Gymcastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Claudia Fragapane (top left), Olivia Vivian (top right), and Glawgow volunteer Jamie Day (center bottom).   Jessica, Blythe, Emma and Jamie chat about: Did Australian head coach, Peggy Liddick's controversial plan to take potential event medalists and leaving their all around champion at home. Our fears that the British media are portraying Fragapane as the next world champion and will set her up for unreasonable expectations. Jamie tells us what it was like to volunteer in Glasgow for gymnastics and be forced to eat candy! Dipa Karmakar's double front vault. Was it worthy of it's namesake, the great Produnova? Louis Smith and Kristina Thomas carrying an injured Sam Oldham onto the podium for his gold medal in a Kerry Strug-esque moment of glory. The most anticipated pommel horse show down since the 2012 Olympic Games.  The fantastic attitude of Becky Downie who competed injured for a title on bars but three falls on beam. The gym-romance between Hannah Whelan and Sam Oldham. Will Max Whitlock challenge for

Tumble star, Kristin Allen with her acro partner Michael Rodrigues, coach Alex Pakrah (bottom L), and celebrity Bobby Lockwood.   Kristin Allen and Michael Rodriguez are legends in the world of acrobatic gymnastics, formerly acro sport. These two daredevils are world champions and were the first American's ever to win the World Games. We discuss: How acrobatic gymnastics can teach men how to touch a woman respectfully All the details about Tumble and how to watch in the United States The most difficult conditions they ever performed under. The benefits of partnership Upsidedown miscommunication horror stories, injuries and fashion! The worst thing that can happen when your being drug tested by the International Gymnastics Federation How story lines and acting can help improve artistic gymnasts performance quality The most awkward travel story we've ever heard--it involves a cave. Follow Kristin Allen on BBC One's Tumble here. If you are outside of the UK and want to watch Tumble on BBC One, you can use Fr

Kyla Ross and Simone Biles are all smiles on the podium at the 2014 Secret U.S. Classic.   Louis will be our very first GymCastic Book Club guest in August. What: Read the book and submit questions about it for Louis. How: Buy the book here, send your questions to us at  gymcastic @ gmail.com or leave a voicemail on Skype at username “GymCastic Podcast” or by dialing (415) 800-3191. When: Submit your questions and we'll ask Louis when he's on the show in August. In the news, Uncle Tim, Blythe, and Jessica discuss these important topics from the US Secret Classic : Simone Biles has committed to UCLA, will she compete or be tempted to go pro? Lauren thinks MyKayla Skinner should use the Frozen song instead of her current music. See it here. Our favorite moments, skills, newbies to watch and veteran heart breakers. Does a win at the Secret Classic predict future success - Uncle Tim tells us with a quiz. New trends in choreography, artistry and skill combinations. Our high hopes for bars, could the US medal d

      This week Uncle Tim, Spanny Tampson, Lauren Hopkins, and Jessica chat about: Which skills and/or apparatus cause the most exertion-induced flatulence. The good and bad--the unusual team final format at the Commonwealth Games Could Donnell Whittenburg be this generation's Marian Dragulescu? Nadia, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Mary Lou Retton and Bart Conner on ABC's Extreme Weight Loss, featuring an adult gymnast! Who's in, out, and ones to watch at this weekend's Secret Classic in Chicago. Jessica and Spanny share their body image struggles as adult gymnasts. We pick our Rio Olympic teams based on this year's Secret Classic roster. The Chow-manar vs. The Raisman-manar. How will Gabby Douglas's move to Buckeye's with Nia Dennis benefit them both. The State of Danell Leyva; training in Miami for the altitude in Colorado, don't mix. Spanny Tampson's review of Gymnastike's Beyond The Routine series at Texas Dreams. What goes through our minds while we watch rings routines. Can "women's" gymnastics rem

