2022 Coaching Changes (vacancies in post 100)

[irichluck21]

Seems like a safer move would be a more established college AC?

Maybe no one wanted it? Head coach is one thing. But to move from AC to AC at UCLA is a risky move and not one that I would have personally pursued.
The added bonus of hiring Kyle Grable is that they got a volunteer coach out of it as well in his wife Autumn.

We also don’t know what ties Janelle has to Ryan/Autumn, previous to NCAA or the reputation that they have as coaches at JPAC.

If we look at other premiere teams in the country, most recently, various have opted to hire ACs from the club scene. Examples that stand out are Alabama hired Ryan Roberts from WOGA and he has now shifted to UGA. Previously to being let go, Josh Overton was hired by UGA from Chow’s. Various other coaches have come from the club scene initially as well. Dallas Becerra is headed to Arizona from PSU, but prior to PSU he was a club coach.

Not to mention that Chris Waller was hired as an AC straight from club coaching, so UCLA has hired from the club scene in the past when looking to fill the coaching ranks.

At the end of the day, we don’t now what Janelle was looking for in the 2nd AC position or who applied and interviewed.
Perhaps as a new head coach coming from being an AC she wanted to start from scratch and not hire a previous AC as she is moving up from AC herself.

 

[irichluck21]

Janelle and Kyle are both known as bar coaches.

Probably share both bars and vault duties. I do see Janelle definitely being hands on with all the events and not just sticking to bars.

 

[QuietColours]

10 years at club coaching and having successful level 10s there still seems like more experience to me than all the college athletes who get brought on as ACs right after graduation. Doing is so much different than coaching, requiring such a different skill set, that that has always seemed so much weirder to me. It’ll be interesting to see.

 

[cuuf]

Many of the college coaches have started in the club world for sure, but the distinction that I would make with the examples that you cited, are 1. Both of those clubs that they came from (WOGA and Chows) have an established history of elites and by extension developing college athletes. 2. While UGA and Alabama are higher profile programs (Penn State is not and perhaps a more traditional route for someone to “come up”) they still are not UCLA profile, at least not to folks outside the gymternet.

That’s not to say it never happens, I think my point is more it happens rarely, and then couple with the fact of such a high profile program, its a bold move. An analogy would be if Alabama football hired a high school coach from a mid-sized high school program to be their offensive coordinator.

 

[cuuf]

This is true, and good point, although all of the athletes that went that route started as volunteer coaches not straight into paid AC positions, but maybe there are a few? I dunno.

 

[AmiK]

I heard Kyle will coach vault, but a share is obviously possible.

 

[RedBirdie]

Alabama hired Justin Spring as assistant coach. Wow.

 

[irichluck21]

Alabama hired Justin Spring as assistant coach. Wow.

Huge hire and drastic! I am speechless. As I posted in the NCAA MAG thread, I wonder if the state of NCAA gymnastics being unstable is what led to this decision.

 

[cuuf]

If alarm bells havent been going off about men’s gymnastics in college, then they should be now.

 

[irichluck21]

Well, I agree that the situation with NCAA MAG is definitely bleak but I wouldn’t be so quick as to say alarms should be going off. Though the program is slowly dying off.

Ashley and Justin know each other from elite days when they were both on the National Team.

Additionally, Ashley spent a season as an assistant coach at Illinois, where the WAG and MAG programs are pretty tight.

Spring fits the bill for VT/UB coach and has all the other skill sets on running a program, someone Johnson would value having as she becomes a full time head coach.

In terms of Spring, his salary was only $128,000 as head coach at Illinois, compared to Nadalie Walsh head coach of the women’s team at $150,000.

Johnson is starting at $200,000 so I am willing to bet that Spring is going to be making more as an AC at Alabama than at Illinois.

Spring is now part of the prestigious SEC, has head coaching experience, and has the elite and NCAA experience that can benefit a program. As assistant coach in a women’s program he has now crossed over to WAG which is more popular than ever and will have more opportunity down the road.

Four new women’s teams were added, alongside LIU just three years back. This is excellent growth for the sport and with all of the success it has had in just the last two years, including huge TV ratings this year, there are bound to be other high profile schools that start WAG teams. Texas joining the SEC is most likely (IMO) to be the first to do so.
With the ACC now sponsoring gymnastics the possibilities for Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, Boston College, Miami, FSU to start a team has increased. Not to mention SEC teams that don’t have a gymnastics team yet. Texas A&M, Tennessee, South Carolina are all high profile SEC schools that could potentially jump on board, as gymnastics is a pretty decent money maker in the conference.

With the MAG side stifled, there was no room for growth for Spring. He would be at Illinois until he retired IMO. Transferring over to WAG allows for job growth and better pay long term.

The announcement was surprising but not shocking when you think about it.

ETA: Due to NCAA MAG also doing elite at the same time, Justin was traveling to camps and meets in the NCAA off season. I wonder if this also was a part of the decision, especially as they have three young children, and spending less time traveling during off season might have been a pro for him as well.

