athletes by name. Really, though?
At what point is it time to close down USAG and start over?
Geddert
- In motion to dismiss, he claims Rachael should really be suing her own mom
- Survivor statements indicate he knew as early as 1997
- A listener asks why we seem to hate Geddert so much on this show. We explain. Read the details of police investigations into Geddert here.
MSU follows suit
Marcia Frederick, first US Gymnastics world champion, shares story of abuse
Paul Ziert asks who approved the Maroney settlement and where the money came from

NCAA NEWS (50:00)

Actual gymnastics!

The week that vault turned impossible
- The Maddie Desch vault debacle, explained
- The difference between elite and NCAA vault rules, and why NCAA is SAFER
- Why is everyone trying to vault when their steps are off?
- "Persistedness" — a deep dive
Suzanne's back and she's already being SO Suzanne
Lauren Rice is amazing and life is unfair
The triumphant return of CRACK OR CORRECT?
- Emma McLean's floor 9.975
- The beam start-value massacre at the Elevate the Stage quad
- Would Denelle Pedrick have scored higher for a "name" school?
The GymCastic seal of approval goes to Khazia Hislop of UNC for floor (at 1:30:00)

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This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter promo code GymCastic30

SIMPLE CONTACTS

This episode is sponsored by Simple Contacts. Get $30 off your contacts at simplecontacts.com/gymcastic or enter code gymcastic at checkout.

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286: Cover Your Eyes and Silently Scream Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

MAGGIE NICHOLS IS ATHLETE A

2015 US Team World Champion, floor bronze medalists and 2017 Oklahoma NCAA Team Champion, Maggie Nichols has come forward as a survivor sexual abuse by Larry Nassar. "Up until now, I was identified as Athlete A by USA gymnastics, the US Olympic Committee and Michigan State University. I want everyone to know that he did not do this to Athlete A, he did it to Maggie Nichols."

OC Register: Maggie Nichols, first Nassar whistle-blower, goes public
Time: He Violated Our Innocence.' Maggie Nichols Says She Was Abused by Team Doctor Larry Nassar
Sports Illustrated: Says John Nichols, "After Maggie reported [in June of 2015], we were told to be quiet, don't say anything to anybody, that USA Gymnastics was going to handle it. Later on, we would ask what's happening and they'd say they were contacting the FBI. I was led to believe that the FBI was going to be handling this." USA Gymnastics has not responded to SI's requests for comment.
You can read Maggie's statement in its entirety here
Take Action
- Tell Maggie how much you appreciate her on her twitter
- Sign up for Champion Women's action alerts.
- Support Feinstein's Senate Bill 534 Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 by contacting your legislator. Find your representative here.

NCAA SEASON BEGINS

The first weekend of the NCAA season is in the books, and the theme was endurance. (Or lack thereof.)

Michigan upsets Alabama.
- The Oscar-worthy tearjerker that was everyone's facial expressions before their third pass.
- Bailie Key's stress dream of a debut beam routine, how it gets better, and how Jess still gives her a 10.
Kennedy Baker's flu-cramp sets the tone for Florida's rough performance.
- When Amelia Hundley is falling, something is very wrong indeed
- Alyssa Baumann is back from the health wars and looks like she never left
Was...was UCLA the most prepared team on floor this weekend?
Do any of these first-week problems even matter?
Kyla going up second on bars: A way-too-deep discussion.
The change in beam requirements and the problem with forward + backward "series"
SARAH. FREAKING. FINNEGAN.
Denver is coming for everyone, and Lynnzee Brown is about to be a star.
Why Peng's bars score of 9.975 was exactly correct

GYMTERNET NEWS

USA Gymnastics struck a deal with McKayla Maroney to keep abuse quiet
- Confused about who's arguing what, what arguments makes sense, what arguments definitely don't make sense, who's lawsuiting whom, who knew what when, and what the timeline for all this was? We break it all down simply enough that even we can understand.
USOC CEO apologizes
Fran Sepler made some statements. And they were a PROBLEM.
- To summarize, the investigator for USAG just—hypothetically—admitted that she didn't report to police or CPC a child molester who was still working with kids. USAG did... after 5 weeks.
Deanna Hong's phenomenal documentary piece, Why I Spoke Up: Rachael Denhollander
WHAAAAA? A new team-final format was slipped into the FIG's updated technical regulations, and we love it.
We have some questions about the characterizations (and accent situations) unveiled in the trailer for the Simone movie.
Voronin Cup
- Komova is back and nailing her Arabian.
- She is the bars execution queen (because everyone knows giant swings don't count).
- We break down Nabieva's floor drama (because Nabieva) in detail.
Oleg had surgery on his everything

FEEDBACK

We discuss your questions and comments, including

Is it possible to do a Pak double back?
More about undies and tinkling when tumbling
- Episode 222: Advice from pelvic floor specialist
Are puppies sexist? (One of us still doesn't understand the question.) Here are the ice skaters with puppies at Olympic Trials.
A tiny complaint that we need to do more episodes (we agree!)
What NCAA gymnastics can learn from lacrosse about early recruiting
VAULTING ON TOP OF ACTUAL HORSES

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Today's episode is sponsored by HelloFresh for $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter promo code GymCastic30

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