Diana Tatevossian, Donna Tatevossian, Alexandria Alaman perform at USA Championships in the sport of Acrobatic Gymnastics (formerly Sports Acro).   In the news, Jessica, Uncle Tim and Elizabeth Grimsely chat about: The fashion, safety, random whistling sounds, top 40 music and insane skills from the Trampoline, Double Mini, Rhythmic, Tumbling and Acrobatic Championships Can Duckworth fill Sarah Patterson's heels as she retires after 36 years at the University of Alabama Gabby Douglas leaves Chow’s again - where should she go now? Jessica gives us an elaborate plan for Gabby while Uncle Tim speculates about the business end of things. Then we answer your questions about men's age limits - why did Kenzo become a world champ at 17? Do pro gymnasts delay official retirement to milk endorsements? Or are they just keeping their options open? CALLING AWESOME TYPISTS! Our transcription team serves the deaf gymnastics population by transcribing each episode with their passion for typing and gymnastics. If you'd lik

MG Elite's Ariana Agrapides being carried on a lectica.   In the news, Uncle Tim, Evan, and Jessica chat about: Jazmyn Foberg, Rachel Baumann, Ariana Agrapides, Gabby Perea Should athletes accept endorsement deals before they have become champions? The Gabby Douglas update video from USA Gymnastics Sports Acro World Championships in Paris Is Kim Jacob up to the standard of past Honda award winners? Why doesn't the US send an artistic female gymnast to the Youth Olympic Games? Vanessa Atler interview, she's come a long way! Insane Skill Alerts from Max Whitlock, Eddie Penev and Mai Murakami Listener questions about England vs. Great Britan, men's age limits and more Wildlife in the gym: rats, June bugs, joey's and pigeons. We are very excited to announce that Louis will be our very first GymCastic Book Club guest in August. What: Read the book and submit questions about it for Louis. How: Buy the book here, send your questions to us at  gymcastic @ gmail.com or leave a voicemail on Skype at username “Gym

Three time Olympic medalist, Louis Smith MBE, talked to us back in October 2012.   It's a classic interview this week from back in October 2012, when we talked to Great Britain’s Louis Smith. The outspoken, three-time Olympic medalist talked to us about Strictly Come Dancing, handling the pressure, role models, his nude pommel horse photo shoot, style on the British team and Rio. We are very excited to announce that Louis will be our very first GymCastic Book Club guest in August. What: You read the book and submit questions about it for Louis. How: Buy the book here, send your questions to us at  gymcastic @ gmail.com or leave a voicemail on Skype at username “GymCastic Podcast” or by dialing (415) 800-3191. When: Submit your questions by the first week in August and we'll ask Louis when he's on the show in August. Episode 4: Louis Smith, Spanny's Athlete Oath, Making Men's Gymnastics More Popular Episode 22: Beth Tweddle Episode 21: Kyle Shewfelt Episode 20: Jenni Pinches Episode 35: Jake Dalton Episode

Australian Olympian, Oregon State star and Commonwealth team member, Olivia Vivian...just hanging out for a chat with us! The Australian queen of antics is here! Olivia Vivian, perhaps the biggest ham in all of elite gymnastics, hung out for a chat. She helped Australia to a sixth place finish, its best Olympic finish in history in Beijing. Despite a back fracture, a mangled hand and being normal height of 5' 6", she's made a successful comeback to elite at the age of 24, almost 10 years since she first completed at the 2005 world championships. We can't wait to watch the Oregon Beaver compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this month. We are putting out bets on her to duke it out with the British in bars finals. We discuss: "Australian Gymnastics Jail" - her thoughts on the Australians being left home from Antwerp World Championships last year. Learning new techniques from coach John Carney at OSU to improve her already stellar bars. How college gymnastics in America gave her a better understa

  We made it to 100! This is the shamelessly vainglorious episode where we answer all of your questions about our irrelevant personal lives, and the origins of show. This week, Dr. Uncle Tim, Blythe, Evan and Jessica chat about: Marta's very positive comments on Gabby Douglas, who made a triumphant return to camp! An intimate moment accidentally recorded in the background during the interviews Since Bill Cosby is saving Temple Men's Gymnastics, should the team now wear Cosby sweater uniforms? Evan reveals a grand secret that even Jessica didn't know about; and his most embarrassing on-assignment moment, as captured by NBC. Major changes for Olympic hopeful, Lexie Priessman, who left Cincinnati Gymnastics. How much sleep does Blythe get when she's on assignment at a World Championships? Play along with Dr. Uncle Tim for our very own quiz show based on the past 100 episodes. Why are only 19% of the gymnastics federations headed by women? The Commonwealth Games have been announced and our favorite twerker made

