Welcome to Gopher Nation!

We are thrilled that you have joined Gopher Gym 10.0 and are now part of this group of supportive and enthusiastic gymnastics enthusiasts. Welcome to the family!

Read on to find answers to some frequently asked questions regarding Gopher Gymnastics and the Gopher Gym 10.0 Booster Club.

Go Gophers!

Gopher Gym 10.0 Booster Club

What is Gopher Gym 10.0?

The Gopher Gym 10.0 Club is an organized group of enthusiasts supporting the University of Minnesota Women's Gymnastics program. Through membership in this group, you will become a vital part of the success of our Golden Gopher team, and participate in the excitement that surrounds collegiate athletics. 

The Gopher Gym 10.0 Club is able to raise money to provide additional NCAA-sanctioned benefits to the student athletes such as meals, senior rings, and other small gifts that enhance their experience. 

Is the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club a 501(c)3?

No. However, the Club is considered an official body of the University, therefore it is not-for-profit.

How do I become a member of the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club?

The most efficient method is to sign up with your membership donation on-line at give.umn.edu/giveto/10club or use the QR code that will be provided. 

Additionally, a check made out to Golden Gopher Fund with 10.0 Club in the memo line may be brought to the Welcome Back Dinner. 

The membership is $60 per individual and $120 for a family membership. 

Additional donations are always greatly appreciated!

Who runs the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club and what do the leadership duties include?

The Gopher Gym 10.0 Club has two officers - President and Vice President. These officers work in coordination with the coaching staff to raise and distribute funds to support the program. 

In addition, there are many committees and tasks that are headed by members. Some of these responsibilities and the members currently filling them follow:

• President - Randy Rowray

• Past President - John Quarles

• VP – Yesayahu Johnson

• Secretary/Parent Communication - Elizabeth Moraw

• Social Planner (Home Meets) - Patti Quarles

• Social/Hotel Planner (Away Meets) - Carol Pearl

• Fan Apparel Chair - Mary Koch and Mindy Sirjord

• Social Media Administrator - Sarah Zeiher and Jon and Jen McCullough

What are the benefits of joining the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club?

In addition to knowing you are supporting an amazing, hardworking group of young women, you will have access to unique Club apparel, receive meet updates and newsletters, and be invited to participate in events such as post-meet receptions. 

How does the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club support the Women’s Gymnastics Team? 

The Club is able to supplement the budget provided by the University. For example, the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club hosts the End of the Year Banquet and pays for the team’s attendance and all of the end of the year awards. We provide gifts for BIG 10’s, Regionals and the National Championships, and also cover all senior night expenses and gifts for the seniors. Additionally, we send out the team Christmas card to all alumni, boosters and donors. The Club works with the head coach to steward these funds.

How does the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club communicate?

The parents/Boosters have multiple activities which run independently of the team such as pre and post-meet gatherings. Additionally, communication related to ticket pick-up location, venue location, team banquet, etc. are communicated through this group. 

Email is the primary means of communication, although GroupMe is used especially to communicate changes on the fly.

How else can I stay in the loop?

If you are a member of the Gopher Gym 10.0 Club, you will receive periodic newsletters including articles of meet highlights and more. 

This year we rolled out a new website to aid with communication. Check us out at https://www.gopher10club.com/

Finally, following the team on social media will provide insight into more than just the official info! 

Twitter - @GopherWGym

Facebook – Minnesota Women’s Gymnastics and University of Minnesota 10.0 Club

Instagram – gopherwgym

School Spirit 

What is the Minnesota Rouser, and do I really need to learn it?

The Rouser is the fight song of the University of Minnesota, and you will get to know it well throughout your years with the Gophers. The fan section sings this song at least once per meet and chants the last two lines throughout the meet. The words are printed below, but YouTube can provide some helpful guidance to putting the words to the tune!

Minnesota, hats off to thee!

To thy colors, true we shall ever be.

Firm and strong, united are we.

Rah! Rah! Rah! for Ski-U-Mah.

Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah, for the U of M.

M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A!

Minnesota! Minnesota! Yeaaaaaaaaaaah, Gophers! Rah!

How do you pronounce Ski-U-Mah, and what does it mean? 

Ski-U-Mah, a phrase you will see emblazoned on the gymnasts’ gear and a chant you will cry at meets, has a number of origin stories. The official explanation from the UMN music website states roommates John W. Adams and “Win” Sargeant, wanted to create a yell with “a distinctive Minnesota flavor”. Adams recalled a canoe race between Native American boys that he had watched the year before. The winners yelled “Ski-oo” when crossing the finish line. This was consistent with the cries used by young Native Americans when winning other athletic contests and with the exclamations made by Dakota children to express exaltation or pleasure. Adams added “Mah” to the end of Ski-oo to make the phrase rhyme with “Rah” and “Minnesota”. Over the years, the spelling evolved to Ski-U-Mah which is pronounced SKY-You-Mah.

(adapted from: https://cla.umn.edu/music/ensembles/marching-band/history-traditions/ski-u-mah)

What’s the deal with the Gopher chant?

Minnesota was tabbed the "Gopher State" in 1857.  Later, the University picked up the nickname. During the 1930s, the Gophers wore gold jerseys and pants. Legendary KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined the term "Golden Gophers" in reference to the team's all-gold attire on the field. In the 1950s Goldy Gopher started making appearances at football games. Goldy Gopher has gone on to become one of the best mascots around with national titles to prove it. 

