GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

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267: Growing Up In Cuba Charlie Tamayo Sep 13, 2017

Show notes

THIS WEEK'S INTERVIEW

Creator of the laid-out double arabian, Charlie Tamayo, is here. The first male gymnast to win a World medal for Cuba tell us what it was like to grow up in the Cuban gymnastics system. We discuss:

Being selected for a special sports school
Daily life at the National School of Gymnastics, including ballet classes
Conditions in Cuba, from power to food to the politics of getting a phone
What gymnasts were told when they weren't allowed to compete internationally
The vault that he thought would change his life
What happened to his competition and gala earnings
Learning a full twisting double back vault before it was named for Ri Se-gwang
Competing with a broken ankle
Defecting
Learning to coach in the United States
Some videos of Charlie Tamayo training the Tamayo and inside his gym in Cuba

WE ARE GIVING AWAY TICKETS TO WORLDS!

- Prize : One ticket to all four all finals, including the sold out Women's All-Around Final
  - Deadline: September 18th at midnight Pacific
- Who Can Enter: Club Gym Nerd members only. Join here.
- How to Enter: Tell us who you want to win at Worlds in Montreal.
  - Email: gymcastic@gmail.com using the subject line GymCastic Worlds Tickets OR
  - Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #GymCasticWorldsTickets

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

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266: Screams of Joy Sep 06, 2017

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

Spencer and Jessica chat about:

Chinese National Games
- Jiang Tong's scream of joy after hitting floor
- Retirements, including Bai Yawen and Shang Chunsong
- Chen Yile killer beam, TingTing is the top senior in AA qualification - beam
- Fan Yilin rocking a new Huang Huidan/Riley McCusker dismount
- Wang Yan's brush-your-shoulders-off floor routine
- China announced Worlds Team: AA -Liu Tingting, Luo Huan; VT, BB, FX - Wang Yan; UB - Fan Yilin
Romanian Championships
- - The craziest scoring of any national championship in the World.
  - Larissa Iordache had a very head-shakey E score on beam, but upgraded to a Fabrichnova on bars
  - We enjoy Catalina Ponor's death-stare-down at the beam after an unusual two falls in a row. Then we interpret Ponor's new floor routine
Varna World Cup, Italian and Swiss Nationals
- Andrade Amanar
- We seethe about Brazil's decision to only send two athletes to Worlds this year. SEETHE!
- Deisree Carofiglio of Italy has a Dowell and so.much.drama. in her floor routine!
- The official roster for US Worlds Training Camp is: Carey, Chiles, Frazier, Gaskins, Hurd, Locklear, McCusker, Schennikova, Smith, Thomas.

GYMTERNET NEWS (46:56)

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

Aliya Mustafina has returned to training at Round Lake with her baby.
John Geddart got caught in what seems to be a big fat lie about disgraced ex-MSU coach, Kathie Klages working at his gym.
Simone's therapist, Robert Andrews has written the best article ever on why gymnastics has found itself in hot water; the culture of disempowerment: USAG Sexual Abuse Scandal Is A Symptom Of Deeper Issues
Danell Leyva will be on Danell Leyva Mira Quem Baila
GAT Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to help gymnastics clubs impacted by Harvey.
- Houston warned in August 2016 of rain bombs

FEEDBACK (46:56)

1996 Olympic commentary and what gymnastics was like in the 70's
Accidental upgrades like the WolfKino: Stella Nistor accidental double pirouette
Katelyn Ohashi speaking up
Where is Gabby Douglas?
Bone Density and gymnastics feedback from a Bioengineer
How far can the bars be spread apart in FIG competition?
Competing back-to-back from Floor to Vault

WE ARE GIVING AWAY TICKETS TO WORLDS!

Prize One: A of pair tickets (so you can bring a friend!) for every final, including the sold out Women's All-Around Final.
- Deadline: September 11th at midnight Pacific
Prize Two: One ticket to all four all finals, including the sold out Women's All-Around Final
- Deadline: September 18th at midnight Pacific
Who Can Enter: Club Gym Nerd members only. Join here.
How to Enter: Tell us who you want to win at Worlds in Montreal.
- Email: gymcastic@gmail.com using the subject line GymCastic Worlds Tickets OR
- Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #GymCasticWorldsTickets

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

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265: Russian Cup, University Games, and Feedback Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

All of our good thoughts and leotard sparkles are going out to the people of Texas, as we give 10 Khorkina glares to Hurricane Harvey. Here are the NY Times recommendations for how you can help.

