Region 5 Gymnastics Insider Podcast

Week 7 was heaven when we are talking commentary, we have a lesson in right from left this week, CLEMSON CLEMSON CLEMSON, Kim we have a love for a mount as much as you love the jump over the low bar, a bar routine that was a breath of fresh air at least for me, let's go straight back down with a twist um ok, we have an athlete compete this week that is apparently over 100 years old and we got Nastia but in a beam mount that and much more with a twist.    

It's the half way point of the season and the Eagles were out in numbers,  I mean could Hype be considered a calorie workout. NIU plays savorer this week, a first official AA performance and she won but we would be out of our mind to not include Klein. We are gonna talk vault and Kim was not in the booth this week but in the commentary she was very present. D3 doing it again this week, if falls are highlights your really missed a good one,  and the best Yurchenko double done this season with a college salute, but it wasn't on the women's side, we got a lot lets Rap on Week 6.     

Ninja like abilities from 2 Alums this week, and upset... maybe not, The parody in all of gymnastics gets closer every year because D3 is bringing it, some cool skill combos that I have never seen, the post routine antics continue to be lit, Kim wants a commentator team tunnel, and always be awesome strong and beautiful Kims words to live by. Hey we Stopped, Dropped and Diamond Cooked lets rap on week 5.    

Can we get the names right.... Hey even I struggled this week!  We have a new Region 5 alum in the broadcast booth, History made at Western Michigan, doing some jumping jacks behind the scenes at NIU. The stick drill as an XCEL dismount?  A hot mic moment we needed, way to much to mention at Utah State but we will, Denver's head coach manifests a good routine oh and did you know the events are called Elements, and an MVP i didn't expect that and more from NCAA Week 4.

The Float and Flair has entered the airspace for 2026 and The Aerial RO sponsors this weeks podcast. NC State and Clemson's leos can be use to shine light in dark spaces and we know of one, more Kaz vault talk, and we show some love to our friend Aleena. Plus our 2nd 10 of the week and beam routine above NY City, Tara Walsh, Katie Harper and the rest of our R5 University line up for Week 3 lets go

Week 2 in the NCAA and we have a Revenge Tour taking shape. Our first perfect 10 of  vaulted into the season, Michigan State has full Region 5 Line-ups and the best post routine antics you have ever seen. Did we crown the national champion at the Sprouts meet... You would have thought by the commentary! We had a scroll of freshman debuts this week, the Ohio State crowd might have been mainly bull dog fans and the beam team in our R5 University Line-up killed it that and much more. 

Hot Tamalas are back for a 7th, new dismount combo becoming popular, it's an Olympia gymnastics reunion on this episode with Tara Walsh and Ella Schelll. We got Gianna Gerdes in all 4 events, a NEW VAULT though she did tell us she was doing it on our alum convo. KJ Kindler's OU Sooners didn't compete in week 1 but her daughter did. Kim and I discuss what year is ok too be nominated as captain, MVP's, D3 athlete of the week and how did our R5 University Line-up do in week 1...

It's that time again, college gymnastics is upon us and we get the season started quick with the first competitions taking place the first weekend of 2026. On this preview show we highlight the new freshman we are excited to see. We used our R5 University to showcase current alums in the NCAA who know we will see or hope we see. Kim and I were required to pick six on each event and weren't allowed to repeat, but you know that Kim didn't follow that rule. The NQS will be tabulated differently this year and we briefly break that down as well as give you our line-up meets for week 1. The College Salute is ready to bring you all the action from our alums and more in the NCAA all season long and we begin today. 

In part 2 with Missouri Sophomore Kaia Tanskanen, we talk all about her decision to compete for Finland, how it came to be, and what it was like joining the Finnish National Team. Kaia has some cool stories about her initial experiences and competing for Finland at the beginning. We talked about her freshman season in Part 1 and we continue with 2nd half of her year long gymnastics season with the fall elite competitions. The Risk and Reward of doing new routines and a brand new skill on floor which became the first Finnish women to ever compete. She gives more stories and facts about leading into this season and competing the double double along with competing with her boyfriend Robert Kermes, a fellow Finnish National Team member. All this and a bit more in this fun part 2 with Kaia. 

We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Missouri sophomore Kaia Tanskanen after long season and balancing both college gymnastics and elite gymnastics representing Finland. In this part 1 of our two part podcast with Kaia, we talk all about Mizzou and the moments that stood out from her freshman year and how she balanced competing in college while still maintaining her elite routines. She gives some BTS insights to the teams and her thoughts during the crazy NCAA Regionals and Nationals experience and of course we take her back to memories of being part of Region 5. That and more in this Part 1 with Kaia. Part 2 - Finland: Competing in elite while in college, Europeans, the first for a Finnish Women on floor and 3 time is a charge at Worlds. 

