Finding Balance – Olympic silver medalist, commentator and entrepreneur Samantha Peszek inspires

By Christy Sandmaier

The 2024 Paris Olympics were the culmination of lifelong dreams for thousands of athletes. But if you tuned in to NBC’s primetime gymnastics coverage, you heard someone else achieving their dream, not on the competition floor, but in the broadcast booth, sixteen years after her own Olympic triumph. The expert analysis and female perspective on the competition was from 2008 Olympic team silver medalist and NCAA champion, Samantha Peszek.

An entrepreneur, business owner, and advocate for women at all levels of the sport, from Antwerp to the City of Light and everywhere in between, Peszek is coming off the busiest year of her life. And she wouldn’t trade a thing. One look at her Instagram, and you’ll see that “life lately” has been good.

Peszek always knew she wanted to pursue a career in sports broadcasting and was working towards that goal when she arrived in Westwood as a freshman. As a UCLA Bruin, she was a 17-time All-American, and captured the 2015 NCAA All-Around crown and 2011 NCAA balance beam championship. But an athlete’s career doesn’t last forever, and Peszek had already started to build the foundation for her next chapter before she put on a Bruins leo. 

An untimely injury, which left her out of the 2013 NCAA season, helped launch what would ultimately become her dream job. “The year I tore my Achilles at UCLA, I remember having a conversation with Miss Val (former UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos-Field), and her asking me what I wanted to do with my life. I told her I wanted to be a sports broadcaster and she asked me, ‘Since you’re injured this year, what can you do to maybe take the first step in getting experience?’”

Out of that early conversation came Bruin Banter, a fun-loving, dynamic and in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the Bruins throughout the season, something Peszek remains super proud of. “It’s so cool that it has evolved into something way cooler than where it started,” she said. “It’s been really special for me to watch it take different shapes over the years.”

What came next was a whirlwind right to the front lines. Her goals set, Peszek put herself out there ready to tackle the road ahead. It was a transition that proved challenging at times, and much like her experience as an athlete, Peszek took each step as an opportunity to improve and grow her skillset.

“After I graduated, I flew up to San Francisco and asked for a meeting at the Pac-12 Networks. I remember creating a 20-page deck of new ideas I had, different features, and what I thought I could bring to the table. I didn’t even get through the first slide. She basically said, ‘We needed somebody anyway, and you’re in.’”

Peszek found out quickly exactly how much she didn’t know.

Primetime

Early on, Peszek learned to push herself way out of her comfort zone and steel herself for critiques in order to ensure she’d have the tools to be her best in what she calls a sink or swim industry. She also acknowledges for a gymnast, broadcasting is a path that proves maybe even a little more difficult at times. 

“I think it’s a really hard career for gymnasts in particular, because we’re such perfectionists,” she said. “You practice your routines all day, every day. In sports, in gymnastics, you really don’t practice things off the cuff. I actually hired a broadcasting coach and he would be really harsh with me and watch the tapes and offer feedback. It was probably one of the most formative things that I did early on to push myself as a broadcaster.”

While many might see sports commentary as a traditionally male-dominated field, Peszek said working in artistic gymnastics, she hasn’t felt the impact of that history the way women commentating other sports might. “Maybe because I’m commenting on female sports, it’s a bit different. I did do sideline for football, and it had a different vibe and attitude. I know that exists. I’ve never felt handicapped by my gender, and I’m willing to bet that none of my friends have either. But then, I think of that and know we’ve all done sports at a high level. Maybe there’s this perception that I want to be the best. I don’t want to be given anything because I’m a female, I want to earn it.”

During COVID, Peszek’s plans with the Pac-12 had to be put on hold, opening the door for her to accept opportunities with ESPN and eventually, jump on the fast track with NBC for the 2022 World Championships. Peszek found the work ethic she’d developed in the gym translated well to the hours and hours of preparation needed for a live broadcast. The parallels became apparent quickly. 

“It’s a career that’s fun because you can always learn more and you’re never going to have a perfect show, but you still get this adrenaline rush,” she said. “You’re performing and you’re showing off your hard work. More importantly, you’re showing off the work of something that you appreciate so much. And for me, educating new people about the sport of gymnastics is really cool.

“My normal process is putting verbatim interview notes, everything in a 20 to 30-page document. For college, I’ve got it dialed down on how I like my notes. It’s a bit easier because there’s only a certain number of people that are probably going to compete in each event, we get lineups ahead of time, and shows are faster. Whereas, NBC, there’s just so much and most of the focus is on Team USA. It’s unique to just focus on five girls. [For the Olympics] not knowing how I liked my notes – all summer I was trying to do it a different way each time just to see how I liked it best. Even until the last moment, I’m highlighting and editing.

“To put it in gymnastics terms, those notes are my grips. I could not do a broadcast without them!”

