Georgia Head Coach Suzanne Yoculan is one of the most successful and best paid gymnastics coaches in the world.
But this is her last season at the helm of the 4 time defending NCAA Champions.
INSIDE GYMNASTICS posted one of the best interviews I’ve read all year.
For example, this was a big surprise to me:
… We train 13 hours a week in the gym, less than any [other] team in the country. And we’ve done that for over ten years. We spend the other [NCAA-allowed seven hours] having meetings. …
Yoculan would be hired for any coaching job anywhere.
INSIDE: So, what does come next for you?
YOCULAN: (laughs) I don’t know, exactly. I’m spending a lot of time talking about it, but I don’t know.
Speaking engagements, for one. I’m developing a website. I’m hoping to go to colleges around the country, speaking to women’s coaches—mostly male coaches of women’s [sports]—about how to win with hugs. I used to be the person that threw shoes. I don’t do that anymore. I think I know more about athletes, and how to take care of them, now; what works. I feel I have a lot to share.
I think the job of every coach, if you want a simple job description, is to assist an athlete with reaching their full potential, athletically and academically. I’ve been able to come up with a program, and tweak it over [26 years,] and I feel very comfortable that how we do things at Georgia could be applied a lot of places, in a lot of sports. I hope to share that message.
I also want to speak to colleges about adding gymnastics, and spend some time working on that with the NCAA Coaches’ Committee. That’s something I’ve never been a part of, because I don’t believe in spreading myself too thin, but now I’ll have that time, that energy.
I want to give back to gymnastics, stay involved with the sport.
I’m also starting a foundation, which will help the Special Olympics. That’s been a side project of mine [for a number of years,] and my foundation will focus on giving money to the Special Olympics and the other part I want to give back to gymnastics. I’m not sure how, or in what way, but I want to use all the money I earn with speaking engagements to give back to the sport that gave me a career, a life. I don’t know where I’d be without gymnastics. …
Gymnastics Coaching.com 