Stella Umeh's guest appearances

Stella Umeh

GymCastic: The Gymnastics Podcast

Floof with AJ Lamarque

Larry Nassar

Anna Li

Jaime Santos

Aly Raisman

Elizabeth Price

Louis Smith

Shannon Miller

Beth Tweddle

Lisa Mason

Laurie Hernandez

Dave Tilley

Ariana Berlin

Nile Wilson

Steve Butcher

Jessica Bendinger

OwlTail

In this week's episode, AJ chats artistic gymnastics, raising kids and working for Cirque du Soleil with Stella Umeh. Season 2 of Floof is proud to have partnered with the Sydney Fringe Festival to chat with even more interesting people, interesting things and interesting shows as part of their 2022 program.Show DetailsSaturday  Night Stella is on Saturday 17 &amp; Sunday 18 September at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville. Learn more here.   

In this week's episode, AJ chats artistic gymnastics, raising kids and working for Cirque du Soleil with Stella Umeh. Season 2 of Floof is proud to have partnered with the Sydney Fringe Festival to chat with even more interesting people, interesting things and interesting shows as part of their 2022 program. Show Details Saturday  Night Stella is on Saturday 17 &amp; Sunday 18 September at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville. <a href="https://sydneyfringe.com/events/saturday-night-stella/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Learn more here</a>.

Episode 12: Artistic Gymnastics with Stella Umeh

This week Canadian legend, Olympian, World vault finalist, 13-year Cirque du Soliel veteran, entrepreneur and NCAA team champion, Stella Umeh tells her story. Known for her incredible power combined with her dance background helped Stella perform floor routines that ballerinas and jazz dance fans alike sigh with ecstasy. Jessica joined Stella and her 3-month-old daughter, Billie (cue adorable baby gurgles in the background), in November while Stella and her husband, Sam, (head electrician for Cirque's Kurios show) stopped in California.  We discuss: On being an A-typical Canadian gymnast in her era and being labeled as difficult for standing up for herself and doing things her own way: "I work hard, I play hard. I'm responsible because I love what I'm doing, I'm not going to jeopardize it (also because I don't want to get injured).... I would always do the job but because I didn't fit the mold, it looked like I was fooling around or Mickey Mousing or I wasn't taking things seriously. But I don't think you have to completely conform and lose yourself to take something seriously--because if you are meant to do it, and it is your passion, it's going to be serious regardless of who you are or what you look like. You see a person's heart and soul in what they are doing; and that is what people should be looking at."  Injuries and accidents: Crying and developing an eye twitch every single day for a year she performed on Teeter Board in Cirque du Soleil's Mystère because she was terrified of the apparatus. Competing with a sprained neck and back . Competing with labyrinthitis, a condition caused by California-specific seasonal allergies, which led to a broken bone and very scary crashes.   College Culture Shock Moving to LA immediately after the 1994 earthquake when UCLA looked like "Beirut" Not finding the United States to be as multi-cultural as her home in Mississauga, near Toronto, Canada. Getting booed in a college meet. Her opinion of current college difficulty compared to her era in the 90's and how the loss of compulsories effect the current skill level of incoming elite gymnasts.   Being Different Her dance foundation and wanting to be like her famous choreographer sister, Anastasia (Stacy) Umeh Feeling out of place in school and in her upper middle-class gym Being bullied--being chased home from elementary school by rock-throwing girls Gymnastics always being the happy, safe place.   Elite Gymnastics Scoring low domestically Her advice for learning a painful skill, doing it Fashion show, changing leotards for each event, mobster leos Hair fashion when Stella didn't have enough hair for a scrunchy, but the head coach wanted her in one (cue comedy) "I never saw myself as a black athlete. I always come back to, this is what I love to do. I don't really care what my color, my creed, my size, my shape is. This is where I am supposed to be.  If someone wants to sort of, discriminate against me or make things difficult for me because I'm different, then that's their shit. I'm still going to go out and do what I need to do." Dealing with the reputation of being difficult and non-conforming because she stood up for herself and her teammates. For example: The time Stella asked a judge what rumors she has heard about her. The time Stella told off a Canadian judge for giving the Canadians lower scores than the international judges from the window of a taxi, as she took Larissa Libby (née Lowing) to the emergency room!     Artistic Style The story her coach, Alex Bard, loves to tell about the time she refused to dance for him! Her unique style was "not revered in Canada," but it was abroad because being different was an asset. "I was loved internationaly, because in the end of the day, it was just about what I was doing on the floor."   The Barcelona Olympic Games  in 1992 She cried for 30 days after the games because of the emotional investment in the journey and how fast it came and went. Parties, make-out sessions and how she snuck out of her room with the help of the Olympic wrestling team.   Transitioning out of sport for the first time at age 40 Never had an orthopedic surgery due to or during her gymnastics career. Had her first surgery after 13 years as an acrobat with Cirque du Soliel. Thought she wouldn't be able to walk after college. Thought her body would be "decimated."     Advice to her younger self, "Do it your way. Do it the way that feels right and intrinsic to you. Follow that passion. Dream huge and don't let any thing or anyone, including yourself, stand in your way. Because if you believe in what you are doing and you are loving it, you can't go wrong. Whether you place first or last, you can't go wrong."   The Ivory Elephant Group: theivoryelephantgroup.com    Join Club Gym Nerd here to support the show and get free perks in return.  Check out our awesome shirts here. The Essential Gym Nerd Gift Guide      168: Shannon Miller, Belarusgate, NED vs GB 148: Shannon Miller Episode 9: Chellsie Memmel, Swiss Cup &amp; FIG Presidential Proposals Episode 12: Miss Val Part 2 Episode 11: Miss Val Episode 15: Joan Ryan Author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes Episode 17: Growing Up In The Soviet Gymnastics System And Training At Round Lake Episode 22: Beth Tweddle Episode 28: Kristen Maloney Episode 31: Elise Ray Episode 33: Simone Biles &amp; Her Coaches Episode 48: Kyla Ross 61: Katelyn Ohashi Clears The Air 77: Aly Raisman 81: Jenny Hansen 99: Princess Catherine Lyons and Coach Rochelle Douglas 101: Olivia Vivian 137: Lady Lisa Mason

