Research on the Arizona State Division One gymnastics team

Joyce Yen

Arizona State University

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 1

Abstract

I decided to dedicate my research to the Arizona State University Division One

gymnastics team. I have always been interested in finding out more information in the day of the

life of a student-athlete and because I have done gymnastics my whole life, I was curious to find

out more information with regards to the Arizona State women’s gymnastics team. My main goal

was to research some of the unique elements to making the ASU gymnastics team stand out.

Some of my main research questions included- What does the head coach look for in recruits to

be considered wanted on the team? What are the dynamics of the team? After having the

opportunity to speak with the head coach of the team, a freshman, and a senior, I was able to

gather information with regards to having the Arizona State gymnastics team stand out.

Keywords​: Arizona State, gymnastics, team

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 2

Section 1, Question Bank

In this section, you will briefly summarize the purpose of your inquiry (~100 words).

What do you hope to discover about your community? What are you curious about?

I have decided to dedicate my research to the Arizona State University Division One

Gymnastics Team. Because I have done gymnastics my whole life and have dedicated a lot of

my life and time to the sport of gymnastics, I have always dreamt and wondered what it would

be like to be a student-athlete on a Division One gymnastics team. I was curious about the

structure of the team, the team dynamics, the different rituals or routines the team does at the

beginning and/or at the end of every practice, the everyday practice schedule for the team, and

how academics are managed with the intense training schedule for the athletes.

Central Research Question

“What is special and unique about the Arizona State women’s gymnastics team?”

● General Inquiry/Observation Questions

“Is there a ritual or routine that the team does at the beginning and/or end of every practice to

show team spirit and value of being on together on the team?

“What is an everyday practice like?”

● Interview Questions for Jasmine Gutierrez, freshman on the team

“Are you able to manage academics while being on the team?”

“Do you guys get extra tutoring hours while being on the team?”

“What is your favorite part of being on the team?”

“How is the bond between everyone on the team?

“Do you guys do extra team bonding activities outside of practice hours?”
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 3

“Is there a certain diet that everyone has to follow while being on the team?”

“Are there fueling stations around campus for the athletes to have access to food before, during,

and after practice?”

“How is being on the team at the collegiate level different from club gymnastics back in high

school?”

● Interview Questions for Head Coach Jay Santos

“What is your method for training during pre-season vs during season?”

“What is your philosophy or your method towards prepping for meet? Instrasquads? Quality or

quantity? Pressure sets?”

“How do you build a strong bond with the girls on the team and make sure everyone feels

connected together as a team?”

“Do you focus on looking for high school athletes early on or do you also walk ons?”

“How do you deal with the mental aspect of the sport? What do you say to any of the girls who

are experiencing trouble or anxiety with competing?”

● Interview Questions for Justine Callis, senior on the team

“What was the significance on saying “persistence” at the very beginning of the practice?”

“Can you explain the significance and importance to #NextLevel for the team?”
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 4

Section 2, Sites of Inquiry

In this section you will list the specific places, people, objects, activities, and events

important to your research. Beyond merely listing the sites of your inquiry, you should note

specific locations, times and dates of events, contact information, etc.

Sites of Inquiry Contact / Location Dates / Times

John Spini Gymnastics Ex. Jay Santos Gymnastics practice

Center Head Coach Monday October 22, 2018
401 S. Rural Street 1:00-5:00pm
Tempe, Arizona 85281

On the phone Jasmine Gutierrez October 15th, 2018

Freshman

On the phone Justine Callis October 22, 2018

Senior
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 5

Section 3, Inquiring into Objects /Artifacts

You will conduct a hands-on investigation of objects and artifacts to discover their significance
to the group. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the experience, including responses and notes (~200 words):

