This week Angelina Melnikova is set to make her return to the international elite scene after four years; Australian gymnastics prison release program is alive and well; plus upcoming meet information and plenty of dumpster fire news.

GymCastic LIVE SHOW Featuring: World AA Champion, Morgan Hurd.  Watch teaser here and get replay tickets here HEADLINES

• Angelina Melnikova, Tokyo Olympic Champion and 2021 World All-Around Champion, is making her international return at the Paris World Cup after four years
• Sean Gardner, a coach formerly at Chow's Gymnastics, has been arrested on charges of possession of child pornography.
  • Chow's Letter; whistleblower profile
• Australian Gymnastics Jail is back: the Australian program is not using all of its allotted spots for the mens or womens teams at Worlds
• Rebeca Andrade will miss 2025 Worlds to take a physical and mental rest

GYMTERNET NEWS

• The "30 miles is NOT neutral" proposal: college coaches vs. Utah gymnastics
• History note: a follow-up from Behind the Scenes, the first perfect 10 in gymnastics was in 1924
• Not done yet! Jade Carey was hired as the student assistant coach at Oregon State
• Never say never: Simone Biles spoke at a conference in Australia and when asked about her prospects for LA 2028 she said "never say never"
• John Carney, former coach at Cal, is now the assistant coach at Denver
• ICYMI U.S. Championships will be in Phoenix, Arizona next year and apparently nobody has any concerns about the heat?

Dumpster Fire News

• The trial of a man accused of killing Kara Welsh, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast, has been pushed back to June 2026
• Adam Richard Jacobs, a former gymnastics coach at USA Gymnastics World in Utah, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release for child exploitation crimes
• Kaya Kazuma (Japan) announced on Twitter that he ruptured his Achilles

Meet News

• Junior Pan Am Games
  • The United States won gold at Junior Pan Ams and Charleigh Bullock won the all-around title
  • Debate: is it ever acceptable to keep an injured athlete on a team?
• Rhythmic Worlds in Brazil
  • An awkward moment as the wrong national anthem was played for Germany's Darja Varfolomeev
  • Rin Keys (USA) becomes the first U.S. Rhythmic Gymnast to medal at the World Championships!
  • History maker! Anaïs Ossonon becomes the first-ever gymnast to represent the Ivory Coast at a Rhythmic World Championships
• World Games
  • Defying gravity: Tofig Aliyev of Azerbaijan competed the first ever triple-triple in competition!
  • Artistry check: artistic gymnastics needs to take notes from acro. Watch the British men's World Games acro performance

Mini-Commission: Are college gymnasts allowed to represent their universities in elite gymnastics settings?

Thank you to World Champion level Club Gym Nerd member Stacey Tovino (law professor at the University of Oklahoma!) Club Gym Nerd members help us pay our bills and in return get thank you goodies from us in return. See details at gymcastic.com under the "Join Club" tab.

• How do elite gymnasts choose to represent their club vs university?
• How can a university-employed coach coach at a non-college meet?

Elite Check-in: Who is the Best Gymnast in the World? 2025 Edition

• Anna Kalmykova leads the all-around leaderboard with a 57.365 in the all-around, but we have some questions
• Hezly Rivera's 56.400 on day two of U.S. Nationals is not far behind Kalmykova. Leanne Wong's 56.100 is also competitive
• Kaylia Nemour scored a 56.032 back in March. She has scored as high as 15.100 on bars and 14.650 on beam this year. If she can bring back her Yurchenko double-full, could she challenge for gold?
• While Manila Esposito may not have the highest all-around score this year, all four of her events pass the eye test

UPCOMING COMPETITIONS

• September 13-14: Paris World Cup
• September 26-28: Szombathely World Cup
• September 29-Oct 2: US Women’s Selection Camp

RELATED:

• Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Championships
• Day One Women’s U.S. Championships 2025
• Podium Training Report: 2025 U.S. Championships
• 2025 U.S. Championships Preview Episode

