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WATCH HERE

Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded (pre-edits with all the flubbubbs and hiccups) and see video of the routines we discuss.

GYMTERNET NEWS

• USAG cancels elite events for the remainder of 2020. Inevitable sigh.
• Some THOUGHTS about these new garbage Title IX regulations
• The latest steps toward NCAA athlete compensation and what it means for gymnasts
• NCAA gymnastics news, in which we discuss the sprouting of Long Island University and whether or not Nebraska is…OK?
• How various nations are handling a return to elite training
• Jessica has some feelings about priorities and the re-opening of gyms in the US
• Dumpster fire developments on the suspension of Amy Nyman, the dismissal of charges against Lou Anna Simon, and USOC getting sued for fraud
• Finally, how bad was the FIG’s decision to use the qualification results from Baku as final? Score For Score has the numbers

MINI-COMMISSION

• A mini commission from Nico T.L. asks us to go deep on three…shall we say remarkable?…floor routines from 2000—Elena Produnova‘s “Super Bitch Power Routine,” Paloma Moro‘s “Cracked Out Spanish Hoedown Routine,” and Alena Polozkova’s “So Bad You Can’t Look Away Routine.” This is heavenly.

FEEDBACK

• We conclude with some feedback about Li Li’s culpability in the Maggie Haney situation, autism, Nazis (?), and our judging episode.

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• And we have masks too!

RELATED EPISODES

• 425: GymCastic Fixes Judging (Commission)
• 424 Emotional Abuse: The Maggie Haney Eight Year Ban
• 423: Little Dumpster Fires Everywhere
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher
• Behind The Scenes: May 15, 2020
• Behind The Scenes with coach Denis Vachon

 

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Club Gym Nerd members can watch the video version of the episode here.

This week’s episode has been commissioned by an anonymous Club Gym Nerd member and current gymnastics judge who said, “You complain about judging all the time.” (WHAT, US??? NEVER!) “Tell us what you would do if you were in charge of women’s officials for NCAA and JO meets.” We shall gladly oblige!

Surprise, surprise, we’re not short of opinions. We tackle nasty problem areas like transparency, the Old Girls Network, “reputation,” judging consistency, bias, and subjectivity, while answering questions about whether having been a gymnast makes you a better judge, appropriate processes for judge selection and evaluation, and how judges should get the $$$$$$$. We also make a list of the problems with college judging and what to do about them.

So basically, we fix everything that’s wrong with everything. You’re welcome, gymnastics.

GYMTERNET NEWS

We couldn’t not talk about the latest harrowing details on Maggie Haney’s 8-year suspension, so we take a moment to be horrified about that as well.

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
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• We have masks!

RELATED EPISODES

• Behind The Scenes with coach Denis Vachon
• 424: The Maggie Haney Eight Year Ban
• 423: Little Dumpster Fires Everywhere
• 422: Stick It (Commissioned)
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher

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THIS WEEK’S INTERVIEWS

This week, Jessica speaks with attorney and Olympic Champion, Nancy Hogshead-Makar of Champion Women about emotional abuse (A.C.E score) and SafeSport rules, the 8-year ban for Maggie Haney, whether this counts as progress, what a culture of silent obedience looks like, and a new bill pending before Congress. Learn more usopu.info 

She also speaks with Robert Andrews, therapist and founder of the Institute of Sports Performance in Houston, about the long-term effects of childhood trauma and emotional abuse and what needs to change for USAG to be able to prevent abuse.  As a child. Andrews was inspired by the book They Fought Back. His series Champions Mental Edge is available here.

GYMTERNET NEWS

• We won the COVID-19 Feeding America fundraiser. Still time to donate if you can. Watch here.
• 8 Years: Maggie Haney has been suspended for 8 years. We discuss what Laurie said about her experience, the details of the suspension, the information we’d still like to know, why now and why her (because there sure are others…), how shocked we are that emotional abuse was actually taken seriously, and what emotional abuse actually means
  • Maggie’s Rules from The Skating Lesson
• Fantasy Floor Music: We finally learned the details of Dan Kendig’s 2018 resignation for getting caught doing something that most college programs do—and rant about the stupid NCAA rules on paying for floor choreography

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD 

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RELATED EPISODES

• Behind The Scenes: Laurie Hernandez Interview
• 187: McKayla Maroney
• Episode 28: Kristen Maloney
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher
• Aimee Boorman and Maggie Haney: The Olympic Experience
• Aimee & Maggie Extended Interview
• Episode 41: Laurie Hernandez & Coach Maggie Haney
• 423: Little Dumpster Fires Everywhere
• 422: Stick It (Commissioned)
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher
• 277.5: McKayla Maroney Alleges Abuse from Nassar
• 421: Tokyo Rule Change Mini-sode
• 419: Sports Economist Dr. David Berri
• Behind The Scenes: Exactly What is Going on With Gymnast’s Special Underwear?
• Behind The Scenes: Agina Simpkins Floor Interpreted
• Behind The Scenes: Pet Psychic Episode