As for a certain object to identify the team, there was one object that fully represents the

team, along with a motto that they use. While talking to the head coach, the girls on the team,

and being able to observe a practice, I discovered that a valuable object that is very symbolic to

the team would be their team workout tank top that they wear to practice everyday. They all wear

the exact same tank top each day they come in and they all have to match with each other. They

have many different ones too, so depending on the day they will wear the different tank tops that

represents their team as a whole. Each tank top represents the Arizona State women’s gymnastics

team, by stating their logo and representing gymnastics. One of the tank tops that they all wear

has the saying #NextLevel on it, which is the team’s motto, or saying, for this season. While

talking to one of the freshmen on the team and a senior on the team, I was able to learn more

about the meaning and significance behind the saying and why that is such an important saying

for the team this year.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 6

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

1. “We say and use #NextLevel as our team motto for this year because it symbolizes us

getting to an even higher level. We made so much progress last year and we want to keep

that going!” - Jasmine Gutierrez a current freshman on the team.

This is significant because last year the team made history. Their saying was #ProveIt

because they went from being ranked in the top 30’s/low 40’s, to being ranked #17 in the

nation for the first time ever. They want to keep building on that success and continue

striving for even more perfection this year.

2. Every single one of the girls has the exact same gear that they wear to practice everyday

and depending on the day, they will wear certain tank tops or leotards to set the

motivation and goals for the practice. This is significant because the tank tops represent

the ASU gymnastics team together, and reminds them that they are a family altogether.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 7

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

While observing and learning more about a symbolic object that represents the

significance to the team, I was able to learn a lot about the team as a community and how they

represent themselves as a family altogether. Before coming into observing one of the practices

and interviewing a couple of the girls, I did not know that all the girls on the team wore the exact

same tank top or the exact same leotard at every practice, so that they all match together as a

team. I found this really special and unique because as I was observing the practice, it was really

cool to see all of the gymnastics going on from the girls as they were all cheering for each other

and showing a lot of team spirit not only in their verbal actions, but in their athletic gear as well.

I also found that their symbolic saying, or motto, was really special and unique to the

team as well. When I was interviewing one of the seniors on the team, Justine Callis, I had asked

her if she could name a motto that has significance to the team, and she had specifically and

immediately stated that their “saying” for this year is “#NextLevel”, in which they also have tank

tops that represent that saying too. She had described it as “taking everything to the next level-

academics, day in and day out of the gym, dedication, focusing on the details, we have to raise

our standard everywhere day in and day out!” When I was observing the practice, I really saw

the significance to that saying. I noticed that all of the girls were constantly cheering for each

other, yelling “C’mon devils, let’s get it devils” and that really made everyone work even harder

and become more motivated to strive for their goals in perfecting their skills. It was honestly

really amazing and incredible to watch their practice, as the girls were nailing all of their routines

and skills, and I could tell that having both their matching ASU gymnastics tank tops and their

motto “#NextLevel”, that the team is truly a community and family.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 8
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 9

Section 4, Inquiring into Place

You will conduct an on-site investigation of a location to discover its significance to the group.
This value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include prepared
questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how the
objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

I was able to observe and learn all about the ASU women’s gymnastics team just by

watching one of their practices at their training facility. The John Spini Gymnastics Center is

very significant not only to the athletes who train there, but the background history behind it. The

training center is named in honor of former Arizona State women’s gymnastics head coach, John

Spini, who was part of the program from 1981 to 2014 and won many coaches awards. It

provides the student-athletes a locker room with showers and a sports medicine facility that is

affiliated with and for the Arizona State athletes. The gym itself is very equipped varying from

all the necessary gymnastics apparatuses, to strength and conditioning equipment used for rehab

and conditioning work. As soon as you walk into the gymnastics training center, you feel like

you are part of the ASU Sun Devil family. There is a huge pitchfork with Arizona State

University gymnastics printed on the wall and all around the wall has words such as,

“commitment”, “family”, “dedication”, “pride”, “strength”, and many other words that shows the

deeper meaning and value to the team. The huge logo and the words around the wall makes it

feel like you are part of a community and family, just by walking through the doors and entering

the gym.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 10

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

3. The girls were all constantly cheering for each other and the coaches and girls were both

creating a vibe that resembled in an athletic team and family. The significance of this is

that I could tell that all the girls really cared about each other and everyone was there to

support and cheer for each other.

