Chmelka Named Nebraska

[Husker_Power]

Chmelka Named Nebraska Head Men's Gymnastics Coach

Huskers.com

 

Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne announced Wednesday that long-time Cornhusker assistant Chuck Chmelka (pronounced Sha-MILK-a) has been named head coach of the men's gymnastics program.

 

Chmelka succeeds Francis Allen, who retired last week following 40 years as the program's head coach. Chmelka's appointment is pending completion of a successful background check. Osborne also announced that assistant coach Jim Hartung will remain in that role under Chmelka.

 

Chmelka has deep ties to the tradition-rich Nebraska gymnastics program. He has served as an assistant under Allen since 1986 and assisted with three of the Huskers' eight national team championships. Chmelka also competed at Nebraska from 1978 to 1981 and was a member of the Huskers' first three national championship teams - 1979, 1980 and 1981.

 

Chmelka is excited to take over the operation of the Husker program, and hopes to build on the success that Allen has experienced.

 

"I am honored to be named head coach," Chmelka said. "I am ready to work as hard as I possibly can to do the best I can for this program and this team. Jim Hartung and I have already talked, and we are ready to get after this and do the best we can for the future of Nebraska gymnastics. This is a great opportunity, but a challenging one as well. I am very proud to have the chance to have this challenge."

 

Osborne said he expects the Nebraska program to excel under the leadership of Chmelka and Hartung.

 

"We believe that it's important that each of these coaches work closely together to build a strong gymnastics team throughout this next year," Osborne said. "We appreciate their willingness to serve in these capacities and have reason to believe that they will do an outstanding job."

 

Since Chmelka joined the staff in 1986, he has coached Nissen-Emery Award winners Wes Suter (1986) and Tom Schlesinger (1988) and helped Nebraska win eight conference crowns. Chmelka was named the 2007 CGA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year and, most recently, was named a finalist for the 2009 CGA West Region Assistant Coach-of-the-Year award.

 

In addition to his work with the Nebraska program, Chmelka has been the program director and head coach for the Nebraska School of Gymnastics (NSG) boys' team since 1982. Chmelka is married to former Husker gymnast and Lincoln native Kim Grabowski. They have one son, Alex, also an aspiring gymnast.

 

Hartung and Chmelka were teammates for Nebraska, and Hartung went on to one of the most decorated careers for a United States men's gymnast. Hartung was a two-time Olympian and a member of the 1984 U.S. gold medal-winning team. He led Nebraska to its first four NCAA titles and was the Huskers' first Nissen-Emery Award winner in 1982.

 

Hartung joined Allen's Nebraska coaching staff in 2006, and like Chmelka, he was a finalist for the 2009 CGA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year award.

[angelkisses]