Twin City Twisters
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| Full name | Twin City Twisters Gymnastics |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | TCT |
| Sport | Artistic gymnastics |
| Founded | 1987; 27 years ago |
| League | USA Gymnastics |
| Based in | Champlin, Minnesota |
| Owner | Mike Hunger |
| Head coach | Sami Wozney |
| Members | Maggie Nichols Grace McCallum Jessie DeZiel Olivia Trautman Abby Paulson |
| Website | twincitytwisters |
Twin City Twisters, commonly shortened to TCT, is an artistic gymnastics facility located in Champlin, Minnesota. A number of elite and collegiate gymnasts have trained there, including World champions Maggie Nichols and Lexi Zeiss, Olympic medalist Grace McCallum, and Pan American Games champion Jessie Deziel.
History
Mike Hunger opened the facility in 1987.[1]
The program was involved in the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal as Maggie Nichols and coach Sarah Jantzi were among the first to speak out about Larry Nassar.[2][3]
In 2024, the organization hired Tom Farden, the former head coach of Utah Red Rocks, who left Utah after abuse allegations surfaced around the program.[4][5]
Coaching staff
- Mike Hunger - Former owner and head coach[6]
- Sami Wozney
- Sarah Jantzi - Head elite coach[7]
- Rich Stenger - Minnesota Golden Gophers assistant coach, former Roseville High School assistant coach [8]
Notable alumni
The following gymnasts are TCT alumni:
- U.S. National Team (2011)
- 2011 Pan American Games team champion
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (2012-2015)
- 2020 Olympic team silver medalist
- U.S. National Team (2018–22)
- 2018 World team champion
- 2019 World team champion
- Utah Gymnastics (2022-2025)
- U.S. National Team (2013–2016)
- 2015 World team champion, floor exercise bronze medalist
- Oklahoma Sooners (2017-2020) - 7x NCAA Champion
- U.S. National Team (2022–present)
- 2022 World team champion (alternate)
Abby Paulson[1]
- U.S National Team (2017)
- 2017 City of Jesolo floor champion, all-around bronze medalist
- Utah Gymnastics (2020-2024)
References
- ^ a b "Mike Hunger". Utah Utes. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Frederick, Jace (July 17, 2018). "Minnesota native gymnast who was first to speak up about Nasser sex abuse to be honored". inforum.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Frederick, Jace (July 19, 2018). "Maggie Nichols' courage — going public about Nassar's sex abuse — helped transform gymnastics". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Vejar, Alex (November 21, 2023). "Utah gymnastics coach Tom Farden is out as Red Rocks boss after months of controversy". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Sikdar, Disita (July 4, 2024). "After MyKayla Skinner, Former Coach Gets Brutally Slammed By Gymnastics Community For Getting Into Twin City Twisters: "This Sport is So Toxic"". essentiallysports.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Furlong, Josh (May 9, 2024). "Carly Dockendorf adds former club coach Mike Hunger as newest Red Rocks assistant". KSL. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Karwowski, Alex (April 5, 2024). "Aspiring U.S. Olympics team gymnast Lexi Zeiss training in Champlin". The Star Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "Rich Stenger Bio - University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site". www.gophersports.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16.
- ^ "Jessie DeZiel". Nebraska Cornhuskers. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "Olympian Grace McCallum Inspires Gymnasts at Twin City Twisters". CCX Media. August 4, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Clayton, Ren (January 21, 2024). "Former Minnesota gymnast Maggie Nichols hopes new book will help sexual abuse survivors". CBS News. Retrieved June 10, 2024.