 

[cuuf]

Its a great hire for Bama, no doubt. But follow the trajectory of men’s gymnastics when a head coach is willing to leave his position after 10+ years to be an assistant coach for a womens program. All the reasons make sense, but is also indicative of the sad state of men’s college gymnastics.

One correction, womens gymnastics, while certainly enjoying a nice run of popularity and interest, is not a money maker for any athletic program. Only football and for some programs, basketball make money for the athletic departments. But I still get your point.

 

[irichluck21]

womens gymnastics, while certainly enjoying a nice run of popularity and interest, is not a money maker for any athletic program

Alabama, Georgia, and UCLA amongst others broke over a million in revenue last year.
West Virginia actually generated OVER a million dollars in profit.

I am curious to see about Auburn now with all that Suni Lee has done for the team and all the future revenue having her on the team will create, they definitely broke records last season.

 

[cuuf]

Idk, where the source of that website is getting their info, but its wrong. Go directly to WVU financial report. WVU Financials. The 2021 fiscal year, the total operating revenue was $175,604 (p36) and their total operating expense was $848,807 p(63) that’s almost a $700,000 loss. Just to double check it wasn’t some covid thing, I looked at 2018 report. Revenue $592,627 - Expenses $1,105,223 = $500k loss. Looking at Georgia, last year they reported operating revenues of $775,470 - $2,022,806 Expenses, well over a $1 mill loss. UGA NCAA Financials. I know if we were to pull reports from Alabama and Auburn we would see similar reporting.

Side note, interesting to see how much they make from camps.

Its well know in college athletics only football and to an extent basketball bring positive operating revenue because of the large TV contracts from the conferences.

 

[irichluck21]

Even if the WVU information is wrong, most women’s gymnastics, especially in the SEC, make money.
Even if they don’t make profit, the sport isn’t losing as much money for operating as much as other teams lose, meaning that financially speaking, gymnastics is a better sport to have at the university level compared to say swimming and diving, rowing, or even softball or track. Which tend to cost more to run at the end of the year.

That is the point I was trying to make, they still make money to cover some and in some cases most, of the expenses.
Some sports make next to nothing.

 

[cuuf]

That is the point I was trying to make, they still make money to cover some and in some cases most, of the expenses.
Some sports make next to nothing.

That is the point too, NONE MAKE MONEY. Making money implies a net positive. Yes, they do sell tickets, but not anywhere near breaking even. Idk about you, but looking at Georgia and having operating expenses more than 2x revenue is not very close to breaking even.
Look, I agree, women’s gymnastics is a pretty popular sport on SEC campuses, probably in the top 5 sports that are offered on most campuses. But I also really believe in recognizing clear facts, and the facts are gymnastics does not make money for any athletic program, and if it wasn’t for Title IX being forced on universities, most would probably decline to support a program. in the interest of more profit for football and basketball.

 

[irichluck21]

That is the point too, NONE MAKE MONEY. Making money implies a net positive. Yes, they do sell tickets, but not anywhere near breaking even.

I never said anything about a net positive, its not a business, its college sport.
I simply said make money…which they do through ticket sales and booster, etc.
SEC gymnastics in particular stands out amongst the rest of the teams.
Which in turn helps pay the expenses for operating the sport through the university.
Unlike other sports (which I mentioned) gymnastics at least covers a decent chunk of it.
Unfortunately women’s sport isn’t ever going to make profit because women’s sports simply don’t.
Georgia and Alabama also have higher expenses due to paying their coaching staff, which earn more than average/low ranked schools because of national titles and winning histories.

Unsure why you feel the need to continue arguing my original point, which I have clarified more than once.

 

[irichluck21]

Hilary (Mauro) Steele (volunteer AC at Maryland) is new AC at Temple. Former Georgia gymnast and 2x national champion with team.
Sophia Hyderally (volunteer AC at Nebraska) is new AC at Temple. Former Alaska gymnast.

Gymnastics Adds Steele and Hyderally As Assistant Coaches - Temple

PHILADELPHIA - Temple gymnastics head coach Josh Nilson announced the hiring of Hilary Steele and Sophia Hyderally on Saturday as...

owlsports.com

 

[irichluck21]

Dockendorf Promoted to Associate Head Coach - University of Utah Athletics

University of Utah head gymnastics coach Tom Farden announced the promotion of Carly Dockendorf to associate head coach.

utahutes.com

No actual coaching change, but Carly Dockendorf has been promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach.
Utah Athletics and Tom Farden don’t want her going anywhere!

 

[tsarinajen]

Did we know Kyla Ross was promoted to an assistant coach for Arkansas?

 

[irichluck21]

Did we know Kyla Ross was promoted to an assistant coach for Arkansas?

It was assumed that she would be promoted, but was just waiting for official word.