Princess Catherine Lyons and her coach, former international elite, Rochelle Douglas have been together since Catherine was six!   Princess Catherine Lyons of Europa and her coach, former international elite gymnast, Rochelle Douglas, are here! We noticed these two in the very popular YouTube series called Team Sparkle. Princess Catherine is known for her exquisite form, her elegance, her uncommon maturity, making audiences cry with her expressive melancholy and angst-filled modern dance choreography. She's on a major winning streak, in 2012 she won the all-around at the  British Espoir Championships; in 2013 she swept it, winning all-around and all four event finals; and this year she’s won gold on floor in every meet she entered, including the English Championships and British Championships; and finally she capped off the year by becoming the 2014 Junior European Floor Exercise Champion where she helped the British team take silver. At Euros she also had the highest Execution score of any junior. And you k

Eddie Penev competing for Bulgaria at the 2010 World Championships in Rotterdam. The US is lucky enough to have a World floor finalist, Stanford alum and Nissen-Emery Award winner Eddie Penev back on their team. With dual-citizenship, he used to compete for Bulgaria but now he's alllll ours again.  He just won floor and vault at Anadia and has basically has every skill in the book on floor. This week he chats with Blythe and Jessica. We discuss: Why he switched from Bulgaria to the United States even though the US is so much more competitive and will be harder for him to make a World team. What he learned from teammate Jordan Jovtchev. Standardizing equipment for international competitions. The current state of Bulgarian gymnastics. The biggest party animals and goofballs on the US men's team. Growing up in New York with gymnastics parents. How he can help the US with our pommel horse deficit. Presentation and artistry work at US training camps. Remember to call in and leave a voicemail question or topic

In the news, Uncle Tim and Jess chat about: The star of Portugal, Filipa Martin winning a medal on floor while Jessica Lopez just keeps getting better every year. Which gymnast would be capable of much more if she were training elsewhere? We pick our beam songs and discuss the horrors of background techno. The correct moment to pick a wedgie if the television cameras are watching. If we’ll ever get this whole difficulty world record thing going in artistic. Is the call for a ban of the Produnova vault is just sexism? Could Ellie Black contend for a medal on balance beam at Worlds in China? Trampolinist, Karen Cockburn placed third at Canadian Nationals, proving once and for all that any woman can go back to adult gymnastics after giving birth. The Enrique Tomás González, Eddie Penev, Sam Mikulak epic showdown on floor exercise at the Anandia World Cup. And here are the latest news stories from around the gymternet discussed this week: TUMBLE! A new gymnastics show coming to BBC, featuring Louis Smith, B

World Champion, Lauren Mitchell, back on beam at the 2014 Australian National Championships. She has been named to the Commonwealth Team for Scotland later this summer.     In the news, Uncle Tim, Brigid head honcho at The Couch Gymnast, Evan, and Jessica chat about: Bela Karolyi style scratch-and-petition-nastics at Australian National Championships and the Godwin Factor for Commonwealth Games team. The Russian men dominate with gorgeous, clean, high flying skills at European Championships while Ukraine earns a spot on the podium despite war at home and neck tattoos. Max Whitlock beats Krisztian Berki on pommel horse! Fabian Hambuechen had a scary fall, did Epke Zonderland's hair cut help his high bar form, and  should Mr. Alexander Shatilov have won the Mr. Sofia title? Mtv Germany has a shirtless gymnastics video shoot that we investigate like Grandi at a rhythmic judging exam. The shinning hope for Australia after a dark time, Larissa Miller of tribe Uneven Bars. We get to the bottom of the top news s

        Blythe and Jessica talk to Emma Bailey direct from the hallway of her hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria at the Women's European Championships about: The great Soviet Pink Panther routine by  Elena Shevchenko (USSR) vs. the new Pink Panther performed by Marta Pihan-Kulesza (POL). The red carpet, the banquet dances, and other cool stuff the organizers did. Could Sandra Izbasa return for Rio? Diana Bulimar, the unsung hero and backbone of the Romanian team. Teams on the rise and lesser known fan-favorites; Noemi Makra (HUN), Claire Martin (FRA), Emma Larson (SWE), Gaelle Mys (BEL), Lisa Top (NED) Emma gives her impression of the once great Ukrainian women's program. Are there too many World Cups schedule, without sufficient time to rest before the European Championships? And finally, high bar Olympic medalist Krasimir Dunev proves he is freakin' cool as hell. Emma's YouTube Channel has some videos of fan favorites not captured on the broadcasts. Leotard series postcards (leocards) and prints by Meg. Buy them