UP NEXT:

• Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast every Friday at noon Pacific/7 GMT

GET MORE PODCASTS:  

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes and extended interviews like this one with Katya Zamolodchikova
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.
• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions

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
    • • 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.)
  • ResistBot
    • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
  • ACLU Mobile Justice App
    • Allows you to record encounters with public officials while streaming to your closest contacts and your local ACLU; REPORT any abuse by authorities to the ACLU and its networks.
• LAWSUITS
  • Donate to organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
    • ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Northwest Immigration Law Project
• STAY INFORMED
  • Suggested podcasts:  Amicus, Daily Beans, Pod Save America, Strict Scrutiny
• Immigrant Rights
  • Know Your Rights Red Cards, We Have Rights Video, Your Rights on trains and buses video

Travel stories from New Orleans, things you didn't see on the stream and which national champions have never won an event title.

Check out a little video teaser of what happened at the Morgan Hurd Live Show. REPLAY tickets here

This is our weekly live Q&A podcast. We start every week at noon Pacific/ 8 GMT. Club Members login to reveal the full bonus podcast. Here's how to ask questions live. Can't make it live? Add BTS to your favorite podcast player (instructions here).

Not a member? Join here. We have a weekly Behind The Scenes live Q&A podcast and post-meet live exclusives all year long. It's all part of the bonus content for our Club Members who supporting our work year around. 

RELATED:

• Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Championships
• 2025 U.S. Championships Recap
• Day One Women’s U.S. Championships 2025
• Podium Training Report: 2025 U.S. Championships
• 2025 U.S. Championships Preview Episode

BONUS CONTENT 

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.
• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions

RESISTANCE 

Take Action

• ResistBot Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
• 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
• Indivisible Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment

Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions

• Lawsuit tracker by subject: ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Northwest Immigration Law Project

Stay Informed:

• 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
• Podcasts: Amicus, Daily Beans, Pod Save America, Strict Scrutiny

Immigrant Rights

• Know Your Rights Red Cards, We Have Rights Video, ACLU: Your Rights 

The most impressive gymnastics, stories, highlights and controversies of the 2025 U.S. Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

GymCastic LIVE featuring: MORGAN HURD get your replay tickets here Women's Highlights from USA Championships

• Hezly Rivera is your new 2025 USA national all-around champion!
• Who are our event champions?
  • Vault: Wong with highest score in the world
  • Bars: Rivera and Blakely
  • Beam: Rivera
  • Floor: Rivera
• Our favorite moments from the meet:
  • Leanne Wong said "you're not leaving me off the Worlds team," and pulled a stuck Cheng for night two
  • Joscelyn Roberson whipped out a massive 6.5 D-score floor routine with a full-twisting double layout for her third pass!

Men's Highlights from USA Championships

• Question: Was this the right Worlds team pick? What about Frederick Richard? We debate
• How Patty Hoops 15.7'd himself a plane ticket to Jakarta
• We need to talk about Jackson Harrison's growth in the past year
• Fan favorites Charlie Larson and Jackson Harrison talk about the new men's transition (read that as dance) rules on men's floor.
• Kameron Nelson has not one, but TWO triple-backs on floor!
• Fred Richard and his new uniform: yay or nay?
• Are there too many triple-backs?

GYMTERNET NEWS

• Li Li Leung is stepping down as president & CEO of USA Gymnastics. Read her exit interview here

