It’s the end of an era in college gymnastics as Kathy Johnson Clarke, one half of the gymternet’s most-loved commentary duo, gave her final salute this weekend. As we wish her well, we took look back at some of the best moments of her college commentary career.
1983: NCAA Championships
https://youtu.be/m9rQm9h-F74?feature=shared
(Starting at 15:15.)
Twenty-three-year-old Kathy Johnson was still a year away from captaining the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 1984 Olympics when she made her NCAA commentary debut in Salt Lake City. Despite a lack of TV experience, Johnson’s technical expertise and passion for the sport were obvious right from the jump.
1984: “A little bit too low”
https://youtu.be/3IjF-M8rMoo?feature=shared&t=475
(Starting at 06:20.)
Just a year later, Johnson was notably more comfortable in her role, offering more nuanced observations and bolder takes. She’s been more vocal in recent years regarding loose judging, but here, she chided the judges for low-balling Donna Kemp’s beam routine.
1994: Reese’s World Gymnastics Cup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwjXkj_YIMk&t=217s
( Starting at 3:43.)
While not technically commentary, this featurette perfectly illustrates what makes KJC the gold standard in gymnastics coverage—her knack for parsing the complexities of the sport into a more accessible, compelling form (generally with a hint of mischief thrown in for good measure).
(Fast-forward to the 22:33 mark for a cameo from Bart Conner.)
2004: “I won’t open that can of worms.”
https://youtu.be/KntV3UB4URA?feature=shared&t=5147
All 10s are not created equal, even in the early 2000s. En route to claiming what was then the Pac-10 gymnastics championships, Stanford’s Natalie Foley scored a perfect 10 on her Yurchenko full – sticking the landing with her feet far apart. While her co-anchor tried to hype the score, Clarke was a little more reserved in her celebration.
2010: SEC Championships
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9F_KqZAtVo
After a hiatus in the early Aughts, the Dream Team reunited. Over the coming years Clarke gave us some great moments, including this one where she gushes over Olympian and future NCAA-coach Courtney McCool on beam.
2015: Peszek’s Beam Playground
https://x.com/tkatchevtimes/status/1768691090100564018?s=20
Who knew when Clarke commentated this routine that then-gymnast Samantha Peszek would one day be her teammate at ESPN? Clarke calling the balance beam Peszek’s “playground” brought life to this routine; Peszek ended up winning the national title on the event.
2018: Peng-Peng Lee’s Two Perfect 10s
Bars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWLXTZHjPKk
Beam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD2xcEC0c9o
The 2018 national championship was full of twists and turns, but no one could have predicted UCLA senior Peng-Peng Lee scoring 10s on bars and beam to win the championship for the Bruins. Clarke was almost rendered speechless watching this, making the moment even sweeter.
2020: Trinity Thomas’s 1st Career Perfect 10
https://youtu.be/LetSk0GdTes?feature=shared
We were surprised it took Thomas as long as it did to earn her first career 10, but the tone and excitement in Clarke’s voice as Thomas nailed skill after skill and ended with a stuck double layout made it worth the wait.
2021: Michigan’s National Championship
https://youtu.be/vslpSLxbFfw?feature=shared&t=5998
Michigan became the 7th team ever to win an NCAA national championship in 2021 and Clarke described the moment perfectly, saying “They just found the holy grail, oh my gosh! Welcome to the club!”
2024: “That was a 10-y 10!”
https://youtu.be/INiq9rZqjec?feature=shared&t=4429
In recent seasons, Clarke and Conner were vocal about the number of high scores being given, but this floor routine from LSU’s Aleah Finnegan had no complaints from the duo en route to a perfect 10.
Kathy, you’ve made this sport, its culture, and particularly its coverage better than you found it. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege watching college gymnastics with you.
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Article by Claire Billman and Savanna Wellman
