At first glance, one may assume it was natural for Michigan men’s gymnasts Adam Wooten and Alan Gerdov to be a package deal. The two have taken part in the bond that comes from competing for a school with a storied athletic culture and have ridden that bond from clicking at Wooten’s recruiting trip all the way to Israel to compete at the Maccabiah Games. Listen to them share gymnastics stories, and you’ll hear them laugh through wildly different anecdotes that arrive at the same destination: living loudly and embracing their identities.
Attitude is everything to Gerdov, who wrapped up competing in NCAA after completing his engineering masters program in the spring. In his own words, he “had every role on the team” in his time in Ann Arbor. He now works for Microsoft and is Michigan gymnastics’ self-appointed biggest fan. Go to one of Michigan’s meets, and he’ll be yelling “go blue” for Wooten—one of this year’s team captains and a two-time high bar All-American who somehow also finds time to drum for Joe and the Ruckus.
Initially in different recruiting classes, the duo shared a collegiate debut at 2020’s Windy City Invitational. This was Wooten’s first taste of NCAA competition and one he describes for many as “a big test of where you are…
