NCAA Gymnastics
Florida freshman Danie Ferris performs on Thursday in the semifinals.
The scent of the Paris Olympic Games is in the air this weekend as thousands are expected at Dickies Arena for the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships’ seemingly annual visit to Fort Worth.
Or is that Tumbling Town?
Seven of the past nine NCAA Championships have been held in Fort Worth, not including the year 2020, which was canceled because of the virus whose name we shall not utter.
No. 1 Oklahoma, its reputation in the sport in a lockbox, was seeking its third consecutive title and sixth in eight years, including four in Fort Worth. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, LSU, Stanford, and Utah were all eyeing to upend the Sooners.
And that happened on Thursday. Utah and Florida were joined by LSU and Cal in advancing to the national championship finals on Saturday. The Utes scored a total of 197.9375 with the Gators trailing behind by -0.175 points with a total of 197.8750 score. Oklahoma suffered from a total of five falls to place third with 196.6625, followed by Alabama with 195.4125.
On Saturday, LSU won the championship. See full team and individual updates here.
Clearly, though, despite Thursday’s outcome and with all its success here, OU likes Fort Worth.
And so do officials with NCAA gymnastics. The current contract with Dickies Arena expires after the end of next year, but by the sounds of it, the seven-member committee who makes the selection favor Fort Worth’s bid to return here in 2026, ’27, and ’28.
“I've competed in most arenas around the country in my playing days and in my coaching days,” says Guard Young, a member of the committee and former All-American and U.S. Olympian in the vault. “And you're hard to find an arena that suits the sport of gymnastics like this arena.”
In the days of yore, the championships were conducted on college campuses. About 10 years ago, coaches got together and decided it best to find a “home” for its championships.
“We wanted some things that universities had a difficult time supplying,” Young says.
They actually began that feeling-out process in Fort Worth, holding the championships at the Fort Worth Convention Center in 2015-16. The event moved to St. Louis for the next two years and returned here in 2019, again at the convention center.
“There's some fond memories of that convention center for me and for many of these coaches here today,” says Young, including big crowds. “We hopped around to some other cities.
“Then Dickies was built. It’s kind of like the ‘Field of Dreams.’ If you build it, they will come.”
Dickies Arena is as much a marvel to Fort Worth as the Hoover Dam was to the American Southwest. Mere weeks after the completion of the NCAA Women’s Championships, Dickies will host the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, which set the stage for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Minneapolis.
The Fort Worth Sports Commission has estimated that that event will result in a $7.4 million economic impact on the city.
Texas Woman’s University is the sponsor school, another key component for the host city, Young says. (It begs the question: Why doesn’t TCU have a women’s gymnastics team? We’ll leave that for another day.)
“They're wonderful partners in this championship, year in and year out,” says Jennifer Mervar, assistant director of championships for the NCAA.
The NCAA is scrutinizing bids as you read. They’ll announce in October where the 2026-28 championships will go.
Tumbling Town would appear to be in the lead.