Rowland 'ready to fly' as Gators' new gymnastics coach; considers Faehn a mentor
Thursday, May 14, 2015 | Football, Gymnastics, Scott Carter
Jenny Rowland -- known as Jenny Ester growing up -- at the 1989 U.S. World Trials.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The search that landed Florida's new gymnastics coach got a boost from the Gators' ex-coach.
When Rhonda Faehn announced last month she was resigning to take a job as senior vice president of USA Gymnastics, UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley consulted with Faehn about potential replacements.
Jenny Rowland was on the list.
“I mean, probably her strongest advocate was Rhonda, who certainly has a lot of credibility with us,” Foley said.
Foley announced Saturday the hiring of Rowland, who has spent the last five years as an assistant and associate head coach at Auburn.
This is the 40-year-old Rowland's first opportunity to run her own program. And it's not just any program. The Gators have won three consecutive national championships to join the sport's elite college programs.
“The thing that excited me the most about her is obviously following a great coach and not being intimidated by that,'' Foley said. “[She] wants to build on Rhonda Faehn's legacy, proud to accept that responsibility and wants to build a great program here.”
Faehn and Rowland are by no means strangers. In the small world of elite-level gymnastics, the two crossed paths regularly in the SEC. However, their friendship dates back to when both were gymnasts instead of gymnastics coaches.
“Rhonda has been a huge impact in my life,'' Rowland said. “She's just a few years older but I remember we were both on the National Team at the same time; I was on the juniors and Rhonda was on the seniors. I've watched her grow up in the national scene and in the collegiate scene starting as an assistant coach at Nebraska and then continuing at Florida.
“She's just been a huge role model, a great mentor to me and I just can't thank her enough for the support and her helping me out through this process.”
Rowland is in transition mode as her two kids finish school in Alabama. She inherits a Florida team that is expected to be in national title contention in her first season with the return of senior All-American Bridget Sloan and a talented supporting cast.
Rowland looks forward to coaching Sloan rather than judge her.
“I have to say I've known Bridget Sloan since she was 12, whether she knows that or not,'' Rowland said. “I've been judging her and following her gymnastics career for quite some time, so I'm very familiar with her gymnastics, with her personality. I've been very fortunate to have been on the floor as a judge while she's a competitor.”
In addition to her past ties to Faehn, Rowland also has Florida ties. Rowland lived in Florida for about five years when she was a young teenager, training in the Largo area. She later moved to Oklahoma and competed in college at Arizona State.
Rowland said her background as an elite-level gymnast can help her connect with Florida's talented roster as she tries to build relationships. She knows what is required to compete and attain success at the sport's top level.
Rowland has now reached the highest level as a coach in college gymnastics. To help her get started at Florida, Rowland will have at least one of Faehn's assistants to make the transition as seamless as possible. Adrian Burde, who has coached vault and tumbling for the Gators since 2011, is staying at UF.
Rowland can't wait to move into the O'Connell Center and lift off.
“It has been a long-term goal for me [to become a head coach],'' she said. “It wasn't until recently that I knew I was ready to take the jump. I have a great mentor who has taught me a lot over the past five years, [head coach] Jeff Graba here at Auburn, and Rhonda has also been a great mentor for me outside of my current situation.
“It was time. I was ready to spread my wings and I'm ready to fly.”
