Saving Men's NCAA Gymnastics Roundtable Discussion -

It’s heartbreaking to see the sport of men’s gymnastics continue to take a hit as we roll through the Pandemic. Over the last 10 years men’s collegiate programs have sadly been dropping off, but in the last few months Minnesota, Iowa, and William and Mary have announced they will be cutting their programs in the upcoming years due to financial reasons.

College gymnastics was a huge reason for why I became who I am today, and the experiences I had were life-changing. Along with meeting some of my best friends, it taught me many important life lessons that I feel are essential. Not to mention, when you look at the Olympic feeder system, an overwhelming proportion of gymnasts develop through a collegiate program.

I called together a group of men’s gymnastics experts to have an open and candid discussion about the problems, and what can be done. This included

Kensley Behel from the GymCastic podcast
Justin Spring, Head Coach of Illinois Men’s Gymnastics
Brett McClure, the Men’s High-Performance Director for USAG
Mike Burns, Head Coach of Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics
Mark Williams, Head Coach of Oklahoma Men’s Gymnastics

Over an hour and a half, we discuss some crucial issues including

When they feel the sport starts to be in danger of decline
How Title IX and open-ended scorings impact programs dropping
How COVID-19 and financial crisis has contributed to programs being cut
The role of fundraising, sponsorship, and changing NCAA season structure for helping prevent program loss
The role of USAG and the USOPC in helping Men’s NCAA Gymnastics
What steps people can take right now to help save college men’s gymnastics

You can listen to the podcast episode on iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher and also watch on YouTube below