MEET NEWS

Spencer and Jessica tell you everything you need to know about

The Russian Cup of Valentina Crazy Scores
- How Melnikova won the all-around and hit beam (!), and it was all because of that sad Instagram post from Euros
- Elena Eremina's 57.900 from qualification is the highest AA score in the world this year
- Jessica explains why having a baby makes you better at floor, like Eleonora Afanasyeva
- Maria Kharenkova is back with confidence! (And the highest scores of the meet on beam and floor)
- Is she challenging Anastasia Ilyankova's spot on the worlds team?
- Uliana Perebinosova wears white socks on bars and is the next coming of Beth Tweddle
The Larisa Iordache University Games Starring Larisa Iordache
- Iordache's massively risky beam that could be a 6.7 D score, and that she can fall on and still win the all-around.
- Canada's team was NCAA strong and put the US to shame
- Daria Elizarova is 26, has the most impressive tumbling in the meet, and didn't get the memo about not smiling
Southeast Asian Games
- Rifda Irfanaluthfi of Indonesia is the Simone of Southeast Asia
- Farah Ann doesn't need a last name anymore and is made of pizzazz and jazz hands
- Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines aren't sending anyone to worlds. We have feelings.

ATTENTION CLUB GYM NERD MEMBERS

We are giving away tickets to worlds. That's right: Tickets to the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Montreal this October, including the sold-out women's all-around final. Check your email in September for details.
Plus, Club Gym Nerd members will receive exclusive access to the loooooong version of September's upcoming Aimee Boorman and Maggie Haney interview. (We basically imprisoned them in a sweltering hotel room for 78 hours and made them answer all of our questions—like torture but with snacks.)
Note: Everyone will get to listen to the episode when it is released, but only Club Gym Nerd members will get the extended producer's cut.

MINI COMMISSION

This week's mini-commission—GAME OF WOLF TURNS—is brought to you by Slothanova. Thanks for supporting the show!
She asked us to rate the wolf turns from P&Gs in the following categories: Comedic Genius, Doesn't Make Me Want to Burn Down the Building, Close to Perfectly Executed, and Transformative Life-Changing (Jordan Chiles Wolfkino) Art. It's what we were born to do.
For GIFs of the horror-larity we discuss, check out The Wolf Turns of Nationals.

GYMTERNET NEWS

It was a good week for hilarious falls
- Cristina Onofre of the Philippines Purvises onto the judges and breaks everything
- Oleg Verniaiev damaged some sensitive cargo
Katelyn Ohashi wrote about cruel, unwanted body remarks she received and how body shaming has affected her life in Dear Standards.
- How do these actions compare with Valeri's comments after the Atler interview?
Kathie Klages, deposed Michigan State head coach who did not report concerns about Nassar, is filling in at Geddert's Twistars. Geddert is also named in suits along with Klages for failing to report concerns about Nassar.
- Geddert denied this to the Lansing State Journal.
- And now it looks like someone's caught in a lie. OOPSIE.
- Lindsey Lemke's piece for Cosmopolitan
NCAA coaching news
- Tabitha Yim is going to save Stanford!
- Chris Brooks is going to bring Cheeseburgers On Beam to Nebraska
- McCool and Husband McCool are heading to Arkansas

FEEDBACK

Clarifications and additions to our coverage of nationals
Aly Raisman = hero
Jessica explains inbar skills
Genius ideas for women to get the same number of medals as men
Why it's very good that USAG is not buying the ranch
Details on the famous Sho Fujimoto kneecap incident of '76
Why the men don't do step-out passes
A heartwarming story about removing the board from the 1988 Olympic Trials
How to advocate for gymnastics and reconcile all of the problems with our love for the sport

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

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264: 2017 PG Championships Mega Recap Aug 22, 2017