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LIVE VIDEO PODCAST FUNDRAISER

Attention! Dave Tilley of Shift Movement Science is hosting a FREE online gymnastics summit on Saturday May 2 to benefit Feeding America‘s COVID-19 hunger relief, and we’re going to be part of it! The all-day video marathon will feature a bunch of people who know what they’re talking about and then also us, with the GymCastic segment starting at 5:00pm ET sandwiched between Jordyn Wieber, Chris Brooks, Colin Van Wicklen, Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, and Miss Val. Just like we were meant to be.

Check out full details at the Event Info page and the Feeding America fundraising part at the GoFundMe page.

THIS WEEK

• Gymternet News: Morgan’s gym needs your help, the Netherlands and Italy are moving toward reopening gyms, there was a “calendar error” in the Maggie Haney ruling, and the Argentinian federation may have stolen USAG’s dumpster title.
• Less Is More: We’re taking a red marker to the rules and crossing out the things we don’t like.
• Mini-Commission on Inbars: Why are they considered harder than the other entries? Why do they mess up everyone’s backs? And why was Bridget Sloan’s so different?
• Mini-Commission on Spencer’s Weird Opinions: One time, Spencer categorically asserted that Huang Mandan was robbed on bars in 2000 and should have made the bars final over Ling Jie and Yang Yun. That was a weirdly specific take to be so passionate about, so…talk about that.
• Plus, some important feedback on Stick It pregnancies and Full Out 2.

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd and get access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• 422: Stick It (Commissioned)
• 421: Tokyo Rule Change Mini-sode
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher
• 419: Sports Economist Dr. David Berri
• Behind The Scenes: Agina Simpkins Floor Interpreted
• Behind The Scenes: Pet Psychic Episode
• Behind The Scenes: Neighborhood Cat Drama

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This week’s group commission is brought to you by Vanessa and friends, who asked us to dedicate an entire episode to the iconic gymnastics masterpiece, Stick It. Your wish is our command.

Since it’s not called GymNICEtics, Jessica and Spencer begin by kind of getting into a fight about how Jessica truly, wholly, and unironically loves this movie, while Spencer…has some notes. No one is surprised by any of this.

We discuss:

• Punk rock, feminist glory
• How Spencer is still mad at Hayley for walking out on worlds
• Inside jokes that only we would understand that are somehow IN A REAL MOVIE
• The Buttahara, the butt shelf, and the bra strap. Never forget.
• How and why is Jeff Bridges here?
• Protest-movement competition: Jessica’s dream, Spencer’s nightmare

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd here to commission your own episode. 
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• Behind The Scenes: Pet Psychic Episode
• 420: Jamie Dantzscher
• 421: Tokyo Rule Change Mini-sode
• 419: Sports Economist Dr. David Berri

• 418: American Anthem
• 417: Bye Bye Tokyo 2020

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IT’S JAMIE DANTZSCHER YOU GUYS

In this full episode with Jamie Dantzscher, we discuss…

• Life with the Rybackis, why Jamie “left,” and why she came back
• How Jamie feels about their coaching now (spoiler alert: NOT GREAT)
• How weird it is that we still care about her 1999 floor music
• The bonkers 2000 Olympic selection process
• Speaking out publicly about Bela—then, later, and now—and a current sense of vindication
• Why Bela took her off bars in qualification in Sydney
• The INSANE story about why she didn’t salute after her team final floor routine
• Being awarded a retroactive Olympic bronze medal, how she feels about it, and that famous press conference
• The time a judge apologized to her for the corrupt scoring at nationals
• What skills she would have done if she competed in an open-ended code
• What her relationship with Vanessa Atler is like now

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Club Members get discounts on our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• 254: Vanessa Atler
• 31: Elise Ray
• 28: Kristen Maloney
• 319: Aly and Lynn Raisman
• 187: McKayla Maroney

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GYMTERNET NEWS

We have news! The FIG announced the changes in procedure for the 2021 Olympic qualification process, so Jessica and Spencer pop in for a brief rundown of what they decided, breaking down the good (code of points! Copenhagen!) and the bad (age eligibility! Baku!) and how it will affect the process over the next 15 months.

CALLING ALL JUDGES

A friend of the show is writing a book on the psychology of judging gymnastics! Eeeeee! If you are a gymnastics judge of any level or nationality, we ask that you take this survey and share it with your judge buddies to do the same.

