GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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**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:

285: Bring on 2018 Dec 20, 2017

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

This week, we get all the yucky parts out of the way at the beginning.

It was a bad week (month) (year) to be USA Gymnastics
- What USAG told the athletes in Rio about Nassar
- P&G and Kellogg's (then Under Armour and Hershey's) drop sponsorship of USAG
- USAG's hideous motion to dismiss in the Denhollander case
- The Maroney birthday tweet
- Athlete reps can still serve on selection committees, counter to the Daniels Report
- But, progress made at the Board of Directors meeting
Nassar Sentenced to 60 Years
- The letter Aly wrote to read at his sentencing.
- Where are the consequences for Michigan State?
Dave Brubaker, director of Canadian women's national team, charged with 10 sexual offenses.
Todd Gardiner from IGI placed on permanently ineligible members list for violating provisions concerning a sexual relationship with an athlete.

BUT ALSO (42:00)

Simone participated in the most hilariously un-fact-checked local news piece ever.
Maria Paseka will miss 2018 with back surgery
Our thoughts on the Russia Winter Olympics "ban" and Khorkina's bonkers response
A 12-year-old verbally committed to Georgia
Max Whitlock is learning air flares on pommel horse, just like Jess prophesied!
Morgan Hurd, Yul Moldauer (and Brooklyn Moors!) are going to American Cup

BRING ON 2018

NCAA season is soon upon us! We discuss (01:12:11):
- Florida or Oklahoma as the #1 team
- Suzanne is back. How does one explain Suzanne? We try.
- Former elites we're excited to see (Bailie! Jazzy! Nia! Alyssa!)
All the exciting new friends who are about to turn senior, like (01:31:00)
- Li Qi, queen of connection bonus and our favorite Chinese gangsta floor routine
- All the US juniors who will take the world by storm, with special attention to Kara Eaker's beautiful beam
- Martina Dominici, the gymnast who will put Argentina on the map
- Plus Chen Yile, ZUBOVA, Simakova, Du Siyu, Sydney Saturnino, Denisa Golgota, Ana Padurariu, and a special Egyptian gymnast who might be Aliya Mustafina in disguise.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
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ZOLA

Since people now get ENGAGED on this show, we have a the perfect sponsor. Zola is the wedding company reinventing the wedding planning and registry experience. From engagement to wedding and decorating your first home, Zola is there, combining compassionate customer service with modern tools and technology. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, go to ZOLA.com/gymcastic

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284: Morgan Hurd Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

INTERVIEW

This week, we have a very special chat with new world all-around champion, expert zombie-worm escaper, official badass woman, and favorite gymnast of young-adult authors the world over, MORGAN HURD. We discuss:

Whether we're still allowed to call her Morgiboo
Which gymnasts she fangirls out over
If she's totally sick of people talking about her glasses yet
All the behind-the-scenes scoop from worlds
- What she thinks about camp secrecy and possible SPIES
- What she thought about the lighting in the arena and training gym
- What happened when Ragan got injured before the AA final
- Who cried the most when she won
Current training and TOP-SECRET upgrades
Ideas for getting "the Hurd" in the code of points (we have a lot)
Upcoming competition plans
HARRY POTTER
- Which house Morgan would be in
- Morgan and Spencer throw down about Hagrid's teaching abilities
- Statues of Dobby and fuzzy sock tributes
Which song from Hamilton would make the best floor music
Nastia's obsession with her
Getting confused for a child literally all the time
How she decided on Florida
What she thinks about NBC's "China would really love to have her" comments

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Store full of gifts for gym nerds here.

RELATED EPISODES

283: Catalina Ponor Says Goodbye Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

SIMONE-TERNET NEWS

Simone casually has all her skills back because Simone.
Do we think the Aly/Gabby/Simone twitter victim-shame debacle compelled Gabby to come forward with her story? And does it change how we view her comments?
Simone will be 23 in 2020. Gasp. What journalists are STILL getting wrong about age and women's gymnastics!

