University of Pennsylvania
ACHA M2 • CSCHC
Date: January 12, 2023
Would Recommend
Sorry, no helpful tags here. When my daughter first came to UPenn, John Ceralde was head coach and Kirsten was assistant. When he left and Kirsten was hired within for head coach, things were good: girls went on to win Ivy's and GEC Championships, but then, everything changed. Somehow, winning took precedence over their gymnasts' mental and physical health and she and her assistants seemed to disconnect, for whatever reasons, from the needs of the team. Many girls are injured with their doctor's and p/t's orders being ignored, she doesn't ask how the girls are feeling mentally, physically, emotionally, and seem to be in some bizarro world where the gymnast only matters for their skills and ability to perform for lineup at meets. The gymnast and her whole persona is expendable as long as the team wins. My daughter is in tears at practice from pain, and she is looked straight in the face and ignored. Not my first rodeo here, this coach and her assistant have a total disregard for the ladies on this team. This is not club gymnastics, and these adult, responsible and strong women should be treated with respect. At present, they are not, making for a miserable collegiate athletic experience for quite a few ladies, unfortunately. I feel terrible for them and would not have the fortitude to endure what they are going through. Props to the gymnasts for all their strength-inside and out. No props to this coach and her female assistant coach and athletic trainer. Go to Brown or Yale for gymnastics, or wait until the coaches change.