Recorded in June 2023. We’re calling out the worst, stupidest, most self-defeating and awkward rules and conventions in gymnastics, starting with...
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Stunt woman, author, NCAA Champion, national team member while in college, first U.S. woman to ever successfully compete a Cheng tells us about her career and her new children's book, Mia and the Win From Within. Zam also shares her best advice for other gymnasts or athletes looking to break into the stunt world and what skills she recommend they sharpen up on.
Gymternet NewsImage courtesy of Utah Gymnastics; Illustration: Steve Cooper
It had been 93 years since the British women's gymnastics team had won an Olympic team medal, then Amelie and her teammates took home a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Now entering (and excelling in) her senior season at Utah, Amelie has hit 86 of 87 career routines. In this week's interview we discuss:
Interview: Elle Reeve
Elle Reeve is an award-winning journalist renowned for her incisive reporting on pivotal moments in recent American history. She gained national acclaim for her Vice News coverage of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, delivering an unflinching look at the event that highlighted the rise of white nationalism. Her work, praised for its depth and courage, earned a Peabody Award. Reeve has continued to report on critical political and social issues, including the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Known for her immersive storytelling and empathetic approach, she has contributed significantly to public understanding of extremism and its impacts on democracy. Much of her reporting is chronicled in her new book, "Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics." In this interview Reeve explains how her years of gymnastics training help keep her safe while reporting from the violent frontlines of domestic extremism. She explains how her many hours of watching fluff pieces about gymnastics teams living and training under fascism sparked her interest in politics from a young age.
From romanian candles to Mohini's pizza- all your favorite fluff pieces revisited. Originally published on July 15, 2017. It's the commissioned episode you've all been waiting for...the FLUFFCAST! We jump into all the most insane, hilarious, horrifying, sexist, perfect, amazing, diva-tastic, butterfly-gazing, Romanian candle-holding fluff pieces in the history of gymnastics broadcasts. Thank you so much to Fluff Feels for commissioning the episode we were born to do, and thank you to everyone who sent in suggestions! Jessica and Spencer dissect:
Bela Karolyi helped usher many gymnasts over decades to the pinnacle of the sport. If medals are the measure of success, few can match his accomplishments. When addressing his legacy, however, it would be irresponsible to ignore the wake of destruction he left behind and the culture he helped cultivate that resulted in the largest sexual abuse scandal in American sports history. Many gymnasts, even those who have shared their own stories of abuse by him, have equally expressed gratitude and admiration. It's possible to recognize his accomplishments while also addressing the physical and emotional scars he left on the sport. We are sensitive to those grieving, but we also feel an obligation to honor those who have suffered by sharing a more complete picture of Bela Karolyi. In an exclusive, we have decided to share the most serious allegation against Bela, which we unearthed in our reporting while scouring the Romanian Secret Police documents. The accusation is of sexual assault. We have redacted the names and specific dates to protect the other individuals involved. At the time, the accuser was a teenager less than half Bela's age. It’s important to note that this document was recorded in the Secret Police files, but it has not been substantiated. With that said the police files corroborated the story from the survivor noting that the accuser confided in two adults, over two separate occasions a year apart. The decision to disclose a sexual assault allegation against Bela is not one taken lightly, especially in the wake of his passing. However, this revelation serves an essential purpose, not only for historical accuracy, but also for societal accountability and justice. Only by confronting uncomfortable truths can we honor the experiences of survivors, learn from systemic failures, and create a safer, more just society. Silence and deference to power have already caused immeasurable harm. It is time to prioritize truth and healing over the preservation of a mythological past.
SEE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT and TRANSLATION HEREFrom the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives. Document: I 0005189 Volume: 001
MORE PROJECT K
Project K: Operation Olympia Project K: Romanian Gymnastics Documents of Abuse, Neglect & Authority Project K: Documents of Alexandrina Comaneci’s Warning Project K: Interview with Nadia & The Secret Police Author Dr. Stejarel Olaru Project K Episode 2: Interview with Nadia & The Secret Police Author Dr. Stejarel Olaru Part Two Chinese and British Trial Chaos, and Project K: Decoding Romanian Secret Police Files on The Karolyis with Dr. Simona Petracovschi
CREDITS: Original Reporting by Jessica O’Beirne and Cosmin Bogdan, freelance journalist. Contributions by Steve Cooper. Translations by Beatrice Gheorghisor and Cosmic Bogdan. Official document transcription and translation by Transperfect.
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Director Katie Walsh is back to answer your questions about the making of the Simone Biles Rising documentary and talk about what it was like to be on the floor filming during the Paris Olympic Games.
This episode was recorded October 30th in our weekly Behind The Scenes episode where Club Gym Nerd members asked questions live or afterwards on their favorite podcast player.
Behind The Scenes is a weekly live Q&A podcast and post-meet live exclusive. It's all part of the bonus content for our Club Members who support our work year around.
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Join Club Gym Nerd (or give it as a gift!). It includes:This week: Absolutely everything about the final two episodes of the Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles Rising. Plus lots of audio clips of Simone's interview Q&A from the premier in Hollywood that Jessica attended last week (all the details on the premier on Behind The Scenes here). No big deal, but Jessica is in the last two episodes. We also discuss the FIG election news and some Halloween-worthy gymnastics horror stories thanks to that Hart to Hart's gymnast-cat-burglar-cruise-ship-bar-routine tv episode we talked about last week.
Our final live show of the year will be in Portland, Oregon in December! Details coming soon! Club Gym Nerd members will get early access to tickets and a discount.
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This week: we discuss the gymnastics revenge horror short, "Stuck"; Simone's tour blooper; Jessica is going to the Simone Biles Rising documentary Premier this week; journalist Alina Alexoi has been suspended from European Gymnastics and the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (details here); FIG faces mass resignation in Parkour and lots of technical committee Presidents running unopposed; there are subjective judging problems in every ball sport, so don't let anyone tell you gymnastics is "a subjective sport"; should judges be able to watch replays at will; the time an acro world championship was almost lost after a judge incorrectly input the digital scores; college gymnastics commit updates; the most exciting meets on the NCAA schedule for 2025; the most ridiculous gymnastics episode of TV: Hart to Hart's gymnastics cat burglar cruise ship bar routine.
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