Tate Costa reflects on invaluable Olympic trials experience

(WCIA) — Tate Costa and Illinois head coach Dan Ribeiro got right back in the gym after the NCAA Championships to focus on the program’s next goal: landing a spot on the Team USA Senior Development team.

“We haven’t had any athletes in the last three years that were able to reach that mark and Tate was the first one that we felt could do that,” said Ribeiro.

The development team works closely with the US National team, providing members and their coaches with a treasure trove of training resources. Costa will also receive funding and access to scoresheets from all his competitors, including those from his trip to the Olympic trials.

“It was really cool; it was a lot different, like a meet on its own,” said Costa, a rising senior and captain for Illinois men’s gymnastics. There were like seven times as many fans as I’ve ever seen at a meet that I competed in, so that was really cool to see that there’s that much support for the sport.”

Ribeiro and Costa hope this sets a new standard for their program, especially in a time of uncertainty for nonrevenue-generating sports.

“That is a scary aspect with the news coming out that some programs might be getting cut,” said Ribeiro, who is entering his third season coaching his alma mater. “It’s definitely something that the guys are a little concerned about but what we’ve been talking about is who we are and how we’ve set ourselves up. These guys truly are and truly do bring the highest value to the University of Illinois.”

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