I remember her BHS Arabian on beam at the Region 5 training camp at the University of Michigan and saying who is that kid! Well she went on to win many state and regional titles and become one of our Region 5 Dream Team stand outs! She now is living her best life in Athens Georgia as a Gym Dawg. She is an All American a Youtuber and one of the leaders of the GymDawgs. We welcome Georgia Junior Ady Wahl to the show. She talks about her decision to go to college early out of high school, reflects on her first two years at Georgia, the 2025 NCAA Nationals experience and insights to the 2026 Gym Dawgs. 

We have another awesome Region 5 Alum guest for you today who is just missing the Lion because she has the bears and now the tigers OH MY! She has one of the biggest Jaegers in the uneven bar business oh and a personality that’s just as big and we are all about it! Our guest today is Ella Cesario and we will take her back to her Region 5 days, her knee injury that took her out of her senior year of high school and freshman year at Cal, the highs and lows at Cal and of course whats next at Clemson. 

We are back with our Alumni Conversations and we are starting off with a bang what to know WHO well the Beam QUEEN of 2025 herself Helen HU! She returned to the NCAA after a year off and was perfect literally as well as collect some much deserved hardware and really it was about time HU DAT was all THAT in the eyes of the judges. We are going to have a FULL OUT breakdown of this last cinderella year and get her impressions from the 10.0's to the championships to the Tatooe! We cover it all.  

Hu DAT giving us that NATTY, Moores no more but she got her floor, an SEC Tiger advanced but not the one we all thought, Gantner the Closer again, Bowers bowed one last time with some nice hardware to show for it, BOOMER… SKELETON OR SPINE we’ll need to ask Zirbes we got it all let’s go!

3 Alums with 10’s during Regional Weekend, One of us correctly picked the 8 teams moving on, not alums but can we talk Paige Zancan and Maggie Slife, MORE HYPE MOMENTS, some very nice KAZZZZZZZ’s this weekend, It was really a really exciting final day of regionals with it coming down to tenths. We saw the final salutes for many of our alums this weekend and a future Alanta Falcons Cheerleader well she is HYPE  let’s go! 

4 Regionals, 4 Play Ins beginning Wed, 8 Semi Finals, 4 finals and that’s just to get to the NCAA Championships! Yes it’s going to be a long week of gymnastics and we are breaking down where our Region 5 Alums are competing and what routines we expect to see, that and our bracket breakdown, let’s go!

Its March MATness and this week it's Conference Championships, the closet was even darker this weekend, Holly Molly is that a technical term, You get a 10 and you get a 10 but an Alum was a 10 on floor once again, and the MAC needs to make some changes, Riley McCuster is my MVP well for the intro at least, and did you know Gymnastics takes a lifetime to do well oh and SUKI Pfister  that and much more... IT's a CELL- A - BRATION of GOOD GYMNASTICS  let’s go! SHOW NOTES: FAB 5 Brooklyn Freaking Moores Corey the Hype Man Moment for EMU Suki Pfister Moment for the Leos Region 5 University Line Up BIG Ten Championships MAC Championships Social Salute Jordan’s Mom and Dad during her floor Cecile doing tik toks- changing the mindset The Gymnast game- Jenna, Gabi, Lilly, Thank god AJ landed better then her gymnast did NCAA Hosts first selection show!  Olivia Karas intense Eyes watching the MATRIX TIME!  Liv’s pre-meet Q&A Velcro or Buckle Stanford Tree Worship Behind the Scenes BIG Tens with KIM MAC Champs

Regular season is over, It was apparently NIp and Tuck at Emu, Another 10 for You Know HU, some older players this week, a first for the wolverines, Dark Horses are Rising, Cha Cha Slide beam music and we will Press TO PERFECTION Lets Go!

The Cherry Blossoms might not be blooming yet but GW sure is, the senior nights have begun and Kim is not doing well, Boo BIrds at OU.... Ok some skill corrections for our commentating friends, D3 awesomeness continues and more great gymnastics from around the country. We are late this week but we are here and please enjoy!  video of the podcast https://youtu.be/i4guITlFKI0

Lot’s of moving parts this week, BIG Impact in the Big Ten for UCLA, Pull her string and the Teddy bear will tell you stories, the season’s 1st 10 on vault and a vault that was perfect but not so maybe not so Pleased as Punch. WMU is hitting their stride and a freshman has a lot to do with that, who could be the BIG Ten Specialist of the Year and this years post routine hype BIG HEARTS lets go!