Legit score.
Steve wasn’t thrilled with his routine day 1. But he’ll be happy with this one.
He’d quite likely qualify for the Olympic Pommel Final. Some of the best guys in the world didn’t qualify.
Alex Diab would be another good pick. A certain Rings finalist.
Eddie Penev would be the 3rd possible specialist for Floor.
USA doesn’t have a great chance for a team medal in 2021. They COULD select the team to maximize possible Finals. Two AA and 3 specialists with the PLUS 1. But that’s highly unlikely.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Listen to an interview from between the two competition days.
David Henderson Jr.: From NCAA Champion to Cirque du Soleil and Firefighter – GymnasticsVille Podcast
Four-time NCAA champion David Henderson Jr. went from Oklahoma gymnastics to Disney, Cirque du Soleil, and firefighting. Asked which chapter was the hardest, he didn't hesitate: "By far, by far, gymnastics." On this episode of GymnasticsVille: Back to Basics, host Mubarak Simmons sits down with his longtime friend and former teammate. They trained together at Houston Gymnastics Academy under Kevin Mazeika, then reunited at the University of Oklahoma. David is a three-time NCAA team champion, an NCAA still rings national champion, and a former junior and senior U.S. national team member. Today he is a firefighter in South Carolina. IN THIS CONVERSATION – Training at Houston Gymnastics Academy and why "you gotta have serious fun" – Mark Williams, Oklahoma's championship culture, and fighting for every single tenth – The 2005 NCAA team final: Joe Weaver's sacrifice and "I would die for all these guys" – Life as a Tumble Monkey in Disney's Festival of the Lion King – Cirque du Soleil: Corteo, Totem, and "If you're off, bail" – How Cirque taught him to have bad days – Becoming a firefighter and learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable – What gymnastics gave him CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:42 The hardest chapter: why gymnastics was the toughest 2:31 Houston Gymnastics Academy and Kevin Mazeika 8:53 Serious fun at HGA 14:51 Moving to Oklahoma 19:27 Mark Williams and what made Oklahoma so hard to beat 23:02 Inside the program: fight for every tenth 28:32 The 2005 NCAA team final: Joe Weaver's sacrifice 35:03 "I would die for all these guys" 38:05 From gymnastics to the stage 41:03 Disney: Festival of the Lion King and Indiana Jones 48:02 Cirque du Soleil: Corteo and Totem 51:33 Inside Cirque: coaching, rehearsal, and stage time 55:14 Learning how to have bad days 1:00:23 Why less is sometimes more 1:03:02 How David led the HGA crew to Oklahoma 1:09:10 Mark Williams' legacy and Oklahoma's new gym 1:13:39 Why firefighting 1:16:01 How gymnastics translates to the fire service 1:20:08 What firefighting changed about life 1:23:40 What gymnastics gave him LINKS Read the full story: https://gymnasticsville.com/beyond-gymnastics-david-henderson-jr-s-journey-from-ncaa-champion-to-cirque-du-soleil-and-firefighting/ Watch the video interview: https://youtu.be/5CyrcNEbucA?si=4hsh526hhzmRkBLp Follow David Henderson Jr.: https://www.instagram.com/dhjr369/ Website: https://gymnasticsville.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/gymnasticsville Hosted by Mubarak Simmons, GymnasticsVille Host. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gymnasticsville-podcast/id1236969576) and share it with a gymnast, coach, or parent who needs to hear it.
- David Henderson Jr.: From NCAA Champion to Cirque du Soleil and Firefighter
- Emma Nedov: Retired From Gymnastics, Then Made the Olympics at 28
- Trevor Howard: From Penn State Gymnastics to the World Team to Disney
- Justin Spring: The Mental Game Is the Only Difference in Gymnastics
- Felecia Mulkey on Building Baylor A&T, Creating a College Sport, and Winning 14 Straight Titles