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• BTS: Neighborhood Cat Drama
• 419: Sports Economist Dr. David Berri
• BTS: Why Diesel Forklifts and Indoor Arenas Don’t Mix

• 418: American Anthem
• BTS: We Are All Athletes Right?
• 417: Bye Bye Tokyo 2020
• BTS: Quarantine Party with Duchess
• 416: Everything Is Canceled

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HEADLINES

• MEMMEL: Like a beacon in the darkness, Chellsie Memmel came the closest she has ever come to announcing a comeback by saying she is kind of playing around and maybe training. We proceed to put her on 18 Olympic teams and give her all the world beam gold medals. Not sorry.
• SIMONE: Simone spoke for the first time to communicate her nuanced thoughts on Olympic postponement, not having a dumbbell (ADRIA!), and ugh having to deal with USAG more
• NEWLYMPICS: New Olympic dates have been announced. Spencer and Jessica break down what this means for meets and schedules, while taking different sides on Christine Brennan’s editorial about this being disrespectful.

GAME TIME

• How would a one-year delay have affected previous Olympic teams? We discuss what gymnasts would or wouldn’t have made Olympic teams if those games had been delayed a year.

GYMTERNET NEWS

• COVID-19 fallout in Russia (featuring Khorkina and Valentina both being THE MOST), Tom Forster’s questionable decisions, and [SIGH] the deal with Ashton…

INTERVIEW

• This week, Jessica chats with professor David Berri, an expert on sports economics, about COVID-19 and the NCAA, how much a gymnast is worth in actual dollars, and the realities of college athletes being allowed to profit from their likenesses.

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• BTS: Why Diesel Forklifts and Indoor Arenas Don’t Mix
• 418: American Anthem
• BTS: We Are All Athletes Right?
• 417: Bye Bye Tokyo 2020
• BTS: Quarantine Party with Duchess
• 416: Everything Is Canceled
• March 12 COVID-19 Championships Update
• BTS: March 12 COVID-19 Championships Update
• 415: American Cup of Coronavirus
• 414: American Cup Preview
• BTS: Morgan Hurd Interview & The Missing Episode
• 413: Is Jade Carey an Olympian Yet
• BTS: Jade Carey, Grace McCallum, Kayla DiCello and Lilly Lippeatt Interviews

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AMERICAN ANTHEM

The year: 1986
The film: American Anthem
The quality: low

Spencer and Jessica spend way too long this week on a deep dive into what is perhaps the most significant film in the gymnastics pantheon, teen sports-drama-romance American Anthem.

Jessica lovvvveeed this movie as a middle schooler. Spencer hates everything. It’s gonna get good.

We discuss it all: very excellent gymnast acting, backlit hair and 13-foot-wide denim jackets, THE TRIFFUS OF MURRRDERRR, an 11-week-old Jenny Rowland putting Daniela Silivas to shame, the lovely and sensitive handling of domestic abuse (jk it’s monstrous), storing your grips IN THE LEAVES, excessive gymnastics grunting sounds, and the true hero of this story—Becky Cameron.

Join us?

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• BTS: We Are All Athletes Right?
• 417: Bye Bye Tokyo 2020
• BTS: Quarantine Party with Duchess
• 416: Everything Is Canceled
• March 12 COVID-19 Championships Update
• BTS: March 12 COVID-19 Championships Update
• 415: American Cup of Coronavirus
• 414: American Cup Preview
• BTS: Morgan Hurd Interview & The Missing Episode
• 413: Is Jade Carey an Olympian Yet

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NO MORE TOKYO 2020

Via the IOC’s longest-serving member, Dick Pound, we learned that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed. It’s been a long year this month, so Jessica has a list of Dick Pound jokes to get us through. It’s most of the episode. After that, we discuss

• Why it was important to postpone
• Gymnastics implications
  • Should the new 2021 seniors now become eligible for the Olympics?
  • What code of points should be used?
  • How should the unfinished qualification process be resolved?
  • What of the 2021 world championships in Copenhagen?
• Which athletes are most affected by this, negatively and positively?
• Plus, McKayla Maroney opens up about the circumstances of her father’s death and releases her debut single, a rundown of the dumpster fire news, Bart has an adult gymnastics challenge for you, and Full Out 2 has been released

BECOME A CLUB GYM NERD MEMBER

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes here.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

RELATED EPISODES

• 416: Everything Is Canceled
• Breaking news mini-sode: COVID-19 Championships Update
• Behind the Scenes: March 12 COVID-19 Championships Update
• 415: American Cup of Coronavirus
• 414: American Cup Preview
• Behind The Scenes: Morgan Hurd Interview & The Missing Episode
• 413: Is Jade Carey an Olympian Yet
• Behind The Scenes: Jade Carey, Grace McCallum, Kayla DiCello and Lilly Lippeatt Interviews

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