Gopher Gymnastics fans yell “Let’s go, Gophers!” (followed by a series of claps) three times after each Gopher gymnast competes. Regardless of the outcome, we cheer for every athlete.

Season Schedule

What does competition season look like? 

The team has approximately 11 regular season meets with the first meet of the season occurring in early January. The team competes every weekend January – mid-March. Post-season meets follow shortly after with regionals being held at the end of March and Nationals mid-April. 

When is the meet schedule usually released?

The schedule has been released the middle to end of October. Some changes to dates and times do occur. It is a good idea to consider plane tickets and hotel rooms with flexible policies.

Are spectators allowed at the Intersquad meet?

The team has a number of informal intersquad meets throughout the preseason.  Spectators are allowed and encouraged to attend the final intersquad meet held in late December. 

What are Big 5s?

Big 5s mark the final weekend of the women’s gymnastics’ regular season. At this meet the team competes against the four teams they have not competed against in a dual meet. Typically, the same location hosts both Big 5 meets, with one meet being held on Friday night and one on Saturday. 

How do Big 10s work?

The meet is conducted in two sessions, with six schools competing in the afternoon session and four schools competing in the evening session. Team seeding is determined by the final Big Ten regular season standings. In the event of a tie, head-to-head results shall be used. If there is still a tie, team NQS following the Big Five meets shall be used (adapted from bigten.org).

How is participation in Regionals determined?

Thirty-six teams qualify to regionals using national qualifying score rankings. (NQS is determined by taking a team’s top six scores, three of which must be away, dropping the high and averaging the remaining five.) 

The top 16 teams by NQS are considered to be seeded. For placement, teams ranked Nos. 1, 8, 9 and 16 are seeded into one regional, Nos. 2, 7, 10 and 15 are in another, Nos. 3, 6, 11 and 14 in the third and Nos. 4, 5, 12 and 13 in the final regional. There are arrangements in NCAA rules for host conflict. 

Teams outside the top 16 are placed geographically where possible. 

The competitors are announced during the NCAA gymnastics selection show the Monday after Conference Championships. (adapted from NCAA.com)

What should we expect if the team qualifies to Regionals?

There are four regional hosts, and nine teams (and qualified individual gymnasts) compete at each site. The hosts for 2024 are Arkansas, California, Florida and Michigan.  

Two regional sites will follow a Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday format while the other two will compete on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. 

• Round one of Regionals on Wednesday (or Thursday) features a dual meet between the two lowest ranked teams. 

• The winner of that meet advances to round two on Thursday (or Friday), which includes two quad meets. 

• The top two teams from each of those round two sessions advance to the Regional final on Saturday (or Sunday).  

• The top two teams at that meet advance to Nationals two weeks later (NCAA.com).

No bid to a Regionals location is set in stone until the selection show. Not even the coaches can predict for sure where teams will land. Because of that, be prepared to move quickly following the selection show if you plan to attend Regionals. The turnaround time is short for securing flights and hotels. Depending on the team’s ranking, you may want to be on location from Tuesday night until Sunday or even Monday.

There is often the opportunity to interact for a couple of hours with the team on one of their off days. This is subject to change based on how far the team advances.

How is participation in Nationals determined?

The top two teams at each regional meet advance to Nationals two weeks later. The NCAA National Championships have been held in Fort Worth, Texas since 2019 and are scheduled to be there through at least 2026. 

What should we expect if the team qualifies to Nationals?

At Nationals, the top two teams from each semifinal, which consist of four teams, advance to the team final. The winner of the team final is the national champion.

This is another quick turnaround with Nationals typically following Regionals by only a couple of weeks. 

Meet Days

How can I watch meets if I am not able to attend in person?

Most meets are available to be streamed or viewed on t.v. via services such as ESPN+, ESPNU, BTN, BIG+, and SEC Network+. A link for the appropriate service can be found on the gymnastics schedule site of gophersports.com. 

What do parents/Boosters typically do prior to meets?

At away meets, we gather in the lobby of the team’s hotel to send the gymnasts off in style. You will get a quick chance to greet the gymnasts before the team speech, prayer, and cheer. The time and location will be sent out in advance, but you can plan that it will be about 3.5 hours before the meet. The send-off takes approximately 15-30 minutes.

At both away meets (following the team send-off) and home meets, parents and Boosters are invited to a pre-meet gathering. This is a great time to socialize, grab a bite to eat, and get fired up for the meet. An announcement of time and location will come out the week leading up to the meet. Please RSVP with the number of people attending (guests are welcome). This ensures the restaurant has a large enough space and wait staff to accommodate our group.

Approximately one hour before the meet, we make our way over to the venue to watch the end of warm up and get settled in for the main event.

What happens after the meet? 

Following the awards presentation at away meets, the team comes to the stands to greet the fans. At this time you will have the opportunity to catch up with the gymnasts for a bit. Depending on their dinner and travel plans, they usually spend 20-30 minutes with us. Fans who are staying in town often head out together for a post-meet meal.

At home meets, the gymnasts typically have obligations directly following the meet. These may include signing autographs, meeting with recruits or Boosters, icing injuries, etc. Be prepared for this to take some time (up to an hour or two). After all their responsibilities are met, they are free to socialize.