4. The girls were split up into each of the events and they spent about forty-five minutes to

an hour on each event, perfecting each skill and showing the coaches their training. This

was significant because I was able to learn more about and observe the different ways the

team was split up and how they were each involved in their events.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 11

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

Going into the gymnastics training center there were many things I was able to observe

and learn from my opportunity to watch the girls train and do gymnastics. As soon as I had

stepped into the gym, I immediately felt as if I were a part of the Sun Devil gymnastics family.

From the huge logo of “Arizona State Women’s Gymnastics” and the empowering and

motivational words along the wall at the gym, I had no problem identifying the gymnastics team

as a family and community.

While I was observing the practice, the first thing I noticed was that everyone was

wearing the exact same tank top and after interviewing one of the seniors on the team, she had

said that everyone matches together to represent the Arizona State family that they are all apart

of and that they all worked so hard to get there. As soon as the clock hit 1:00pm, all of the girls

went into a circle with the coaches and since it was a Monday when I went in to watch, they all

had a team discussion to talk about their goals for the week and for the practice itself. I could tell

all of the girls were very intensely watching and listening to the coaches as they were discussing

the goals and assignments for the week. After they had their discussion, they all went to the floor

and did their team warm up together. There were two girls yelling out the next exercise the

whole time and kept the team on their toes the whole time. After they finished their warm up and

opening conditioning circuit, they all put their hands in the middle, showing the pitchfork with

their hands, and yelled “persistence!”. When I had interviewed Justine Callis, a senior on the

team, she told me that every single day they say something different that they want to focus on

for that day. One day they might say “family!” or “strength!”; anything that represents their team

and how they want to perform during the practice that day.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 12

The location of the John Spini Gymnastics Training Center is located in the midst of all

the other athletic fields and/or buildings. The white blow up bubble is right in front of it and it is

where the football players train, and right next to that is the softball field where the softball

players practice. I could tell immediately when I was walking towards the training center, that I

was in the ASU athletic area because all of the sports were practicing or training during the time.

It was a really cool experience to go into the gym and observe one of their practices.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 13

Section 5, Inquiring into Activities/Events

You will conduct an on-site observation of an event or activity to discover its significance to the
group. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

Coming into the gymnastics practice, I was very nervous and anxious to have the

opportunity to watch one of their practices. I knew that the head coach and the team itself is very

intense and are very strict with who gets to come into the gym besides of the athletes, coaches,

and trainers themselves, but I was very fortunate and honored to get the opportunity to actually

sit, watch, and observe the practice, as allowed by the head coach. The practice itself was about

four hours, and then they went to the ice bath as a team together afterwards for muscle recovery

and team bonding.

Overall, it was an amazing experience getting to watch the girls train and do their

practice. All of the girls were even so nice to me and the coaches were very accommodating as

well. I was able to observe their whole practice, which included a warm-up, stretching, practicing

skills and routines, and conditioning/weights at the end. It was a very fun experience for me

being able to watch a college level gymnastics practice, and seeing how all the girls and coaches

interact with each other.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 14

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

5. One thing I was able to observe was the way that all the girls interacted with each other.

The whole time all of the girls were constantly cheering for each other and yelling

positive words to hype everyone up. The whole team had such a fun and energetic vibe to

it, which made it even more exciting to watch.

6. Another thing key observation I noticed was how all of the girls were matching and

wearing the same exact tank tops and leotards. It was really cool to watch all of the girls

sticking and nailing their routines while all representing the same team together.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 15

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

After having the opportunity to watch the actual practice itself, it made me want to join

their team as well because it seemed like it was such a . It was so entertaining and such a cool

experience for me to watch the D1 athletes train and observe how they practice. They started

their practice with a jump rope set, then a conditioning circuit, and then they did their full on

stretch and warm up. They went through rehab and therapy work specific to each person. The

whole time the seniors on the team were cheering phrases like, “C’mon Devils!” and “Let’s go

ladies, keep it up!”. There was always such an energetic and positive vibe throughout everything

that they did. After their stretching and warm-up, they all got together as a team and put their

hands in the middle holding the pitchfork and they yelled “persistence!”, which resembled their

theme and motto for the practice that day. After speaking with one of the girls on the team, I

found out that they say After that, they all split up into their events. They rotate with doing floor

and vault everyday, just because that is a lot of impact on their body if they do both events

everyday.

