GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

So good you asked for it again. In the summer of 2025, we welcomed Katya Zamolodchikova to the show. We discuss Katya's gymnastics origin story, ponder the legacy of Svetlana Khorkina's existence as a human being, thoughts on elite vs. NCAA gymnastics, and whether Nellie Kim or Nadia Comaneci would win in a bar fight. CECILE LANDI LIVE SHOW! WATCH REPLAY HERE : Buy a ticket now or buy it as a gift! If you purchased a ticket to the live show with Cecile Landi and Levi Jung-Ruivivar benefitting The National Eating Disorder Foundation you can still watch the replay.  Watch highlights before you buy here. 2026 LIVE SHOW SEASON PASSES ARE NOW AVAILABLE That's 4 live show passes for the price of 3! Season passes will be available up until the week of the first show. Buy a 2026 season pass here. KATYA ZAMOLODCHIKOVA INTERVIEW Ladies and gentlemen, girls, gays, and theys, it's the episode you've all been waiting for; this week we welcome drag queen, actor, host of one of the funniest YouTube channels on the internet, and certified Gym Nerd, Katya Zamolodchikova to the show! In this episode we discuss everyyttthinggg you have ever wanted to know about Katya's gymnastics background including: Why Katya got into gymnastics Who is in Katya's gymnastics "trifecta of fucking doom" Svetlana Khorkina, Svetlana Khorkina, and Svetlana Khorkina. Did we mention Svetlana Khorkina? Which Russian gymnasts inspired her drag name Why gymnastics is "fucking weird" but also amazing Katya's SPICY take on why we should eliminate music from women's floor The skill Katya thinks was created by a "satanic demon" (Hint: it starts with "wolf" and ends with "turn") Katya's thoughts on raising the age limit so minors can't compete in the Olympic Games Designated Gym Nerd-out time to gush over all of Katya's favorite gymnasts and skills RELATED: SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ 2026 College Fantasy League Open Now Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Thank you to our Sponsor: "Broken to Unbreakable" by Lori Vollkommer available on Amazon or wherever you buy your books UP NEXT: College & Cocktails: January 2nd around 8pm Pacific after we watch Minnesota, Iowa @ Utah (ESPN+) NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review.  

Our favorite moments from the virtual live show with Cecile Landi and Levi, (watch highlights here) our 2025 Opportunity for Comedy Awards, two college mini-commissions where we delve into all the Alabama-Georgia drama that never made it into the Suzanne and Sarah documentary.  Watch this week's episode with GIFS on Youtube LIVE SHOW REPLAY IS AVAILABLE: If you purchased a ticket to the live show with Cecile Landi and Levi Jung-Ruivivar benefitting The National Eating Disorder Foundation you can still watch the replay and play the quiz for a prize by going to gymcastic.com  2026 LIVE SHOW SEASON PASSES ARE NOW AVAILABLE! That's 4 live show passes for the price of 3! Season passes will be available up until the week of the first show. Buy a 2026 season pass here.  (5:25) 2025 Opportunities for Comedy Awards The ''OH HELL NO I am not going out of bounds'' award Eastern Michigan and West Virginia both contending for the ''you understood the assignment'' award Why Leila Vasilieva is getting the ''Wolf Turn Protest Award'' Recognizing Zoey Molomo as the winner of the ''Olly Hogben Unintentional Dismount'' award The impact of Courtney McCool's right heel and why it deserves to win the ''Style Accessory of the Year'' award What would this show even be if we didn't have at least six candidates for the ''Fall of the Year'' award Which country wins our ''awkward moment of the year'' award Giorgia Villa, Angela Andreoli, and Martina Maggio making us feel seen with mic issues on a live broadcast 32:05 GYMTERNET NEWS ICYMI the FIG has rebranded themselves as World Gymnastics. Are there any big changes to come from this? How are the NCAA pre-season intrasquad meets looking? Georgia looked goooood What insights did Cecile give us about Camarah Williams and JaFree Scott at the live show? UCLA looked very UCLA in December Kayla DiCello is so back Ana Barbosu is going to dominate at Stanford Nina Derwael was knighted and granted the grade of Grand Officier of the Order of Leopold by King Phillippe as recognition for her gymnastics career   45:29 MINI-COMMISSION: One Per Event Dream Team  Using only gymnasts from the past three years, selecting gymnasts from any team, who would be on our ideal college gymnastics teams?   1:07:11  MINI-COMMISSION: Alabama-Georgia Drama We go into depth as to how the Georgia-Alabama started, the back and forth between the teams, and of course the outfits and ''stereotypes'' of each team The dog bite incident How dominant were these teams in the SEC and nationally? What legacies do these teams carry on that are still applicable today? Want more? Listen to Gym Nerd School 102: College Gymnastics  Thank you to our Sponsor: "Broken to Unbreakable" by Lori Vollkommer available on Amazon or wherever you buy your books SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review.  