MEET NEWS

IT'S THE MEXICAN OPEN GALA EVERYONE!!!!!!!
- Ponor gives her farewell gala performances on beam and floor and they're AH-MAZING
- If this truly is the end for Ponor, what is her legacy in gymnastics?
- But also:
  - Manrique twerks and Jessica expects more
  - LOTS of innuendos about working poles. LOTS.
  - Ahmet Onder, Joel Plata, and the importance of men stripping for our enjoyment, even when it's a #stripteasefail
  - Michael Jackson impersonations. Like you do.
  - That thing where you have a shirtless cowboy duel and then sit astride the pommel horse and slap it so hard chalk flies off
  - The award for worst/best use of Kevin Cerda in a Lucha Libre tribute
  - An elaborate satire of white people
- Jessica details how to make Yesenia Ferrera into a world floor champ. (Hint: it's conditioning)
Elite Gym Massilia
- The Russian juniors and their rudis will soon rule us all
- Axelle Klinckaert's insane/amazing must-watch floor routine, starring sound effects
Cottbus World Cup
- Miyachi, Bretschneider, calculated risk, and the triumph of Marvin "NO LONGER HOT MESS" Kimble on high bar
- China has another one on PBars, and his name is Tan Di.
- Chuso wins her 11th Cottbus vault title because obviously
- Wang Cenyu is gorgeous on beam, but why such a short routine?
- The future of Russian floor is Lilia Akhaimova's huge, strong tumbling and Maria Kharenkova's rebirth!

GYMTERNET NEWS

Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault and his statement was just as despicable as his everything else about him.
Up next: MSU.
British Gymnastics suspends men's technical director Eddie van Hoof
Laura Jurca is leaving Romania for Germany
The FIG finally comes to its senses about naming skills after women!
Fabian Hambiceps stuck a high bar dismount for the last time
Chiaki Hatakeda is doing a QUAD on floor. A QUAD YOU GUYS!
Plus, we answer your feedback about college fantasy gymnastics, gymnerd dating services, and positive changes at TOPS camp!

LOVEPOP

This week's show is brought to you by Lovepop. Unlock special pricing for 5 or more cards AND get free shipping on any order by going to Lovepop.com/gymcastic.

TUMBL TRAK

We have a winner in our $200 Tumbl Trak gift certificate giveaway!

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy one of our awesome goodies here.
Use our Amazon link to shop for anything!
December 4th - December 8th: TeePublic Sitewide Sale! All Tees $14!

RELATED EPISODES

282: GymCastic Book Club – Fierce, by Aly Raisman Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

The Gabby Tweet Heard 'Round the World (1:00)
- What was wrong with Gabby's response to Aly's post about victim shaming and why so many people are angry about it
- How her teammates responded
- Gabby's apology
- Our thoughts on the whole mess
- And then just as we were about to post, late breaking news: Gabby Douglas came forward as Larry Nassar victim.

FIERCE (13:13)

Aly Raisman's book, Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything, was released last week. We talk through all of our feelings about it as a gymternet family.

Why this is the best gymnastics book ever written for this age group
USA Gymnastics does not come off well. At all. It's awesome.
The post-Olympic tour is a hellscape
Aly's experience with Larry Nassar is quite telling about exactly how this went on for so long and the very understandable reasons that victims don't speak about their experiences
We need to talk about this mysterious Fran character
Why the section about nutrition is a MUST-READ for all elite and NCAA coaches and gymnastics parents.
Seriously. Read it right now. GO!
- Also check out Episode 230 to learn about the WellnessFX program
All the other sweetest, funniest, standing ovation moments we loved

GYMTERNET NEWS (1:26:45)

British Gymnastics athletes are taking a stand against the organization!
- Why a group of athletes, including Max Whitlock, Ellie Downie, Amy Tinkler, is currently declining to sign new contracts with British Gymnastics
- The athletes have some very familiar concerns about lack of transparency in terms where the money is going and an overall culture of fear and favoritism
- Why gymnastics needs a union

TUMBL TRAK GIVEAWAY

Send in your story of a funny or embarrassing handstand moment (the more embarrassing the better), and you could win a $200 Tumbl Trak gift certificate!

Open to Club Gym Nerd members only
Deadline: December 3rd
Send your story to gymcastic@gmail.com with the subject line: Tumbl Trak Handstand Story
The person with the funniest or most hilariously embarrassing handstand story will be chosen as the winner

NORBERT'S GIVEAWAY

Norbert's is giving away a four-foot sectional beam!

To win, just email us at gymcastic@gmail.com with the subject line "I want the Norbert's beam" and tell us...that you want the Norbert's beam
Deadline: November 25th
While you visit norberts.net to fantasize about that glorious little beam, check out NORBERT'S Gifts For Gymnasts Feature. Order by Dec 1st to receive your item by Dec 24th.
For a 10% discount enter code "Gymcastic" at checkout when you visit norberts.net.

