Sticking with his sport
LEXINGTON, Ky. — At age 5, Chad Wiest became a gymnast.
Twenty-seven years later, the 2006 Moniteau graduate is still heavily involved in the sport — and loving it more than ever.
Wiest, 32, is completing his first season as an assistant women’s gymnastic coach at the University of Kentucky. He spent five years as an assistant at the University of Washington before that, helping the GymDawgs qualify for consecutive NCAA Championships, ending a 19-year drought in that regard.
At Kentucky, Wiest coaches the floor exercise and vault. Three Kentucky gymnasts are competing in this week’s NCAA Championships. The team, ranked No. 10 in the nation, had its season ended in the regionals despite posting a record team score of 197.750.
Wiest was team captain as a gymnast at the University of Illinois before embarking upon a coaching career. He was a two-time All-American and Big Ten champion with the Fighting Illini.
“I guess that’s where the idea of becoming a coach started for me,” Wiest said. “I was elected captain by my teammates and that meant the world to me. My experiences at Illinois were unbelievable, some of the best times of my life.
“If I could help other young athletes enjoy similar experiences ... That’s what I wanted to do.”
Wiest began his coaching career as an assistant at Bowling Green in Ohio. He spent three years as an assistant coach at Illinois before moving on to Washington.
“It’s so hard to get a scholarship in gymnastics to begin with,” he said. “The athletes we work with at this level are so dedicated and talented. It’s a pleasure helping them to improve their skills and compete at the national level.”
Getting his introduction to the sport through the Butler Gymnastics Club, Wiest became a state and regional champion through that organization. He placed at the national level before accepting his scholarship to Illinois.
“I found myself never wanting to leave this sport,” he said. “It’s so unique. You’re always chasing perfection. No matter what a gymnast achieves at what level, you can always do better. The desire to do so never goes away.”
While at Washington, Wiest helped the GymDawgs to a No. 8 national ranking and led the team’s floor unit to a No. 4 finish nationally in that event. Serving as recruiting coordinator there, Wiest helped develop three NCAA All-Americans and 17 gymnasts who became all-conference selections.
He is now assisting in recruiting efforts at Kentucky.
“The head coach at Washington, Elise Ray-Statz, and I worked very well together,” Wiest said. “During my fifth year there, she decided to relocate and take another position. The Kentucky opportunity came along and I liked the prospects there.”
The top two teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championships. Kentucky lost out to No. 2 Florida and No. 7 Auburn in an extremely competitive regional this season.
“Our goal was the regional championship and we came up a little bit short,” Wiest said. “We still performed very well. I’m very confident about the prospects of this program moving forward.”
He doesn’t plan leaving collegiate coaching anytime soon.
“Unless you’re chasing the Olympics, college is as far as you can go in gymnastics,” Wiest said. “There are no pro leagues. I’m working with some of the most accomplished gymnasts in the country and I’m loving every minute of it.”
