STRANGER TO THE OLYMPICS, RIGHT? YEAH. YOU鈥橰E CORRECT SHERRI. ACTUALLY, IN 2008, HE WAS PART OF THE U.S. MEN鈥橲 TEAM TO BRING HOME THE BRONZE MEDAL. ONLY THE THIRD MEN鈥橲 GYMNASTICS TEAM TO MEDAL EVER. NOW THE CRIMSON TIDE COACH WILL USE THAT EXPERIENCE AND HIS PASSION FOR THE SPORT TO TAKE NBC鈥橲 OLYMPIC COVERAGE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. 16 YEARS YOUNGER JUSTIN SPRING AND HIS FIVE TEAMMATES PROVED THE WORLD WRONG. THE U.S. MEN鈥橲 GYMNASTICS TEAM OVERCAME MAJOR INJURIES TO WIN THE BRONZE MEDAL IN BEIJING. WHEN HE SAYS NO ONE GAVE THEM A CHANCE. BUT WE JUST COMPETED FREELY FOR EACH OTHER, EXCITED TO BE THERE AND LOOKED UP AT THE SCOREBOARD GOING IN THE LAST EVENT LIKE, OH MAN, WE鈥橰E IN THIS THING. AND THEN WE WALKED AWAY WITH THE BRONZE TEAM MEDAL. IT WAS REALLY COOL. SPRING IS NOW AN ASSISTANT COACH FOR ALABAMA鈥橲 GYMNASTICS TEAM, AND HE GETS THE CHANCE TO ADD TO HIS OLYMPIC LEGACY NEXT MONTH, HE鈥橪L SERVE AS AN NBC ANALYST FOR MEN鈥橲 GYMNASTICS AT THE GAMES IN PARIS. NOW THAT THE GRAVITY OF OF HAVING TO USE MY WORDS TO HELP PEOPLE鈥橲 EXPERIENCE IS, UM, BE FRAMED FOR THE FOR THE WORLD IS, I THINK, A DIFFERENT BURDEN. HOW DID THE FORMER OLYMPIAN AND NATIONAL CHAMPION GET THE GIG? HE AUDITIONED OVER ZOOM WITH HIS OLYMPIC COVERAGE PARTNER, RICH LERNER. HE鈥橲 LIKE, WELCOME BACK TO THE USA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. JUSTIN. WE鈥橵E GOT A REALLY EXCITING DAY TWO OF COMPETITION. I WAS LIKE, IN MY HEAD. I REMEMBER GOING, OH, WE鈥橰E LIKE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW. AND I JUST WASN鈥橳 I WASN鈥橳 READY. UM, BUT APPARENTLY I WAS READY ENOUGH. SPRING CREDITS. HIS ABILITY TO COACH GYMNASTS THROUGH THEIR HIGHS AND LOWS FOR PREPARING HIM TO TELL ATHLETES STORIES TO THE WORLD. AS MUCH AS YOU NEED TO GET STAND UP OUT OF YOUR SEAT, BE LIKE, THAT WAS AMAZING. YOU NEED TO ALSO BE ABLE TO JUST LET THE MOMENT KIND OF BREATHE AND EXIST. AND WHILE HE FEELS BOTH THE U.S. MEN鈥橲 AND WOMEN鈥橲 GYMNASTICS TEAMS HAVE THE TALENT TO MEDAL IN PARIS, HE HOPES HIS PERFORMANCE ON THIS WORLD STAGE MATCHES THEIR EFFORT. I WANT TO DO IT RIGHT. I WANT TO DO IT RIGHT FOR THEM. THEY DESERVE THEIR HARD WORK TO BE DISPLAYED AND HAVE SOMEONE, UM, CONVEY THE EXCITEMENT OF OF THE MOMENT OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT. IT鈥橲 JUST REALLY COOL. GYMNASTICS COMPETITION KICKS OFF IN PARIS ON JULY 27TH, SO WHEN YOU鈥橰E WATCHING THE MEN鈥橲 GYMNASTICS EVENTS RIGHT HERE ON 米兰体育 13, ONE OF THE KEY VOICES YOU鈥橪L HEAR COACHES AT THE CAPSTONE COACH SPRING FLIES TO
Bama gymnastics coach returning to Olympics to offer commentary for NBC
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Updated: 11:14 PM CDT Jun 14, 2024
Sixteen years younger, Justin Spring and his five Olympic teammates proved the world wrong. The U.S. men's gymnastics team overcame major injuries to win the bronze medal when he says no one gave them a chance.鈥淏ut we just competed freely for each other, excited to be there and looked up at the scoreboard going in the last event like, oh man, we're in this thing. And then we walked away with the bronze team. It was really cool,鈥� Spring said.After spending a decade at the University of Illinois, he is now an assistant coach for the University of Alabama's gymnastics team. Next month, he gets the chance to add to his Olympic legacy.Spring is serving as an NBC analyst for men's gymnastics at the Paris Games.