Gymcastic. Thoughts?

[Doug1233]

So. I recently subscribed to GymCastic. I mean, it was 5 bucks and I’ll probably cancel it after the Olympics.

But does anyone else get INTENSELY FRUSTRATED by Jessica’s lack of gymnastics knowledge? Like, how does this woman get a press pass to meets? Some of the discussion is inane, annoying, and devoid of any real gymnastic insight. Spencer is a saving grace, at least he knows the values of skills. But Jessica often goes on these random tangents which literally make no sense.

Like, the post Nationals podcast, she did a huge monologue about what Tom Forster SHOULD have said about Morgan Hurd. Saying how she’s a champion blah blah blah. And that how she has HAD an amazing elite career and that she can bow out of elite with grace etc etc etc. Then Spencer jumps in and says - hang on Jessica, don’t retire Morgan from elite without Morgan agreeing to it. Then Jessica instantly says about how awful it is to retire a gymnast (eg Memmel in 2012 etc etc). Like, the exact thing she JUST SAID that Tom should have done with Morgan.

Also, the whole 6.8 D Score for Simone is infruriating. Talking about how her listeners should bombard FIG Twitter with messages about how it’s unfair etc etc. Completely ignoring Spencer’s earlier analysis that 6.6 is a perfectly reasonable conclusion (just not one that he himself would have drawn).

The icing on the cake came when she spent about 5 minutes talking about how Skinner’s Moors should get downgraded to tuck. Like - is the blind and has she read the code:

Now I am not a defender of Skinner, as anyone on this board would know, but this was just a scrappy dished Moors. This whole thing about the SLIGHTEST HINT of knee bend meaning immediate downgrade to Tuck is just stupid. And what’s worse, Spencer joined in!! This is obviously not a Silivas.

Not to mention her whole story about Miller doing DTYs in Barcelona that she had to debunk in the next podcast episode.

Like, as far as I know, this is her full time job??

 

[onodian]

boy you just can’t keep your hate in check, can you?

da fuck was that shape by Skinner. we should really find a name for it, something like Pucked-out

 

[RedBirdie]

I’ve never listened (I’m such a Luddite, I have not once ever listened to a podcast!), but if her personal twitter and the Gymcastic twitter account are any indication, I’d stab myself in the eardrum repeatedly if I did.

 

[blake]

I like the idea of gymcastic in theory but I don’t think Jess has anything to offer besides being a fangirl. Her interviews with gymnasts at Worlds are so cringy. TBH it seems like she’s more interested in being BFFs with the gymnasts than providing any sort of insightful content. Always strikes me as a weird and slightly parasocial.

There’s so little media dedicated exclusively to gymnastics that you don’t need to have expertise or any experience in the sport at all, so it makes sense to me that pretty much anyone can fill that gap regardless of qualifications. The average person is likely to have even less knowledge of the sport than someone like Jess or Kinsley do.

 

[rue_des_plantes]

Lmao, “Kinsley.” Love it. There’s another disaster.

 

[MLSWAG]

The No. 1 gymnastics podcast in the world!

According to her own Twitter bio.

Well OK then!

 

[ucrgirl]

Gymcastic does have a tendency to be too “fangirly” for lack of a better word. Maybe infotainment is better. I’ve listened the last couple of weeks because I’m desperate for gym news. I tend to listen off and on, quitting for long stretches when I can’t stand the over the top nature of the show.

I disagreed with their impressions of the press conference clips. Of course Tom wouldn’t be thrilled at the prospect of losing a +1 if Jade finishes top 2 at trials. I get the impression that he wouldn’t have set the rules this way (where Jade can qualify for a spot and then decide to not take it if a better opportunity comes along). Maybe the USOC had some influence in what qualifying opportunities USAG had to allow athletes.

When I listened to Tom’s statements about “living in an athlete-centered age” I thought he sounded normal and matter of fact, but gymcastic said he was sarcastic and seemed to imply that Tom felt being athlete-centered was bad. Maybe but it wasn’t the obvious conclusion from the press conference.

I disagree with their assertion that Morgan should have advanced to Trials. I can see a possible argument for accepting her petition (and others) but it wasn’t the obvious and only possible right decision. The hysteria was a bit much.

I’m also not sure that his answers about the petition process were evasive or intentionally deceptive. Of course Tom wanted to talk to the athletes first (and give space for them to process the decision) before announcing it to the press. It also seemed possible that part of the petition process was done but they were leaving the door open. This seemed reasonable enough to me but scandal and rage make for a more entertaining show.

I did find the discussion about the need for a concussion protocol to be interesting.

 

[choclatechip45]

I use to listen to gymcastic a lot pre covid. I like Spencer. It is hard for me to take Jessica seriously after the Alyssa Beckerman episode when she took Miss Val’s side.

I thought the Morgan Hurd discussion was ridiculous. Spencer was right if it was any other gymnast besides Morgan there would be no discussion about taking her to trials. I also thought Jessica bringing up that they denied Morgan a spot due to her outspokenness with social justice issues was dishonest. Morgan was denied because she finished dead last on beam and 23 out of 25 on floor.

 

[blake]

Wait, is that not her name? Her MAG coverage is pitiful lol

 

[Sasha]

I enjoy GymCastic and I guess I take it as is. Jessica is prone to highly emotional reactions and has a tendency to get her facts mixed up, like, a lot. But Spencer is there to fact check and I appreciate Jessica’s passion for the sport and her support for the gymnasts, even if both get a little over the top.

The way I see it, they offer the content free of charge, and if you don’t like it, you can simply choose to not have a paid subscription. (I don’t mean that in a snotty way, just as … a fact.)

 

[Sasha]

It’s Kensley. Though lord knows if I’m spelling it correctly.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

I’ve never listed to Gymcastic, but nothing gets on my tits like people confusing bad layouts with tucks.

 

[Dex]

I listened for one minute then turned it off, I find both of them extremely annoying… I like how he writes on the BB situation though

 

[JDB]

I don’t find their content good enough to consistently listen. But some of their episodes are fun. And the standards for quality in sports infotainment are quite low. So Gymcastic is pretty average.

 

[Doug1233]

Spencer at least knows what he’s talking about.

Give Jessica a pen and ask her to score a routine and she would have no clue!! Yet she gets on her high horse about everything!!!

 

[Annietart]

It’s entertaining enough to clean to but i get my actual facts gymnastics from you guys!

 

[ucrgirl]

“Interesting enough to clean to” is a good description of an important podcast genre. I always set aside a couple of podcasts for that purpose on the weekend.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[Gymmama]

She’s way to dramatic for me. I think she just likes to create drama where often times there shouldn’t be. Like trying to tie Morgan’s petition being denied to her activism.

 

[Doug1233]

Her recent IG post has received a lot of backlash in the comments.

 

[Sasha]

AFAIK their social media is managed by Uncle Tim?