2025 U.S. Championships – Women’s Senior Results Rank No. Athlete Gym Prelim Final Combined 1 219 Hezly Rivera WOGA 55.600 56.400 112.000 2 217 Leanne Wong U of Florida 55.100 56.100 111.200 3 215 Joscelyn Roberson U of Arkansas 55.400 54.200 109.600 4 207 Ashlee Sullivan Metroplex 53.700 54.250 107.950 5 210 Simone Rose Pacific Reign 53.450 54.450 107.900 6 209 Jayla Hang Pacific Reign 52.250 55.400 107.650 7 214 Gabrielle Hardie Twin City Twisters 53.750 53.100 106.850 8 220 Dulcy Caylor World Champions 53.800 52.900 106.700 9 224 Tiana Sumanasekera World Champions 53.100 52.850 105.950 10 218 Claire Pease WOGA 51.600 53.950 105.550 11 206 Alicia Zhou Love Gym 51.950 52.800 104.750 12 204 Izzy Stassi Gym X‑Treme 53.300 50.750 104.050 13 211 Harlow Buddendeck RGA 52.000 52.000 104.000 14 201 Nola Matthews Airborne 52.150 51.750 103.900 15 223 Brooke Pierson World Champions 52.450 51.000 103.450 16 222 Reese Esponda World Champions 51.350 51.900 103.250 17 212 Ally Damelio San Mateo 50.450 52.150 102.600 18 221 Jordis Eichman World Champions 51.250 51.050 102.300 19 203 Annalisa Milton GAGE 51.300 50.600 101.900 20 208 Catherine Guy Pacific Reign 50.550 50.050 100.600 2025 Senior Women's National Team

• Skye Blakely — Frisco, Texas/University of Florida
• Dulcy Caylor — Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre
• Jayla Hang — Bellevue, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
• Gabrielle Hardie — Sioux Falls, S.D./Twin City Twisters
• Claire Pease — Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
• Hezly Rivera — Oradell, N.J./WOGA Gymnastics
• Joscelyn Roberson — Texarkana, Texas/University of Arkansas
• Simone Rose — Sammamish, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
• Ashlee Sullivan — Richardson, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
• Tiana Sumanasekera — Pleasanton, Calif./World Champions Centre
• Leanne Wong — Overland Park, Kan./University of Florida

2025 Men's World Team

October 19-25 in Jakarta, Indonesia Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo./Stanford University^ Brandon Dang — San Jose, Calif./University of Illinois Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas/Stanford University Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics Kameron Nelson — Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University Donnell Whittenburg — Baltimore, Md./EVO Gymnastics

2025 Senior Men’s National Team

• Fuzzy Benas — Richmond, Texas/University of Oklahoma
• Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo./Stanford University
• Crew Bold — Delray Beach, Fla./University of Michigan
• Brandon Dang — San Jose, Calif./University of Illinois
• Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas/Stanford University
• Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy
• Jun Iwai — Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics
• Josh Karnes — Erie, Pa./Penn State University
• Riley Loos — El Dorado Hills, Calif./ Stanford University
• Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics
• Kameron Nelson — Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University
• Dante Reive — West Point, N.Y./United States Military Academy
• Frederick Richard — Stoughton, Mass./University of Michigan
• Donnell Whittenburg — Baltimore, Md./EVO Gymnastics
• Colt Walker — Austin, Texas/Stanford University

UPCOMING COMPETITIONS

• August 19-22: Junior Pan Am Games
  • US: Lavi Crain, Charleigh Bullock, Kylie Smith, Addie VanGrinsven
• September 13-14: Paris World Cup 
• September 26-28: Szombathely World Cup
• September 29-October 2: US Women’s Selection Camp

RELATED:

• Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Championships
• Day One Women’s U.S. Championships 2025
• Podium Training Report: 2025 U.S. Championships
• 2025 U.S. Championships Preview Episode

UP NEXT:

• Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast every Friday at noon Pacific/7 GMT

GET MORE PODCASTS:  

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes and extended interviews like this one with Katya Zamolodchikova
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.
• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions

RESISTANCE  Submitted by you. Take Action

• ResistBot Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
• 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
• Indivisible Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment

Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions

• Lawsuit tracker by subject: ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Northwest Immigration Law Project

Stay Informed:

• 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
• Podcasts: Amicus, Daily Beans, Pod Save America, Strict Scrutiny

Immigrant Rights

• Know Your Rights Red Cards, We Have Rights Video, ACLU: Your Rights 
  • •  

2025 U.S. Championships Day Two!

This is our live coverage from New Orleans. We'll start about an hour after the meet ends. Login to reveal the extended episode. Here's how to ask questions live. Can't make it live? Add BTS to your favorite podcast player (instructions here).