World Cup Series Champion, Elizabeth Price has chosen to attend Stanford university rather than contend for a world title in the fall. Photo by Christy Linder. In the news, Uncle Tim, Evan, and Jess chat about: Elizabeth Price's decision to retire from the national team in order to go to Stanford. The unprecedented 7th national title with a low for Kohei Uchimura. Chinese women's National Championships; mature choreography; Yao Jinnan's 7.0 bar routine; beam star, Bai "The Blue Finch" Yawen; Huang Huidan's bar dismount! Thi Ha Thanh Phan showing she's not just a vault worker at the Osijek World Cup, and Brazil debuts floor cosmonaut-tumbler, Angelo Dias de Assumpção. Is it fair that both an Arabian double pike is an E and an Arabian double pike ½ out is an E, or should the half turn have a greater value? FIG stepping in to fund Ukraine's trip to the European Championships. Louis Smith MBE is not happy about being off the Euro team and lets everyone know about it. Can British Gymnastics improve their intra-

Oklahoma sophomore, Haley Scaman (L), co-national champions Oklahoma and Florida, Florida senior Mackenzie Caquatto embraces Alaina Johnson (R).  In the news, Jess, Uncle Tim, and Spencer from our absolute, hands-down favorite NCAA gymnastics analysis website, The Balance Beam Situation, chat about : The Ljubljana World Cup - the return of Ana Pavlova with a win on bars, Danny Pinheiro-Rodrigues with his light as a feather-stiff as a board inspired, super-human skill on rings and Mr. Oleg Verniaiev winning two events. The Korea Meet - Louis Smith beat Krisztian Berki (woah!), Brandon Wynn gold, Yang "The God of Vault" Hak Seon debuted a new vault and why Olivia Vivian and John Orozco should be on Dancing With The Stars. Komova's latest injury and Ferlitto is forced to pull out of Euros. Romania vs. Belgium vs. France -  Iordache won everything, Diana Bulimar impresses in her comeback and we fall in love with a buttery french chocolate- eclair of a routine from France's Loan His. Jessica gives us a behind t

  An all-interview episode with 1988 Olympic alternate at the Seoul Games and Florida head-coach, Rhonda Faehn. She is a super gym-nerd, just like us. We discuss: Competing at World Championships with no ligaments left in her ankle. The pile of injuries that led to her injury-retirement from UCLA. How she met her super-hot, French, tennis coach husband at Florida. What was Rhonda thinking as her team made uncharacteristic falls at Regionals. What it was like living away from home with Phoebe Mills and then the Kristie Phillips family. Being a Karolyi Kid; one of the first crop of gymnasts to train with Nadia's coaches when they first came to the US. If there were any perks, like extra leo sparkles for becoming national champions. Mackenzie Caquatto won a silver medal with the US team at the Rotterdam World Championships in 2010. Then she became a key player at the University of Florida and led the Gators to their first ever, national championship. Can having a boyfriend actually improve a girl's gymnastic

British all-around Champions, Rebecca Tunney and Max Whitlock. Why is his cup so much bigger than hers?!   In the news, Jess, Blythe, and Emma chat about: Would dismounting onto a bed of nails be punishment enough for this coach? After his domination at Doha, could Epke Zonderland take over p-bars next? The return of Australian Floor World Champ, Lauren Mitchell at Doha. Our new and veteran favorites from the British Championships. Princess Catherine of Europa - was her leo created with the metal from an actual crown? Our picks for Commonwealth and European Championships teams. Can Azerbeijan grow their imported team into a sustainable future? All the British gymnasts we want to come to the US to do NCAA gymnastics. To see all four of our Gymitation contest winners go to our website here.  Prizes are first come, first serve. E-mail us at gymcastic@gmail.com to claim your prize.  Someone recruit this girl to NCAA stat! We can't get enough of Laura Mitchell from Heathrow Gymnastics in London. She is fierce