The commencement of another NCAA women’s gymnastics season is almost here. It’s a time of high expectation and improved routines. But for the University of Washington Huskies, the start of competition is overshadowed by a group of long-standing difficulties that could ruin their campaign before it even starts.

According to the Daily UW, the most urgent and serious issue is a shocking number of injuries, which is a direct result of not having enough training facilities. Evanni Roberson, a former All-American, said that injuries were so rampant in earlier seasons that her team often had to use its seventh or eighth alternatives in meets.

Roberson’s teams were tough and yet did well on the national stage, but the present squad did not do as well. They finished 3-15 in 2025, and injuries had a big effect on their play. According to Deputy Athletic Director Kurt Svoboda, the athletic department’s plan to make up for the lack of facilities is to employ “trusted, external, and certified facilities outside of our footprint” to “ensure that student athletes receive full access to training environments that they need.”

In practice, this outsourcing creates a significant logistical burden, requiring lengthy commutes that eat into academic and recovery time, a disadvantage not faced by their better-equipped rivals in the powerhouse Big Ten conference.

The lack of investment is much more obvious in the financial situation. The gymnastics team trains in an old building, but the department constructed a $60 million training center just for basketball. The athletic department is also under a lot of financial stress. Last year, they lost $9.21 million after a period of leadership changes and expensive conference realignment.

In this environment, plans for gymnastics enhancements are always being made. Svoboda said that the team’s needs are looked at once a year, but he also said, “We have no current construction timelines.” This lack of facilities is making a big problem with the talent pipeline worse at a time when NCAA gymnastics is more popular than ever.

Washington Gymnastics is losing its prospects ahead of the NCAA season

Washington Gymnastics has a lot of local fans, but it’s hard for them to get the top gymnasts they need to compete on the NCAA level. Christa Keizer, an enthusiast, said that the recent visit of a star like Jordan Chiles at a UW meet drew a crowd of more than 7,000 people, which shows that there is a clear market interest.

But Keizer says, “There’s not enough investment in the sport on campus, so there’s no elite, high-level names coming to Washington.” Local stars like Mya Lauzon and Anna Roberts choosing better-funded programs at Cal and Stanford, respectively, is proof of this. “Lots of elite athletes who train in Washington state are leaving the state,” Keizer said, pointing out an obvious brain drain that hurts the program’s future.

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Even though there are problems with the system, the organization’s culture is still solid. Former gymnast Amara Cunningham and Roberson are two examples of alumni who talk about the team’s culture and coaching as characteristics that keep dedicated gymnasts coming to Seattle. But as the new season starts, that devotion is being pushed to make up for the sports department’s lack of investment and enthusiasm.

The Huskies are in a tough spot because they have to rely on emotion and hard work to get over problems that are really about priorities and resources.