Suzanne Yoculan

Suzanne Yoculan- Yoculan is the Head Gymnastics coach that has taken our team to 5 straight NCAA National titles. She never thought that she would be a coach, and actually never wanted to be. When we asked her about her process, she said that everything happened by luck. She had the opportunity to own her own private business and also built a private club. One day, someone sent her a resume for the job and acting on instinct, she filled it out and was hired. Unlike Hester, who experienced her most difficult patch of sexism while growing up, Yoculan experienced most her hurdles when she got into the profession of coaching college gymnastics; however, the coaches for gymnastics are pretty evenly mixed between men and women. When she first got here in the 1980’s, she said that her progress was hindered in terms of pay, and just the overall thought that a woman’s place was not in college athletics. In the 80’s and 90’s, she had to fight for women’s rights because she found out that the football and baseball teams were receiving extra benefits. She wanted to make sure whatever was allowed by NCAA for men, she could get for women as well. One of her day to day challenges is fitting in with her colleagues. Guys huddle up with men, and women with women, but from a social standpoint it is definitely stratified; it is more about the sport than the females on the team. She has never felt like she wasn’t respected though, because she continues to win National Championships. Coach Yoculan said there is not any more pressure to succeed, but there is a stigma that the man should be the bread winner of the house. However, the salaries are not as bad as they used to be when she got here. She says that the one thing she truly treasures is the relationships with the girls. She is able to teach them about responsibility and also help them reach their potential athletically and academically. Her biggest advice to any female that wants to be a coach is to make sure you know what you’re getting into in terms of what it takes to become a high level winning coach, and also keeping your family first.