LISTEN HERE

IN THE NEWS

In the news, Uncle Tim, Spencer, and Jessica chat about:

• Melbourne World Cup
  • Kenzo, Ting Ting and Sanne!
• NCAA
  • Beligerent fans at Utah (6:25)?
  • Chalkography rebellion!
  • Crack or Correct:
    • Every single routine from Utah/UCLA. The funniest, Peng’s 9.825.
• Winter Cup (21:01)
  • Yul is amazing. End of story.
  • Anthony McCullum’s vault is gorgeous.
  • Chris Brooks won his only event, HB
  • Donell Whittenburg did his triple pike dismount on HB
  • There were a lot of Winter Cup-ness moments, AKA injuries and crashes
  • Watch every single routine here
• News and assignments for the American women!
  • New seniors intro video
  • American Cup – Ragan Smith and Riley McCusker

THIS WEEK’S INTERVIEW

Nancy Hogshead-Makar former professor of Sports Law and head of women’s sports advocacy group, Champion Women, joins us to interpret our strong feelings about the Legendres interview from last week’s show. We discuss (36:10):

• How did USAG allegedly fail the Legendres?
  • Lack of a standard and professional protocol for the entire process
  • Focus on individual athlete rather than safety for all future athletes
  • Should be given the whistleblower policy in writing and have an advocate (or ombudsman) present to advise them of their rights 
• What can parents and club owners learn from this? 
  • Liability falls to the institution when alcohol is involved and your insurance company will probably not cover you. 
  • Beware the Waiver: Imagine your child is abused, the coach is found guilty and you have agreed to pay for his lawyers
  • You’re The Boss: How to talk to kids about permission for physical contact
  • Athletes must have permission to say NO to their coaches
  • Thinking of an athlete like a solider is inappropriate.
• Lack of Oversight
  • There is no unified process or government agency that can remove abusers from coaching
  • Prisoners have more rights than athletes representing the U.S.
  • SafeSport
    • Independent
    • Ethical Firewall between victims and the organization
    • Power to enforce policies
• USA Gymnastics Sexual Abuse Investigation Update (1:03:34)
  • Fallout from the Legendre interview in last week’s episode
  • Vitaly Marinitch reportedly no longer at the Olympic Training Center boys program.
  • USAG responds to our episode
  • Feedback from the men’s team
  • USA Gymnastics failed to report Nassar to the FBI for five weeks
  • Sen. Feinstein rebukes USA Gymnastics on sex abuse (again) 
  • “It’s obviously terrible and it should never have happened, but there is an investigation.” – Aly Raisman 
  • 150 coaches and officials associated with Olympic governing bodies have been convicted of sex crimes since early 80s 
  • Government probe of sex abuse prevention in Olympic sports went nowhere 
  • Three gymnasts went public in this 60 Minutes special
  • “Bela Karolyi grabbed my butt and told me to lose it,” Antolin said in an interview  
  • “Dominique Moceanu says USA Gymnastics, Karolyis ‘Set the Stage’ for ‘Atrocities’ in Physician Sex Abuse Case” 

GYMTERNET NEWS

Our weekly roundup of the latest news stories from around the gymternet include (1:24:08):

• Jeff Thompson at Penn State finally fired!
• Kathy Klages, Dr. Larry Nassar sympathizer and former MSU gymnastics coach was suspended.
• Aly Raisman on How Her SI Swim Photoshoot Made Her Feel ‘Confident’ 
• FEEDBACK (1:32:13):
  • Why are all the gymnasts getting kidney stones? A possible answer
  • Do we talk about politics too much or not enough?

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

RELATED EPISODES

• 241: The Pittsburgh Incident
• 240: Chalkography
• 163: ENOUGH
• 221: Jane Doe vs. USAG Doctor
• 222: New King
• 223: Tasha Schwikert
• 224: Age of the Pegan
• 226: FIG Regime Change
• 227: Jane Doe2 Sues Karolyis
• 229: All Good Things Come To Those Who Cowboy
• 234: Chris Brooks
• 233: Danell Leyva 2016
• 232: Conflict of Interest
• 235: Happy 2017!
• 240: Chalkography
• 239: Elite Canada, Reykjavik & NCAA
• 56: Preventing Abuse in Gymnastics

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

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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! SOLD OUT.

WHEN: Thursday, April 19^th from 7:30-9:00pm in St. Louis.

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) 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.

