What is the GymACT?
The Gymnastics Association of College Teams is a quickly growing organization dedicated to the expansion of college men’s gymnastics. The GymACT provides an opportunity for athletes to compete at a high level as an alternative to the NCAA programs. Although they mostly compete against each other, occasionally GymACT teams will compete against NCAA teams. Currently, 200 college gymnasts compete within GymACT. With this years addition of the Indy-Hio Hyenas, there are now 16 teams in the GymACT. [1]
Each team in the gym act is a self funded and associated with a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Given this, fundraising is tremendously important to the success of each program. Each team and its athletes work extremely hard both in and out of the gym for the opportunity to continue college gymnastics. Furthermore, the GymACT defines some requirements to be a team in the organization. The team must have a “dedicated coach”. Likewise, the team needs to have a goal to compete at the GymACT National Championships. The organization also requires teams to compete using a modified NCAA ruleset and be ranked on the Road To Nationals.
GymACT has more flexible eligibility rules than the NCAA. All college age students are eligible to compete and there is no “eligibility clock”. [2] This allows students to continue competing for more than four years as long as they are pursuing a college degree. Check out our article for more information about how the GymACT fits into the college men’s gymnastics landscape.
Different Types of Teams
Because the GymACT does not have the same rules and obligations as the NCAA, teams have more freedom to how they self organize. On-campus, school affiliated teams train on campus usually associated with the schools recreation department. An example of this would be Temple. Similarly, an off-campus and school affiliated program would be the same except they train at a facility away from the school, like Minnesota. Finally, United teams, such as the Florida Storm, allow gymnasts from colleges in a region to compete together and are not affiliated with a single school.[3]
Competition Season
Athletes compete to earn team and individual titles at conference championships and the GymACT National championship. Teams split into two different conferences, the East and the West. This past year, the GymACT held conference championships in conjunction with USAG Dev Program Eastern and Western Nationals.
| GymACT West | GymACT East |
|---|---|
| Arizona State Washington Men’s Gymnastics Rocky Mountain Mavericks Kansas City United Bay Area Bandits SC United & Texas Armadillos | Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics New York Alliance Temple University Iowa GymACT NIU, Georgia United Florida Storm UIC Indy-Hio Hyenas |
GymACT Nationals is also held in conjunction with Dev Program Nationals. In 2024, the competition split into two divisions. The bottom two teams from each conference competed in a 3 up 3 count format to determine the Commissioner’s Cup winner. The top five teams from each conference competed in a 5 up 4 count format to determine the National Team Title.[1] If you would like to rewatch the competition, you can access the recorded stream of GymACT Nationals on Youtube.
GymACT Ruleset
Most simply, the GymACT follows a modified version of NCAA rules. Team scoring is 5 up 4 count format, with exhibition routines allowed. In addition, all teams qualify to the National Championship as long as they compete at their respective conference championship. Routines also count 8 skills towards difficulty as well.
More nuanced rule changes includes a stick bonus that scales with the value of a skill. For example, a stuck ‘B’ value dismount results in 0.1 bonus and a stuck ‘C’ gains 0.2 bonus continuing in that manner. However, a stuck ‘A’ gets no bonus. Likewise, a routine gains full dismount value at ‘C’ value and up. Also, there is a special element bonus awarded to crosses and C value strength elements on Rings. For a full description of changes, please check out the GymACT Rules Modifications Summary.
Differences between GymACT & NCAA
Outlined in USAG’s description of college men’s gymnastics pathways here are some differences between the GymACT and NCAA:
| GymACT | NCAA |
|---|---|
| – Self-Funded – $10,000-$300,000 Budget – No Scholarships – Greater eligibility – Limited doctor and trainer access – Most teams cover gear, uniforms, and equipment at personal or team expense. Travel covered at personal or team expense | – School-Funded – $150,000-$1,500,000 Budget – Scholarships – 4 Year eligibility – Access to full time doctors and trainers Receive gear, uniforms, and personal equipment. School fully covers travel |
Recruitment for Prospective Athletes
If you are an athlete looking to continue men’s gymnastics in college, please check out the GymACT Teams Page. Information and contacts for each team are provided on the page.
In addition, GymACT runs a College Bound Camp over the summer. Beyond training in a high quality environment, athletes can connect with the coaches from each program and learn more about the opportunities each team provides.
How YOU Can Help Grow College Men’s Gymnastics
Because the organization and its teams are self-funded, please consider donating to help the GymACT grow college men’s gymnastics. You can find a link to the GymACT donations page here. Likewise, each team has a page for you to donate to if there is a specific program you would like to support.
- Burns, Mike. “Nationals.” GymACT, 2024, www.gymact.org/nationals.
- “GYMACT • USA Gymnastics.” USA Gymnastics, 28 Apr. 2023, usagym.org/men/pathways/gymact/.
- 2023-2024 GymACT New Programs Manual, GymACT, www.gymact.org/_files/ugd/4b3add_47d45fdbaae6403bb152c9a1a7a0d9e0.pdf?index=true. Accessed 25 Aug. 2024.