Show notes

2017 US Elite National Championships

Results, the stick and vault bonus disclaimer, plus E and D winners. (1:48)
Award Ceremony (6:11)
- The 2017 Jessica O'Beirne Pussilanimouses Will Never Be Heroes Award to Sienna Robinson
- The Best New Accidental Skill Award to Jordan Chiles
- The Living Legend Hero Team Captain Award to Aly Raisman
- The Wrong Answer Award to Nastia Liukin and Tim Daggett
- The Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Fall Award to Leah Clapper once, and twice
- The Funniest How I Learned This Skill Award to Emily Gaskins
- The What Could Possibly Go Wrong Award to John Macready. Again.
Women's junior competition (37:35)
- Maile O'Keefe is a hit machine with room to upgrade
- Emma Malabuyo is the real deal in the competition floor and off
- "THE GAGE JUNIORS" is the new "hello."
  - Kara Eaker's 9.250 beam E is the highest non-vault E score of the whole meet
  - Leanne Wong held her L turn position for 88 minutes and it was breathtaking
  - JaFree Scott shows how to Arabian on beam
- Adeline Kenlin did her Podkopayeva! Or is it a Faux-dkopayeva?
- Jay Jay Marshall has all the skills and is planning an upgrade revolution
- Anya Pilgrim's casual Patterson
- Gabby Perea has the highest bars D score in the world
- Olivia Hollingsworth and how to do a double Arabian
- Fake inbar skills and fake dismounts: an oncoming epidemic?
Women's senior competition (1:04:27)
- Ragan Smith only won by 3 and a half points. Simone would be so disappointed
- The Smith Floor Controversy of '17
  - The problem with using "Dixie"
  - The problem with using wolf whistles
  - Did we like it anyway?
- Jordan Chiles comes back from Classic with a triumphant second place
- Riley McCusker hit a lovely 8 for 8 and got third even with downgrades
- The epic greatness of Trinity Thomas on floor, with a 2.5 stepout, a butterfly, and swashbuckling!
- Did Morgan Hurd really have a "bad" meet?
  - The problem with NBC's adoption obsession
  - Her BRILLIANT floor-routine theme (everyone else, take notes)
  - The latest entry in the Morgiboo Book Club.
- Marissa Oakley's phenomenal bars
- Jade Carey
  - The best she has looked on floor so far this year
  - Did Amanar problems hurt her worlds chances?
- Ashton Locklear – where does she fit right now?
- Our WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS dream teams
  - We found the nation of feelings, so that feelings can send a team to worlds
Men's senior competition (1:37:15)
- The US men's worlds team is Moldauer, Mikulak, Whittenburg, Penev, Naddour and Kimble
- Alternates are Modi, Bower, and Van Wicklen
- And Spencer would like to know what's the meaning of all this!!!!
- Jessica has the inside scoop from Brett McClure on his process
- Our highlights
  - Sam Mikulak's high bar and 0.5 neutral deduction
  - Marvin Kimble's comeback story of the century
  - Colin Van Wicklen's day 1 Dragulescu
  - Whittenburg nailed his Ri Se Gwang on the second day
  - Eddie Penev did one of his best floor routines ever and made the worlds team

This month at Norbert's

For the month of August, our dear friends at Norbert's have a case of 36 1-lb boxes of Taiwanese Gymnastic Chalk for $275, shipping included.

#BEERWITHBETTY

Thank you to everyone who participated in Beer with Betty! https://twitter.com/GymCastic/status/899326036957028352

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

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263: PG Championships Preview with Jon Horton Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

MEET NEWS

It's P&G Championships this week, and we're joined by two-time Olympic medalist, two time World medalist, high bar ninja Jon Horton for our very special national championship preview episode.

How to watch
- Live podium training – Wednesday, August 16 – USAG Youtube
- Junior webcasts, starring Jon Horton, Sam Peszek, and Jordyn Wieber – USAG Youtube
  - August 17 - Junior men day 1 - 4:00 ET/1:00 PT
  - August 18 - Junior women day 1 - 4:00 ET/1:00 PT
  - August 19 - Junior men say 2 - 3:00 ET/12:00 PT
  - August 20 - Junior women day 2 - 2:00 ET/11:00 PT
- Senior TV coverage
  - August 17 - Senior men day 1 - 10:30 ET/7:00 PT - Olympic Channel
  - August 18 - Senior women day 1 - 11:00 ET/8:00 PT - NBCSN
  - August 19 - Senior men day 2 - 9:00 ET/6:00 PT - NBCSN
  - August 20 - Senior women day 2 - 7:00 ET/4:00 PT - NBC
Senior men (9:00)
- The changing of the guard in US men's gymnastics
- Why Jon ultimately decided to announce his retirement
- Yul Moldauer is bringing pretty back and fighting with Akash Modi for the title of best man
- Why the Olympic experience made Alex Naddour the best he's ever been
- Eddie Penev's magical floor and insane acrobatics
- Donnell Whittenburg is half CGI and breaks all the rules on rings
- Darkhorse Allan Bower who might surprise everyone
- Is the US better on pommel horse than high bar now? WHAT????
- What the selection committee values most in choosing a worlds team
Junior women (28:16)
- Can Maile O'Keefe and Adeline Kenlin challenge Emma Malabuyo? The scores say yes.
- Is Gabby Perea going to win bars without a dismount because of awesome again?
- Difficulty brigade
  - Is Jay Jay Marshall going to hit all her insane acrobatics and challenge for the top floor D in the world?
  - Will Adeline Kenlin show her Podkopayeva?
  - Will Sunisa Lee get her Nabieva?
- Leanne Wong is doing a couple JO routines and still beating all the people because of execution
Senior women (36:00)
- Ragan Smith has brought a sack of upgrades this summer. Is the title hers to lose?
- Battle Royale: Riley McCusker and Morgan Hurd for the second all-around spot
- Is Ashton Locklear still the queen of bars?
- Can Jade Carey do it every meet?
- Will Marz Frazier show us her new Amanar?
- Did everyone get the memo about floor leaps?