鈥淣ow that the gravity of having to use my words to help people's experience be framed for the world is, I think, a different burden,鈥� he said.How did the former Olympian and national champion get the gig?He auditioned over Zoom with his Olympic coverage partner, Rich Lerner.鈥淗e's like, welcome back to the U.S. National Championships. Justin, you've got a really exciting day of competition. I was like, in my head, I remember going, oh, we're like doing this right now. And I just wasn't I wasn't ready, but apparently, I was ready enough,鈥� Spring said.He credits his ability to coach gymnasts through their highs and lows for preparing him to tell athletes' stories to the world. 鈥淎s much as you need to get stand up out of your seat, be like, that was amazing. You need to also be able to just let the moment kind of breath and exist,鈥� Spring said.While he feels both the U.S. men's and women's gymnastics teams have the talent to medal in Paris, he hopes his performance on this world stage matches their effort.鈥淚 want to do right for them. They deserve their hard work to be displayed and have someone convey the excitement of the moment of the Olympic movement. That's just really cool,鈥� Spring said.Spring flies to Paris on July 21, and the gymnastics competition kicks off six days later.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sixteen years younger, Justin Spring and his five Olympic teammates proved the world wrong.
The U.S. men's gymnastics team overcame major injuries to win the bronze medal when he says no one gave them a chance.
鈥淏ut we just competed freely for each other, excited to be there and looked up at the scoreboard going in the last event like, oh man, we're in this thing. And then we walked away with the bronze team. It was really cool,鈥� Spring said.
After spending a decade at the University of Illinois, he is now an assistant coach for the University of Alabama's gymnastics team.
Next month, he gets the chance to add to his Olympic legacy.
Spring is serving as an NBC analyst for men's gymnastics at the Paris Games.
鈥淣ow that the gravity of having to use my words to help people's experience be framed for the world is, I think, a different burden,鈥� he said.
How did the former Olympian and national champion get the gig?
He auditioned over Zoom with his Olympic coverage partner, Rich Lerner.
鈥淗e's like, welcome back to the U.S. National Championships. Justin, you've got a really exciting day of competition. I was like, in my head, I remember going, oh, we're like doing this right now. And I just wasn't I wasn't ready, but apparently, I was ready enough,鈥� Spring said.
He credits his ability to coach gymnasts through their highs and lows for preparing him to tell athletes' stories to the world.
鈥淎s much as you need to get stand up out of your seat, be like, that was amazing. You need to also be able to just let the moment kind of breath and exist,鈥� Spring said.
While he feels both the U.S. men's and women's gymnastics teams have the talent to medal in Paris, he hopes his performance on this world stage matches their effort.
鈥淚 want to do right for them. They deserve their hard work to be displayed and have someone convey the excitement of the moment of the Olympic movement. That's just really cool,鈥� Spring said.
Spring flies to Paris on July 21, and the gymnastics competition kicks off six days later.
