A. USA is canceled
USAG announced today that the 2020 editions of Classic and Nationals are officially off and that we all just have to reset for the 2021 editions instead. Sigh. Previously, the party line had been that these events were postponed and that USAG would reassess possibilities for holding them in late summer or fall, but that always seemed like a pipe dream. You can’t really set a date (or venue) for nationals if you can’t set a date for athletes to return to their gyms first.
In a statement, USAG said, “Listen up, pee heads, we have literally no reason to try to organize these meets without crowds because then we can’t charge 8 million gold bars per ticket—or, I mean, after consulting with public health experts and in an effort to protect of our community and the wider world, we will not hold nationals this year.”
This follows what is becoming a pretty familiar pattern where the money sports desperately try to bend themselves into pretzels to get going again this summer, while the no-money sports recognize that they do not have the clout or incentive to make that happen and are refocusing on 2021.
Because it’s about the athletes.
B. Everyone else, also canceled
Since last we spoke re: things and happening, further details emerged about the complaints against Maggie Haney, largely revealing that she’s not just mean but also stupid (I mean, the period stuff, come on). The stories in this article are harrowing to say the least, and I would like to see an official response from those coaches who were rolling around Facebook a couple days ago being like, “IT’S JUST COACHING TOUGHEN UP DON’T QUIT JUHFLRFRRRFFRRR.”
Proposal of the day: This should be the biggest complaint you have about a coach
Sydney Freidin would also like you to know that this is far from a one-coach problem.
C. NCAA developments
The fact that nothing exists anymore has not stopped the usual revolving door of NCAA gymnasts, so here’s a rundown of the latest moves.
Mostly, it’s about Nebraska. So far this offseason, we’ve learned that Abby Johnston is transferring to Arkansas, Kaylee Quinn is transferring to Alabama, and that Ady De Jesus has been dismissed from the team for an undisclosed rule violation. Put that together with the departure of the 2020 seniors Taylor Houchin and Sierra Hassel, and we’re looking at a very different Nebraska squad for…the next time there might be a season. They’ll be relying on former junior elite Kinsey Davis and Canadian elite Chloe Lorange to do a lot right away.
Also, Nebraska…you OK?
In other developments, Hunter Dula has taken a medical retirement at Utah, but Utah also announced that Alani Sabado is joining a year early. Look how that worked out. Sabado was 3rd AA at JO nationals last year in the Junior E division and therefore will basically have never competed as a senior before she starts at Utah.
Our first members of LIU’s inaugural team are also coming in, the name of the group so far being former junior elite Cael Bixler. Bixler was a fetus-verbal to Oklahoma way back in the day, but that never materialized and she didn’t end up signing with anyone at all last November. Exactly the kind of gymnast you’re looking for with a new program. It’s basically a support group for people who were passed over by their dream schools.
Canadian L10 Alana Ricketts is also slated to join LIU’s first class, an athlete who looks like she should have competitive possibilities on vault and floor.
D. GymCastic
Last week’s episode in which we discuss The Haney is available now, and this week’s episode—a commission about fixing NCAA judging—will be available…fairly soon-ish.
Lessons From Rotterdam: Robot Judges, Sabotage Chalk and What Worlds Taught Us – GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast
- Lessons From Rotterdam: Robot Judges, Sabotage Chalk and What Worlds Taught Us
- Back From Rotterdam: Coop's Dislocation, the Hospital & All the Stories
- Full Episode: Skye Blakely Is World All-Around Champion + Kaylia Nemour's Vault Disaster
- Kaylia Nemour's Double Gold, Seven U.S. Medals + Norway's First Ever: Worlds Event Finals
- Skye Blakely Is World All-Around Champion + Kaylia Nemour's Vault Disaster: Worlds Women's AA Final
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No surprise at the Hunter Dula retirement ….she was also a fetus signing as a middle schooler so she has outlived her usefulness for Utah because they saw a new pretty thing in Sabado “coming early” …Utah as usual …
She was injured most of this year and had back issues as a freshman. I don’t think she was “told” to medically retire. You don’t really want to mess with back fractures. I think she decided to go the Sabrina Schwab route. Expect she told them in time to bring on someone else. Sabrina told them after fall break.
What the hell kind of team rule could be violated WHILE IN QUARANTINE?
It might have been violated before quarantine started and the team just enforced the punishment.
And she’s the best gymnast you had left…
Could be GPA
This may vary by school, but I know at many (Most? All?) academic eligibility issues aren’t rule violations — they’re a separate category of ineligibility.
So, depending on the reason for dismissal, is she eligible to get picked up elsewhere? If whatever she did isn’t an NCAA violation. For example, drinking could get you kicked off the team ( under some circumstances) , but not make you NCAA ineligible. And I am not in anyway suggesting this happened – just picking an example. Is is likely for us to see her transfer?
If she’s good enough, yeah of course.
Wasn’t there a gymnast who got kicked off the team at Penn State and managed to upgrade to like, LSU or Florida or something?
Yes and I think she was kicked off the team for (getting caught) shoplifting.
Randy Lau got kicked off LSU and ended up at Penn State. IIRC correctly Durante dismissed a gymnast for a social media violation at UGA and they also ended up at PSU.
It will be interesting to see who finds a spot for DeJusus. And whether it was a true transgression or a line in the sand.
It also depends on the rule that was broken — something that can get you kicked off of Team A may be no big deal on Team B. An example — and it’s an extreme example — is the superstar BYU basketball player who got kicked off the team for having premarital sex with his girlfriend. I think he was a senior at the time so transferring wasn’t on the table, but like 99 percent of colleges don’t dictate students’ sex lives via the honor code.
Former Nebraska gymnast Addy De Jesus just announced on her @addy_dejesus Twitter: “FEEL SO GOOD TO BE OFFICIALLY COMMITTED!!!
🤗 ”
She didn’t announce where she has committed to…maybe it’s to her boyfriend! LOL
Speculation is UCLA since they apparently started following her on social media, and at least three of UCLA’s planned incoming Freshmen will likely defer to pursue the Tokyo 2021 Olympics: Jordan Chiles, Brooklyn Moors, and Ana Padurariu.
Maybe Addy is the cousin of UCLA alum Sophina De Jesus (just kidding).