SafeSport has suspended Al Fong for five years after a nearly six year long investigation, Melanie de Jesus dos Santos confirms her return ”to the gym”, and all the NCAA news to kick off the 2026 season.
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HEADLINES
- SafeSport has suspended Al Fong for five years after a nearly six year long investigation
- Armine was also suspended for one year after acting as the head coach of the Junior Worlds squad
- Both coaches were suspended for emotional and physical misconduct
- Listen to our interviews with Ivana Hong, Terin Humphrey, and Sarah Shire Brown, who talk about their time at GAGE under coach Al Fong
- Melanie de Jesus dos Santos confirms her return ”to the gym” according to her Instagram
GYMTERNET NEWS
- More discontent brewing in France: 15-year-old Elena Colas, the junior world all-around silver medalist, declined a call-up to a French national team training camp in Martinique
- SafeSport Continues to Fail
- The AP finds SafeSport failed to finalize a lifetime ban against coach Sean Gardner despite abuse allegations
- Romanian Infighting
- An audio recording reveals Camelia Voinea urging supporters to attack coach Corina Moroșan, exposing a deep internal power struggle over how the gymnastics should be run in Romania
- OC Coach Arrested
- 25-year-old Jacob Alexander Demmin was arrested following an investigation into an alleged relationship with a girl under the age of 18 at Firestorm Freerunning.
- Ellie Freakin’ Black finally getting the recognition she deserves
- Ellie Black was named to Order of Canada: the second-highest honor for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada
NCAA
- The 2026 college season has begun!
- Is competing in the first week of the season a good idea? bad idea? The WORST idea?
- Jordan Chiles went 39.725 in week 1, leading the nation in the all-around standings, thoughts?
- UCLA is ranked no. 1 with a 196.975
- How does UCLA’s freshmen class fit into this picture?
- Missouri went 196.850, counting a fall on beam!
- Corrupt or Correct: Utah’s scores, as covered on college and cocktails this week
- Clemson breaking into the 196s after the first meet is a win
- A triumph for vault variety! The first four vaults in Clemson’s lineups were different
- Cal broke into the 196s, an important result for the team to show they aren’t dead
- Leaps spotlight
- Paulina Vargas, sophomore at Oregon State, proving to us that nobody really cares if you only do a two-pass floor routine as long as your leaps look as good as hers
- Spotlight: The Show
- Nina Ballou at LSU’s exhibition SOLD her dance through, bringing like 15 different celebrations during the intros
- Is it time to be worried?
- Iowa State’s 191.325 is their lowest score since 1999
RELATED EPISODES
- Paris World Cup with Laura Cappelle
- Jakarta Worlds Debrief: The Romanian Drama Explained With Coaches Daymon Jones & Patrick Kiens
- 60: Terin Humphrey
- 26: Ivana Hong
- 358: Regionals Preview, Shire Brown, Olivera, Ruddock
UP NEXT
- College & Cocktails: https://gymcastic.com/category/club-content/college-cocktails/
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FANTASY GAME:
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RESOURCES
- Spencer’s essential website The Balance Beam Situation
- Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
RESISTANCE
Submitted by our listeners.
- ACTION
- Indivisible
- Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
- 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
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- Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
- State your name and zip code or district
- Be concise with your question or demand (i.e. What specific steps is Senator X taking to stop XYZ)
- Wait for answer
- Ask for action items – tell them what you want them to do (i.e. draft articles of impeachment immediately, I want to see you holding a press conference in front of…etc.)
- Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
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- ResistBot
- Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
- Indivisible
- LAWSUITS
- Donate to organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
- STAY INFORMED
- Suggested podcasts: Amicus, Daily Beans, Pod Save America, Strict Scrutiny
- Immigrant Rights
