Jordan Chiles' Book

This week we discuss Jordan Chiles' new book "I'm That Girl", and the meaningful meaningless-ness of NCAA Conference Championships 

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A FELLOW GYM NERD NEEDS YOUR HELP

If you've been enjoying the new badges in your fantasy trophy case, you can thank fellow gym nerd and designer, Eyal Itzhaki. Unfortunately Eyal recently had a fluke accident that required spinal surgery and has left him with a long recovery ahead. He has started a GoFundMe to support this effort.

Book Club: Jordan Chiles' "I'm That Girl"

• Chiles' frank, unprecedented discussion of abuse and her parents the acknowledgment of the role played during that time
• Our highlights from the book
  • On sexism: why can't women act competitively like in men's sports without being labeled "rude"?
  • Therapy rewards
  • Woodwind instrument stans rise. Did you know Jordan was a band kid?
• The dark side of elite gymnastics culture
  • The lack of black represention in her gymnastics community growing up
  • 7 hour training schedule with a 15-minute snack break
  •  Normalizing not having your period
  • Sneaking into the kitchen at the Karolyi Ranch for food
• Erika Bakacs
  • Jordan's gymnastics coach, and also Tanya Harding's choreographer
  • Several accusations made against Bakacs in the book
    • Calorie restrictions, racism, obsessively controlling Jordan's diet, relationships, and personal life outside of the gym
    • Exploiting gymnasts' parents for personal favors
    • Drunk coaching
    • Role of SafeSport
• Perspective and Context
  • Fact-Checking
    • The publisher did not do their job
    • Opportunities to clarify and give context - discussion of body fat, gymnasts' heights, hip-hop floor routines, competing in NCAA and elite simultaneously
    • Luci Collins the first black woman to make a U.S. Olympic gymnastics team
• Other GymCastic Book Club episodes

GYMTERNET NEWS

• Our beloved Irish king of the pommels won Irish "Dancing With the Stars"
• You guys, it's a college sports thing. Speedo boy, Michael Phelps joins the college sports curtain of distraction at a basketball game
• The National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) is surveying the adult gymnastics community. Fill out the survey here
• Grace McCallum is returning to Utah next season as a student coach
• Try not to get too excited, but Trinity Thomas announced she mayyy not be done with gymnastics
• NBC extended their media rights on all platforms in the United States for the Olympic Games through to 2036 under a $3 billion contract

NCAA

• What's on the line for conference championships besides titles?
• Oklahoma, LSU, and Florida are all in a close race for the no. 1 spot to finish the season. What scores does each team need to win?
• Spencer's bracketology corner
  • Why does Alabama need to be moved?
  • Arkansas is locked in at no. 16 despite not having a conference championship score
  • Our 12 bubble teams for who could grab the last three spots to regionals
  • Greg Marsden's Instagram post about NCAA Gymnastics growth

Q&A

• Thoughts on a reality show about an Irish Men's Gymnastics house with a dramatic game of drunk chess for each episode
• Are there scoring advantages for elite gymnasts in NCAA?
• Brown Skin tone turning shoes for gymnasts

UP NEXT

• College & Cocktails: Saturday, March 22 at 7:00pm PT after Conference Championships
•  Fantasy Lineups Lock: Friday, March 21 – 2:30pm PT
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BONUS CONTENT 

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MERCH

GymCastic Store: clothing and gifts to let your gym nerd flag fly and even “tapestries” (banners, the perfect to display in an arena) to support your favorite gymnast! Baseball hats available now in the GymCastic store

NEWSLETTERS

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FANTASY GAME:

GymCastic 2025 College Fantasy Game now open. Never too late to join!

RECENT 

• College & Cocktails: Battle Altitude UCLA at Utah
• Spencer’s Live Blog – Friday, March 14, 2025
• Fantasy News: 2025 NCAA Season, Week 10
• The 5th Rotation: March 11, 2025
• Olympic Team Draft: Every Gymnast At Their Quad Peak
• College & Cocktails: Michigan at Oklahoma
• Spencer’s Live Blog – Friday, March 07, 2025
• The 5th Rotation: March 04, 2025

RESOURCES

• Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation
• Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim
•  Will Graves article on Chiles coaching abuse
• 2021 U.S. Nationals Recap (41:44)
• Cleo Washington Interview

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