TICKETS FOR THE 2024 GYMNASTICS SEASON AND SINGLE MEET AVAILABLE NOW.
In Utah, Provo… Beginning at 10 a.m. today, tickets for the BYU women’s gymnastics 2024 season are available.
The four home gymnastics meetings are now accepting tickets for the season and individual meets. Tickets are as little as $30. Tickets are on sale now for members of three ticket selection groups. The following is the order of the selection groups:
Members of the Cougar Club 10 a.m.
11 a.m.: Holders of previous season tickets
General public ticket sales begin at 1 p.m.
The Cougars are getting ready to participate at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 5–6, 2024, for the second-annual Super16 gymnastics competition. After the tournament in Vegas, BYU will participate in two consecutive quad meetings at the ESPN Invite (Jan. 13) and the Best of Utah event (Jan. 15) at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the 2024 season, BYU gymnastics will host four home meets. The Cougars’ first home game against West Virginia, a new Big 12 opponent, is scheduled for February 2 at 7 p.m. MST at the Marriott Center.
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Tom Farden, Utah’s gymnastics coach, is placed on administrative leave following allegations of abuse.
Head coach Tom Farden was placed on administrative leave with immediate effect by the school less than a month after Tokyo Olympic alternate Kara Eaker and another gymnast said they had experienced abusive coaching while at Utah.
Utah said in a statement released late on Sunday that the decision is “not related to student-athlete welfare.”
With no other information provided, the statement stated, “This action is in response to Coach Farden’s recent conduct and actions, which simply do not align with our values and expectations.”
In a lengthy Instagram post on October 20, Eaker—who assisted the U.S. women’s team in winning team titles at the 2018 and 2019 world championships—announced her retirement and withdrawal from academia, alleging verbal and emotional abuse as well as a lack of support from the university.
I experienced verbal and emotional abuse for two years when I was a member of the Utah Gymnastics team,” Eaker stated. My emotional, mental, and physical health have all quickly deteriorated as a result. I’m currently seeing a new provider twice a week due to suicidal and self-harming ideation, as well as my inability to take care of myself. I had been seeing a university athletics psychologist for a year and a half.”
Eaker withheld the coach’s identity. Kim Tessen, a former gymnast for the Utah Utes, repeated Eaker’s grievances about the “abusive and toxic environment” at Utah four days later, mentioning Farden in particular.
Tessen, a captain in her final year, remarked, “Absolutely nothing ever justifies abusive behavior.” “Those are not appropriate or healthy coaching methods at all. Your coach should not be making you feel physically unsafe; this is neither normal nor healthy. To the extent that you feel your life is not worth living, you are neither normal or healthy. One can achieve success without enduring degradation and humiliation.
Rather than responding to Eaker’s or Tessen’s accusations, Utah stuck to its original statement following the independent investigator’s finding that Farden had not been abusively coached.
Husch Blackwell concluded that Farden “did not engage in any severe, pervasive or egregious acts of emotional or verbal abuse” in a report that was released in September. Additionally, according to the investigation, he “engaged in any acts of physical abuse, emotional abuse, or harassment as defined by SafeSport Code.”
But Farden did say at least one thing that Husch Blackwell investigators found to be demeaning. Although there were rumors about others, they could not be verified. According to the investigation, Farden “more likely than not threw a stopwatch and a cellular telephone in frustration in the presence of student-athletes.” However, because the events were brief and mild, they weren’t considered abusive.
After joining Utah as a head coach in 2011, Farden became a co-head coach in 2016. Since 2020, he has served as the Utes’ only head coach. While Farden is on leave, Utah announced that associate head coach Carly Dockendorf will serve as the temporary head coach.
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