What We’re Talking About
Embrace the sadness. The best thing about sports is the low stakes. Yes, winning a national championship can be a defining moment in someone’s life. It can open new opportunities and boost salaries. Success in the next few weeks will become bullet points on resumes. It’s not nothing. However, it’s just a game. Sports is a venue where we can passionately root for a team or athlete and revel in their victory or feel sorrow when they fall short. It’s a safe space.
In a world where real world consequences are hitting us in the face every day, it’s cathartic to be wrapped up in an activity that allows our emotions to do loop-de-loops knowing tomorrow the sun will also rise. And certainly we are living in a golden age of gymnastics. This past weekend we got to watch two top-five teams compete on a national broadcast on a Saturday night. When the action paused for a commercial break, we got to see one of the gymnasts, Jordan Chiles, appear in a Nike commercial. At the end of the day, Utah won and UCLA lost. Olympian Grace McCallum scored a perfect 10 while newly minted New York Times Bestselling author, Chiles, will have to wait a few weeks for the rematch during Regionals.
When the dust settles next month, a tremendous amount of talent will fall short of being crowned national champion. The truth is they’ve already won. They have pushed the sport to new heights and interest. Collectively, we will be happy, sad, disappointed and elated. We should embrace it all because this is what it feels like when everyone is watching and is interested in one of the most popular sports in the world.
Feelings
- The Chae: Be so original in your floor choreography that a leotard named after you makes sense
- Duh! Women’s sports advertising is up and it’s more effective
- Sam Phillips doc: Put it on your watch list
- Happy to see Nike really lean into gymnastics
- We want to wrap McKayla Maroney in bubble wrap; and what incredible strength for her to continue using her voice
- It was great to see Skye Blakely back on beam
- Trinity Thomas: So you’re telling us there’s a chance. We’ll take it!
- Desperately need to study Avery Neff’s genome to bottle-up her recovery powers
- And then bow to the domination
- We knew The Prodigy would win Dancing With the Stars
- Someone needs to carry Jordan Chiles around so she doesn’t need to ride her scooter
- Bonus: You should definitely get your Season Pass
Facts
- 39.925: Whoa! Jade Carey
- 39.875: Dang! Selena Harris-Miranda
- 0.025 short of the Florida record held by Trinity Thomas
- 198.625: Second highest score in Florida history
- 15,558: Sold out attendance at Utah
- A new arena might lower those numbers in the future
- Oregon State set a new record attendance
- 49.700: Florida posted the highest vault rotation in the country
- The new structure governing the power conferences is taking shape
- Athletes can now negotiate their own NIL deals before enrolling in college
- LSU and Oklahoma share the SEC regular season title
- It was a 10-a-palooza! Danie Ferris (VT), Selena Harris-Miranda (BB), Leanne Wong (FX), Kailin Chio (VT), Helen Hu (BB), Grace McCallum (BB), Jade Carey (BB, FX)
Award(s)
-
- Simply the Best: Jade Carey
- New York Times Best Seller: Jordan Chiles
What’s On the Socials?
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Quotes
“She fell off her scooter in the rain and hurt her tailbone this week. So she is feeling it on every event. Running on vault and floor passes and especially when she hit it on the dive roll. She’s ok- just hurts.”
~ Gina Chiles, Social Media Monitor
Jordan Chiles’ mom gave an update online after speculation circulated about Jordan’s health status.
♦
“Hard work is the lifeblood of everything we do. So many hours of unseen hard work. But I see it, I see the 25 SEC championships. I see it in the perfect 10… I am truly inspired by these women, their passion pushes me to go harder every single day.”
~ DJ Lagway , Smart Man
The Florida Gators quarterback is donating six figures of his NIL money to support women sports.
♦
“That was so hard.”
~ Jenny Rowland, Surging Gator Coach
The head coach of the Florida Gators breathed a sigh of relief after her team posted the highest score in the country and the second highest in school history.
♦♦♦
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 upcoming book “The Balance“; some thoughts culled from hosts Jessica O’Beirne and Spencer Barnes.
Prefer to get this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter here.