EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State gymnastics head coach Mike Rowe[msuspartans.com] has announced the addition of Whitney Snowden and Brittany Webster to the Spartan coaching staff.
Snowden comes to East Lansing having had most recently been an educational clinician and consultant for the past year. She was a hired by the Pan-American Gymnastics Union to establish and promote the sport of gymnastics in St. Vincent and Grenadines, for a 90-day contract. In addition, she was hired by USA Gymnastics as a vault clinician to educate coaches and athletes on current vaulting techniques.
Snowden was contracted to work with 28 gyms across the United States and was also a master clinician at several collegiate training camps, including Auburn, Georgia, Arkansas and Illinois.
"Whitney is definitely no stranger to elite level gymnastics and the Junior Olympic club scene, with her fortes being that of a strong technician, based on individual and specific skill progressions while paying extreme attention to detail with an enthusiastic, motivational, yet direct coaching style," Rowe said. "This collective knowledge and passion for gymnastics, as well as her competitive drive and eagerness to join our Spartan family, makes Whitney an integral complement to our coaching staff and we are thrilled with the talents she will bring to our program."
For eight years, Snowden served as a head level 8-10 coach at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy, while also serving as an elite coach and the women's technical director. As a head level 8-10 coach, she produced 50-plus individual event and all-around champions at Region 5 Regionals, Eastern Nationals and J.O. National Championships. Snowden also coached athletes to 24 Division I scholarships, including universities in the SEC, ACC, Pac-10, Big Ten, MAC and Ivy League conferences.
As the women's technical director for two years, Snowden supervised and educated support staff at Cincinnati Gymnastics on new techniques to help better the program from recreational to elite gymnastics.
"I am beyond excited for the opportunity to join the Michigan State coaching staff and Spartan family," Snowden said. "I am looking forward to helping the athletes accomplish their individual goals, but also helping the team reach its highest potential! Go Green!"
Webster, a four-year gymnast at Auburn, joins the Spartan gymnastics staff after serving as a head coach and program director at Cypress Pointe Gym in Louisiana. In her three years at Cypress, Webster led multiple athletes to regional and national competitions, while also coaching top 10 regional finishers and top 25 national finishers. Her responsibilities also included organizing training and strength programs and performance improvement plans for each level of the optional and compulsory teams.
"Brittany's desire to break in to the collegiate coaching scene has been no secret as she's paid her dues, yet garnished success both on the competition floor, and in mentoring young gymnasts in the process," Rowe said. "Her success as a DI Gymnast at Auburn where they finished sixth at the 2015 NCAA National Championships helped influence her desire to someday coach at the collegiate level. Her past four years as Head Coach and Program Director at Cypress Point Gymnastics in Louisiana is evidence that she is a competitor and prides herself in soaking up everything there is to know about collegiate gymnastics! What more could we ask for? We are thrilled that Brittany has committed her time and talents to this year's Spartan Gymnastics program and know she will be an essential part of moving us forward."
As a standout gymnast at Auburn from 2011-15, Webster was named to the 2014 All-SEC team and was part of the sixth place team finish at the 2015 NCAA National Gymnastics Championships. In the NCAA Championship semifinals, Webster scored a 9.75 on vault and 9.825 on floor. She was a Scholastic All-American in 2014 and 2015.
"I'm thrilled to be joining the MSU gymnastics staff and so grateful to Mike and everyone at MSU for giving me this opportunity," Webster said. "I can't wait to help the team build on the positive success from last season and support them in their pursuit of excellence. I'm looking forward to getting back into college gymnastics after being a student-athlete myself and I'm eager to see the 'other side' of NCAA gymnastics."
For the past seven summers, Webster has worked as a summer camp coach with Auburn gymnastics. She was responsible for leading groups of 15-plus gymnasts on beam and floor, helping them improve current skills in addition to training with more difficult skills.
Webster also has club coaching experience with Dynasty All-Star Cheer in Louisiana.
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