What We’re Talking About
“Jessica O’Beirne‘s mission in life is to make gymnastics as popular as the NFL.” That popularity has also made the NFL the most profitable league in the United States. And when things begin to make profit, those with a stake in the matter begin to reconsider the value proposition. That’s why the NFL has Black Monday. This is the day when coaches who failed to make the playoffs or underperformed are told to spend more time with their families.
We might be seeing the beginnings of this with gymnastics. On Monday Auburn Athletics and head coach Jeff Graba agreed to part ways after 16 years. Later in the afternoon Nebraska said they will let the contract of head coach Heather Brink expire after eight seasons at the helm. I’m not one to celebrate people losing their jobs (well, most people anyway). As is frequently mentioned that athletes are people too–so are coaches. These are families who will be uprooted and lives tossed into uncertainty. With that said, sport is one of the last bastions of meritocracy we have left. We can all see who is getting the job done and who is not. It’s tough and there are many things that are out of a coach’s control, but it’s not a coincidence that those who figure it out, do so repeatedly. I think these new vacancies are a good sign for the sport.
I don’t know for a fact, but I’m sure athletic directors around the country are looking at what Clemson has been able to achieve in just three seasons and the impact hiring the Crandall-Howells has had. The new coaching staff took a team that finished 29th the season before–competing in a play-in at Regionals–to missing the NCAA Championships by just 0.075. Talk about a return on investment! If they needed more evidence then they can look at Georgia’s hire of Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, who in two seasons brought the vaunted program back to the National Championships for the first time since before the pandemic.
Here’s the thing about coaching, though, it’s not just about pointed toes and stuck landings. I bet every coach in the NCAA knows how to teach this. I say this as someone who has written two books* with two legendary gymnastics coaches–Life is Short, Don’t Wait to Dance with Valorie Kondos Field, 7x NCAA Champion; and The Balance with Aimee Boorman, Simone Biles‘ former coach. Coaching, particularly at the higher levels, is more psychology than saltos. A head coach in college is an administrator. They’re a relationship therapist. They’re a fundraiser and a recruiter. They’re a marketer and visionary. The job isn’t who can coach gymnastics, it’s who can build a program and culture. They need to hold a team together and get them to want to be great. They need to convince the top talent in the world to buy-in. As legendary coach John Wooden said, you must have talent to win. Ultimately athletic departments need coaches who don’t just coach, but add value to their program.
This all ties-in to the themes I’ve been writing about all NCAA season. March Madness is valuable because (among other thins) all the major media outlets spill barrels of ink covering it. Conversely, we mentioned last week how major media outlets will not cover gymnastics because they find the scoring capricious. The value of the sport is being hurt because of opaque scoring and a refusal for change. In another example, several of this weekend’s Regionals were must-see TV, but unfortunately they weren’t on TV–they were streaming. This goes back to the NCAA giving away the rights to gymnastics for just over $1 million per year. How is it that a single athlete like Jordan Chiles is conservatively valued at $1-3 million, but the entire sport in the eyes of the broadcasters is barely above $1 million? The next competition will be on ABC. It won’t be in primetime, but I’m betting it will still do good numbers–again.
Those in a position of power are starting to recognize the sport has real value. To achieve that value there needs to be change. Gymnastics has a long way to go before belongs in the same sentence as the NFL when discussing popularity, but a Black Monday, as painful as it is for some, means the sport is finding its way.
* Apologies for the shameless plug
Feelings
- This is the correct way to market movies
- We endorse Kailin Chio’s considered run for LA28
- Georgia made Nationals, fingers crossed we see Lily Smith in the lineup?
- We’re loving baddie Suni Lee
- Taralyn Nguyen doesn’t deserve the stick stick, she eared the whole damn tree
- Thankful Tonya Paulson is okay after the vault was set at the wrong height
- Ohio State, Clemson and Rutgers should all hold their heads up high
- It’s a great moment seeing the advancing teams celebrate together
- It was emotional seeing Cecile Canqueteau-Landi so emotional
- Minnesota is our Cinderella story
- Bonus: Just one week left to get your 2026 Season Pass
Facts
- Ohio State posted their highest vault score in 13 years to advance to the Regional final
- Florida has posted five 198+ scores in a row, dating back to their first meet in March
- Kaliya Lincoln scored her first career perfect 10
- Jordan Chiles now has 19 career perfect 10s putting her No. 10 all time breaking the tie with Haleigh Bryant
- Aurélie Tran’s perfect 10 on bars was the first uneven bars 10 in program history
- Skye Blakey’s 10 on bars makes her one of six gymnasts in the nation to have a 10 on multiple events in 2026
- LSU’s 198.375 was the highest Regional score in school history
- Kailin Chio scored perfect 10s on both vaults during Regionals
- Nikki Smith earned an all-around spot to nationals, but she also scored a 10 on vault
- Her teammate Sage Kellerman grabbed the vault and bars spots, and teammate Gabi Ortiz will compete on floor
- Bonus: Get your NCAA Live Show ticket now!
Awards
- Resilience: Minnesota
- Frontrunner: Kailin Chio
What’s On the Socials?
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Quotes
“When I saw 49.75, I was bummed out because it felt like a 50.”
~ KJ Kindler, Perfectionist
KJ’s response to the team not having a beam score below 9.9 in the Regional Finals because as we all know, “better is still a deduction.”
♦
“Growing up coming to meets and getting to come to school as a Minnesota-made kid is so awesome. It’s something everybody wants. I’ve never felt this feeling before.”
~ Jordyn Lyden, Gopher
Jordyn, the Minnesota native won bars and beam and is now heading to the National Championships.
♦
“People say I’ve done a lot in club. I have, but today I shed a couple of tears because it’s been a lot. It means a lot. I’ve said it before — Georgia is that team, and we are back.”
~ Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, Exceptional Elite and College Coach
Cecile responding to the team’s performance that brings the Bulldogs back the NCAA Championships for the first time in seven years.
♦♦♦
What? You want even more? Join Club Gym Nerd and you get a bonus episode, College & Cocktails, every weekend after our meet of the week. Once the NCAA season is over you continue to get a weekly bonus episode every Friday afternoon. Plus you get access to all of our archives, exclusive content and more. Then we give the sober analysis on Monday (or Tuesday) after we’ve allowed the data to penetrate our feelings.
This column was composed and compiled by Steve Cooper, Editor at GymCastic and co-author of “The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles“; some thoughts culled from hosts Jessica O’Beirne and Spencer Barnes.
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