GymCastic LIVE featuring MORGAN HURD: REPLAY tickets here Women’s Senior Day 2 All‑Around Results Rank No. Athlete Gym Prelim Final Combined 1 219 Hezly Rivera WOGA 55.600 56.400 112.000 2 217 Leanne Wong U of Florida 55.100 56.100 111.200 3 215 Joscelyn Roberson U of Arkansas 55.400 54.200 109.600 4 207 Ashlee Sullivan Metroplex 53.700 54.250 107.950 5 210 Simone Rose Pacific Reign 53.450 54.450 107.900 6 209 Jayla Hang Pacific Reign 52.250 55.400 107.650 7 214 Gabrielle Hardie Twin City Twisters 53.750 53.100 106.850 8 220 Dulcy Caylor World Champions 53.800 52.900 106.700 9 224 Tiana Sumanasekera World Champions 53.100 52.850 105.950 10 218 Claire Pease WOGA 51.600 53.950 105.550 11 206 Alicia Zhou Love Gym 51.950 52.800 104.750 12 204 Izzy Stassi Gym X‑Treme 53.300 50.750 104.050 13 211 Harlow Buddendeck RGA 52.000 52.000 104.000 14 201 Nola Matthews Airborne 52.150 51.750 103.900 15 223 Brooke Pierson World Champions 52.450 51.000 103.450 16 222 Reese Esponda World Champions 51.350 51.900 103.250 17 212 Ally Damelio San Mateo 50.450 52.150 102.600 18 221 Jordis Eichman World Champions 51.250 51.050 102.300 19 203 Annalisa Milton GAGE 51.300 50.600 101.900 20 208 Catherine Guy Pacific Reign 50.550 50.050 100.600 Senior Women's National Team

2025 Senior Women’s National Team Presented by Xfinity

• Skye Blakely — Frisco, Texas/University of Florida
• Dulcy Caylor — Spring , Texas/World Champions Centre
• Jayla Hang — Bellevue, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
• Gabrielle Hardie — Sioux Falls, S.D./Twin City Twisters
• Claire Pease — Sunnyvale, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
• Hezly Rivera — Oradell, N.J./WOGA Gymnastics
• Joscelyn Roberson — Texarkana, Texas/University of Arkansas
• Simone Rose — Sammamish, Wash./Pacific Reign Gymnastics
• Ashlee Sullivan — Richardson, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
• Tiana Sumanasekera — Pleasanton, Calif./World Champions Centre
• Leanne Wong — Overland Park, Kan./University of Florida

  2025 Men's World Team

October 19-25 in Jakarta, Indonesia Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo./Stanford University^ Brandon Dang — San Jose, Calif./University of Illinois Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas/Stanford University Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics Kameron Nelson — Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University Donnell Whittenburg — Baltimore, Md./EVO Gymnastics

RELATED:

• Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Championships Day One Women’s U.S. Championships 2025 Podium Training Report: 2025 U.S. Championships 2025 U.S. Championships Preview Episode

CHECK OUT FACT CHECKER'S NEW BOOK WITH AIMEE BOORMAN

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker is topping the sport charts - SUCK IT SPORTS BALLS! Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.

BONUS CONTENT 

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions

RESISTANCE  Submitted by you.

• • • Action
      • ResistBot
        • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
      • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
        • • Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
            1. State your name and zip code or district
            2. Be concise with your question or demand (i.e. What specific steps is Senator X taking to stop XYZ)
            3. Wait for answer
            4. Ask for action items -  tell them what you want then to do (i.e. draft articles of impeachment immediately, I want to see you holding a press conference in front of...etc.)
      • Indivisible
        • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
    • Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
      • Lawsuit tracker by subject
      • ACLU
      • Southern Poverty Law Center
      • Northwest Immigration Law Project
    • Stay Informed:
      • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
      • Podcasts:
        • Amicus
        • Daily Beans
        • Pod Save America
        • Strict Scrutiny
    • Immigrant Rights
      • Know Your Rights Red Cards
      • We Have Rights Video
      • ACLU: Your Rights 

2025 U.S. Championships Day One WAG!

This is our live coverage from New Orleans. We'll start about an hour after the meet  ends. Login to reveal the extended meet report. Here's how to ask questions live. Can't make it live? Add BTS to your favorite podcast player (instructions here).

