STANFORD, Calif. - Caleb Rickard, a former Cal men’s gymnastics student-athlete with deep ties to the Cardinal and the Bay Area, has joined Rodgers Family Director of Gymnastics Tabitha Yim's coaching staff as an assistant coach for the upcoming season.
Rickard brings a deep understanding of coaching in both the collegiate and club levels and knowledge of both men’s and women’s gymnastics to the rising Stanford program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Caleb to the Stanford Women’s Gymnastics family,” noted Yim. “Caleb’s passion for NCAA gymnastics, along with his experience as a student-athlete and technical expertise, will be a tremendous asset to our team. His thoughtful approach and calm demeanor will be a perfect complement to our staff, and we look forward to the positive impact he will bring to our program.”
Rickard joins the Cardinal after two years as the Head Coach and program manager of Stanford Boys Gymnastics (SBG), a club program located on Stanford’s campus. During his time at the helm of the SBG program , he coached proper gymnastics technique and fundamental skills to gymnasts from levels three to 10 while managing the daily operations of the club and expanding the recreational and competitive programs.
Concurrent with his time with SBG, Rickard spent the 2023 season with the Stanford Men’s Gymnastics program as a volunteer assistant coach. He was responsible for assisting the coaching staff in developing student-athletes’ gymnastics skills and techniques at both the collegiate and international levels while implementing the training plan set forth by head coach Thom Glielmi. The Cardinal won its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship while Rickard was on staff.
Rickard also brings coaching experience as the Developmental Team Coach at both the Head Over Heels Athletic Arts Club and Sokol Gymnastics Academy. At both clubs, Rickard gained experience in the women’s gymnastics field, coaching proper technique to Head Over Heels’ athletes from levels four through elite and Sokol’s athletes ages eight to 18.
Rickard not only has coaching experience at the elite, club, and collegiate levels, but has an established background as a collegiate athlete at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a member of California’s Men’s Gymnastics team from 2018-2022, acting as team captain during the 2020-2022 seasons. In 2021, Rickard was named an NCAA All-American for his school-record mark of 14.666 on vault at the NCAA Championships. After graduating in May of 2022, the Chino Hills, Calif. native spent three months as the Golden Bears’ volunteer assistant coach, continuing his leadership from his collegiate athletic career.
“I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Stanford Women’s Gymnastics coaching staff,” said Rickard. “The opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious program, work with top scholar athletes, and join a group of esteemed coaches is truly inspiring. Coming off an amazing 2024 season, I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s continued success this upcoming year and beyond. Go Card!”