The last few years have been anything but ordinary for Mike Burns as he tries to uphold a century-plus legacy of men’s gymnastics at the University of Minnesota.

This dates back to 2020, when three men’s sports at the University of Minnesota—tennis, indoor track, and gymnastics—were eliminated. For Burns, head coach of the men’s gymnastics team at the U of M from 2005-21, his initial disappointment transformed into action. “I decided to transition to a competitive club program,” he says, “with the understanding that the only way we would ever have a chance of reinstating it is if we maintain a footprint on campus.”

The team now competes through GymACT: the Gymnastics Association of College Teams. Six of the 15 teams, counting Minnesota, were once varsity teams that were dropped by their universities, and the others he calls “united teams,” organized by geographic region.

In spring 2024, after Minnesota captured the GymACT national championship, Burns and his team had to move out of Cooke Hall—their training space since the 1930s—which spurred even more challenges. For a year they trained in three different gyms around the metro area, and kept a connection to the U of M as a Campus Life Program through Recreation and Wellness (RecWell). Then in late June, Burns signed a lease for a  training space in the Midway area of St. Paul, which will be partially funded by creating a recreation and preschool gymnastics instruction program.

Ever the optimist, Burns calls the last few years “a really good experience for me. It has kind of put me out of my comfort zone.” Likewise, he lauds his team for having grit and determination far beyond the physical demands of training. “There’s a huge appreciation for what has had to be done to exist,” Burns says. “And our existence is really strong because of the guys we have on our team and the willingness to do it.”

Which made the 2024 GymACT title that much sweeter. “We bought national championship rings and had a little presentation ceremony,” says Burns. “These guys like representing the University of Minnesota even though they don’t feel like they necessarily have the same notoriety that they had when it was a varsity team. But they like wearing the block M. They like being a part of the Golden Gopher culture.” —RM

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