ASU gymnastics coach John Spini is the second-longest tenured head coach in school history. He is in his 28th year as coach and has guided his team to 20 NCAA Championship appearances.
Q: What have you seen in your 28-year tenure as head coach of ASU’s gymnastics team?
A: Well, you know, I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen five athletic directors, three presidents of the school and [I’ve seen] gymnastics change. We went from seven scholarships to 12 in my tenure and watched the equipment change a little. The biggest change is when we were off campus for six years; I saw a recruiting change. It’s hard to recruit kids when you have to transport them off campus, so that really was a huge change.
Q: How did you get started in gymnastics?
A: I was a gymnast myself locally here and I boxed and I did football, [but] I chose gymnastics. I thought it was the easier sport, but then I was wrong. I took a scholarship to go to Odessa College and came out here, and in 1979-1980, I was coaching for the Arizona Twisters, and we had an Olympian and won a national championship. When this job opened, one of the staff members asked me if I would like to apply, and I did, and the rest is history.
Q: What do you do in your spare time outside of gymnastics?
A: I have a couple of beautiful dogs; I like to play with my dogs. I spend some time with my wife. I just enjoy the time I have with my family.
Q: What would you have liked to do if you didn’t choose gymnastics as a career?
A: I like boxing a lot because I have a hard head so when I got hit a lot it worked, but you know I had a lot of choices to do different things. I loved the sports that were more individualized, so I think I probably would have stayed with boxing a little bit more.
Q: What do you think of this year’s squad?
A: This year’s squad is a work in progress. We have seven freshmen, and right now I think this squad needs more confidence, and we need them to believe in themselves. They’re talented enough to compete for a top-12 spot to go to Nationals, but they have to figure it out, and they’re running out of time.
Reach the reporter at kmthomp7@asu.edu.
