Lies, lies, and more lies! For today's commissioned episode, we watched the 1984 made-for-TV movie Nadia, a Very Highly Extremely Unauthorized biography of Nadia Comaneci, and we seriously just can't with it. We discuss:

• Things that definitely 100% happened and aren't lies at all, like Bela Karolyi creepily discovering Nadia at recess
• The villain of this tale: Communism
• The very important *IMMEDIATE CHOREOGRAPHED FRIENDSHIP DANCE* between Nadia and Teodora
• Interrupting the judges in the middle of Tourischeva's floor routine (!)
• Anachronistic hair: A deep discussion
• Marcia Frederick's stunts are the only watchable part
  • The first double pike beam dismount ever competed? Maria Filatova (USSR) 1977
• This movie did Teodora Ungureanu dirty
• Is this the only gymnastics movie where the stunt work is harder than the real routines they're portraying?
• Wait...did they turn Nellie Kim white?
• Creating the future: Did Bela reenact some of these scenes later in his career?
• Some very sensitive and thoughtful treatment of weight and suicide. Healthy and helpful. Good good.
• The moral of the story might be anorexia

• Join Club Gym Nerd for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

• Introduction to Project K Operation Olympia explained
• Project K Episode One:Interview with Nadia & The Secret Police Author Dr. Stejarel Olaru
• Project K Episode Two:Interview with Nadia & The Secret Police Author Dr. Stejarel Olaru
• Project K: Romanian Gymnastics Documents of Abuse, Neglect & Authority
• Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
• Behind The Scenes: Project K
• Behind The Scenes: More Project K (for Karolyi) Details

• McKayla Maroney Interview
• Growing Up at Round Lake
• Boginskaya Interview
• Aly and Lynn Raisman Interview
• Vanessa Atler Interview
• Mini-Commissions Hall of Fame
• Tokyo Olympics Recap

Club Gym Nerd members can listen to the full interview, uninterrupted, and have access to the original documents discussed in this episode. Please login to your Club Gym Nerd account to listen and/or watch this episode. Not a member? Join here.The public episode includes evidence, obtained by GymCastic, directly from the secret police archives.

• Project K Episode 1
• We continue this week with the second and final part of Jessica's interview with Dr. Stej Olaru, whose book Nadia and the Secret Police is currently available for pre-order in English. They discuss:
  • The unverified report that Bela tried to sabotage Teodora Ungureanu to ensure a Hungarian would win a medal
  • The Ellen Berger/Bela Karolyi feud and what may have really been behind it
  • Nadia's mom's official complaints
• View the original files and translations here.

• Introduction to Project K Operation Olympia explained
• Project K: Romanian Gymnastics Documents of Abuse, Neglect & Authority
• Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
• Behind The Scenes: Project K
• Behind The Scenes: More Project K (for Karolyi) Details

On an entirely different topic, we tackle a review of the year 2022

• Complete the sentence: "2022 was the year of..."
• The 2022 Skill of the Year - Acro
• The 2022 Skill of the Year - Dance
• The biggest lessons we took from gymnastics in 2022
• The very worst thing about gymnastics in 2022

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• 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 and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Project K Episode One:Interview with Nadia & The Secret Police Author Dr. Stejarel Olaru
• Project K: Operation Olympia explained
• Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
• Behind The Scenes: Project K
• Behind The Scenes: More Project K (for Karolyi) Details
• Growing Up at Round Lake
• Boginskaya Interview
• Aly and Lynn Raisman Interview
• Vanessa Atler Interview
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

• Today, the start of Project K, our dive into the files and transcripts from "Operation Olympia," the Romanian secret police's multi-year surveillance project investigating the Karolyis.
• We have the first part of Jessica's interview with Dr. Stej Olaru, whose book Nadia and the Secret Police is currently available for pre-order in English. They discuss:
  • What the secret police did and whether their reports can be trusted as reliable primary sources
  • The sheer extent and complexity of the surveillance project of Nadia
  • How many people tried to sound the alarm about the Karolyis in the 1970s
  • Would anything have changed if this had been public knowledge?
• Plus, transcripts from the actual files about the Karolyis from 1976, detailing physical and verbal abuse, an "atmosphere of terror," and the insistence on ignoring physicians and experts.

