Back To New Orleans! ’95 Champ John Roethlisberger Looks Back, and Offers His Take On The Competition

3-Time Olympian and NBC analyst John Roethlisberger writes a column in each issue of Inside Gymnastics magazine. With the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships kicking off this week in New Orleans, for our August issue of Inside Gymnastics magazine, we asked John about winning the All-Around title in 1995 (the last time Championships were held in NOLA!) and about starting the new Olympic cycle with a home Olympics beaming on the horizon!

In The Know

Here we go! It’s the first U.S. Championships since we saw Team USA at the Olympics in Paris and for the first time since 1995, we are going back to New Orleans. This brings back fond memories for me as it’s the place where I won my fourth National All-Around title. It obviously is fun to look back on, but it also brings back all the nerves that come along with competing at a National Championship. I recall the outcome of the meet being in question throughout, but when I got through pommel horse with only a couple of events to go, I felt a little more confident that the meet would be mine.

Winning a National All-Around title was always a bucket list item. There’s always something special about being able to say you were the number one gymnast in the country. When I look back sometimes, I honestly wonder if that was really me. It was certainly a special time and one I will never forget.

National Championships aren’t just about the national title, they’re also a stepping stone towards a bigger goal such as the World Championships or Olympic Games. This year, gymnasts will be working towards a spot at individual World Championships this fall in Indonesia. The year after an Olympics always carries a lot of uncertainty, and with it creates opportunity for some athletes that may not have competed at the Olympics, to make their mark on the world stage. Often after the Olympics, there’s some turnover from athletes retiring, and others taking advantage of opportunities outside the gym that keep them from training and competing like they normally would. That’s not just true in the U.S., but worldwide. For some, it’s a chance to land on the world podium and hopefully create some momentum that will carry them to the next Olympics. Who could that be this year?

This year is also important for U.S. gymnasts as it’s the first U.S. Championships on the road to LA 2028, and a rare home country Olympics. I had the opportunity to compete in front of the home crowd in Atlanta in 1996, and for a gymnast there’s really nothing like it. In a sport where there’s often a couple thousand or fewer fans in the stands, we competed in front of 35,000 every night. It was surreal!

Besides the huge crowd there always seems to be some magic about being the home team at an Olympics. In 1984, the U.S. men won team gold and Mary Lou Retton became America’s sweetheart. In 1996, we were all introduced to the Magnificent 7, the women’s team that won the first-ever team gold for the United States. What magic awaits us in LA in 2028? I couldn’t begin to guess, but I guarantee there will be some, and it all starts in New Orleans in August!

For our 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships Senior Women’s Preview, Click Here!

For our 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships Senior Men’s Preview, Click Here!

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