GYMTERNET NEWS (46:07)

Kristen Smyth has "stepped down" as Stanford's head coach. Jessica brings the inside scoop, and Jon tells us what qualities make for a successful college gymnastics coach versus club coach
Ellie Downie is going to miss worlds, so worlds is canceled. Sorry.
Thais Fidelis of back handspring + Arabian fame on beam is the new Brazilian champion
The case against USAG, MSU, Geddarts, etc. over Nassar abuse has been sent to arbitration. GOOD NEWS! It means the case should settle and victims won't have to tesitfy.
Brooklyn Moors is the Pan Am floor champion, and Jon discusses what's so difficult about front tumbling, half out skills (spoiler alert: it's everything about them).
The Russian worlds team has kind of, sort of been named, and a certain Olympian isn't on it.
Training videos galore!
- Carl Meader showed a stretched Gaylord. Because that's a thing now.
- Evangelina Plyta does a Maloney to Deltchev and Tkatchev to Gienger.
- Taeja James is working a front triple full!
- Jordyn Brent is training a YURCHENKO DOUBLE BACK. WHAT THE WHAT.

FEEDBACK (1:10:35)

We get to your emails about

Crying in gymnastics and Jon's perfect response
Elfi's completely different personality when she's commentating in Canada
Conflicts of interest in judging and the messed-up system of Brevet judging
More advice about Congress, including the MUST-SEE speakers who dish all the dish
Clarifications about gymnastics drag queens, the Swedish worlds spot, Rayderley Zapata's floor, the MO salto, the Rio leos, and something Jessica forgot to be outraged about from 1996 event finals.
Plus, Jon tells us how he feels about his gay teammates.

BEER WITH BETTY

Beer With Betty: The Greatest Scavenger Hunt in the Galaxy STARTS THURSDAY!

Here are the 10 tasks you must complete. Submit video OR photo by tagging BOTH @gymcastic and @precisionchoreo with hashtag #beerwithbetty on Twitter or Instagram by noon on Saturday August 19th.

Man Wipe
Pose in front and of P&G Championships sign. The more ridiculous your interpretation of poses on the sign the better!
A coach watching bars (or any routine) with their head tilted to the side
Someone casually waiting in line in wolf turn position
Pretend to mount a piece of non-gymnastics equipment mouthing "I got this" a la Laurie Hernandez
Find mustached person (doesn't have to be real) and recreate Bela carrying Kerri. (Bonus! Precision will choreograph a free beam routine for anyone who does this with Steve Nunno playing the part of Bela)
5 folks strumming tummy guitar a la Boguinskaya's 1989 FX routine
A leotard that needs a seizure warning
Simone's ending pose amongst a group of unsuspecting people
Gather 10+ people to do their best gymnastics salute (bonus for college style)

Help us out by numbering your entries. You must tag both @gymcastic AND @precisionchoreo
STARTS: 8am on Thursday, August 17 and will end at 12pm on Saturday, August 19.
The winner will meet with THE Betty Okino at 3pm in Anaheim on August 19th!
Remember: You don't have to do them in order! As long as they are completed between Thursday, August 17 and Saturday at NOON.
There are daily awards so be creative! Anyone or anything can be in the photos. It doesn't have to be you.
Make sure you are following us and Precision so we can message you with details of the TOP SECRET LOCATION right after the deadline of noon on Saturday so you can be there right on time to meet Betty at 3pm in Anaheim.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

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262: 1996 Olympic Event Finals Commissioned Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

This week, we bring you the final installment in our epic 1996 Olympics TRILOGY: the event finals. This episode is brought to you by Club Gym Nerd member Kris (who also commissioned the 1996 all-around final because of legendary status—the rest of us could never), who thought it only fitting that we leave no stone unturned and no competition un-dissected when it comes to the glory and wonder and pageantry of the 1996 Olympics. Correct. Thank you for supporting the show, Kris! You can watch the 1996 Event Finals along with us here. Spencer and Jessica discuss:

