During the offseason, it can be difficult to keep up with all the news and training updates happening across the country. So each week, we will provide a curation of the most exciting upgrades, as well as other important news happening in the college gym world. Note the majority of the training updates highlighted will feature new skills and not, for example, someone training their same routine from the past season.
Finally, note we are only able to share links to updates posted on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and not Instagram Stories or Snapchat. However, we will try to note any clips of note that we see on those disappearing platforms.
Of course, even with eight editors scouring social media for clips, we’ll still miss updates from time to time. Let us know in the comments or on social media if we didn’t include a new skill, injury comeback or more from someone on your favorite team!
Sydney Johnson-Scharpf Trains New Tumbling Pass
Sydney Johnson-Scharpf is training a whip through to a double pike on floor. When she competed floor last season, she did a back handspring to double pike as her first pass.
Instagram Stories and Snapchat Roundup
Lauren Farley Trains New Bars Dismount
The Michigan junior posted herself training a double layout bars dismount onto a pit mat on her Instagram Story.
What else?
- Alaska’s gymnastics program is in jeopardy after Governor Mike Dunleavy decimates the university system’s budget.
- UCLA’s superstar alumna Katelyn Ohashi won an ESPY award for her viral 2019 floor routine.
- Sacramento State’s Katelyn Garay unexpectedly announced her retirement; her teammate Cydney-Elise Kone announced her retirement a few weeks later.
- Former Oklahoma standout Maile’ana Kanewa-Hermelyn has been promoted to Michigan assistant coach.
- Arkansas’s eight-time All American Casey Jo MacPherson was promoted to associate head coach at Missouri.
- 2008 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Lindsey Bruck Ayotte (Michigan) was named head coach at New Hampshire.
- Jay Villegas was named assistant head coach at Brown.
- Recent Arkansas graduate Amanda Wellick was named assistant coach at Utah State.
- Iowa alumna Misty-Jade Carlson was named creative content manager for Utah.
- Beloved UCLA videographer Deanna Hong is staying at UCLA after all.
- Former Bowling Green gymnast Sunny Marchand will be returning as an assistant coach at her alma mater.
- Recent Nebraska graduate Catelyn Orel has joined Arkansas’s staff as a volunteer assistant coach and choreographer.
Elite News
- Former Bruin Danusia Francis took time off from training for the Pan American Games to get engaged in a castle.
- Springfield rising senior Sara King competed for Slovenia at the 2019 Summer Universiade; team Canada—including SEMO junior Alana Fischer and CMU senior Denelle Pedrick and coached by SEMO assistant coach Chris Licameli—finished fourth at the competition.
- Boise State senior Courtney McGregor will represent New Zealand at the 2019 world championships; Boise State coach Nick Resnick has been named head coach.
- Iowa State rising junior Ariana Orrego finished second at the South American Championships, her first AA competition since the Rio Olympics; she also represented Peru at the 2019 Pan American Games.
- Utah’s MyKayla Skinner confirmed she will defer her senior season until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Kentucky alumna Aubree Rosa is in critical condition after a car accident that tragically claimed the life of her boyfriend, Colton Drye; you can help support Aubree and her family during this difficult time through her GoFundMe site.
Article by the editors of College Gym News
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