One of the five teams to win a national championship en route to Stanford’s 26th Director’s Cup title is Stanford men’s gymnastics, who has now won four straight national titles. Rising sophomore Asher Hong caught up with CardinalSportsReport.com about the key to this year’s national championship and what’s kept them maintaining such a high level of excellence.
While many factors go into winning four straight national championships, one thing that is crucial is camaraderie and everyone on the team buying into the same vision. While many on the team also eye Olympic success, they don’t let that cloud their minds when it’s NCAA season. Everyone locks in and is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to make sure the team succeeds as much as possible.
“Yeah, you know, it’s that brotherhood for sure,” Hong said. “I mean, it was my first win of the season since I’m a freshman. But the team’s collectively done four in a row and I really think it’s a tribute to the brotherhood and how we’re all in it together one hundred percent. No matter what. Despite our goals outside of gym, academically or even during Olympic season, we lock in for the NCAA season and I think that’s what really keeps us moving forward and helps us stay together with our goals in site.”
As an extension of that, it’s really critical for the coaching staff to make sure a quality training plan is in place and that everyone buys in. When everyone trusts in that plan, that’s when good things happen.
“Yeah, for sure. I think it goes hand in hand with the athletes and the coaches in terms of training plans, right?” Hong said. “So the coaches put together an excellent training plan for our season and we peak at the right time and we rest at the right time when we need it. And so that is really one of the key parts that goes along with the coaching staff and what not.”
One thing that helps everyone on the team maintain focus during NCAA season and not get distracted by the Olympics is the fact that the training they do for the NCAAs and Olympics really go hand-in-hand. The coaching staff knows that everyone has Olympic as well as NCAA championship aspirations and so they make sure what they do in practice helps everyone achieve their goals whether they be for the program or international.
“A lot of the guys on the team are shooting for that Olympic goal and again Thom emphasizes the training plan one and a second thing I didn’t mention is difficulty,” Hong said. “We’re one of the teams that risks doing hard stuff during our NCAA season instead of doing clean easy sets. And so we’re willing to sacrifice our difficulty and keep training that elite path at the same time as doing an NCAA path, which most colleges are unable to do.
“So, I think that’s what really keeps us in track and the coaches and a lot of the guys, all the guys on the team, really want to push that threshold of difficulty and that’s what sends us forward in terms of both NCAA and Olympic path.”
As for what he contributed to the team in terms of events, Hong had an all-around role, which means he competed in all six events. However, there were some instances when he didn’t make the cut for a certain event. He just made sure that in whatever events he made the cut for, he did his best and gave it his all.
“Yeah, yeah. So, I was shooting for an all-around spot and thankfully I was able to compete in an all-around spot, which is different because usually all-around spot counts for all six events,” Hong explained. “But, for some of the lineups, I wasn’t, I didn’t make the cut for the lineup. So on high bar and on rings, I did not make the cut for the lineup. So, my contributing events were floor, horse, vault, and p-bars [parallel bars].”
For Hong, the key to being successful in gymnastics is staying in the moment and trusting in the training. As long as you do those two things, Hong thinks you’ll find success. And in truth, those are things that are applicable in any sport. Not just gymnastics.
“Yeah, exactly. Short-term memory,” Hong said. “And then I’d like to add two more things: One is staying in the moment…When you’re doing the routine in the moment, you don’t care what happened in the past even if you messed up a little bit. You’re staying in the moment, you’re a hundred percent going for it, and shooting for a hit set, clean set.
“And the second thing is just trusting the training. Like, the coaches put together a wonderful training plan and it’s been effective for four years now, right? And so just to the trust that training plan and go into the competition knowing that hey, this training plan has prepared me for this moment right now. Like, I’m going to go for it, I’m going to trust myself one hundred percent. I’m going for it.”
If there’s one thing that Hong most enjoys about gymnastics, it’s the fact that it teaches him how to be a competitor. While some would whither under the pressure, Hong thrives under it and enjoys the chance to show judges and crowds what he’s worked so hard on.
“Yeah, a hundred percent. I think something that Thom has really emphasized well over the years is being a competitor,” Hong said. “So, like I said, staying in the moment and just going for their team and when you’re in a competition, it’s basically your only time to show off how hard you’ve been working in the gym to the crowd and the judges. And so just going for it and being a competitor no matter what the circumstances are, you just go out there and do your stuff. So, like that’s one of my favorite parts about the sport.”
One other thing that really helps the program succeed is the support they get from the Stanford community at-large. While Stanford is known first and foremost for its academics, it’s also one of the strongest if not the strongest all-around athletic department in the nation. Being a part of such a community really helps the gymnasts take pride in representing Stanford, knowing they’re a part of an extended family that really cares about all sports.
“The staff, coaches, other student-athletes, but also the respect you kinda get from the non-athlete students as well,” Hong said. “I mean, you tell them you’re an athlete and they’re like hey man, mad respect. They’re like thanks for supporting our school and representing our school outside of the academic field, right? Because Stanford is well-known academically and Stanford is well-known athletically. So it’s like we’re doubling down as a school in terms of talent, right? And so, I think the support from the non-athletic people really help as well.”
After talking with Asher Hong, it’s clear that gymnastics is truly a team sport. While there is a heavy individual component to it, it really takes a whole team to achieve the kind of success the Cardinal have had. Head coach Thom Glielmi has done a wonderful job of getting everyone on the same page and getting them to buy into the training plan that he and the coaching staff have designed. It’ll be fun to see whether or not the Cardinal will be able to run it back for a fifth time in 2024.
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