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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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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MERCH

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NEWSLETTERS

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FANTASY GAME:

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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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