VAULT
- Round-the-clock Kerri Strug ankle coverage
- Why the vault format at the 1996 Olympics was...weird
- Jessica's plan to institute martial law at gymnastics meets
- MO FREAKING HUILAN. END OF STORY.
- Spencer has a problem with certain vaults having certain 10.0 starts (because of course he does)
- Who should have won bronze: Gogean or Galieva? (Or Boginskaya!)
- Shannon Miller's death-trap Tsuk of death
- GroshevaEarringSituation.com
- ARE THERE NO RULES FOR JOURNALISTS AT THIS MEET?
- Amanar's controversial-ish victory
BARS
- Fun with casual sexism!
- Is the current code inhibiting our appreciation of Podkopayeva's bars?
- Dominique Dawes and the age-old question of over-scoring stuck landings
- Svetlana Khorkina and the low-bar clip heard (but not seen) 'round the world
- Level 4 transitions in an Olympic event final
- Are Tim and Elfi unnecessarily/undeservedly harsh on the Romanians compared to the other nations?
- The INNOVATIVE DIFFICULTY of co-silver medalists Amy Chow and Bi Wenjing.
- Aggressive American bias in commentary
- Who really should have won which medals?
- URGENT: What is Khorkina drinking? And is it a special bars potion?
BEAM
- How many VHS tapes does it take to measure a beam?
- Moceanu's terrifying head-crash onto the beam
- KOCHETKOVA WAS ROBBED. THE INJUSTICE WILL NEVER DIE.
- Shannon Miller's perfect, difficult, intergalactic champion routine
- Lilia Podkopayeva's almost-as-perfect, difficult, intergalactic champion routine
- Gina Gogean's "unexciting" routine, whether it really was "unexciting," and the etiquette of scary-fall replays
- That shot of Shannon's face immediately after Galieva fell
- The only medal ceremony we got to see (look how that worked out) and the outfits these poor women were put in
FLOOR
- China's editorial comment on American trash dancing
- Everybody in the entire world starts with a floppy, bent-knee double layout
- Kochetkova's score and whether it was an apology for the beam result
- Should Simona "nutrocker" Amanar really have scored better than Dawes? We discuss.
- Moceanu's best routine of the Olympics and why it should be a lesson for all future codes of points
- Even Lilia Podkopayeva's uncontrolled landings are more artistic and more deserving of gold than anything anyone else has ever done
- The 100% true story behind Mo Huilan's floor routine (it involves roller-scoring and It's A Small World)
- Did the judges actually get it right?

CONTEST

WHAT: #BeerWithBetty: The Greatest Scavenger Hunt in the Galaxy! PRIZE: The winner will share a beer (or root beer if you are under 21) with the great Betty Okino, Olympic and World medalist, creator of the triple turn on beam, and a member of the Precision Choreography team. HOW IT WORKS: In August, we will release a list of 10 items on this photo scavenger hunt. Your mission will be to complete each one and post a photo to Twitter or Instagram tagging @GymCastic and @PrecisionChoreo and using #BeerWithBetty. The winner will be selected at random among everyone who completes all ten items. The hunt will start at 8am on Thursday August 17 and will end at 12pm on Saturday, August 19. The winner will meet with the Betty Okino at 3pm in Anaheim on August 19th! If you enter, be READY FOR BETTY because winner will meet this gymnastics legend at 3pm that day! PLUS: We will give six additional prizes for Most Outrageous photos! The top three most outrageous photos on Friday will win a personal voice message from one of Precision Choreography's gymnastics stars (people like Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Houry Gerbesian, and Holly Vise)! The top three on Saturday will get a special shout-out on the GymCastic podcast.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

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261: 2017 U.S. Classic Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

U.S. CLASSIC

Spencer, Lauren, and Jessica discuss everything important and unimportant that happened at Saturday's U.S. Classic.

JUNIORS
- Our favorite, favorite, favorite future presidents
  - Emma Malabuyo basically Simone-ed the entire junior and senior fields
  - The glory of Kara Eaker on beam
  - Annie Beard wins the performance award of the meet
  - Gabby Perea won bars WITHOUT EVEN DOING A DISMOUNT
  - Jay Jay Marshall channeled Kennedy Baker with her Dos Santos
- Surprises who rocked our worlds
  - Audrey Davis unites the magic of China and Ukraine on bars
  - Madelyn Williams has presence on floor and a bars that's ready for seniors
  - Lilly Lippeatt and Love Birt are tiny adults made of perfection
- Moments of the meet
  - Brooke Butler is the QUEEN OF SAVES on beam and floor
  - Adeline Kenlin did the most perfect beam routine
  - Konnor McClain's beam dismount that broke everyone (and the non-coach, non-controversy that ensued).
  - Sienna Robinson, with a wink and a dab
  - JaFree Scott did justice to her Terin Humphrey tribute leo
  - Shilese Jones saves a Pak and might be a bodybuilder
Lauren's inside scoops from the Hopes competition, including the girl who threw off her crutches and tried to do a bars routine and the newborn baby who will soon rule us all on beam.