SIMPLE CONTACTS

This episode is brought to you by Spencer's literal obsession, Simple Contacts. To renew your contact prescription online (in five minutes, without visiting the eye doctor) and order your new contacts, visit simplecontacts.com/gymcastic and use the promo code "gymcastic" to save $30 off your purchase.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy one of our awesome shirts here.

RELATED EPISODES

281.5 Aly Raisman Comes Forward As Nassar Victim Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

Aly Raisman appeared on 60 Minutes this week, relating her own story of abuse by Larry Nassar and making known her dissatisfaction with USA Gymnastics' handling of abuse at the time, as well as now. We discuss:

How awesome Aly Raisman is
How awesome Aly Raisman is
And how awesome Aly Raisman is
The need for education and communication among children, adults, coaches, and administrators about what is acceptable behavior and what is not
Why many of the victims didn't know they were abused until years later
What a stupid question "Isn't the timing just a book sales ploy?" is

Plus,

USAG has a new president, and we have concerns
SAFESPORT has a new board, and we have concerns
The USOC has experienced no consequences, and we have concerns

And finally,

Jessica O'Beirne presents the O'BEIRNE MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE. Six areas in which USA Gymnastics must improve immediately, otherwise nothing will ever get better and they will never gain back the trust of the members.
1. Transparency: Daniels Report compliance list link on the USAG homepage.
2. Gymnast Union: Athletes and parents need to start a union to eliminate the conflicts of interest inherently built into any National Governing Body system and to end the fear of retaliation.
3. Consequences: Debbie Van Horn, Paul Parilla and the rest of the board need to go, immediately.
4. Comprehensive Training: Every employee from president, Kerry Perry to the receptionist and all board members of USAG need in-person, day-long abuse prevention training on an annual basis.
5. Alcohol: One drink when coaching duties are over with a meal, per day. Period.
6. No Grey Areas: All national team staff, parents, athletes and coaches need to be educated and empowered to enforce SafeSport rules. And to call eachother out for violations.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy one of our awesome goodies here.

RELATED EPISODES

281: Myths, Legends, and Unexpected Moments PART 2 (Commissioned) Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

This week's episode is commissioned by Club Gym Nerd member Beth, who commissioned a sequel to our first show all about the biggest myths, legends, and unexpected moments in gymnastics history because there were just too many to pack into a single episode the first time around. Thank you for letting us do this, Beth!

But first, Jessica's greatest dream has FINALLY come true in this week's Club Gym Nerd episode dedication!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE x100000000.

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Myth Un-Busted??? The latest, secret information about Soviet pregnancy doping
Is there really a real-life skill called the Miller? Or did NBC lie to us? (BOTH!)
Did Verona van de Leur really leave gymnastics to become a porn star?
- Bonus: More gymnastics nudity "scandals" than you ever wanted to know about!
Did Title IX really kill men's college gymnastics?
Is there really such a thing as the international look? Or did NBC lie to us?
Did Armine Barutyan really do a double layout beam dismount?
Is the American Cup really the SCAMerican Cup?
Will she really "never get those scores internationally"?
Did a Soviet gymnast's tampon really fall out during her floor routine?
Did Cristina Bontas's saliva really make Yang Bo fall in the 1992 beam final?

UNEXPECTED MOMENTS

When the pommel breaks off in your hand
When Bela was so obsessed with pissing off Ellen Berger that he almost costs Mary Lou her gold medal
- Bonus: Which barnyard animal did Bela compare Ellen Berger to in 1988?
The many (many) (many) fractures of the 1992 Olympic team
Dominique Moceanu gets emancipated from her parents, and her dad hires a hit man to kill her coach
Gymnastics in the bath?
The magical changing age of Hong Su Jong

TUMBL TRAK GIVEAWAY

Whether a gymnast from birth or starting at age 50, a handstand is something most gymnastics enthusiasts have at least tried. Send in your story of a funny or embarrassing handstand moment (the more embarrassing the better), and you could win a $200 Tumbl Trak gift certificate!

