University of Minnesota Athletics
Coaching Staff Ready for 2015
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Story by Lexi Diederich
While one has her hands full with a one-year-old son, another has hidden singing and dancing talents. At the same time, the other is nowhere near the indoors, but instead enjoying Minnesotan wildlife by hunting and fishing.
These three may seem different, but all have one thing in common: their passion for Golden Gopher women's gymnastics.
Head coach Jenny Hansen and assistant coaches Geralen Stack-Eaton and Rich Stenger make their official debut as a team in 2015 and are counting down the days. Bringing various levels of experience as former athletes and coaches, the three feel their first season together will be one to remember.
For Hansen, who was named interim head coach in October, the transition from assistant to head coach was only natural. A Wisconsin native and former Gopher gymnast herself, Hansen was already helping coach when she was around 13 or 14-years-old.
"I was one of those kids who just wouldn't get out of the gym," Hansen said with a laugh, reflecting on her youth.
When it came time to choose a college, Hansen ironically planned to attend a school nestled in a warm climate. Minnesota was anything but the tropical atmosphere Hansen was looking for, but she instantly fell in love with her second home.
"I felt the most at home here," Hansen said, referring to Minnesota.
Now, as head coach, Hansen refers to the new title as her dream job finally becoming a reality.
"This is something that I always hoped would happen," Hansen said of her promotion. "I've very excited about the opportunity and upcoming season."
Accompanying Hansen for the upcoming season are Stenger and Stack-Eaton who both come armed with extensive gymnastics backgrounds themselves. Stack-Eaton, a prominent gymnast out of the University of Alabama, felt the same "second home" feeling in Minnesota as Hansen.
"It's a home away from home," Stack-Eaton said of Alabama. "You're not near your family and don't have that support system, but I have the same sense here in Minnesota."
During her dominant career at Alabama, the Pennsylvania native won back-to-back national championship titles with the team in 2011-12. In 2012, Stack-Eaton was also a team captain and named NCAA Division I Gymnast of the Year.
"I still get chills when I think about it," Stack-Eaton said of the championship titles. "Just knowing that a team can come together, work so hard and believe in one another to achieve their goals is really an amazing feeling."
Because Stack-Eaton is not far removed from college, she uses her young age as an advantage. She feels that she can help gymnasts overcome problems they may be feeling in and outside the gym.
"I can remember what it felt like to be in their positions," Stack-Eaton said. "I feel like they can look to me as a mentor and feel comfortable coming to me with any situation."
Since Stack-Eaton considers herself a mentor, she is sure to bring a level of passion inside the gym that only a national champion can.
"I like to push each athlete and I'm intense when I want to be," Stack-Eaton said. "I think that the [athletes] like that and want to push themselves."
Hansen loves the energy that Stack-Eaton and Stenger bring to the gym, because she does not consider herself a loud person.
"I feel like we are really good at balancing each other," Hansen said of her coaching team. "Capitalizing on each person's strengths is important, and I think we've been doing a good job of that so far."
For Stenger, a gymnastics career started in high school to build up his strength. The coaching didn't come until college, when he just happened to be wearing a gymnastics t-shirt at the right time. That day, the right person was looking for a gymnastics coach for Blake High School, and Stenger took a chance.
For two years, Stenger commuted from St. Cloud to Minneapolis every day to coach at Blake High School. From there, the Roseville native found his stride coaching at Roseville High School and local club, Twin City Twisters.
Stenger helped lead Roseville High School to four state championships, and the National Coaches Association took notice. They ranked the team first in the country four times.
Now, at Minnesota, Stenger brings an abundance of technical knowledge to the team. While the physicality of the sport is where his strength lies, Stenger is also extremely focused on getting the team to believe in themselves.
"In the past, I've always learned how to push the right buttons to keep [athletes] motivated to achieve bigger and better things," Stenger said.
For the upcoming season, the three coaches plan to do just that. Bigger and better things are ahead, and it all starts with the ambitious goals that are set.
"We want to be at the national championships," Hansen said. "We know we can do it. We're going to be a really good team and I think people will be surprised at where we start the season."
In order to start and finish strong, Stenger just wants the team to all be on the same page.
"If we can get [the athletes] closer, we can reach those goals," Stenger said. "They just have to believe in themselves."
As the women's gymnastics staff gets ready for a new year and new season, the Golden Gopher passion can be felt all around.
"It was the change that I needed," Stack-Eaton said of her move to Minnesota. "I'm excited to continue this career and see what happens."
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