LIVE SHOW: Featuring Cecile Landi and Levi Jung-Ruivivar is this Sunday, December 14th at 3 Pacific/6 Eastern. Get your tickets now to ask questions live! The NCAA unveils major rule changes for 2026, and coaches are going to get so many more yellow cards. We break down the new NQS math, the Georgia Collective's NIL lawsuit, Romania's latest retaliation crisis,  Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos clarifying exclusively to Jessica that she is not in financial distress, plus more info on the American Cup's new mixed-team format. HEADLINES Simone demonstrating why all of us should do gymnastics Five Romanian gymnasts have submitted formal complaints against the Romanian Federation and the Federation is retaliating against their own coaches and athletes What are the conditions the coaches and athletes are facing? How can the FIG continue to allow such a federation to be certified? Thanks to Uncle Tim and his PhD-level gymnastics history research, we know many past Romanian World and Olympic medalists, some with current leadership positions in the Romanian federation, competed with underage or with false birthdays A Melanie de Jesus Dos Santos update. What happened post-Paris Olympics? 2025 World All-Around Champion, Angelina Melnikova, is out of Bundesliga after her club  severed ties with her The American Cup is back! This time as a mixed-team competition When and where will the event be held? How is the format different compared to the European Championships mixed-pairs event? Who are our dream international teams? GYMTERNET NEWS NEW ELEMENT ALERT! The piked full-twisting Jaeger is now the Minamino The Georgia Collective is suing athletes who transferred which could have big implications for the future Athletes.org released a collective bargaining agreement you can see here Max Whitlock has announced his return to gymnastics with the hopes of making it to the Los Angeles Olympics Oksana Chusovitina is training for 2026 World Cups Jayla Hang announced on Instagram she had surgery on her wrist Giovanni Maria Fares, a lawyer formerly at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, is the new head of the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation Lawsuits and Dumpster Fire News Chows is being sued after an investigative piece by Eddie Pells of the AP Former Rutgers coach Umme Salim-Beasley is suing the school for wrongful termination The Trump administration is refusing to administer visas to athletes from Caribbean countries, preventing them from participating in LA28 qualifying events NCAA photo shoot drama Two top schools are using horses as their photo theme... (1) (2) Kaylia Nemour has released a book, ''The Shadow of Gold'' The University of Minnesota Men's Gymnastics Club has a new facility European Gymnastics will allow Russians to participate in competitions as neutral athletes, opening up Olympic qualification paths for artistic and rhythmic gymnasts  Ashikawa Urara has retired after years of battling worsening scoliosis Claire Pease commits to Utah! Dulcy Caylor is deferring her NCAA start at Florida to focus on LA28 GYM NERD SCHOOL - College Gymnastics Rule Changes in 2026 What are updates to the National Qualifying Score? What are the differences between the new and old versions? Do we think the changes are positive? Controversy radar activated: some teams will have to drop 2 high scores and some teams will have to drop 1 The Yellow Card Game - becasue these caoches are going to get yellow cards constantly INTERVIEW Gymnastics Medicine interview: pain myths & better injury care with Dr. Elspeth (Elly) Hart DScPAS and Dr. Ezara Greene DPT SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved it, please leave a review

Relive the ridiculous wonderful, and deeply influential 1997–1999 International Team Championships, the friendly meets that defined pre-Sydney Olympics quad. We break down the biggest moments from Vanessa Atler, Dominique Moceanu, Simona Amanar, Ling Jie, Maria Olaru, Kristen Maloney, Elise Ray, and more—plus China's bars innovation, Romania's beam dominance, and the USA's rising queens. From NBC's fingerpainting fluff pieces to vault disasters, age-rule drama, and iconic routines, we revisit the meets that shaped an Olympic generation.  RELATED: Jakarta Worlds Debrief: The Romanian Drama Explained With Coaches Daymon Jones & Patrick Kiens Trouble in Romania The History of Romanian Gymnastics (Commissioned) 80's Fight! The great Soviet Romanian Rivalry (Commissioned) The Fluff Cast: Deva isn't a castle?! World Championships Headquarters Videos, Interviews, Podcasts, Fantasy, Guides from Jakarta World Championships Behind the Scenes - all episodes SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Q&A podcast Friday this week only at noon Pacific/8 GMT NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy

Emma Webb, author of Historic, exposes the untold history of Olga Gymnastics club and the Phelps family legacy. We break down the abuse scandal, the Whyte Review, Gymnasts for Change, and how survivors pushed British Gymnastics to finally reform. INTERVIEW We talk with Emma Webb (pseudonym), author of the new book Historic: The True Legacy of Childhood Sport - The Book Every Parent Needs to Read, a memoir detailing the trauma and abuse she endured under convicted child sex offender Brian Phelps, plus the aftermath of how the British legal system chose to protect abusers over children CHAPTERS (pre-auto inserted ads) 00:00 – Trigger Warning SA 01:03 – Brian Phelps' criminal charges and conviction   01:39 – The broader British gymnastics abuse reckoning   02:01 – Gymnasts for Change and the Whyte Review   02:36 – Restorative Program & the £15,000 split survivor offer   03:28 – How Emma first contacted GymCastic   03:44 – The long-term psychological and medical impact   04:10 – Doctors discovering internal injuries from childhood abuse   06:10 – Phelps' police interviews and his admissions   07:26 – Why survivors didn't pursue further prosecution   08:05 – Brian and Monica's life in France & public exposure   10:19 – Mapping all Olga locations & survivor triggers   11:05 – The pandemic pause and worsening mental health   11:33 – Discovery of the Phelps Legacy Club in 2022   12:10 – Multiple Phelps family members and their roles   12:22 – The "new" Renascence club operating despite convictions   12:28 – Timeline of Phelps fleeing & survivor disclosures   13:01 – A disturbing encounter: the club near Emma's son's bus stop   14:20 – Emma's decision: "Enough." Why she wrote Historic   15:06 – Reporting to the Whyte Review & British Athletes Commission   16:30 – Why reporting in the UK is a bureaucratic nightmare   17:36 – How reporting was mishandled & why systems fail   18:22 – How British Gymnastics and the council were complicit in Brian Phelps crimes 19:24 – Employment history: Phelps employed by the government & BBC   21:00 – Coaches and community "knew something was wrong"   21:14 – Other roles Monica and Brian held despite accusations   21:23 – The name "Renaissance" and why it matters   22:03 – How the club reopened after his release   22:45 – A fully avoidable tragedy: Phelps' first arrest in 1966   23:31 – Commonwealth Games cover-up to protect his career   24:34 – Royal audiences for Phelps & protected reputations   25:05 – The 10-year gap between his arrest and Emma meeting him   26:09 – How court attitudes toward sexual abuse haven't changed   27:03 – The Nik Stuart Foundation honoring Monica Phelps   28:13 – British Gymnastics leadership celebrating the Phelps family   29:29 – Video clip from the ceremony: denial of the Whyte Review   30:23 – Widespread knowledge in diving and gymnastics   32:03 – Comparing the Whyte Review to US investigations   33:25 – How the Whyte Review minimized sexual abuse   34:00 – Abuse in British Gymnastics: a larger pattern   35:55 – Non-sexual forms of abuse and lifelong harm   36:20 – Warning signs parents should not ignore   37:04 – Why the culture enables predators   38:17 – Parents' responsibility & due diligence   39:26 – Closed-door clubs & lingering dangers   40:39 – Male survivors vs. female survivors: unequal response   41:13 – How BG acted quickly for boys, not for girls   42:06 – Phelps' public statement denying Emma's reporting   43:29 – No mandatory reporting for the public in the UK   44:33 – Comparison to mandatory reporting vs good samaritan laws 45:05 – The UK protects money better than children   45:46 – How political leadership minimizes child abuse   46:12 – British boarding school culture & abuse   47:10 – What reforms are needed: national banned list & ombudsman   48:05 – Name changes allow offenders to disappear   48:14 – Hundreds of convicted offenders now untraceable   48:18 – How many survivors have come forward   49:01 – How many survivors known before the book   49:27 – Realizing past abuse only after adulthood   50:07 – Childhood context and normalization of abuse   51:01 – "Trust and Obey" culture at Olga and British school  52:53 – The moment Emma became a survivor, not a victim   53:30 – Returning to Olga decades later   54:01 – Parental responses and guilt   55:05 – What acknowledging PTSD unlocked   56:02 – How the trauma resurfaced during the pandemic   57:23 – Complex PTSD and real recovery work   58:07 – Finding effective PTSD support    TOPICS Read Whyte Review Investigation, a full independent review into the allegations of abuse in British Gymnastics How we got in contact with Webb after our Commentator Hall of Shame episode What moved Webb to write this book? How many times had Brian Phelps been investigated and was still allowed to coach? That time Monica Phelps (neé Rutherford) was still recognized at an award banquet and thanked her "partner" How can we convince parents to act quickly and take their children out of dangerous situations? Difference between how British Gymnastics treated male victims vs female victims? Should countries pass  mandatory abuse reporting laws similar to good samaritan laws? How she finally got help and finding a great therapist. Silver linings in her journey. What does justice look like for Emma. RELATED: GymCastic's Safeguarding checklist - questions everyone should ask a gym before signing up or working at a gymnastics club Historic book website  Brian Phelps diving when he should have been in jail BBC Gymnastics historical sex abuse case: Survivor claims 'catastrophic failures' Monica Phelps awarded at 2003 Nik Stuart Foundation Mike Swallow speaks against Whyte Review at Nik Stuart Foundation awards Olga Gymnastics / Renascence Club corporate documents British Gymnastics hired private investigator to track down survivors of judge British Gymnastics banned list  Report - Childhood trauma increases risk of MS SafeSport Training British Gymnastics Safeguarding  The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles Aly Raisman book GymCastic Episodes Gymnastics Commentary Hall of Shame Aly Raisman Interview  British Ute Amelie Morgan Lady Lisa Mason Beth Tweddle Interview SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim Behind the Scenes - all episodes