A few weeks ago, I posted some news about the possible demise of the Cal Berkeley gymnastics programs. More information has come out since then and the gymnastics community needs to take action now before it's too late. As I said before, the loss of Cal would be devastating to collegiate gymnastics and could be the beginning of the end of men's collegiate gymnastics. Majority of the guys on our National and Olympic teams come from the collegiate gymnastics system so if you care about the future of gymnastics in the US, we need your voice. 

Andrew Hampy, a Cal alum, has started a letter writing campaign. He recently posted on article on American Gymnast with instructions for how to get involved. Below are the 3 steps and you can find more information and even some sample letters to help you at calgymnasticsforever.com. Here's a video from the site: 

 

Cal2 from Cal Gymnastics on Vimeo.

 

Step One: Write letter

Please write a letter to the Chancellor with the main points found below in mind. These points are not necessities to your letter, but act as a guideline. Send your letter to the P.O. Box address seen below, which is strongly suggested, or send it via email at calmensgymnastics@gmail.com. To further help you with your letter,download this template.

Here are the main points that can be used for guidance:

  • Strong tradition of Cal Men’s Gymnastics: History of superior graduation rates and academic achievements, 4 NCAA Championships, countless All-Americans, multiple individual NCAA champions , etc.
  • Please note that 2012 would be the 100th anniversary of Cal Men’s Gymnastics & an olympic year.
  • Please use the phrase, “Athletics done right”, to describe our strong tradition at Cal.
  • If applicable, please briefly highlight your own experience at Cal and the impact it has had on your current path in life.
  • If applicable, please briefly highlight your child’s or family member’s experience at Cal and the impact it has had on their life.
  • Please include your thoughts regarding the negative impact the loss of the program will have on men’s gymnastics nation-wide.
  • Prioritize your pride in the program and your desire to secure future opportunities for others.

Step Two: Donations

After much thought and consideration, the Cal Gymnastics Forever Committee has come to a decision on how to best utilize your generous donations. In order to plan for the future, as well as address our immediate problems, we feel that a pledge drive for the 2012 season and beyond will have the greatest impact. Our goal is to present UC Berkeley’s Chancellor and Athletic Director with a stack of pledges that will cut into the annual cost of running the program, which is about $350,000 a year. If you are able to donate, we are asking you to put a pledge (intended donation) at the bottom of your letter of support that says the following:

  • Option 1 I ________________ will pledge $________________ for the 2012 season for Cal Men’s Gymnastics.
  • Option2 I ________________ will pledge ________________ per year for a period of ___________ years to help ensure the future of Cal Men’s Gymnastics.

If you are choosing not to write a letter and would still like to contribute to the pledge drive, please follow this link to submit your pledge.

Just Some quick numbers:

100 donors giving $1000.00 = $100,000 or almost 1/3 of the whole budget for a season.
We will contact you in the future for the actual donation, once our 2012 status is secured.
Our long-term goal is still to set up an endowment but we need this interim solution to try and save our NCAA status.

Step Three: Send Letter

After completing your letter, send it to the following address:

Address to send letter to:
Cal Gymnastics Forever
P.O. Box 1762
Oakland, CA 94604