PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Since being hired as the new Rutgers gymnastics head coach last month, Umme Salim-Beasley has been focused on laying the foundation, setting expectations and much more. Salim-Beasley is familiar with the program after having worked as an assistant from 2012-15. She spent the last three season leading Temple and rewriting the Owls' record book.
 
Salim-Beasley recently spoke on the transition, the motivation at open gym sessions, the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center and other topics related to the program.
 
On the transition and the determination of the team: "The transition has been really easy as far as me being familiar with the university. I didn't have to take the time to get to know how things functioned because everything is still pretty much in place since the last time I was here three years ago.
 
"One thing I can say that I am so impressed with is the determination and the desire that the current gymnasts on the team that are here training really have. It's wonderful to know that they have a love of the sport and want to be successful in the upcoming season. They're doing a lot of things to prepare themselves for that, which you don't really see during summer training with athletes. Usually athletes want to take time off in the summer and think they can come back in the fall and struggle through, but I think that the motivation level is different because with the staff changes, the environment is fresh and new and has really gotten them thinking differently. It's wonderful to see that they're posting things in our group chat about what they are working on. The motivation is not only for themselves, but for their team moving into the season. That's a determination level that I've never come across with a team. I am just so impressed that they have the desire, the determination and the dedication for what it is they are doing. This will propel them to come in for fall training and get started moving in a positive direction."
 
On the expectations and the goals of the team: "I think that our biggest goal initially starting out is to change the culture and set a new foundation. Any time when a new coach is coming in, the expectation level and the goals end up changing, and our biggest goal is to really get our athletes to understand the purpose behind what it is that we do and the direction that we are trying to take them in. With the planning we put in place, starting out from our eight-hour conditioning block, when we come back in the fall is to get our athletes to trust. To trust not just us as coaches, but to trust in themselves, us and their team members in knowing that there is a purpose behind everything we implement, everything we put in place has a reason. That reason is to build momentum into the season and build the team in to a consistent and confident unit.
 
"Our expectation for this year is to lay that foundation and get our athletes to trust and be confident in and help them to realize what they're capable of doing. I think summer is a great start especially with them having the opportunity to work with me in an open gym setting, learn how I function and how I am as a coach and to understand the way that I'm trying to shape them into just having faith and trusting what they are capable of doing. I think that is the hardest thing with athletes is getting them to believe what they are able to achieve. I think that is something we pride ourselves in. We are going to continue to pump them with positivity and encouragement throughout the entire season so that they can understand the importance of what they are doing and just be really proud of the results and what they are able to accomplish."
 
On the potential at Rutgers: "I think that we are capable of doing so much here, especially being in the Big Ten Conference, one of the power conferences. It is so attractive to recruits to be able to come in and know they are on a really grand platform and the biggest conference within NCAA gymnastics. I think that we have all the pieces in place here within Rutgers Athletics to be able to take those steps and make that leap to be on a platform where we are going to be competitive with every other school in the nation and push the rankings so that we are a consistent regional qualifier and pushing to be a national qualifier. This team is definitely capable, it's just getting to a point where everyone is healthy and able to train at a level where we can get consistent and add more difficulty so we are challenging all the schools we are competing with."
 
On the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center: "I have actually had a lot of experience having to come in and start with a program having a new facility. The biggest piece to that is not only are your athletes having a space where they are able to train safely and having equipment where they are not going to be hindered by what they are trying to achieve. The new gym space will be expansive and safe for the student-athletes, but it's an attractive piece for recruits as well. When they are coming in and seeing that the athletic department is investing resources into a program they know they are going to get the support that they need to be successful because the department is investing in them. It is a huge selling piece when you are looking at one school compared to the other. I think it's going to be a positive change for this program. We have recruits on campus seeing the renderings and drawings of the gym of what it is going to look like and it draws excitement. When they go home and tell their teammates about Rutgers' brand-new facility and how they should go check it out, it really does circulate a lot excitement within the gymnastics community and makes Rutgers a school people want to come and take a look at."
 
On the importance of academics and community service: "I think that all of those things contribute to making a team a whole. I think that academics and athletics are both things that are important. You have to be a strong student to be able to come here and be successful as a student-athlete, not just an athlete. You want to know that you are going to a university where you have an amazing opportunity to have a degree that really stands for something. Me, being a former educator, education is so important to me and to bring in athletes that understand the importance of that and don't just want to come to Rutgers to be an athlete, but want to come in and look towards their future as well. We want athletes to know that they need to be successful in the classroom. With the support of our leadership academy, athletes will know that they have the resources available to them to pursue internships and job opportunities. Being a Rutgers student-athlete, they will be taking every step to be able to look at what comes next after athletics is over. We are always thinking about academic abilities even when they are coming in as high schoolers to visit. We want our student-athletes to come in and know that academics is something that we really strive to be great at. We do want athletes to come in and really take their academics seriously.   
 
"As far as community service, it is something that I am very passionate about. I think that we all should be able to give back to the community and just to put things into perspective knowing that you're giving back and helping people. As a college student-athlete, you are a role model to all of these young students. The community you are outreaching with can know that the Rutgers gymnastics team really does take time to understand the circumstances the people in their community are living with. With my previous teams, we would do a community service event every single month so that our athletes could understand that they are very privileged to be a student-athlete. Their circumstances are not something everyone has an opportunity to experience. Knowing that they are very fortunate brings them down to a level of understanding of how other people live. If we can give back a little bit of what we are receiving, even if it's taking time to speak about our experiences as a student-athlete to children in an elementary school, we are giving back and possibly motivating a future generation. Understanding that the importance of service is also a way of team bonding and team building. Any time that you are doing something outside of the gym together as a unit you are facilitating and fostering that relationship as team members. I think that it is so important that you have those moments of doing things outside of the gym.  It creates a team bond and support system. It gives you the opportunity to get to know your team members in a very genuine way."
 
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