GymCastic LIVE featuring MORGAN HURD: Tickets on sale now SENIOR RESULTS OF DAY ONE

1. Rivera - 55.600 and beam with 14.350.
2. Roberson - 55.400, leading FX with 14.150  and tied for first on UB with Zhou for 13.650. 
3. Wong - 55.100 and leading VT with 13.675

Not a member? Join here.We have a weekly Behind The Scenes live Q&A podcast and post-meet live exclusives all year long. It's all part of the bonus content for our Club Members who supporting our work year around. 

CHECK OUT FACT CHECKER'S NEW BOOK WITH AIMEE BOORMAN

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker is topping the sport charts - SUCK IT SPORTS BALLS! Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.

BONUS CONTENT 

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

RESISTANCE  Submitted by you.

• • • Action
      • ResistBot
        • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
      • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
        • • Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
            1. State your name and zip code or district
            2. Be concise with your question or demand (i.e. What specific steps is Senator X taking to stop XYZ)
            3. Wait for answer
            4. Ask for action items -  tell them what you want then to do (i.e. draft articles of impeachment immediately, I want to see you holding a press conference in front of...etc.)
      • Indivisible
        • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
    • Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
      • Lawsuit tracker by subject
      • ACLU
      • Southern Poverty Law Center
      • Northwest Immigration Law Project
    • Stay Informed:
      • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
      • Podcasts:
        • Amicus
        • Daily Beans
        • Pod Save America
        • Strict Scrutiny
    • Immigrant Rights
      • Know Your Rights Red Cards
      • We Have Rights Video
      • ACLU: Your Rights 

2025 U.S. Championships Podium Training!

This is our live coverage from New Orleans. We'll start about an hour after the podium training ends. Login to reveal the full show. Here's how to ask questions live. Can't make it live? Add BTS to your favorite podcast player (instructions here).

GymCastic LIVE featuring MORGAN HURD: Tickets on sale now

• BONUS CONTENT 
  • • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
      • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
      • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
      • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.
  MERCH
  • GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
    • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store
  NEWSLETTERS
  • Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 
  RESOURCES
  • Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
    • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
  • Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

  RESISTANCE 

  Submitted by you.

  • Action
    • ResistBot
      • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
    • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
      • • Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
          1. State your name and zip code or district
          2. Be concise with your question or demand (i.e. What specific steps is Senator X taking to stop XYZ)
          3. Wait for answer
          4. Ask for action items -  tell them what you want then to do (i.e. draft articles of impeachment immediately, I want to see you holding a press conference in front of...etc.)
    • Indivisible
      • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
  • Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
    • Lawsuit tracker by subject
    • ACLU
    • Southern Poverty Law Center
    • Northwest Immigration Law Project
  • Stay Informed:
    • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
    • Podcasts:
      • Amicus
      • Daily Beans
      • Pod Save America
      • Strict Scrutiny
  • Immigrant Rights
    • Know Your Rights Red Cards
    • We Have Rights Video
    • ACLU: Your Rights 

Who's in the running to be the brand new AA Champion, who makes World Team Camp and most importantly, skills, upgrades and art to watch!

