HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MINNESOTA MEN’S GYMNASTICS
2026 rolls in with tons of anticipation and excitement about another great season for the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics Team. It’s been a crazy 2025 with all the traveling and rebuilding we’ve had to go through to get to the point we’re at right now. However, the guys have been training hard and thrilled about being in their new home at Foundation Gymnastics. They are ready to get the 2026 season underway in an effort to show the gymnastics world what perseverance can produce!
We’ll be getting our training underway shortly after a break following the end of fall
semester. Our first order of business will be gearing up for our second Intrasquad meet to be held on Saturday, January 10 at 2:00 pm at Foundation Gymnastics located at 655 Fairview Ave N in St Paul.
We had a great turnout at the December 6th Maroon & Gold Intrasquad where the Gold Team defeated the Maroon Team by a score of 300.15 to 296.65.
To have two full teams that both posted team scores above 295 this early in the season is a great sign of what’s to come this year.
Ben Letvin won the All Around with a fantastic performance, scoring a 78.30. ‘Ben had an awesome day,’ said coach Burns. ‘He’s been on schedule with his preparation and it showed today!’ Ben also notched three individual event titles, posting top scores on Floor Exercise (13.70), Pommel Horse (12.80), and Vault (14.70).
Freshman KJ Richardson took second in the All Around with an impressive 73.95 with two event titles - still rings (12.5) and parallel bars (12.8). Junior Jack Gagamov finished in 3rd with an equally impressive 72.65.
KICKING OFF THE 2026 SEASON
Ben Letvin will be competing at the West Point Open on Friday, January 16 in an effort to qualify to the 2026 Winter Cup. The rest of the team will be competing at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago on Saturday January 17 at which point we’ll be off to the races with a brand new season.
West Point Open Information
The West Point Open will be held at the Holleder Center on the campus of West Point Military Academy. The address is 714 Fenton Pl West Point, NY 10996. The competition will begin on Friday, January 16th at 7:00 pm local time. More information about the competition can be found at http://www.westpointopen.com/.
Windy City Invitational Information
The Windy City Invitational will be held at The Navy Pier, located at 600 E. Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611. The meet will take place in Festival Hall, Gym C. The competition will begin at 7:00 pm CT with doors opening at 6:00 pm for spectators. Other teams competing include Iowa, Indy-Hio, Northern Illinois, Florida Storm, & Wisconsin. It should be an awesome meet and Minnesota will be fielding two teams at the Windy City.
Tickets may be purchased ahead of time here: https://wcigymnastics.ticketspice.com/windy-city-invitational-2026 Tickets must be purchased ahead of time.
Parent Information can be found here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b96ff01a2772c2b942c8f42/t/694a00547fc60f54973dbd67/1766457428552/Parent+Info+2026.pdf
Hope any Gopher Gymnastics alumni or family members or fans who are in the areas of these two meets can show up and support all these guys as they kick off the 2026 Season!!
FOUNDATION GYMNASTICS SLOWLY INCREASING ENROLLMENT
Our Preschool and Rec Programs are slowly but surely seeing more and more kids in the local vicinity signing up for classes. It’s been slow but steady and all the kids who are currently enrolled are having a great time in class, and learning the basics of gymnastics from members of the team who are part of the coaching staff. Thanks to all who are making Foundation Gymnastics a destination for kids in St Paul. Information on our program can be found on the Foundation Gymnastics website: www.foundationgym.org
STICK THE DISMOUNT FUNDRAISER
The annual Stick the Dismount campaign was launched last month. This campaign has gone on for almost 20 years, bringing in thousands of dollars for the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics Program.
The way it works is participants can pledge a dollar amount per Stuck Dismount through the year. Last year we had a total of 103 stuck dismounts so that’s a number you can use to gauge your potential pledge. So, if you pledged $2 per stick and we stick 103 dismounts again, you’d be donating $206 at the end of the season.
Here’s a link to the STUCK DISMOUNT PLEDGE GOOGLE FORM:
https://STICK THE DISMOUNT CAMPAIGN
You can also cap your pledge or make a one-time donation on behalf of the Stick The Dismount campaign. This is a great way to follow the team throughout the season and provide support based on their level of success.
We had 15 Stuck Dismounts at the Maroon & Gold Meet so we’re on the move and we saw a nice number of sticks in that meet. Hopefully the team will continue to fight for those landings and continue to bring in funding for the program.
Donations to the program are always greatly appreciated and can be made through our website: www.minnesotagymnastics.org.
FALL SEMESTER TEAM FUNDRAISERS
The team did three Team Fundraisers this Fall to the tune of $10,000 raised for the program.
Turkey Tumble Meet put on by North Shore Gymnastics Association, 11/21-11/23
North Shore Kickoff Meet hosted by North Shore Gymnastics. We rented out our equipment, and the team tore down the equipment on December 7th
USAG Girl’s State Meet hosted by Mini Hops Gymanstics, December 11-14
MINNESOTA MEN’S GYMNASTICS AND FOUNDATION GYMNASTICS IN THE NEWS
ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS ARTICLE ON OUR NEW SPACE
The St. Paul Pioneer Press did a nice article on us back in December: https://www.twincities.com/2025/12/14/umn-mens-gymnastics-club-st-paul/
MPR INTERVIEW
MPR News did a great interview with Coach Burns and a few guys on the team: