Dear Parents and Gymnasts,
I truly believe the University of Washington is the place for your son to continue his gymnastics. Only fourteen NCAA funded programs remain in the country. Each offers limited slots, strict NCAA rules, and worse – a gymnast may be relegated to a non-competing squad.
Our program removes these barriers. Everyone matters – we have no “second tier” squad. Furthermore, as a team funded by volunteer work, our members leave the program with camaraderie based in experiences that extend beyond the gym. We know our program positively impacts our gymnasts because they continue to support us and their community decades after exiting the podium.
This lifelong dedication starts with our belief that a college education is important. We are not funded by the University of Washington, but we are registered as a student organization. This frees us from NCAA rules, allowing us to set our own eligibility requirements, which are structured to teach responsibility:
- Gymnasts must pass a minimum of 12 credits per year at a Community College or University, OR…
- Gymnasts may petition to compete if they are in a non-traditional educational opportunity that leads to a long term career, such as apprenticeships, certificate programs, etc.
- Attend all practices.
- Participate in fundraising activities.
The Washington Men’s Gymnastics team offers two different types of scholarships to help with tuition, and doesn’t require UW main campus acceptance to compete. For example, gymnasts may attend a community college where credit hours are less expensive. Furthermore, since most prerequisite classes are similar to the UW’s offerings and most credits transfer to the university, students wanting to transfer find this to be an excellent way to make the jump.
We train five days per week at Cascade Elite Gymnastics in Mountlake Terrace, 15 minutes north of Seattle, and practice is scheduled to avoid conflicting with most school schedules. Gymnasts are free to compete All-Around or specialize in events.
Our team competes in at least three NCAA meets annually, and we continue a vigorous rivalry with other GymACT teams, particularly Arizona State.
Our program is strong and continues to produce top-caliber gymnasts. Examples include Mike Williams, who in 1993 became the first American to compete a triple-back on Floor Exercise. In 2002, Husky Jeff Johnson placed 8th on rings at the World Championships in Hungary, and in 2005, Jeff Crockett pioneered a double-twisting Jaeger that had not been seen in competition.
The WMGF
The Washington Men’s Gymnastics Foundation (WMGF) works as the financial backer for the team. It promotes the program and raises funds for the team. When the University dropped Men’s Gymnastics funding in 1980, coaches volunteered their time to keep the team going. In 1994, the WMGF formed to formalize this tradition. Since then, we have transformed the program into a goal-oriented, thriving and stable organization consisting of former gymnasts, friends of gymnastics, and parents.
Our goals include short-term annual fundraising as well as long-term goals such as developing a robust recruiting process and building our own junior program. Other activities include running the annual Washington Open, publishing regular newsletters, maintaining the team website, operating a scoring service for other meets, offering scholarships to the team’s gymnasts, and coordinating other fundraising activities. We achieve all this through volunteers who meet monthly to accept new tasks and plan future actions.
Join the Team
Our team offers you the chance to continue gymnastics with a spirit of dedication and volunteerism that builds a strong body and strong principles. Download the application below! If you have further questions or want to join us for a tryout practice, please email our head coach Jeff Crockett: crock720@gmail.com.
Start your application: Download and submit the Team Application.
Sincerely,
Mark Russo
Program Coordinator
Washington Men’s Gymnastics