MORGAN HURD LIVE SHOW SATURDAY! Get Tickets U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS: PODCAST SCHEDULE 

*Times are estimates depending on duration of post-meet athlete interviews

Aug 6 - Senior Women Podium Training - Live Podcast 8:30pm Central*

Aug 8 - Women Day 1 - Live Podcast 10:00pm Central*

Aug 9 -  LIVE SHOW WITH MORGAN HURD Doors open 2:00, show 2:30

Aug 10 - Women Day 2- Live Podcast 9:00pm Central*

Aug 12 - U.S. Men's & Women's Championships recap podcast 

1:40 GYMTERNET NEWS

• Someone stole Suni's statue!
• Simone Biles: I chose boundaries over burnout - and made Olympic history
• Suni Lee "I"m Finally understanding how good I am"
• Update on Loreno Bonicelli's catastrophic injury at University Games.
• The only black boys gymnastics team in the country needs your help.
• Russian Olympic and World Champion Melnikova leaves election to focus on gymnastics.
• Lakeland Florida sheriff asking other victims of Alexander Katchalov who coached at Elite World Gymnastics to come forward.

U.S. Championships Preview

15:40 New National Champion contenders

21:39: Who Qualifies for World Team Selection Camp; and should there be a one-event qualifying score?

33:42 Potential upgrades & Skye's events confirmed

36:46 Storylines we are watching

44:42 Fluff piece redemption arc eligible topics

51:15 I'm just a fan scores are lame: Artist and Cool Skill Watchlist

U.S. Championships Fantasy Game Play Now!

(it's free)

RELATED:

Live Reaction Podcast from Chicago Videos and interviews from 2025 U.S. Classic Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Classic Classic Preview podcast

UP NEXT:

• Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast podium training and women's competition days from U.S. Championships in New Orleans.

BONUS CONTENT 

• • • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes Q&A show.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and get access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, early bird discounts on live shows, two extra podcasts: Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  Here are some samples.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Shorts are now available in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• The Gymternet Nations Database
• Just added Group Commission: Pantheon of Gymnastics

RESISTANCE  Submitted by our listeners.

• Action
  • ResistBot
    • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
  • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
    • •  
  • Indivisible
    • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
• LITIGATION: Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
  • Lawsuit tracker by subject
  • ACLU
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Northwest Immigration Law Project
• Stay Informed:
  • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
  • Podcasts:
    • Amicus
    • Daily Beans
    • Pod Save America
    • Strict Scrutiny
• Immigrant Rights
  • Know Your Rights Red Cards
  • We Have Rights Video
  • ACLU: Your Rights 

•  

Welcome to Behind The Scenes Bonus!

This is our weekly Q&A episode for Club Members who support our work all year long. We also have live exclusives after competitions like this week's US Championships.  Login to reveal the full show Here's how to ask questions live. Can't make it live? Add BTS to your favorite podcast player (instructions here).

GymCastic LIVE featuring Morgan Hurd  Tickets on sale now

Not a member? Join here. Behind The Scenes is a weekly Q&A live podcast and post-meet live exclusive. It's all part of the bonus content for our Club Members who supporting our work year around.

Topics:

• Morgan Hurd's is our special guest for the live show at the U.S. Championships in New Orleans (will coincide with her USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame induction), and all the stories she can't say in  her induction speech.

 • We need a tag line for live shows Schedule for the U.S. Championships: episodes after women's podium training, women's day one, and women's day two, with the live show featuring Morgan Hurd before men's finals.

• NCAA roster cap, explaining how "designated athletes" committed before the cap allow teams to appear "over the limit" for years without violating rules. 

• The transition from the vault horse to the table was primarily influenced by safety concerns, notable injuries and near-injuries at the 2000 Olympics.

• The Japanese World's team selection prioritizes all-around champions despite debates over this strategy for individual-focused World Championships.

• Conversations on spectator etiquette at sporting events included anecdotes about telling people to sit down during routines and comparisons to rules in tennis and hockey.

• A sunburn incident, a concerning story about raw milk and meningitis, and a "creatine debacle" related to humidity-induced muscle cramps.

• Ideas for a gymnastics musical about the 2024 Paris Olympics were brainstormed, suggesting plot points like Simone Biles' mental health journey and the "Nemour drama".

