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
Notable alumni
The following gymnasts are TCT alumni:
Jessie DeZiel [ 9]
Grace McCallum [ 10]
Maggie Nichols [ 11]
Lexi Zeiss [ 7]
Abby Paulson [ 1]
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 .
External links