Metroplex Gymnastics: A Gym Built On The Support Of Their Athletes

27 Mar Metroplex Gymnastics: A Gym Built On The Support Of Their Athletes

Posted at 11:36h in 2025 NCAA Headquarters, News & Features by Nate Salsman 0 Comments

By Nate Salsman

Inside Gymnastics Intern

On the Rise

If one thing is true about elite gymnastics, it’s that the home base resides in Texas. From World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA), who trained Olympic Champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin, to World Champion Centre, home of Olympic Champions Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, the amount of gyms in Texas is overwhelming. However, there’s one Texas-based gym who’s beginning to make some noise in the elite world, Metroplex. The facility is run by Marnie Futch who is running a program based on creating both high level gymnasts and building well-rounded, confident people. The club currently features two United States Senior National Team members, Ashlee Sullivan and Zoey Molomo.

“I’m the first one to admit that I’m far from perfect but a growth mindset, selflessness, hard work and a team environment are the ideals I strive for and are what Metroplex Gymnastics is built upon,” Futch said. “I have only a few ground rules in the gym and those are that athletes and coaches alike must bring positive attitudes, solid work ethic, and prioritize the team each and every day. I truly believe that if the energy and effort are correct that the results will take care of themselves. It is hard work to create and maintain a positive and healthy team culture, but at the end of the day it is worth all the effort even when we falter and find ourselves readjusting. I believe in the power of positivity and know that we can work hard and have fun in the process. We work to break up the monotony that is inevitable in gymnastics by incorporating fun traditions and unique challenges. Our focus on the team aspect also helps cultivate healthy relationships between the athletes which makes living the gymnastics life together a lot more enjoyable.”

These ground rules have helped athletes like Sullivan flourish in the Metroplex environment.

“Gosh, I love Marnie,” Sullivan said. “She’s just so great, and it’s just the right coaching style for me, and what I was wanting to finish out the rest of my high school season going into college. She just really prioritizes building a person as well. On Saturdays, she does story time with us, we sit down, she reads a child’s book and explains the meaning behind it, and connects it to something that can translate into gymnastics and even further from gymnastics, like going into the workforce. She just really prioritizes me as a person and sees me more than an athlete.”

Futch’s coaching style is able to instill confidence in her athletes while helping them have fun and feel comfortable while competing. She is also able to assist her athletes with aspects of their life outside of gymnastics. Molomo’s confident and even-keeled approach is instilled by her support system. She thrives in the positive atmosphere and embraces the open communication she has with Futch.

“I’m a communicator. I love communicating, and she’s really easy to talk to,” Molomo said. “If I’m ever struggling, I can text her, call her, come to gym the next day and be like, ‘Hey, can I sit in your office? Can we talk?’ just to figure out the plan. Sometimes at the gym, I’ll go on autopilot and I’ll just shut down, and she’ll ask ‘Are you okay? Do you want to talk?” She definitely gets me. She understands me. I love going along this journey with her, and I’m really excited for more with her. She’s awesome.”

Molomo started working with Futch when she enrolled in preschool classes at Metroplex and became her personal coach when she turned level 7. The two connected easily and have been on an ever growing since.

“Being able to do life with her and weather those storms together for such an extended period of time certainly cemented a unique bond between the two of us,” “I have so much respect for her personal resilience and unwavering support of those around her. Zoey’s positivity and light are as big and bright as her gymnastics and can be felt by everyone around her, thus elevating all of us to another level of joy.”

Unwavering Support

As the 2025 elite season approached, Sullivan was unsure if she wanted to continue doing elite gymnastics or drop to level 10. However, it was the support from Futch that convinced her to give elite another try.

“A big factor was my coach,” Sullivan said. “She’s just fantastic and she just kept reminding me, like, I can if that’s what I truly want [drop to level 10]. But, elite, it’s such an opportunity. I had nothing to lose, you know, going into it, if I did great, you know, great, I can keep going with it. But if not, like, I’m still signed, I can still go to Michigan at the end of the season. I had everything to gain, nothing to lose.”