Want to commission a mini-discussion? Club Gym Nerd members can do just that! We'll answer your burning questions or passionately discuss your favorite topics, anything and everything even tangentially gymnastics related.

This week, a loyal Club Gym Nerd member asked us to talk about the National Gymnastics Congress in Anaheim this year: whether it's scary (it isn't!), how to act, what to do, and the best way to get the most out of the experience.
Plus, a bonus discussion featuring our definitely expert and unimpeachable advice on how to handle conflict in the workplace!

SENIORS
- Jessica is NOT HAPPY about gymnasts being allowed to pass compulsories and compete elite when they don't have the foundation to compete safely.
- The big winners of the meet
  - Ragan Smith is ready to dominate and is great at bars now
  - Jade Carey needs to go to worlds right this minute
  - Alyona Shchennikova isn't just making up the national team numbers
- Gymnasts that made us burst into a standing ovation
  - Morgan Hurd, duh
  - Deanne Soza doing happy gymnastics again
  - Marz Frazier winning the "NOT a quitter's try" award for one-handed Pak saves
  - Kalyany Steele's BIG ASS standing arabian
  - Trinity. Effing. Thomas. And her perfect beam routine
  - Luisa Blanco's super solid 2nd-place beam routine
  - Emily Gaskins' Cincinnati renaissance and valiant victory over the standing-in-the-corner rule
- We give out the Simone Biles 2013, Classic Doesn't Really Matter awards
  - Riley McCusker and her hilarious tucked tkatchev, but should she have competed?
  - Ashton Locklear almost did her best beam routine ever
  - Jordan Chiles has a LEGIT Amanar, but what about the other events?
- Major trends we noticed in routine composition and judges doing their job

GYMTERNET NEWS

Russia repeats as champions at EYOF (European Youth Olympic Festival)
- Ksenia Klimenko channeled her inner Liu Tingting on beam
- Varvara Zubova even hit beam once!
- Elisa Iorio redeemed Italy's competition with a brilliant title-winning endo full
The Olympics are coming to LA in 2028. Yea or Nay? We discuss.
The FIG Executive Committee announced the JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- How many people should be on each team? And is it 50?
That video of Simone getting her wisdom teeth out. We translate.
There's going to be a SIMONE BIOPIC. Memo to producers: we've already cast all the parts.

GIVEAWAY

The winner of the Norbert's sectional beam is Laura Dahlin! Thanks so much to Laura and to Norbert's for supporting the show!

CONTEST

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

RELATED EPISODES

260: U.S. Classic Preview Jul 25, 2017

Show notes

MEET NEWS

Lauren, Jessica, and Spencer preview this weekend's U.S. Classic!

How to watch
- Hopes - Friday, July 28, 2:30 CT - USAGym Youtube
- Juniors - Saturday, July 29, 1:00 CT - USAGym Youtube
- Seniors - Saturday, July 29, 6:30 CT - Olympic Channel & USAGym Youtube
Juniors (3:30)
- Reasons why Emma Malabuyo, Adeline Kenlin, Maile O'Keefe, Ellie Lazzari, and Sunisa Lee are all going to win the meet simultaneously
- Special routines that will win your heart, including
  - Brooke Siter's starting pose
  - Grace McCallum's beam mount
  - Breaking inside scoop about Gabby Perea!
  - Jay Jay Marshall's ridiculous potential
  - Shilese Jones' special floor
  - Vika Smirnov's Russian realness
  - Leanne Wong, Kara Eaker, and JaFree Scott leading the GAGE renaissance
- Nominees for the Olivia Dunne Award for baby junior you will be instantly obsessed with
  - Youtube babies Konnor McClain and Sienna Robinson
  - Leader of the Hill's children Anya Pilgrim and what she really needs to wear to the competition (hint: it's a pilgrim costume)
  - Little Lilly Lippeatt and her tiny, sassy beam
Seniors (27:23)
- New seniors we're most excited to see at Classic, including Morgan Hurd, Jordan Chiles, and Trinity Thomas.
- Gymnasts who are going to surprise the pants off everyone and win all the things
  - Sleeper workhorse Elena Arenas and her fantastic bars
  - The long-missing Marissa Oakley and her triumphant return
  - The newly upgraded Marz Frazier
  - Kayla-Williams-2017-edition, Jade Carey
- Routines you are ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED TO MISS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
  - The re-Cincinnati-ing of Emily Gaskins and her lovely floor work
  - Ex-cheerleader Laney Madsen on floor
  - Victoria Nguyen's China-inspired beam routine
  - Deanne Soza's most-perfect basics
  - Abby Paulson sliding in to steal all your medals
  - Luisa Blanco's SIDE ROLL
  - Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, and the quest to find her a nickname
  - Alyona Shchennikova and her Shchennikova-family bars
  - Abi Walker's Texas Dreams uniqueness

