Statement from CGA President Mike Burns

As we try to navigate through these new and unsettled waters, we all need to find our own ways to stay positive and manage this uncharted territory. One thing I know about the gymnastics community I’m proud to be a part of – we are resilient, we are innovative, we are positive and we will rise above whatever adversity that gets in our way.

In our world of NCAA men’s gymnastics, we have suffered a tremendous blow to the 2020 season with all the shutdowns and cancellations around the country. In a little over a week the world we knew was turned upside down. One day we were all preparing for our next meet and the upcoming end-of-season championship meets and the next day the season was over. No end-of-season dual meets, no conference championships, no NCAA championships; that’s a tough pill to swallow. What a way for our seniors to end their careers.

We now are in the process of adjusting to a new reality. As with any crisis, there are things we can control and there are things we can’t. Let’s discard the things that sap our positive energy and focus on things we can control while finding a way to be productive. I’m sure we all went through a series of emotions that ran rampant through our veins: first shock, then denial, then disbelief, then anger, then disappointment, then sadness - and then it was time to re-calibrate and get a move on.

The CGA Executive Committee has been working and is ready to restore those parts of the season we do have control over. The annual CGA Awards we control will still be presented this year, in as normal a way as possible. Here is a list of those awards:

  • Honorary Lifetime Award recipients

  • Honor Coach Award recipients

  • Gymnast of the Year Award

  • Rookie of the Year Award

  • Specialist of the Year Award

  • Regional Head Coaches of the Year Award

  • Regional Assistant Coaches of the Year Award

  • Nissen-Emery Award

One new twist in the awards we’ll be presenting is a variation of the CGA All-American citations. Although All-American citations are normally given to the top-8 finishers in the all-around and the six events at the conclusion of the NCAA championships, this year we will be naming the 2020 CGA Regular Season All-Americans. These recipients will be the top-8 based on the final National Rankings on Road to Nationals. We will also be presenting CGA All-American certificates to the top-6 individuals that competed this year as GymACT team members.

One last thing we’ll be doing over the next several months is honoring every one of our seniors who were unable to finish their careers on their terms. We will do our best to be sure each and every senior that was part of an NCAA or GymACT team is featured in such a way to have some sense of closure to the season that was cut short.

So, all you NCAA men’s gymnastics fans out there – don’t lose hope and try your best to adjust to our new surroundings the best way you can. Realize we are all in this together and we will survive.

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