USA Gymnastics restructures leadership in women’s program

USA Gymnastics (USAG) announced they will be revamping the leadership structure for their women’s elite program.

Instead of having one person lead the program’s high-performance department, USA Gymnastics will now divide the position into three equal roles who will report to the program’s vice president.

The organization has been looking for a new high-performance director after Tom Forster stepped down in December following the success of the U.S. women at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The women’s team won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals in Tokyo.

Chief Programs Officer of USA Gymnastics, Stefanie Korepin addressed in an email the incorrect perception USA Gymnastics has been ruled solely by a top-heavy leadership structure.

“Such control — whether real or perceived — is not healthy or balanced for athletes or for the sport. Those perceptions also put untenable pressure on a single person.”

As a result the USAG will now look to fill three lead positions: a technical, a strategic and a developmental head.

The developmental head will oversee an athlete’s initial introduction to the elite program. The technical lead will focus on training and competition, while the strategic lead will oversee the overall direction of the program.

“We believe it will provide further continuity to USA Gymnastics’ High Performance programs while establishing sustainable success based on a cohesive model,” Korepin said.

The next competition for USAG will be the National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa on June 21-26.

In addition to deciding the 2022 national champions, the championships will also serve as the final event for the selection process for the U.S. National Team. It will feature competitions in the acro, rhythmic, and tumbling disciplines.