Jordyn Wieber leaves Arkansas gymnastics: ‘I feel a lot of peace’

On Tuesday, Arkansas gymnastics coach Jordyn Wieber, 30, resigned from his postSeven years after becoming the youngest head coach in NCAA gymnastics history. Her husband, Chris Brooks – an assistant coach since 2019 – was named the next head coach.

A day later, Weber is at his home office in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Brooks is meeting with a recruit on campus, while their 10-month-old daughter, Gigi, is in the living room with Wieber’s mother-in-law. For the first time she can remember, Wieber said she woke up this morning and gymnastics wasn’t the central focus of her life. “It seemed very strange but, since I made the decision, I feel a lot of peace,” she says “I’m looking forward to exploring things I’ve never had the opportunity to explore.”

Exclusively with ESPN, Wieber shared in his own words what led to his decision, the timeline of Brooks being named his successor and what he plans to do next. — Alyssa Roenigke

I want people to understand that I am not leaving coaching to stay at home. I have a lot of respect for stay-at-home moms, but I love to work. I just need more balance.

I was really worried about waking up today with a feeling of emptiness. I didn’t feel it, and I think because I wake up and I see Gigi and it gives me a lot of purpose. But, now I have time to think about my future.

I think this is an important step for me to figure out what else I want to add to my identity as a man without gymnastics as a part of my daily life. I don’t worry about it. I don’t feel fear. I feel so excited. I get to spend more time with Gigi, but I also have other goals and passions and pursuits that I want to dive into that I wouldn’t have time to do if I was still the head coach.

Becoming a mother changes your perspective. I have always wanted to be the woman who can prove that women can do anything. And we can. i was I want to be the best mother possible for my daughter and I want to be a great example for her.

Before I announced my decision, I was worried about the verdict. I worry about what people will think. I want to be the best role model for all women, and especially the young women I coach. I want to show them that whatever it takes for your well-being and your mental health and your family, you can make those choices and they’re not the same for everyone.

Throughout my coaching career, this would pop into my brain, whether or not it was something I saw until I retired. As I went back to work after having Gigi, there was an internal battle between how hard I love to work and how much I love coaching and how the more time I put into it, the less time I had for Gigi. And then the more time I spent with Gigi, the less time I had to work for the program.

I think as athletes — and most women, in general — we never do anything less than 100 percent. I was constantly trying to be the 100 percent best mom I could be and the 100 percent best coach I could be, and it was hard. It is possible. I was handling it the best I could, but it wasn’t easy. Throughout the year, I’ll go in and out of this decision and eventually I put it on the back-burner so I can focus on the moment and be there for the team.

What made it even more difficult was that it was a big family decision. It affected Chris and me. When a head coach leaves, the staff doesn’t always get a guaranteed position on the other side of it. The night before I talked to my boss, Chris looked at me and said, “I want you to be happy. You and Gigi are the two most important things in my life. If that means I can’t coach anymore, I’m fine. We’ll work it out.”

When I met with my boss, (Arkansas athletic director) Hunter (Yurachek), the first thing he said after I told him my decision was, ‘Would Chris be interested in the job? We love the direction you’ve taken the program and he’s been a big part of that.’

I said, “I don’t know. I’ll talk to him.” We were not expecting it.

When I left Hunter’s office, I called Chris and he asked, “How are you? How are you feeling?” He knew I was afraid to walk out of that office and feel like this job that gave me so much belonging and purpose and I would feel a loss. I was nervous about this feeling. But I walked out of his office and felt a weight lift.

I said, “Hunter is interested in you being the next head coach.” Chris was like, “Are you serious?” When I got home later that evening, we talked and talked. Chris never thought he would get this opportunity in his lifetime. We talked through each part of the decision, like, what does this look like for us every day? How is it going to shift our dynamic as a couple? What does it look like for Gigi? What does this mean financially? At the end of the day, I was very excited to have this opportunity for Chris. It will give me time to do some of the things I want to do, career-wise, and keep our support system here in Fayetteville. It really was the best-case scenario for our whole family.

The day we decided all of this, Kyla Ross, who is one of my assistants and also my Olympic teammate, came in and the three of us were standing in the kitchen and we just started laughing. I was like, “Guys, I’ll be sitting in the stands. Isn’t that weird?” We all started to crack up. But I’m also excited because I happen to be the program’s biggest fan.

One of the hardest transitions is going to be learning how to support Chris in his new role. He is an external processor. He loves to talk through everything, and I know he likes to talk through things around the house. I told him, ‘It would be hard for me not to give you my opinion all the time.’ I’m used to making those decisions. It would be hard for me not to give my opinion and let him take over the program and do it his way. If he tried like I did, it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be authentic to Chris. The main encouragement I have given her over the past few days is to be authentically herself.

It was hard to tell the athletes and close that chapter. That was something I dreaded about this decision. I recruited all those athletes to come to Arkansas and one of my favorite things about coaching was being in their lives and being a person they could count on through all the challenges of those transformative four years. It wasn’t just about gymnastics for me. It was about serving people and a support system for those girls.

I start gymnastics at four o’clock. I was in the national team by 11. I retired at 17 and went straight to college, working out with the gymnastics team at UCLA. Then I moved straight into volunteer coaching while managing and coping The collapse of Larry Nassar’s situation And whatever was going on with me and the gymnastics community at the time. Then I jumped into this head coaching position. The intensity is all I’ve ever known.

I’m excited to not be working at that level of intensity all the time. I know that the world has more to offer and that I can learn and grow outside of gymnastics. I’ve never been outside of the gymnastics bubble and I’m excited to find out what’s in store for me outside of that bubble.

I studied psychology at UCLA, and I would like to pursue a career in leadership or organizational development. I am looking at either starting an MBA program or pursuing a master’s degree. I want to continue developing my voice. I love public speaking and giving motivational speeches. I had to put it on hold for the past seven years.

I still want to be involved in the world of gymnastics. I want to work in a TV broadcasting. I think I will have a great perspective, being an athlete and having coached for 10 years. I am open to all possibilities. I just want to continue to serve people and use my voice for good. I feel so peaceful. It felt in my gut that this was the right decision. I am excited about life.