• To lighten the load, we also talk a little bit about this year's very important and real preseason coaches poll, the finally-announced meet in Las Vegas, and differences in strategy at various preseason meets

Club Gym Nerd members can listen to the full interview, uninterrupted, and have access to the original documents discussed in this episode. Please login to your Club Gym Nerd account to listen and/or watch this episode. Not a member? Join here.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• 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 and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Project K: Operation Olympia explained
• Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
• Behind The Scenes: Project K
• Behind The Scenes: More Project K (for Karolyi) Details
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Growing Up at Round Lake
• Boginskaya Interview
• Aly and Lynn Raisman Interview
• Vanessa Atler Interview

• This week, Morgan Hurd blessed us with a double layout to make it all better, and we have a preview of our major exposé Project K—where gymnastics and spycraft run into each other at full speed inside 1970s Romania—which will finally be coming to your ears over the next two weeks.

• We're one month out from the NCAA season, and we're talking new first years like Kayla DiCello, eMjae Frazier, Faith Torrez, and more. Plus, which teams face the biggest upheavals in the 2023 season (cough, Georgia), why we're a little too excited about literally just some lines of tape, and the biggest storyline of the preseason: 5th-year transfers.

• A mini-commission on the history of South African gymnasts at the Olympics and other major competitions: the biggest accomplishments and what the future holds
• A mini-commission on Soviet training conditions and techniques of the 1980s and how that resulted in pushing the limits of difficulty.
• Plus, all the gymternet news you need

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• You Are In Gymnastics: Soviet Gymnastics Documentary
• Project K: Operation Olympia explained
• Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
• Behind The Scenes: Project K
• Behind The Scenes: More Project K (for Karolyi) Details
• Ellen Berger at the 1988 Olympic Games: DESPITE SOME SOARING PERFORMANCES BY THE SOVIETS, POOR JUDGING STOLE THE SHOW
• Lena Degteva: Growing Up at Round Lake
• Svetlana Boginskaya Interview
• Back from Liverpool
• Liverpool World Championships Event Finals and Mega Recap
• 10th Anniversary Reunion Show

Club Gym Nerd members can watch the podcast being recorded and see some of the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Please login to your Club Gym Nerd account to listen and/or watch this episode. Not a member? Join here

Please login to your Club Gym Nerd account to watch this episode. Not a member? Join here

Since we've been gone...

• Suni Lee announced her impending returning to elite, Sydney Barros registered a nationality switch, and there are big big changes to the US men's resident program in Colorado Springs.

The post-worlds period brought an opportunity for gymnasts to earn some actual money in Switzerland with the Swiss Cup and Arthur Gander Memorial.

• We discuss the weird-but-kind-of-awesome format of these meets, the US team of Yul Moldauer and Addison Fatta just edging the Italian team of Nicola Bartolini and Martina Maggio for the Swiss Cup title, Spencer's hyper-interest in the strategy of which events everyone should compete when, and the floor routine that earned Jessica's seal of approval.
• How does the prize money for these meets compare to the...actual world championship?

• News on constant vigilance, bribery, NCAA coach movement, being resilient AF, and most importantly...the Paris Olympic mascot.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Interview with Beam World Champion Watanabe Hazuki (JPN)
• Interview with AA World Champion Rebeca Andrade (BRA)
• Wei Xiaoyuan (CHN) - Uneven Bars World Champion 2022
• Interview with Team World Champions USA
• The Flight Series: Shilese Jones
• The Gymnast Who Kneeled: UC Davis Alexis Brown Interview
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
• Liverpool World Championships Event Finals and Mega Recap
• 10th Anniversary Reunion Show

• This week, we have a commission from Club Gym Nerd member Jasmine, who asked for an episode on the history of US Olympic Trials—how teams were selected and all the major scandals. And there have been plenty.
  • 1980 - Olympic boycott hypocrisy and what happens when gymnasts tie for the last spot? (Or have alligators?)
  • 1984 - The case of Dianne Durham and the Olympic petition
  • 1988 - The Perils of Rank Order: The Early Years
  • 1992 - The back-room meeting that kept Kim Kelly off the Olympic team
  • 1996 - Only controversial if you're a Forster?
  • 2000 - Atler. Nuff said.
  • The Martha Years - Were teams really chosen months in advance?
• Plus, we make our proposals for an ideal Olympic team selection process for the United States

• Join Club Gym Nerd or buy a gift membership for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
  • Behind the Scenes: Kensley's Wedding
  • Behind The Scenes After Olympic Trials
  • We Have Olympic Teams! Olympic Trials Day Two for Men & Women
  • Live From Olympic Trials: Men & Women Day One
  • Behind The Scenes: Post-Championships Debrief
  • Behind The Scenes: Day Two US Women's Championships 2021
  • Behind The Scenes: Day One US Women's Championships 2021
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.

