Beth Wymer (born October 5, 1972) is a former
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
champion gymnast. While attending the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, she won the NCAA event championship in the
uneven bars
The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...
three consecutive years from 1993–1995 and was a first-team
All-American four times in the uneven bars, twice in the all-around, and once in the balance beam. In 1995, Wymer was named
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Athlete of the Year. She was inducted into the
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs. in 2006.
Youth
A native of
Sylvania, Ohio
Sylvania is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 19,011 at the 2020 census. Sylvania is a suburb of Toledo, and encompassed by Sylvania Township. Its northern border is the southern border of the state of Michigan.
T ...
, Wymer’s parents were both gymnasts, and they introduced her to the sport at age 5.
[ In 1994, Wymer recalled: "My parents put me in gymnastics, actually. I had so much energy and was always bouncing around. I think I was kind of annoying. So they started me in gymnastics to burn off all that energy."][ At age 8, she began to study gymnastics under Yusaku Hijioka at the Sunrise Gymnastics Academy in ]Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
.[ Wymer graduated from Southview High School in 1991 and was one of the most highly-recruited gymnasts in the United States.] Wymer later described her high school regimen as follows:"I would get out of high school at noon, and train. We had to write letters to the superintendent and principal and convince them that this would be a good thing for me. At that time I was elite and competing with the nation's best."
Despite being an elite gymnast, Wymer did not make the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, finishing 26th at the 1988 U.S. nationals. By 1992, the 18-year-old Wymer decided to concentrate on a college career at the University of Michigan. In 1992, Wymer told the Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
of her disappointment:"I probably won't even watch gymnastics during the Olympics. I always wonder how far I could have gotten if I had put 100 percent of my energy into gymnastics. Maybe when I get older, I'll be able to watch."
Wymer recalled that her "mistake" was dividing her high school time between gymnastics, student government, cheerleading and boyfriends. "I wanted to be involved in everything, but I regret that," she said. "I wish I had the mind and body I have today when I was younger. But I have to stop dwelling on the past or I'll drive myself nuts."[
]
University of Michigan
In 1992, the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
women's gymnastics teams was at a low point, having gone 0–13 in the conference in 1989 and 1–10 in 1988. Coach Bev Plocki
Beverly "Bev" Jean Plocki (born Beverly Jean Fry; September 6, 1964) is an American gymnastics coach, and the current coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics team. In 32 years as the head coach at Michigan, her teams have a record of ...
’s conversion of the Michigan gymnastics program received a major boost when she succeeded in recruiting Wymer to Michigan. In recruiting Wymer, Plocki told her: "You can go to one of the three dominant schools (Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, Georgia or Alabama) and be another All-America on their list of All-Americas. Or, you can come to Michigan and be the first All-America."[ Wymer described her decision to attend Michigan as follows:]"I had always loved Michigan, had attended their gymnastics camps since I was 13 years old. Michigan wasn't even on the map as far as gymnastics was concerned. I was recruited by the No. 1 college team, Utah, very heavily. I had some other big schools interested. I went on a recruiting trip at Michigan. Coach Plocki said, 'you will be just one of many at other schools, and here, you'll be the one that puts Michigan on the map. 'I thought, that's a big challenge.'"
Wymer won the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
individual all-around championship all four years at Michigan (1992–1995) and also helped Michigan win the Big Ten team championship all four years.[ Michigan’s women gymnastics team was 116–9 over her four years, and 45–1 in the Big Ten.][ The Wolverines finished ninth in the NCAA championships during Wyme’s sophomore year, fourth in her junior year and second in her senior year.][ She won the NCAA event championship in the ]uneven bars
The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...
three consecutive years from 1993–1995,[ and was selected as a first-team All-American four times in the uneven bars, twice in the all-around, and once in the balance beam.][ Wymer broke U-M records for every individual event and received the first perfect 10 on the vault in school and conference history.] In 1995, Wymer was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year.[ In her gymnastics career, she scored more than ten perfect 10.0’s on three out of the four events.][ Michigan’s coach, ]Bev Plocki
Beverly "Bev" Jean Plocki (born Beverly Jean Fry; September 6, 1964) is an American gymnastics coach, and the current coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics team. In 32 years as the head coach at Michigan, her teams have a record of ...
said of Wymer, "She is the most intense person I have ever met. As an athlete, she obsesses with perfection. She has all the awards, but is still very much a team player. She's like a Baptist minister or something, the way she gets everyone fired up."[
Wymer received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1995 and a Master's Degree in ]kinesiology
Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health ...
in 1996.[
]
Family and post-collegiate career
Since January 2005, Wymer has been counseling clients in nutrition, lifestyle changes and personal training. Wymer has three daughters, Lindsay,Madison,and Coco. She has also worked as a construction estimator.[ In 2006, she became the first woman gymnast to be inducted into the ]University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs. .
Wymer has also published an informational pocket nutritional book.
See also
* University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wymer, Beth
Living people
1974 births
American gymnasts
University of Michigan alumni
People from Sylvania, Ohio
Michigan Wolverines women's gymnasts