{"id":95558,"date":"2021-03-15T13:34:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T18:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=95558"},"modified":"2021-03-15T13:34:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T18:34:12","slug":"college-gymnast-faces-reality-of-programs-final-ncaa-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/college-gymnast-faces-reality-of-programs-final-ncaa-season\/","title":{"rendered":"College gymnast faces reality of program’s final NCAA season"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Connor Groel<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em> <\/p>\n

There had been months of waiting. Over the summer of 2020, members of the University of Minnesota men\u2019s gymnastics team had asked their athletic department repeatedly if there was any chance their program could be cut. They wanted to be prepared for the worst but received no straight answers.<\/p>\n

Then, one mid-September afternoon, a notification alerted them of a mandatory Zoom meeting beginning in just minutes. And it was there the team learned that 2021 would be its final season as an NCAA program.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor them to just drop the ball on us like that was very frustrating to be a part of, especially without a lot of opportunity to try and fight for ourselves,\u201d said junior Tyler Davis. \u201cThey claim that they felt very sorry for us, but their actions said otherwise. It more felt like a stab to the back, honestly, than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Golden Gophers will host the NCAA Championship meet from April 16-17.\u00a0 That event will be both a celebration and a goodbye.<\/p>\n

A contentious 7-5 vote from the university\u2019s Board of Regents in October finalized the decision. Minnesota men\u2019s gymnastics, men\u2019s tennis and men\u2019s indoor track and field became the next victims in a list of <\/span>over 350 NCAA programs<\/span><\/a> slashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The cuts have put an early end to athletes\u2019 dreams nationwide. And for Davis, it has meant his gymnastics career, full of hard work, struggle and growth, will finish without the culmination of a senior year competing for Minnesota at the highest level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of these guys on my team has made a firm commitment to the University of Minnesota,\u201d said coach Mike Burns. \u201cThat commitment was not honored on the other side of the table. And for that, I\u2019ll never forgive our administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis remembers always flipping around on the couch as a young kid, leading his parents to put him in gymnastics class around the age of five. He also played soccer in high school but became motivated to pursue gymnastics in college after switching club teams and training under coach Michael Heredia, who had competed for the University of Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

During this time, Davis broke his leg twice, providing a significant setback to his collegiate hopes. However, he never lost the drive to continue improving in any way possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would come in and he would have his boot on his leg,\u201d Heredia said. \u201cHe was doing conditioning, upper body events, everything he could do to make sure he was setting himself up for that next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

This relentless work ethic allowed him to make the most of his natural ability, impressing the University of Minnesota and Burns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas Tyler a five-star athlete? No,\u201d Heredia said. \u201cBut he had all of these aspects to be a good teammate and to contribute on a Division-I team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis has continued to improve his performance at Minnesota while also helping to elevate those around him. For the 2021 season, he was named a team captain by his teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a lot of leadership skills that are just natural to him,\u201d Burns said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s using them to his best advantage right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knowing the financial pressure that the pandemic would place on Minnesota\u2019s athletic department, the gymnastics team explored alternative methods of funding the sport. In December, Burns made an appearance on 60 Minutes where he outlined the team\u2019s plan to make their program self-sustainable by starting a youth gymnastics club.<\/p>\n

But Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle chose not to give that idea a chance. Coyle also <\/span>declined to be interviewed<\/span><\/a> for 60 Minutes, instead issuing this statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe University of Minnesota believes that the changes it has made, however, heartbreaking, will best position its department of athletics for sustainable, long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger won the NCAA All-Around championship each year from 1991-93 while competing for Minnesota and expressed frustration with how the decision to slash the program was made.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what the shock was to this whole process,\u201d Roethlisberger said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that they wanted to cut men\u2019s gymnastics. It was with the complete disregard for any conversation about saving the program.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the impacts of this cut go far beyond just the Minnesota team. For a sport that has seen many reductions over the years, losing two Big Ten programs (Iowa is also eliminating men\u2019s gymnastics following the 2021 season) is devastating. It also takes away future opportunities for young gymnasts and disregards those who have supported these programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe saddest part of this whole thing is those opportunities are going away,\u201d Roethlisberger said. \u201cA lot of people care, it\u2019s just not the people that get to make the decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, though, Minnesota\u2019s last season competing in the NCAA continues. And while it may seem difficult to remain motivated after everything that\u2019s happened, Davis has chosen to compete for those who have supported him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think throughout this experience, I\u2019ve learned that I want to do it for the people that care about me and have invested in me,\u201d Davis said. \u201cSo this season has definitely been for my coaches and teammates, my family and all the alumni that came before us that have left a legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connor Groel is a sports reporter at Medill. You can follow him on Twitter at <\/i>@ConnorGroel.<\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Connor Groel Medill Reports There had been months of waiting. Over the summer of 2020, members of the University of Minnesota men\u2019s gymnastics team had asked their athletic department repeatedly if there was any chance their program could be cut. They wanted to be prepared for the worst but received no straight answers. Then, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":744,"featured_media":95561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5029,31,5092],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-sports","category-spring-2021"],"yoast_head":"\nCollege gymnast faces reality of program's final NCAA season - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/college-gymnast-faces-reality-of-programs-final-ncaa-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"College gymnast faces reality of program's final NCAA season - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Connor Groel Medill Reports There had been months of waiting. 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