This week Canadian legend, Olympian, World vault finalist, 13-year Cirque du Soliel veteran, entrepreneur and NCAA team champion, Stella Umeh tells her story. Known for her incredible power combined with her dance background helped Stella perform floor routines that ballerinas and jazz dance fans alike sigh with ecstasy. Jessica joined Stella and her 3-month-old daughter, Billie (cue adorable baby gurgles in the background), in November while Stella and her husband, Sam, (head electrician for Cirque's Kurios show) stopped in California.  We discuss: On being an A-typical Canadian gymnast in her era and being labeled as difficult for standing up for herself and doing things her own way: "I work hard, I play hard. I'm responsible because I love what I'm doing, I'm not going to jeopardize it (also because I don't want to get injured).... I would always do the job but because I didn't fit the mold, it looked like I was fooling around or Mickey Mousing or I wasn't taking things seriously. But I don't think you have to completely conform and lose yourself to take something seriously--because if you are meant to do it, and it is your passion, it's going to be serious regardless of who you are or what you look like. You see a person's heart and soul in what they are doing; and that is what people should be looking at." <ul> <li>Injuries and accidents: <ul> <li>Crying and developing an eye twitch every single day for a year she performed on Teeter Board in Cirque du Soleil's Mystère because she was terrified of the apparatus.</li> <li>Competing with a sprained neck and back .</li> <li>Competing with l<a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001054.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">abyrinthitis</a>, a condition caused by California-specific seasonal allergies, which led to a broken bone and very scary crashes.</li> </ul> </li> <li>College Culture Shock <ul> <li>Moving to LA immediately after the 1994 earthquake when UCLA looked like "<a href="http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2057354,00.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beirut</a>"</li> <li>Not finding the United States to be as multi-cultural as her home in Mississauga, near Toronto, Canada.</li> <li>Getting booed in a college meet.</li> <li>Her opinion of current college difficulty compared to her era in the 90's and how the loss of compulsories effect the current skill level of incoming elite gymnasts.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Being Different <ul> <li>Her dance foundation and wanting to be like her famous choreographer sister, <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-stacey-umeh-23352848" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anastasia (Stacy) Umeh</a></li> <li>Feeling out of place in school and in her upper middle-class gym</li> <li>Being bullied--being chased home from elementary school by rock-throwing girls</li> <li>Gymnastics always being the happy, safe place.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Elite Gymnastics <ul> <li>Scoring low domestically</li> <li>Her advice for learning a painful skill, doing it</li> <li>Fashion show, changing leotards for each event, mobster leos</li> <li>Hair fashion when Stella didn't have enough hair for a scrunchy, but the head coach wanted her in one (cue comedy)</li> <li>"I never saw myself as a black athlete. I always come back to, this is what I love to do. I don't really care what my color, my creed, my size, my shape is. This is where I am supposed to be.  If someone wants to sort of, discriminate against me or make things difficult for me because I'm different, then that's their shit. I'm still going to go out and do what I need to do."</li> <li>Dealing with the reputation of being difficult and non-conforming because she stood up for herself and her teammates. For example: <ul> <li>The time Stella asked a judge what rumors she has heard about her.</li> <li>The time Stella told off a Canadian judge for giving the Canadians lower scores than the international judges from the window of a taxi, as she took <a href="http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/w-gym/mtt/larissa_libby_233112.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Larissa Libby</a> (née <a href="http://www.gymn.ca/gymnasticgreats/wag/lowing.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lowing</a>) to the emergency room!</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Artistic Style <ul> <li>The story her coach, <a href="http://www.mississauga.com/sports-story/3138587-gymnastics-coach-is-stepping-down-after-31-years/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alex Bard</a>, loves to tell about the time she refused to dance for him!</li> <li>Her unique style was "not revered in Canada," but it was abroad because being different was an asset. "I was loved internationaly, because in the end of the day, it was just about what I was doing on the floor."</li> </ul> </li> <li>The Barcelona Olympic Games  in 1992 <ul> <li>She cried for 30 days after the games because of the emotional investment in the journey and how fast it came and went.