Peszek is also quick to credit the camaraderie among the team at NBC to her success and enjoyment of her job, especially when it came time for the Olympic year grind. Her rapport with John Roethlisberger in particular, has also been key to her growth as a commentator. The Peszek – Roethlisberger pairing has been a positive one, and Peszek notes their communication with each other helps under the pressure, whether it’s debriefing the show, working on setups, or getting feedback.

“John and I are just so easy and great [about saying], ‘Oh, you had such a great comment,’ or, ‘That was really funny that you said that, or that landed.’ Having that team camaraderie helps me figure out, just in a non-judgmental way, what went well and what I can do better. It’s been great.”

Just like gymnastics, different styles appeal to different audiences. Peszek works hard to ensure her preparation and intention with the broadcast comes across to the best of her ability each time, no matter the circumstances.

“It’s an industry that is subjective. One person can love your style and one person can hate your style. Something that’s helped me is knowing that I’ve done everything I can to prepare and have good intentions with what I’m saying.”

Being in the booth means Peszek is sometimes reliving her own gymnastics experience while on air. After her own ankle injury she suffered just before Qualifications in Beijing, watching Shilese Jones and Kayla DiCello withdraw due to injuries on Day 1 of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Olympic Trials quickly became the hardest broadcast she’s ever done.     

“The first five minutes of the show was the most gut-wrenching. It’s one thing to get emotional for an athlete and have happy tears – people can hear that in your voice because it’s authentic and you’re excited for them. It’s way harder in those moments where you’re so devastated for these girls. I know what they’re going through. It happened to me at the most critical moment. You have to really try to separate what’s happening from the words that are coming out of your mouth, but also seem like a real person.”

Beam Queen

Beyond the broadcasting booth, Peszek is devoted to giving back to the sport and making a positive impact. With the launch and fast-growing success of her Beam Queen Bootcamp (BQBC), a unique training program designed to empower young female athletes by building confidence and leadership skills, she’s found her greatest passion. 

Sparked by her own experiences, Peszek created BQBC to give gymnasts the tools to conquer the mental side of training and competing on beam, something she struggled with early in her career. “If I could help one gymnast that’s struggling with fear the way I did at a younger age, having that would have totally transformed my whole gymnastics experience,” she said. “Once I did get confident on beam, I felt like I gained confidence in all the events. I gained confidence outside of the gym. I felt like it’s the event that’s the most synonymous with life. For me, Beam Queen is a perfect segue of teaching life skills through sports.”

The program continues to grow rapidly with the launch of a new app and live digital events to help bridge the communication gap that can exist between gymnasts, coaches, and parents. Peszek cherishes the moments she hears how BQBC has transformed an athlete’s confidence into new, positive levels. “The first couple that we did, I got emails from parents six months later saying, ‘My daughter is finally competing well on beam.’ I just started getting these little emails where I was seeing where we’re making a difference. It’s one thing to want to make an impact, but to know that it’s a lasting impact with these kids, it’s just really special.”

Being the Balance

With so much accomplished and so much ahead, Peszek is focused on balance in 2025. She’s inspired by what she sees in the sport with women not only staying in longer, but competing and succeeding, and notes that the sport has definitely evolved in a number of ways since her time as both an elite and student-athlete.

“I think Simone Biles showing that it’s possible is a big one. I think that the National Team individuality of training plans is another. That just wasn’t acceptable in our time – it allows individual coaches to be more mindful and intentional with training plans because they see their gymnast every day. They obviously got them to that point, so they should know best. And then I also think the third one is NIL.”

Ultimately, Peszek’s own goal is to continue to pursue ways to make the sport fun, on and off the beam.

“I love what I do so much. I love broadcasting. I love Beam Queen. It’s not only a career, it’s something that I love doing with people I love. But, I think my next step is figuring out how to do all of the career endeavors I want to do at a smaller scale to have a little bit more balance in my life. There’s so much room to grow with Beam Queen, and I’m excited about the new digital component of that to reach more gymnasts and a bigger community. When it comes to broadcasting, if I never commentate another meet in my life, I’m so grateful for the opportunities.”

Full circle, it’s her inner circle that keeps her grounded.

“I have such great people around me all the time. My parents have been so supportive along the way. And my mom, obviously, has been in the sport a long time and knows the ins and outs, and she’s always a great sounding board. Miss Val was so instrumental when I was finding my footing in a difficult career path. But I think in addition to the mentors, I most value my friends that are in the sport. Jordyn Wieber and I are still very close. Bridget Sloan is in broadcasting. Alicia (Sacramone) is in broadcasting. I’m just lucky to have lots of different people that are still involved at a high level to celebrate with and give me the pep talks when I need it.

“I hope that I just continue to make everybody proud. And the gymnasts proud. What’s next is hopefully be able to continue to do what I love, which is balancing broadcasting and Beam Queen.”

For more on Samantha Peszek, see the December issue of Inside Gymnastics magazine!

For more on Beam Queen Bootcamp, Click Here!

Lead photo: Katie Meyers Daily Bruin

Additional photos courtesy of Samantha Peszek and UCLA