GYMTERNET NEWS (53:15)

By popular demand, Spencer and Lauren literally fight to the death about the Canadian worlds team: Ellie Black, Isabela Onyshko, Shallon Olsen, Brooklyn Moors.
Norah Flatley retires from elite. She plans to drop to L10 and then go to UCLA.
Christina Desiderio is going to LSU this year.
Cuba is going to worlds after all!!!!! The team will be Manrique Larduet, Randy Leru, Yesenia Ferrera, and Marcia Videaux.
Lieke Wevers is working on a Erceg mount! Her sister, Olympic BB champ Sanne, is working on an Onodi mount.
Adrian Stoica will not run for another term as head of Romanian federation. But guess who is being put forward as a possible replacement...ANDREEA RADUCAN.
Lauren previews all the D'Amato twins and other juniors we need to know about competing at the European Youth Olympic Festival this week.
An item-by-item dissection of screenshots from the WEIRDEST FREAKING GYMNASTICS APP in the known universe. (1:17:33)
But really, WHAT THE MOTHER OF CRAP IS THIS THING?!?!?
And last, but certainly not least, we read the best letter we've ever, ever, ever received. It should hang in the Smithsonian.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the good people at Norbert's, we're giving away a beam! It's a 4-foot long sectional beam, valued at $79, covered with beam suede and filled with solid (but very light weight) crosslink foam, perfect for learning those jump or acro skills that might be a little ouchy to try for the first time on the hard beam. This giveaway is for Club Gym Nerd members ONLY. Just enter by email at gymcastic@gmail.com with the subject line "I WANT THE NORBERT'S BEAM." You just may be the lucky winner selected at random. In honor of the month of July, Norbert's also has a red, white, and blue folding panel mat for just $150, shipping included. CONTEST

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

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259: The Nassar Plea, Parkour Responds to FIG, and Ranch Updates Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

Jessica speaks with John Manly of Manly, Stewart, & Finaldi, who represents Olympic and world medalists in the cases against Larry Nassar and USAG, about
- The plea deal offered to Larry Nassar last week
- The mistakes made in communicating with victims about the deal
- Who the real bad guys are here
- How settlement agreements can be used to change a culture and make an organization safer

MEET NEWS

Jessica and Spencer chat about:

American Classic
- Jade Carey's star turn (that no one has seen)
- WHY SPENCER DOESN'T WATCH GAME OF THRONES OMG
- Margzetta Frazier's new Amanar
- The triumphant returns of Elena Arenas and Deanne Soza
National Team Camp
- Jordan Chiles is back, and it's going to be spectacular
- Sunisa Lee did not attend but gave us an apology Nabieva.
How to watch the U.S. (no longer Secret) Classic on July 29th.
Men's National Qualifier
- Sam Mikulak returns on pommel horse, exactly five months after tearing Achilles
- Marvin Kimble wins the AA! Cue [hitting pommel horse joy-scream]!
Spanish Championship
- Ana Perez passes the O'Beirne Test for choreography and has a front layout stepout on floor.
- Ray Zapata doesn't perform his triple front, but his actual floor routine is pretty casually amazing.
Swedish Championship
- Marcela Torres, 28, hadn't competed since early 2016, came back to win her third-straight national title
Central American Sports Festival
- YESENIA FERRERA IS BACK
- Her floor is the most important thing in your life and ranks among the best in the world.
- But, Cuba isn't registered for worlds. NOOOOOO.

GYMTERNET NEWS

The NCAA gymnastics committee has approved a format change that makes almost everything better! (But it's not final yet.)
Amy Smith is the new head coach at Utah State! She appeared on Episode 237 to talk about UNC's Pride meet.
Olivia Cimpian has left Romania and is now training in Hungary.
Tatiana Nabieva intends to return in December, and compete "until I die." Spencer has some plans for her triumphant return.
A British gymnastics coach is being questioned by police for child cruelty and has now been suspended by BG.