Open to Club Gym Nerd members only
Deadline: December 3rd
Send your story to gymcastic@gmail.com with the subject line: Tumbl Trak Handstand Story
The person with the funniest or most hilariously embarrassing handstand story will be chosen as the winner

HELLO FRESH

This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh! Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code "Gymcastic30" to save $30 off your first week of deliveries.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

RELATED EPISODES

280: Comeback Season Nov 08, 2017

Show notes

GYMTERNET NEWS

Check out the behind the scenes video from the unicorn of gymnastics, concurrent elite and college gymnast, New Zealand/Boise State's Courtney McGregor.
It's comeback season!
- November 1st was National Simone Biles Is Back In The Gym Day. How did you celebrate?
- The Alexei Nemov show
  - Mustafina did almost-real beam and Komova did even more almost-real bars
  - Spencer the Khorkina Whisperer breaks down the true meaning of her exhibition performance
  - Khorkina also sticks her foot in her mouth again. All the surprise.
- Tatiana Nabieva continued being retired by winning the St. Petersburg Championship
NCAA news
- Bailie Key is back and beaming for Alabama
- Madison Kocian had successful labrum surgery
- Sabrina Schwab has medically retired
- Maggie Nichols and Kyla Ross are still pulling out new tricks because of badassdom
Mixed gender gymnastics
- Is mixed-gender team competition the future of gymnastics? We discuss the merits of the mixed team format at the Swiss Cup.
- Kenzo is the greatest uneven bars worker of our day
- The #manbeamwar is in full swing!
Trigger warning section
- Larry Nassar's trial will not be moved. Plus, his child porn charges cannot be used in the assault trial. Is this horrible or normal law things?
- Tatiana Gutsu went on a Russian TV show, spoke about her rape in detail, and was treated horribly. She is the bravest ever.

FEEDBACK

What really happened with the redo vaults in 2000
The truth about Raducan and Amanar's positive tests in 2000, and what we're going to do about it!
Other gymnasts who could potentially "Ray" (perform three eponymous skills in the same routine)
Thoughts for making floor exercise less sexist
More ideas for how to fix worlds
Why we're wrong for wanting to move worlds out of Doha

RX BAR

This week's show is brought to you by RxBar. For 25% off your first order, visit rxbar.com/gymcastic and enter promo code gymcastic at checkout.

NORBERT'S

Norbert's has Gifts For Gymnasts! Holiday prices include shipping within the 48 contiguous states. Don't be fooled by other manufacturers' lesser quality "home use" lines of equipment. These are the same exact products found in gymnastics schools across the country and are made to last for years. Order by December 1st to ensure delivery by December 24th. Visit Norberts.net and click on the Gift Season is Here picture to find the perfect gift.

RELATED EPISODES

279: Svetlana Khorkina The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Commissioned Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

This week's episode was commissioned by Club Gym Nerd member Bella, who asked for an episode about all things Svetlana Khorkina: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Part 1: Getting philosophical with the question, who is Svetlana Khorkina?
- The height. The hair. The diva. The queen. The drama. The "villain."
Part 2: The good
- The champion – 7-time Olympic medalist; 20-time world medalist; 47 medals across Euros, worlds, and Olympics
- The innovator – 7 eponymous skills, at least one on each event. We pick favorites.
- The artist – all-time favorite Khorkina floor routines.
  - Carmen from the 1996 Olympics
  - The 2004 choreographed kiss
  - THIS very special, very bonkers ghost/snowman exhibition routine.
- A diva is magical
- All-time best Khorkina moments
  - The scream heard 'round the world during the 2000 all-around final
  - The 1996 Olympic gala dismount
  - Giving the vault final spot to Zamolodchikova
  - That time Zamo did the worst bars routine of all time and Khorkina died of hilarity
Part 3: Chatting with Luba
- Luba from Gymnovosti gives us the inside scoop on Khorkina's new book "The Magic of Winning" and the cultural and social context in which the legend that is Khorkina is situated.
- She has translated all the details and best quotes from "The Magic of Winning" on her site.
Part 4: The bad and the ugly
- The 2000 Olympic Team Final meltdown
- The definitely real, vast international gymnastics conspiracy against Svetlana Khorkina
- Why Khorkina is basically if tumblr were a person
- Her not-great reaction to the AA silver in 2004
- Khorkina wisdom
  - On how success feels: "I didn't feel anything, apart from maybe when I was on the top podium and they were underneath."
  - On modesty: "I changed people's attitudes. It's very good to be sexy. My career made it clear that tall girls can do incredible things. I opened the way. Now I'm famous all over the world."
  - On dealing with disappointment: ''I will leave what happened on the vault far behind me, like the North Pole.''
  - On ewww: ''Age isn't important to me. 'You know they say a man sometimes prefers older women because they can satisfy him more. It's the same in gymnastics.''
  - On losing graciously: "I've seen a much tougher opposition than her. Let's see how long she can remain on top. Can she keep going and compete in two more Olympics like myself?"
Part 5: Is Svetlana Khorkina the greatest gymnast of all time?
- The all-time world/Olympic medal chart

FURTHER CRAZY-QUOTE READING

Khorkina's 2007 interview with The Guardian.
New York Times on Khorkina's reaction to the 2000 Olympic debacle
Khorkina's tirade after the 2004 all-around from ESPN
New York Times on Khorkina's 2004 swan song
Slate's tribute to Svetlana the Great

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy one of our awesome shirts here.

