Jennifer Annette Ester Rowland (born July 18, 1974) is an American

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

coach and former gymnast. Since 2015, she has been the head coach of the

Florida Gators gymnastics The Florida Gators women's gymnastics team represents the University of Florida in the sport of gymnastics. The team competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gato ...

program, succeeding

Rhonda Faehn Rhonda Faehn (born April 28, 1971) is an American college gymnastics coach and former college and elite gymnast. Faehn was the head coach of the Florida Gators women's gymnastics team of the University ...

in 2015. Previously, she was with the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

and

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the college athletics in the United States , athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to ...

women's gymnastics teams.

Early life and education

Ester was born in

Bedford, Texas Bedford is a city located in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 49,928 at the 2020 United State ...

to Bonnie and George Ester. She was cast in sports drama movie ''

American Anthem ''American Anthem'' is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Albert Magnoli and starring Mitch Gaylord and Janet Jones. The film was produced by Lorimar Motion Pictures and released in North America by Columbia Pictures. Plot Footba ...

'' as Tracy Prescott; a young gymnast. She lived in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

for three months. Ester started attending

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in the fall of 1993 and attended for one academic year. She then transferred to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

and graduated in 1997 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in health and sports sciences.

Career

Gymnastics

Rowland began her gymnastics career at LaFleur's Gymnastics in

Largo, Florida Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, as well as the fourth largest in the Tampa Bay area. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 82,485, up from 77,648 in 2010 United States Census, 2010. Larg ...

under the tutelage of Toni LaFleur. 1987 was her inaugural season as an elite gymnast, placing 13th at U.S. Nationals. In 1988, she moved to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

to train at Gymnastics Country USA under Kristy Krafft. She was the American Classic Champion and was fifth at Nationals. She moved up to senior level in 1989. She took home a bronze medal at the American Classic and was fourth in the all-around at U.S. Nationals. She earned an invitation to the US Worlds Team Trials competition and placed seventh in all-around and was named a reserve. In 1990, she competed at the US Olympic Festival in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

but had a tough competition. Shortly after this competition, she sustained a serious back injury which required her

vertebrae Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...

to be fused. She was sidelined for just under two years. In 1992, she returned to competition but opted not to return to elite gymnastics. She returned to Level 9 and was preparing for collegiate gymnastics. She competed for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. She was a 1993

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

uneven bars The uneven bars or asymmetric bars is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. It is made of a steel frame. The bars are made of fiberglass with wood coating, or less commonly wood. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is UB or ...

and the first ever Sun Devil to earn a perfect 10.0 score on that event.

Coaching

She started coaching competitive club gymnastics at Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

in 1996 while studying at OU. At BCGA, she coached elite gymnast Angela Beam throughout her elite career. Jenny Rowland left Bart Conner's in 2000 after she'd been appointed assistant coach for the

Oklahoma Sooners women's gymnastics The Oklahoma Sooners women's gymnastics team represents the University of Oklahoma in NCAA competition and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Sooners have won nineteen conference championships, 15 NCAA Regional championships, and ...

team. Rowland left the program in 2006 and worked to get her elite brevet judging card. She served as a judge at both the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. On October 5, 2010, Rowland joined the

women's gymnastics program as assistant coach. After two strong seasons with the Tigers, she was promoted to associate head coach. In 2015, she was named

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Co-Assistant Coach of the Year along with colleague Kurt Hettinger. After the 2015 season, Rowland left the Auburn gymnastics program and became the head coach of the

program.

Personal life

In August 1998, Rowland married

gymnast Garon Rowland, an attorney. They have two daughters, Ella and Emmy.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowland, Jenny 1974 births American female artistic gymnasts Florida Gators women's gymnastics coaches Living people People from Bedford, Texas Arizona State Sun Devils women's gymnasts University of Oklahoma alumni Arizona State University alumni American child actresses Oklahoma Sooners women's gymnastics coaches Auburn Tigers women's gymnastics coaches