Region 5 Gymnastics Insider Podcast

Chio was Supercalperfectly docious 3x (if you watched you know) but 3 Alums were also perfect during Regional Weekend, some surprising excitement in Corvallis. Welcome back Gym Dogs, some NCAA history made, Kaia is like a line-up yo-yo, 3 Individual alums headed to Forth Worth and there was a worm on the beam that and more let's Rap

It came down to fingers at MAC's, perfect on beam for an alum in the SEC, Did I call the MAC Freshman of the Year, and did NIU make a line-up mistake this season that might have been a Regional Qualifier, MOC a SU is a conference Champ, and they HYPE Man is all that with pounds of sweat oh and PSU for Pit Crew of the year. It's Championship season and it's off to a HOT start let's rap on Week 12!

It was the weekend of Lasts, a 10 on senior night for an alum, last home meet for a program legend coach, Silent at CMU. We had some long reach out and grab that bar moments this week, last time Westwood oh and maybe the judges wont notice if we just keeping steppin through week 11, let's rap    

We went to church this week and bailed right after, breaking house records in Arkansas with Chick Fil a, Kim's crying it's that time again,a first 10 in a long while and then one perfect 10 and 9 oh so close, Jordan is at it again it was a moment made from bronze, more celes and a D3 9.925 conference champion and the routine was FIRE! As they say at UNC,  Keep on Keeping on … so Amen to that lets Rap on Week 10.  

Kim's last time in the chair for this season and there was a lot going on boxes jumping in and out, its the Drake Dawson show at NIU and Iowa and OSU had a good fight going on but Iowa has a Tyson, It might be the Choe Show for Illinois but it was a vault clinic at Oregon State, we got dancing, props and a whole production from ISU, Did Sam Peszak make a comeback and compete for CMU, Olympians galore at Stanford or maybe soon to be, a couple deltchevs, a double layout that will make your mouth drop and a possible new career as a pep rally hype women that and more lets rap on Week 9  

Are you watching the IVY League?  Well you should be, and we have an alum who is an IVY Champ in 2026, 1st ever meeting in a dual for these two teams, the text book front double full fronts continues, another bar ninja and bounder on floor that Kim is head over heels about... that and more let's RAP      

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!