THIS WEEK'S INTERVIEW

Jessica speaks with founders David Thompson and Victor Bevine of the International Parkour Federation and WFPF about the FIG's attempts to take over jurisdiction of parkour and why they went to Switzerland to fight it.
- The history of parkour: It involves hot Frenchmen called the Yamakasi
- The Ultimate Parkour Challenge show on MTV
- How parkour competition works.
- PK Silver, Parkour for seniors.
- Parkour coach Certification
- Find our more about adding Parkour to your gym at USAG Congress in Anaheim here.
- Have insurance worries? USAParkour has you covered.
- Find a gym with Parkour in the database.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the good people at Norbert's, we're giving away a beam! It's a 4-foot long sectional beam, valued at $79, covered with beam suede and filled with solid (but very light weight) crosslink foam, perfect for learning those jump or acro skills that might be a little ouchy to try for the first time on the hard beam. This giveaway is for Club Gym Nerd members ONLY. Just enter by email at gymcastic@gmail.com and let us know that YOU WANT THIS BEAM. You just may be the lucky winner selected at random.

CONTEST

WHAT: #BeerWithBetty: The Greatest Scavenger Hunt in the Galaxy! PRIZE: The winner will share a beer (or root beer if you are under 21) with the great Betty Okino, Olympic and World medalist, creator of the triple turn on beam, and a member of the Precision Choreography team. HOW IT WORKS: In August, we will release a list of 10 items on this photo scavenger hunt. Your mission will be to complete each one and post a photo to Twitter or Instagram tagging @GymCastic and @PrecisionChoreo and using #BeerWithBetty. The winner will be selected at random among everyone who completes all ten items. The hunt will start at 8am on Thursday August 17 and will end at 12pm on Saturday, August 19. The winner will meet with the Betty Okino at 3pm that day! If you enter, be READY FOR BETTY because winner will meet this gymnastics legend at 3pm that day! PLUS: We will give six additional prizes for Most Outrageous photos! The top three most outrageous photos on Friday will win a personal voice message from one of Precision Choreography's gymnastics stars (people like Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Houry Gerbesian, and Holly Vise)! The top three on Saturday will get a special shout-out on the GymCastic podcast. BUT WAIT: Before this contest starts, we need your help coming up with the scavenger hunt list! Please tweet us your suggestions using #BeerWithBetty from now until July 31. Ryan on twitter is already owning the suggestion game.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Club Gym Nerd here with brand new membership tiers, commission your own episode, or commission your own segment.
Buy some of our awesome merchandise here.

RELATED EPISODES

257: The Daniels Report Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

IN THE NEWS

Deborah Daniels, a former federal prosecutor, was commissioned by USA Gymnastics to conduct an independent review of USAG's handling of sexual misconduct, and her report is OUT.

MEET NEWS

Spencer and Jessica chat about:

National championships galore!
- Canada - Brooklyn Moors steals the show with a Podkopayeva
- Mexico - Nicolle Castro is going to save the world with her bars
- Germany - Pauline Tratz is ready for NCAA, and Michelle Timm teaches an important lesson on how to lie on the beam properly
- Australia - Emily Little's scary fall — but she's going to be OK!
- France - Marine Boyer's best-ever beam, and Juliette Bossu is the definition of expressiveness and musicality on floor
- Japan - Kohei puts all the HB specialists to shame

GYMTERNET NEWS

Valeri Liukin responds to our interview with Vanessa Atler
Aliya had the baby!
Jon Horton retires
Aimee Boorman and Kim Zmeskal-Burdette are recognized for achievements in awesomeness
Another plot twist in As the Stepko Turns
Larisa Iordache's big upgrades
Laurent and Cecile Landi are leaving WOGA
Laurie plans to return to training
Aly's body-positive tour of America
- Her new book Fierce: How competing for MYSELF changed everything
- Her reaction to that TSA guy
- "Women do not have to dress modestly to be respected"
- That weird NHL awards moment
- On that note, sexist coverage increased during 2016 Olympics
NCAA roster and coaching developments
Athlete welfare
- Did USAG illegally settle cases in California?
- Did the USAG chair call a sex-abuse victim's lawyer a "f*cking d*ickhead"? (Spoiler: yes)
- The FIG commits to a Duty of Care code
- Senators propose legislation to offer legal protection to Safe Sport

FEEDBACK

Reactions, corrections, and theories about the 1996 Olympics episodes
Gender equity at the Olympics
Vanessa Atler was better in 1999 than she thinks she was
The real reason for the open-ended code
How we get US women sent to the University Games
The power of adult gymnastics!

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