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Twin City Twisters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Twin City Twisters
Full nameTwin City Twisters Gymnastics
NicknamesTCT
SportArtistic gymnastics
Founded1987; 27 years ago
LeagueUSA Gymnastics
Based inChamplin, Minnesota
OwnerMike Hunger
Head coachSami Wozney
MembersMaggie Nichols
Grace McCallum
Jessie DeZiel
Olivia Trautman
Abby Paulson
Websitetwincitytwisters.com

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

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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

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Notable alumni

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The following gymnasts are TCT alumni:

Jessie DeZiel[9]

Grace McCallum[10]

Maggie Nichols[11]

Lexi Zeiss[7]

Abby Paulson[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mike Hunger". Utah Utes. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Furlong, Josh (May 9, 2024). "Carly Dockendorf adds former club coach Mike Hunger as newest Red Rocks assistant". KSL. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Rich Stenger Bio - University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site". www.gophersports.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16.
  9. ^ "Jessie DeZiel". Nebraska Cornhuskers. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "Olympian Grace McCallum Inspires Gymnasts at Twin City Twisters". CCX Media. August 4, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Clayton, Ren (January 21, 2024). "Former Minnesota gymnast Maggie Nichols hopes new book will help sexual abuse survivors". CBS News. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
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