Once they started doing their actual gymnastics training, I was really able to observe their

method for training. It was a really amazing experience being able to watch all of the girls

perform their skills and routines with nearly perfect form and almost every single time they did a

routine, they finished their routine with a stuck dismount. They started off with a warm-up for

each event, and then continued with their actual assignment. Whenever someone would nail their

routine with a stuck dismount the whole entire team would cheer super loud and go over and

congratulate them, which made me realize how tight and connected the whole team is with each

other.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 16
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 17

Section 6, Inquiring into People/Person

You will conduct an interview and/or survey of people representative of the group you are
researching. Their value may be functional, symbolic, or otherwise. This section might include
prepared questions and selected responses, descriptive observation notes, and a reflection on how
the objects that you’ve observed represent the community you are studying.

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

I was able to have an interview with the head coach of the team, a freshman on the team,

and a senior on the team. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to the head coach of

the team and I was able to ask him various questions, such as “What is your method for training

during pre season vs in season?” and “What is your philosophy or your method towards prepping

for meets? Do you have Instrasquads? Do you focus on quality vs quantity? Do you like to use

pressure sets?”

All of these questions were answered very thoroughly by Coach Santos; as he explained

that at first (August and early September) the team focuses more on building back strength and

endurance and focusing on getting skills back with muscle memory. He went on to explaining his

philosophy and methods for training for the team when they’re in season and how it can vary day

by day depending on the status of the team daily whenever they’re in season.

I was also able to ask Jasmine Gutierrez, a freshman on the team, questions regarding the

team and the dynamics of the team. I asked her what her favorite part about being on a division

one college level gymnastics team, versus club gymnastics in high school, and she said that she

loved the insanely close bond of everyone on the team and how that plays such a big role in

college gymnastics versus trying to win a medal for yourself in a high school gymnastics meet.

She said that she loves the atmosphere of college gymnastics and the close bond with the team.
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 18

I was also able to interview Justine Callis, a senior on the team, and asked her questions

regarding the team as well. She gave such positive responses and she was so kind and polite

when I was asking her the questions. She was happy to talk to me and it gave me such a positive

vibe of the team. I asked her about their saying this year, “#NextLevel” and what the significance

behind it is. I also asked her what the significance was with saying “persistence” at the very

beginning of the workout. She explained that last year the team made history, coming from the

top 30’s-low 40’s in the rankings to being #17 in the nation. She said that the saying last year

was #ProveIt, since they made so much progress and improved so much to be in the top 25

rankings. She also explained that every single practice they come up with a new saying to set the

mindset for that practice. Previous ones were, “family” or “strength”, and the practice that I

observed was “persistence”.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 19

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

7. “College gymnastics is so much different than club gymnastics in so many great ways.

The team is closer, and you all have the same goals: graduate and do your best for the

team in gymnastics. In college gymnastics, everything is more exciting and more fun than

ever! It gives such a positive outlook on the sport, and I personally love it so far!” -

Jasmine Gutierrez

8. “...we have to take everything to the next level. Academics, dedication day in and day out

of the gym, details, fight...we have to raise our standards everywhere day in and day out!”

-Justine Callis

9. “Everyday we say a new word. Sometimes it’s “believe!” or “family!” or “grit!” and

today we chose persistence!” -Justine Callis

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 20

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

It was a really humbling and enjoyable experience for me to have the opportunity to

interview the head coach, Jay Santos, and be able to talk with him about the team in general. Not

only did I get to learn so much more about the team, but I was able to get the experience of

interviewing a head coach for a division one collegiate sports team. I was a little bit nervous at

first, but once I started talking and asking him questions, he was super open and talked very

thoroughly about everything, which gave me a lot of helpful knowledge about the team.