• Vanessa Atler
• Jamie Datzscher
• How to Stage a Gymnastics Protest
• Tokyo Olympics Recap

This week, we have a group commission from Brianna, Stephanie, Atwood, Laura, Karla, and Emma, all about [deep breath] the collective nightmare that was the 2000 Olympic Trials. We discuss:

• The breaking news that there actually was official selection criteria, and it was technically followed.
• The significance of 2000 Trials as the worst thing that has ever happened ever, the controversy of the selection process, the low point this represented in athlete-first commentary, and just...the Bela of it all
• Shannon's comeback
• What if Atler had been able to compete on the "new" vault?
• The way the commentators talk about Alyssa Beckerman
• The infamous Rybacki fluff piece
• DLO + Punch front
• Shannon's vault injury
• BEIGE DRAPES
• Steve Nunno's performance piece
• The Moceanu sadness forest
• Why they selected the team they did, and was it the right call?

• Join Club Gym Nerd or buy a gift membership for access to Behind the Scenes episodes.
  • Behind the Scenes: Rodeo Exercise Machine
  • Behind the Scenes: Adventures in Crying at Disneyland
  • Behind the Scenes: Kensley's Wedding
  • Behind The Scenes After Olympic Trials
  • We Have Olympic Teams! Olympic Trials Day Two for Men & Women
  • Live From Olympic Trials: Men & Women Day One
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have masks too! And Pride gear!

• The History of Olympic Trials Controversies
• Shannon Miller
• Shannon Miller Part 2
• Vanessa Atler
• Jamie Dantzscher
• How to Stage a Gymnastics Protest
• Tokyo Olympics Recap

We'll discuss both days of event finals, the breaking (?) of the white leo curse and our favorite and least favorite moments of this World Championships.LOGIN TO JOIN US LIVE

Club Gym Nerd members can ask questions live, watch the podcast being recorded, see the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Here's how to ask questions live.JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• World Championships Viewer's Guide
• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Liverpool World Championships Men's AA Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's AA Final
• Liverpool World Championships Men's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Mega Preview
• US Women's World Team Trials live from Texas
• 10th Anniversary Reunion Show
• Worlds Team Shake-up
• US Men's World Selection (Day 1) & World Cup Update
• Paris World Cup Review
• What the F Is Artistry?
• World Challenge Cups Are So In Right Now
• The World Championship Field Is Set
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• Donate to family of NCAA coach in Ukraine
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

Carlos Yulo invented a new skill on vault while Asher Hong did a no-handed giant on high bar. All the details and we answer your questions about women's all around final.

Club Gym Nerd members can ask questions live, watch the podcast being recorded, see the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Here's how to ask questions live.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• World Championships Viewer's Guide
• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Liverpool World Championships Women's AA Final
• Liverpool World Championships Men's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Mega Preview
• US Women's World Team Trials live from Texas
• 10th Anniversary Reunion Show
• Worlds Team Shake-up
• US Men's World Selection (Day 1) & World Cup Update
• Paris World Cup Review
• What the F Is Artistry?
• World Challenge Cups Are So In Right Now
• The World Championship Field Is Set
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• Donate to family of NCAA coach in Ukraine
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim

Rebeca Andrade (BRA) is finally the world all-around champion! Shilese Jones (USA) and her arabian won silver and for the first time ever, a British gymnast is on the all-around podium, Jessica Gadirova.

Club Gym Nerd members can ask questions live, watch the podcast being recorded, see the gymnastics we discuss, plus get access to all of our exclusive interviews and Behind The Scenes episodes. Here's how to ask questions live.

JOIN CLUB GYM NERD

• World Championships Viewer's Guide
• Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!) for access to weekly Behind the Scenes episodes.
• Buy our awesome clothing and gifts here.
• We have a Ukraine Fundraiser design, all proceeds go to the CARE Ukraine Crisis fund.

• Liverpool World Championships Women's AA Final
• Liverpool World Championships Men's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Team Final
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Women's Qualifying Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day Two
• Liverpool World Championships Podium Training Day One
• Liverpool World Championships Mega Preview
• US Women's World Team Trials live from Texas
• 10th Anniversary Reunion Show
• Worlds Team Shake-up
• US Men's World Selection (Day 1) & World Cup Update
• Paris World Cup Review
• What the F Is Artistry?
• World Challenge Cups Are So In Right Now
• The World Championship Field Is Set
• Donate grips and tape for Ukrainian gymnasts
• Donate to family of NCAA coach in Ukraine
• To follow the effects of the Russian invasion to Ukraine at Gymnovosti
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim