March Madness basketball is not the only college sport dishing out wild and wonderful feats this spring. College gymnastics is having an equally thrilling season that’s about to culminate in surprising twists and turns — literally. The NCAA regionals begin this week.
The talent level this season is world-class. In fact, many athletes are likely to leave college teams after the April 13-15 NCAA championships to train for the 2024 Olympics. In past seasons, many top female gymnasts went to UCLA to train with famed former coach Valorie Kondos Field. But she retired in 2019, and this new generation of athletes has spread out around the country, creating one of the most competitive seasons in memory, in which many teams have a legitimate shot at the top prize.
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End of carousel- D.C. Council reverses itself on school resource officers. Good.
- Virginia makes a mistake by pulling out of an election fraud detection group.
- Vietnam sentences another democracy activist.
- Biden has a new border plan.
The D.C. Council voted on Tuesday to stop pulling police officers out of schools, a big win for student safety. Parents and principals overwhelmingly support keeping school resource officers around because they help de-escalate violent situations. D.C. joins a growing number of jurisdictions, from Montgomery County, Md., to Denver, in reversing course after withdrawing officers from school grounds following George Floyd’s murder. Read our recent editorial on why D.C. needs SROs.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) just withdrew Virginia from a data-sharing consortium, ERIC, that made the commonwealth’s elections more secure, following Republicans in seven other states in falling prey to disinformation peddled by election deniers. Former GOP governor Robert F. McDonnell made Virginia a founding member of ERIC in 2012, and until recently conservatives touted the group as a tool to combat voter fraud. D.C. and Maryland plan to remain. Read our recent editorial on ERIC.
In Vietnam, a one-party state, democracy activist Tran Van Bang was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison and three years probation for writing 39 Facebook posts. The court claimed he had defamed the state in his writings, according to Radio Free Asia. In the past six years, at least 60 bloggers and activists have been sentenced to between 4 and 15 years in prison under the law, Human Rights Watch found. Read more of the Editorial Board’s coverage on autocracy and Vietnam.
The Department of Homeland Security has provided details of a plan to prevent a migrant surge along the southern border. The administration would presumptively deny asylum to migrants who failed to seek it in a third country en route — unless they face “an extreme and imminent threat” of rape, kidnapping, torture or murder. Critics allege that this is akin to an illegal Trump-era policy. In fact, President Biden is acting lawfully in response to what was fast becoming an unmanageable flow at the border. Read our most recent editorial on the U.S. asylum system.
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But what really makes college gymnastics worth watching right now is the joy. Athletes dance and tumble to songs by Dr. Dre, Salt-N-Pepa and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” Teammates and fans in the stands mimic some of the dance moves alongside the competitors. When a gymnast ends a routine, the whole team runs out to high-five her. It’s hard not to smile. The joy of this “March Gladness” is contagious.
It’s a noticeable contrast to the Olympics, in which so many young women look thin and exhausted. The world recently learned how Team USA gymnasts endured years of starvation, mental abuse and sexual assault. Star Olympian Simone Biles withdrew from most events at the Tokyo competition to protect her mental and physical health, which was yet another wake-up call about the problems that remain at the elite level.
College gymnasts are clearly having fun. They are also diverse. This season the first women’s team from a Historically Black College and University — Fisk University — competed, and many of the top athletes heading into the postseason are women of color. It’s an encouraging sign for the sport’s future.
Social media has helped to amplify the stuck landings and superhuman flips. Back in 2019, UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s floor routine went viral. As catchy as the routine was, Ohashi pointed out how she almost quit gymnastics because of body shaming and the grueling Olympic training regime — and that the NCAA program revived her love of the sport. Now, TikTok is full of college gymnastics moments — and warnings not to try the stunts at home.
For longtime fans, this is a gymnastics season to remember. For anyone just tuning in, prepare to be amazed.