• Resistance News: Five Calls app and ResistBot and some positive legal updates.

CHECK OUT FACT CHECKER'S NEW BOOK WITH AIMEE BOORMAN

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker is topping the sport charts - SUCK IT SPORTS BALLS! Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review.

BONUS CONTENT 

• • • Club members can watch Vanessa Atler's live show by logging in to her live show page, it will appear below.
    • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded, participate in watch-alongs with Spencer, access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  College & Cocktails: The Friday Night NCAA Gymnastics Post-Meet Show is available to sample (even if you aren't a Club Gym Nerd member yet). Watch or listen here.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
  • GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links.
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

RESISTANCE  Submitted by you.

• • • Action
      • ResistBot
        • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
      • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
        • • Make 2 to your Congressional rep (local and DC office). 2 each to your US Senators (local and state offices)
            1. State your name and zip code or district
            2. Be concise with your question or demand (i.e. What specific steps is Senator X taking to stop XYZ)
            3. Wait for answer
            4. Ask for action items -  tell them what you want then to do (i.e. draft articles of impeachment immediately, I want to see you holding a press conference in front of...etc.)
      • Indivisible
        • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
    • Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
      • Lawsuit tracker by subject
      • ACLU
      • Southern Poverty Law Center
      • Northwest Immigration Law Project
    • Stay Informed:
      • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
      • Podcasts:
        • Amicus
        • Daily Beans
        • Pod Save America
        • Strict Scrutiny
    • Immigrant Rights
      • Know Your Rights Red Cards
      • We Have Rights Video
      • ACLU: Your Rights 

It's the interview you've been waiting for! This week we welcome Katya Zamolodchikova to the show. We discuss Katya's gymnastics origin story, ponder the legacy of Svetlana Khorkina's existence as a human being, thoughts on elite vs. NCAA gymnastics, and whether Nellie Kim or Nadia Comaneci would win in a bar fight.

GYMCASTIC LIVE with MORGAN HURD

Satuday, August 9th. Keep checking link for tickets.

Get Tickets KATYA ZAMOLODCHIKOVA INTERVIEW

Login for bonus content here

Ladies and gentlemen, girls, gays, and theys, it's the episode you've all been waiting for; this week we welcome drag queen, actor, host of one of the funniest YouTube channels on the internet, and certified Gym Nerd, Katya Zamolodchikova to the show! In this episode we discuss everyyttthinggg you have ever wanted to know about Katya's gymnastics background including:

• Why Katya got into gymnastics
• Who is in Katya's gymnastics "trifecta of fucking doom"
• Svetlana Khorkina, Svetlana Khorkina, and Svetlana Khorkina. Did we mention Svetlana Khorkina?
• Which Russian gymnasts inspired her drag name
• Why gymnastics is "fucking weird" but also amazing
• Katya's SPICY take on why we should eliminate music from women's floor
• The skill Katya thinks was created by a "satanic demon" (Hint: it starts with "wolf" and ends with "turn")
• Katya's thoughts on raising the age limit so minors can't compete in the Olympic Games
• Designated Gym Nerd-out time to gush over all of Katya's favorite gymnasts and skills

RELATED:

• McKayla Maroney Interview episode
• Pelvic Floor Therapist episode on preventing peeing while doing gymnastics
• Spencer's Greatest Related Hits on The Balance Beam Situation:
  • • The Only Gymnast Who Ever Mattered: The Khorkina Story
    • Flatten The Curve with Svetlana Khorkina
    • When Wolf Turn Attack: a journey in GIFs
•  
• Live Reaction Podcast from Chicago
•  Videos and interviews from 2025 U.S. Classic
•  Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Classic

UP NEXT:

Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast every Friday at noon Pacific/7 GMT

BONUS PODCASTS 

• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes Q&A show.
• Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and get access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, early bird discounts on live shows, two extra podcasts: Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
• Not sure about joining the club? Here are some samples from College and Cocktails

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer’s essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• The Gymternet Nations Database
• Just added Group Commission: Pantheon of Gymnastics

RESISTANCE  Submitted by our listeners.

