Being part of a team means committing through winning seasons and difficult seasons; it means not giving up and fighting back to win back-to-back national championships after the program you had just agreed to head had been cut. Teamwork and perseverance are the legacy of the University of Michigan, and they were personified in gymnastics great and Michigan head coach, Newt Loken.
Loken is considered the grandfather of Michigan gymnastics, not missing a meet for 60 years—long after he retired from coaching. He had such an effect on the program that the team’s current training facility is named after him.
The training hall was in part constructed by the 2002 to 2003 men’s gymnastics team, raising over $250,000 to renovate the old gym. Former gymnast and current coach Geoff Corrigan recalls scraping the walls and digging the pits that are still being used today. The gymnasts take pride in their facility and respect those who visit.
A new facility is included in Michigan Athletics’ master plan. It’s in looking forward to this facility and the Victors for Michigan campaign that the university reiterates its belief in men’s gymnastics and to the future of the sport, but it wasn’t always such a smooth ride for the Wolverines.
To the team and staff, part of being a Michigan Man is understanding not everything is about self. This mindset is displayed in each person that enters the training facility as the gymnasts are required to look each guest in the eye and welcome them. They understand that character comes from treating every member and every guest equally and that hard work and dedication creates needed change.
This discipline is modeled in current head coach Kurt Golder. Michigan planned to drop men’s gymnastics in 1996. At that time, Golder had already accepted the head coaching position and planned to come anyway. He helped reinstate the program and has since led the Wolverines to four national championship titles.
Golder was a product of Loken’s belief in opportunity. Golder was a transfer student walk-on that developed into a three-time letter winner and a Big Ten champion. It’s that legacy and love for the sport that he passes down to each team. Because of the opportunities afforded to Golder, he has in turn given back and created more opportunities at Michigan under his leadership
Michigan has the largest roster of any men’s gymnastics team in the NCAA. If someone is not eligible for the varsity team, they have the option to compete for the club team, which practices in both the men’s and women’s facilities. Between its large varsity roster and the club option, Michigan offers many opportunities for men to compete, a rarity elsewhere.
The Wolverines structure their practices where that each gymnast is assigned to one of three coaches: Golder, Corrigan or fellow assistant coach Xiao Yuan. Each coach is responsible for creating daily and yearly training plans to provide each gymnast a layout not only for individual success, but team success as well. Each gymnast is a part of a smaller group assigned to work with a particular coach within the team, but they are also able to work with each coach, creating more symmetry.
Balance is crucial to success for any student athlete and is something to which the Michigan coaches pay special attention. They encourage everyone on the team to see the team sports psychologists not just if there are issues, but for betterment purposes, such as stepping up their mental game, as well. Success at Michigan isn’t just defined by what an athlete does on the competition floor, but also what he does in the classroom. Coaches and athletes work together with the athletic department professionals to create a positive and accessible plan for success.
The Michigan gymnasts see their legacy is being a part of something bigger and better than any individual. In a time where Men’s Gymnastics is constantly on edge, opportunities continue to thrive at Michigan. Everyone is equally important and it’s a mindset summed up in those famed words: The Team. The Team. The Team.
Article by Kensley Behel
Note: Kensley Behel was a graduate student at the University of Michigan from 2013-2015 where she also worked with the men’s gymnastics team as its floor manager.
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