After talking to Jasmine Gutierrez, a current freshman on the team, I was able to find out

what life was like being a student-athlete on the gymnastics team along with managing

academics. It gave me a sense of the student-athlete life and how everyday has to have two

focuses: school and gymnastics. It was really interesting for me to learn about all the various

resources that student-athletes at ASU have available for them, including fueling stations in the

athletic building for food and water before and after practice, and many tutoring sessions and

study halls to make sure that the athletes are getting the help that they need in order to be

successful in the classroom as well as the gym.

I also got the chance to talk to Justine Callis, a current senior on the team, and I asked her

about the team motto and how they come up with the word that represents the mindset for every

practice. Justine was so sweet and gave such positive and motivating answers that even made me

feel part of their community for that day and I was truly able to understand the energetic and

motivating atmosphere that the team practices in.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 21
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 22

Section 7, WP3 Proposal

In ~500 words, you will (1) summarize the major outcomes and insight of the primary research

you conducted in the above sections, (2) describe how this research leads to or was prompted by

a core question or set of questions about a group (3), demonstrate why these questions need

answering, should be addressed, and are worth a reader's’ attention, and (4) propose an

informative essay, e.g. “Given my research, I propose an essay that will inform its audience

about the role of personal can collection in the recycling industry." This proposal prompts

Writing Project 3.

I’ve always had a passion for gymnastics my whole life and I have always wanted to be a

part of a division one collegiate team when I was older. Even though I wasn’t able to be a part of

a collegiate level gymnastics team myself, I have always been so intrigued and interested in what

life would be like to be a part of one. Because I have always been so involved in gymnastics, I

have always had a decent amount of knowledge within the sport. But when I started my research

on the ASU gymnastics team, I realized that there was so much more to learn about. With

college gymnastics, there’s much more team involvement than club gymnastics which I’m used

to. I have learned about the team dynamics with the ASU gymnastics team, the close bond within

the team, the schedule of a student athlete, and what an everyday practice is like for the athletes.

My central question I was trying to find research for was how the Arizona State gymnastics team

represents a team and a community with more than just gymnastics itself, but the bond and

atmosphere of the team. I wanted to find out what is special about the team and with multiple

interviews, questions, and observations, I was able to get all of my questions answered plus

more. I researched the facility the team trains at, more information regarding the team itself, the
Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 23

schedule of the student athletes, and the various team sayings and symbols that makes the team

special.

Arizona State gymnastics has moved up rankings to be in the top 25 and they have

recruited many athletes from all over, including one gymnast from University of Paris. They

have a very diverse and unique team, with gymnasts specializing on every event. When talking

to the head coach, Jay Santos, he was explaining to me that they focus a lot on team building

inside and outside of the gym; whether that be fun games in the gym, hard conditioning together,

team assignments to stick a certain number of routines together as a team, community service

events outside of the gym, and even team dinners to really bond and get to know everyone on the

team. It really fascinated me how much fun they were having during practice and how energetic

and positive everyone was the whole time. It wasn’t a super intense and strict vibe, but more of a

fun and friendly vibe. From an outsider’s view, it is really important to learn all of the aspects of

a team. It’s not just about the gymnastics, or even just the sport itself when talking about

collegiate level sports, but rather, the team bonding and the dynamics of the team. My central

question for this research project laid focus on what made the ASU gymnastics team so special.

After observing, talking, and asking questions, I was able to discover so many unique elements

to being on the Arizona State team that I had never knew before. I had no idea about their special

#NextLevel or even their team huddle saying a different word each day. When people go to

watch gymnastics meets, they go to watch the gymnastics and judge the team based on how well

each team does at that meet. What most people don’t know, is the effort and focus that goes into

every single collegiate level team.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 24

Given my research, I propose an essay that will inform the audience on the importance of

the team aspect in collegiate level sports.

Arizona State University Gymnastics Team 25

References

State, Arizona. (2018 October). ​John Spini Gymnastics Center.

https://tours.asu.edu/tempe/womens-gymnastics-training-facility

Santos, J. (2018 October 22). Personal Interview

Gutierrez, J. (2018 October 15). Phone Interview

Callis, J. (2018 October 22) Phone Interview