Sullivan transitioned to metroplex at the beginning of her Junior year of high school. Futch has enjoyed getting to form a relationship with her and show a different side of the sport.

“Our work together focused more on keeping the fire burning not only for the sport itself but for pushing the boundaries of excellence in life,” Futch said. “Her openness to seeing situations in a new light and trying new methods is very impressive. I have a ton of respect for her in that she jumped into a new situation and coaching relationship and fully embraced the change. It has been such a joy to see her learn and refine new training habits and work on the emotional side of gymnastics as hard as she does the physical side. Seeing her confidence and belief in herself grow has been a super special experience for me as a coach.”

Ashlee Sullivan - Metroplex - 25wc608230

Keys to Success

The environment surrounding Metroplex is no stranger to success. Molomo qualified to the Olympic Trials last year, and most recently Sullivan took home the All-Around title at the Winter Cup. Not only do the gymnasts have a great relationship with their coaches, they are able to create incredible bonds with their teammates.

“I love them so so much, and they’re more than teammates,” Sullivan said. “They’re my family and my best friends forever. They’re just so supportive, and the energy that they create, I’ve never felt anything like it before. It’s truly something that’s so special. And you know, every day going into the gym, knowing that I have that energy behind me, even on my tired and sad days, like wanting to go down to 10 and having trouble with gymnastics and everything, they were just always there to support me no matter what.”

While Sullivan was victorious at Winter Cup, no one was cheering for her louder than Molomo.

“It’s so special. I love that girl so much. She came to our gym trying to figure out how we operate. We love to have fun. We get to do cool things. And she was very serious. And I got to crack her open a little bit, break her shell and joke with her. We have so much fun in practice every day. There’s never a dull moment with her and us getting to share the tie on beam, that was so fun. She’s one of my best friends.”

A Different Process

In the elite gymnastics world finding easy-going and calm coaches can sometimes be a rarity. Former Metroplex team member, Katelyn Jong, now a freshman student-athlete at Auburn, acknowledges this unusualness.

“At least in my gym, my coach was very laid back, which is a little bit not typical for an elite coach,” Jong said.

Despite the different procedures, Metroplex has proven training successful gymnasts can come in many different forms. Jong, Molomo and Sullivan are just the first of the pack to break through on the elite world, but we know they will not be the last. Futch has created an environment where her gymnasts are able to set major athletic goals, while enjoying their time training and competing.

“I definitely want to compete more internationally, get on a little bigger stage, have more nerves and see how I can handle it,” Molomo said. “Making National Team again at U.S. Championships would be amazing.”

“The next step this season would be going after those assignments, and then I’ll just go on from there,” Sullivan said. “If I’m in a good spot to continue out, I’ll go to champs, and then if I’m set up good there, hopefully World Championships.”

For Futch, coaching these athletes is her passion, it is her way of giving back to the world on a larger scale and helping shape these athletes into strong adults after gymnastics.

“I really enjoy getting to know my athletes and partnering with them in their gymnastics journeys,” Futch said. “I love that they are individuals and embrace the challenge of really helping them to their goals in a manner that works best for them. I feel fortunate that I can honestly say I coach for the girls and not for individual gains of any kind. I could not possibly say enough about my deep caring and respect for not only Zoey and Ashlee but all of the athletes I have had the privilege to coach. They certainly have helped shape me into the coach I am today and for that I will always be grateful.”

Catch Sullivan continuing to enjoy every moment with Futch by her side, on March 29 at the DTB Mixed Cup.

For the full interviews with Sullivan and Molomo, See InsideGym.com

Look for Nate’s NCAA Notes each week and stay tuned to InsideGym.com and Inside Gymnastics magazine for spotlight features and interviews throughout the 2025 season!

Nate Salsman, Della Fowler, Megan Roth and Christy Sandmaier provide NCAA coverage for Inside Gymnastics.

Photos by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics magazine.