RELATED EPISODES

278: 2000 Sydney All-Around Final (Commissioned) Oct 25, 2017

Show notes

This week's episode is commissioned by Club Gym Nerd member Courtney, who commissioned an episode all about the Sydney women's all-around final saying simply, "Because I know the gymternet has feelings." We sure do. Thanks for letting us do this, Courtney! Pre-meet

Russia drama! (Because of course.) Produnova is pulled from the final in favor of Zamolodchikova. Jessica doesn't have feelings about it at all.
Watch along with us here competition video
NBC's fluff and obsession with father figures and male influence. (See: The Fluff Cast.)
The vault is probably fine.

This trash competition

Why the meet was cursed right from the start.
Several minutes discussing Kristen Maloney's shiny silver leotard, because of deep and important thoughts.
Elise Ray's SCARIEST vault warmup of all time.
Why did some people struggle with the low vault and others not? We have theories.
KHORKINA and the difference between artistry, elegance, carriage, and actual execution.
Maria Olaru, how she's basically treated like garbage, and NBC's super inappropriate comments.
Jessica and Spencer disagree about a certain vault and whether it's hideous or not.
The improvement in Chinese floor routines from 1996 to 2000.
Elise Ray doing all three Rays in one bars routine.
Why Viktoria Karpenko is one of the greatest gymnasts ever to live.

The vault

Extensive feelings about what SHOULD have happened when the problem on vault was discovered, and why what actually happened was very, very wrong.
- Should the entire meet have been redone?
- Should everyone have been made to vault again?
- How do we account for people making other mistakes after vault?
Are there any actual, better rules in place should this situation happen again?
Khorkina's post-vault bars routine and whether the vault issue made her fall on bars.
One woman with the scariest job in the entire world.

The meet continues

Yang Yun's beautiful foot-ography and a very rare, very special Spencer Rage-o-Meter about Al's racist floor music comments.
Everyone who's leading has to collapse Part 7: Yelena Zamolodchikova.
The most bizarre score of the entire meet (spoiler alert: it's a Romanian bars routine).
Everyone who's leading has to collapse Part 8: Viktoria Karpenko.
Al rooting for Lisa Skinner to chuck a dangerous vault she's never done before.
Andreea Raducan's glory rising to the top above this trash heap.

The aftermath

Andreea Raducan stripped of her medal for testing positive for a substance found in cough medicine that is no longer even banned.
Whether we recognize the stripping of Raducan's medal. (We don't).
In 2010, Dong Fangxiao was found to have been underage and her results nullified.
The ridiculous inconsistency in the application of age rules.

The big question

If the vault had been set correctly, who would have been on the podium?

HELLO FRESH

This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh! Visit hellofresh.com and use promo code "Gymcastic30" to save $30 off your first week of deliveries.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here.
Buy our awesome gym nerdy merchandise here.

RELATED EPISODES

277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar Oct 25, 2017

Show notes

We have two episodes for you this week. This is a quick update on the latest sexual abuse allegations by McKayla Maroney and Tatiana Gutsu. A separate episode, our commissioned recap of the 2000 Sydney women's all-around final, is also out right now.

McKayla Maroney's statement
- Response from USAG
- Response from teammates
- Our interview with McKayla Maroney, where she discusses the toxic environment at USA Gymnastics, under Martha Karolyi and alleges neglect and emotional abuse by her personal coaches. That interview was recorded in October of 2015.
- Our thoughts, and Aly's thoughts, on the Terin Humphrey response
- What you can actually do
  - USAGym is looking for individuals to serve on Standing Committees of the Board of Directors
  - Call your senators to tell them to support SB 534 or thank them for already doing so
  - Tweet at the gymnasts to show your support
Tatiana Gutsu's statement
- The horrifying backlash from Russia
- Why efforts to defend "your friend" undermine support of the victim and discourage others from speaking out

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