'Dying to Ask: The Road to Paris' podcast full episode: Gymnast Riley Loos tumbles toward Paris with Stanford accountability
Stanford alum Riley Loos hopes to put some Cardinal red into the red, white and blue for Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Loos graduated from Stanford in 2023 and has stayed on in Palo Alto to train with his former college team and Stanford head men's gymnastics coach Thom Glielmi.
Nearly half the U.S. Men's National Gymnastics Team has a Stanford connection. The school is known as an unofficial feeder to the National Team. The school has won the last four NCAA Championships. And Glielmi served as the 2020-21 U.S. Men's Gymnastics coach at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Riley was ranked number three on the team after the recent Winter Cup competition. He grew up in El Dorado Hills, California, and has dreamed of being an Olympian since he was a kid. He credits Stanford for supporting his quest.
"Stanford is basically the feeder system to Team USA Men's Gymnastics. We've created this team atmosphere and culture," Riley Loos said. "It's intense but super friendly and brotherly. So we basically have created a culture through the head coach where nothing goes undone and nobody gets away with not doing what has to be done and we lift each other up all the time."
On this Dying to Ask:
- A deep dive into Stanford Gymnastics' culture of tiered accountability and how you can incorporate the concepts into your team.
- Learn how to make people feel comfortable and safe enough that you can call them out when they're not giving their best.
- How male gymnasts feel about the attention and sponsorship opportunities female gymnasts enjoy.
- How a viral video made Riley a big deal on TikTok and how he's monetizing his celebrity to fund his Olympic dream.
Other places to listen
CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
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