</li> <li>Parties, make-out sessions and how she snuck out of her room with the help of the Olympic wrestling team.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Transitioning out of sport for the first time at age 40 <ul> <li>Never had an orthopedic surgery due to or during her gymnastics career.</li> <li>Had her first surgery after 13 years as an acrobat with Cirque du Soliel.</li> <li>Thought she wouldn't be able to walk after college. Thought her body would be "decimated."</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>Advice to her younger self, "Do it your way. Do it the way that feels right and intrinsic to you. Follow that passion. Dream huge and don't let any thing or anyone, including yourself, stand in your way. Because if you believe in what you are doing and you are loving it, you can't go wrong. Whether you place first or last, you can't go wrong."</li> </ul> <a href="http://gymcastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/GUEST_LINKS.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> The Ivory Elephant Group: <a href="http://www.theivoryelephantgroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">theivoryelephantgroup.com</a> <a href="http://gymcastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/GymCastic-Related-Links.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <a href="http://gymcastic.com/the-essential-gym-nerd-gift-guide/club-gym-nerd-punk-font-small/" rel="attachment wp-att-8053 nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <ul> <li>Join Club Gym Nerd <a href="http://gymcastic.com/club" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> to support the show and get free perks in return. </li> <li>Check out our awesome shirts <a href="http://gymcastic.com/store/#.VkvSaq6rRE4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/the-essential-gym-nerd-gift-guide/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Essential Gym Nerd Gift Guide</a></li> <li></li> </ul> <a href="http://gymcastic.com/the-essential-gym-nerd-gift-guide/cheeseburger/" rel="attachment wp-att-8065 nofollow" target="_blank"></a> <ul> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/168-shannon-miller-belarusgate-ned-vs-gb/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">168: Shannon Miller, Belarusgate, NED vs GB</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/148-shannon-miller/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">148: Shannon Miller</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-9-chellsie-memmel-swiss-cup-fig-presidential-proposals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 9: Chellsie Memmel, Swiss Cup &amp; FIG Presidential Proposals</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-12-miss-val-part-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 12: Miss Val Part 2</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-11-miss-val/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 11: Miss Val</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-15-joan-ryan-author-of-little-girls-in-pretty-boxes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 15: Joan Ryan Author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-17-growing-up-in-the-soviet-gymnastics-system-and-training-at-round-lake/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 17: Growing Up In The Soviet Gymnastics System And Training At Round Lake</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-22-beth-tweddle/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 22: Beth Tweddle</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-28-kristen-maloney/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 28: Kristen Maloney</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-31-elise-ray/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 31: Elise Ray</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-33-simone-biles-her-coaches/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 33: Simone Biles &amp; Her Coaches</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/episode-48-kyla-ross/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 48: Kyla Ross</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/61-katelyn-ohashi-clears-the-air/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">61: Katelyn Ohashi Clears The Air</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/77-aly-raisman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">77: Aly Raisman</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/81-jenny-hansen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">81: Jenny Hansen</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/99-princess-catherine-lyons-and-coach-rochelle-douglas/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">99: Princess Catherine Lyons and Coach Rochelle Douglas</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/101-olivia-vivian/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">101: Olivia Vivian</a></li> <li><a href="http://gymcastic.com/137-lady-lisa-mason/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">137: Lady Lisa Mason</a></li></ul>

177: Stella Umeh