RELATED EPISODES

• 292: Winter Cup 2018 and FIG official statement on hosting World Championships in anti-gay country
• 291: Not a Good Look
• 290: Valeri Is Out
• 289: 175 Years
• 288: Ding Dong The Ranch Is Dead
• 287: Simone and Maggie Too
• 282: GymCastic Book Club – Fierce, by Aly Raisman
• 281.5: Aly Raisman Comes Forward As Nassar Victim
• 277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar
• 257: The Daniels Report
• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 187: McKayla Maroney

 

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

 

 

 

 

 

LISTEN HERE

 

Read the episode recap here

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.
• Buy one of our awesome clothing and gifts here.

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!

GO to www.mygymjudge.com today and use the code GC20 to receive a 20% discount!

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.

RELATED EPISODES

• 290: Valeri Is Out
• 289: 175 Years
• 288: Ding Dong The Ranch Is Dead
• 287: Simone and Maggie Too
• 282: GymCastic Book Club – Fierce, by Aly Raisman
• 281.5: Aly Raisman Comes Forward As Nassar Victim
• 277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar
• 257: The Daniels Report
• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 245: Steve Penny is GONE
• 243: Senate Bill 534
• 242: Standards
• 241: The Pittsburgh Incident
• 232: Conflict of Interest
• 227: Jane Doe2 Sues Karolyis
• 221: Jane Doe vs. USAG Doctor
• 187: McKayla Maroney
• 88: Rhonda Faehn & Mackenzie Caquatto

 

 

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

 

 

 

 

 

LISTEN HERE

 

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.
• Buy one of our awesome clothing and gifts here.

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!

RELATED EPISODES

• 289: 175 Years
• 288: Ding Dong The Ranch Is Dead
• 287: Simone and Maggie Too
• 286: Cover Your Eyes and Silently Scream
• 282: GymCastic Book Club – Fierce, by Aly Raisman
• 281.5: Aly Raisman Comes Forward As Nassar Victim
• 277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar
• 259: The Nassar Plea, Parkour Responds to FIG, and Ranch Updates!
• 257: The Daniels Report
• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 246: Kathy Johnson Clarke Regionals Preview
• 245: Steve Penny is GONE
• 243: Senate Bill 534
• 242: Standards
• 241: The Pittsburgh Incident
• 232: Conflict of Interest
• 227: Jane Doe2 Sues Karolyis
• 221: Jane Doe vs. USAG Doctor
• 187: McKayla Maroney
• 88: Rhonda Faehn & Mackenzie Caquatto

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

LISTEN HERE

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 Wofford 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

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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

RELATED EPISODES

• 288: Ding Dong The Ranch Is Dead
• 287: Simone and Maggie Too
• 286: Cover Your Eyes and Silently Scream
• 282: GymCastic Book Club – Fierce, by Aly Raisman
• 281.5: Aly Raisman Comes Forward As Nassar Victim
• 277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar
• 259: The Nassar Plea, Parkour Responds to FIG, and Ranch Updates!
• 257: The Daniels Report
• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 246: Kathy Johnson Clarke Regionals Preview
• 245: Steve Penny is GONE
• 243: Senate Bill 534
• 242: Standards
• 241: The Pittsburgh Incident
• 232: Conflict of Interest
• 227: Jane Doe2 Sues Karolyis
• 221: Jane Doe vs. USAG Doctor
• 187: McKayla Maroney
• 88: Rhonda Faehn & Mackenzie Caquatto

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

LISTEN HERE

 

• 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 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.)
• 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.

RELATED EPISODES

• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 264: 2017 P&G Championships Mega Recap
• 263: P&G Championships Preview with Jon Horton
• 261: 2017 U.S. Classic!
• 260: U.S. Classic Preview
• 259: The Nassar Plea, Parkour Responds to FIG, and Ranch Updates!
• 258: The Fluff Cast (Commissioned)
• 257: The Daniels Report
• 262: 1996 Olympic Event Finals (Commissioned)
• 256: 1996 Olympic All-Around Final (Commissioned)
• 255: 1996 Olympic Team Final (Commissioned)
• 252: Myths, Legends, and Unexpected Moments in Gymnastics History (Commissioned)
• 199: Euros, Classics and the U.S. ManChampionships
• 157: The 2015 Secret Classic
• 156: Pan Am Games Event Finals and Secret Classic Preview

 

MORE WAYS TO LISTEN 

LISTEN HERE

IN THE NEWS (6:37)

•  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 (19:24)

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 (43:06)

• 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 (58:34)

• 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.

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