• • Action
    • ResistBot
      • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
    • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
      • •  
    • Indivisible
      • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
  • LITIGATION: Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
    • Lawsuit tracker by subject
    • ACLU
    • Southern Poverty Law Center
    • Northwest Immigration Law Project
  • Stay Informed:
    • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
    • Podcasts:
      • Amicus
      • Daily Beans
      • Pod Save America
      • Strict Scrutiny
  • Immigrant Rights
    • Know Your Rights Red Cards
    • We Have Rights Video
    • ACLU: Your Rights 

Claire Pease is our 2025 U.S. Classic Champion! What are our biggest takeaways from this meet, favorite moments and what USAG said about the judging error. If you missed our immediate recap live from Chicago on Saturday night, listen here. 

GymCastic LIVE in CHICAGO: REPLAY Tickets on sale now HEADLINES

• Claire Pease is our U.S. Classic all-around and vault champion!
• Myli Lew took the bars title, but first, a judging controversy
  • In a GymCastic exclusive: USAG issued a statement to us about the bars error
  • How can we fix these types of errors in the future?
• Ashlee Sullivan and her Arabian took the beam title
• Reese Esponda qualified herself to Championships ANNDDD took the floor title while she was at it

Classic

• Important updates heading into Championships
  • Skye Blakely submitted a successful petition to compete at U.S. Championships
  • Tiana is coming back from her Pan Ams ankle injury and is resting for Championships
  • Members of the 2024 Olympic team and alternates are eligible to petition to U.S. Championships
• Who were our E-score champions of the meet?

Mind Changers at U.S. Classic

• What were our biggest takeaways?
• Should we be worried about the state of elite gymnastics in the United States after this meet?!!???
• Why Jessica thinks this group of elites is the "confidence generation"
• Why Nola Matthews and Pacific Reign are leading the artistry game
  • Who else finally got the artistry memo here?
• What new skills are we seeing in response to the new code?
• The skill Ally Damelio does on bars that should automatically make her the winner of everything
• Reese Esponda's crazy new floor combination and Vivi Crain's scorpion turn
• Why Dulcy Caylor's new tumbling pass is giving us 1992 flashbacks
• Our way-too-early Worlds team predictions
• Opportunities for comedy during the meet
• Important art and leotard fashion updates

RELATED:

• Live Reaction Podcast from Chicago
• Videos and interviews from 2025 U.S. Classic
• Photo Galleries from 2025 U.S. Classic
• Classic Preview podcast

UP NEXT:

• Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast every Friday at noon Pacific/7 GMT
• July 28th podcast: Drag icon, actor and Drag Race winner, Katya Zamolodchikova joins us for a gymnastics coffee klatch episode.

BONUS PODCASTS 

• • • Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes Q&A show.
    • Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and get access to all of our exclusive extended interviews, early bird discounts on live shows, two extra podcasts: Behind The Scenes and College & Cocktails.
    • Not sure about joining the club?  Here are some samples.

MERCH

• GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast!
  • Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

• Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters 

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation 
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• The Gymternet Nations Database
• Just added Group Commission: Pantheon of Gymnastics

RESISTANCE  Submitted by our listeners.

• Action
  • ResistBot
    • Turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes
  • 5Calls App will call your Congresspeople by issue with a script to guide you
    • •  
  • Indivisible
    • Practical ideas about what you can actually do in this moment, check it out: indivisi.org/muskorus
• LITIGATION: Donate or volunteer for organizations suing the administration for illegal actions
  • Lawsuit tracker by subject
  • ACLU
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Northwest Immigration Law Project
• Stay Informed:
  • 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
  • Podcasts:
    • Amicus
    • Daily Beans
    • Pod Save America
    • Strict Scrutiny
• Immigrant Rights
  • Know Your Rights Red Cards
  • We Have Rights Video
  • ACLU: Your Rights 

•