Jeff Wehrung shifts his base to Pennsylvania to support his teenage daughter pursuing gymnastics
Jeff Wehrung, a 42-year-old college professor and a parent of seven children, is not one to cut down on his annual family budget of $20,000 earmarked for his teenage gymnast daughter, ranked number one at the junior level in the South Dakota region.
Post the Larry Nassar scandal that mired the entire USA Gymnastics administration in a poor light, the Wehrung family has no plans to discourage their 13-year-old Ruthie, who is ranked top eight in the junior division in the USA.
Jeff Wehrung told Sportskeeda during an interaction at the Denver International airport:
“We are cautious after Nassar’s episode. But we will continue to support our daughter for as long as we can. We want Ruthie to earn a national jersey in gymnastics in the near future and we don’t want her to switch over to a different discipline.”
The $20,000 annual budget includes coaching fees and traveling to competitions. Her father mentioned:
“Ruthie is on the fringes and we have to pay for all the expenses. However, whenever she will be on the national team roster, it will enable us to save some funds.”
According to Jeff Wehrung, Nassar’s exploitation no doubt left several parents of young girls in the USA bewildered and shocked like us. The 42-year-old college professor added:
“Nasser's wrongdoings were eye-opening for all of us, but there are good coaches too. We believe the administration will protect the rights of the athletes in future.”
Wehrung believes that the system that allowed Nassar to prevail for a long time will certainly get better in the future. He mentioned:
“As a father, I keep track of what is all happening on and off the field. Believe me, parents will certainly raise their voice if their kids face harassment at the hands of the coaches or officials.”
Wehrung and his wife recently made the decision to shift to Pennsylvania as living in South Dakota was restricting the family from giving their daughter adequate time to pursue gymnastics. Wehrung told Sportskeeda:
“Sometimes my wife gets too busy with household work and it becomes difficult for her to manage Ruthie's sports activities. Since my in-laws and parents are staying in Pennsylvania, it will be a big support to us as they can take care of Ruthie when my wife is busy.”
The last two weeks of July were quite hectic for the family as they were in the process of relocating. He said:
"In South Dakota, my daughter was leading in her age group. However, in Pennsylvania, she will need to work extra hard.”
Jeff Wehrung's firm belief in leading a healthy lifestyle
Jeff Wehrung and his wife Kim didn’t pursue sports seriously either in school or college, but firmly believe in a healthy lifestyle. He asserted:
"I want my children to follow some sort of physical activity that will keep them healthy. Being engaged in physical activities keeps youngsters away from computers and from becoming obese.”
Jeff Wehrung isn't an expert in scouting talent in the field of sports, but being a college professor, he has good observation, which enabled him to take note of Ruthie’s talents when she was growing up. He shared the moment he realized his daughter would be great at gymnastics and said:
"When Ruthie was three years old, she could smoothly do monkey bars and was quick on the ropes in the garden. That was when I thought she would become good at gymnastics. So, we send Ruthie to a local gymnasium hall.”
Initially, Ruthie’s coach was Phil Summers. Later Summers' daughter Lexi Cathcart became her coach. Wehrung’s daughter started winning in her age group competition sanctioned by the USA Gymnastics body.
Jeff Wehrung said:
“He (Summers) was a great coach. He put a lot of emphasis on conditioning so that young athletes don’t get injured. The physical therapist was also part of the coaching staff to keep the athletes fit.”
According to the enthusiastic father, Ruthie devotes roughly 26 hours a week at the gymnasium hall. Speaking about her training schedule, he said:
“There is specific training for three days a week. The youngsters do lots of drills to improve muscle memory.”
The training schedule, Jeff Wehrung mentioned, is planned according to the main competition.
He said:
“From June to August, athletes like Ruthie do a lot of different stuff. Try new skills like double twist.”
Since September, which is the pre-competition season, the focus has been on preparing for the competition. The main competition is from December until March, while nationals are generally conducted in May.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was a challenging situation for the family to continue visiting the gymnasium hall in Dakota.
He recalled:
"It was online classes for me when the pandemic was at its peak. I worked online from the gymnasium hall while my daughter was practicing. The practice was one-on-one and not in a group. It was hard, but fun too.”
Jeff Wehrung off the field
Off the field, the proud father of seven teenage children has a big task on his hands as there is intense rivalry between the siblings. Wehrung’s eldest son is 17, while his youngest daughter is 5 years old. Speaking about the emotional challenge his family faces, he said:
“We spend a major chunk of our income only on Ruthie. So, the other six kids feel jealous, as the mother too has to travel with her to competitions and for practice.”
Recently, one of his sons wanted an expensive computer to pursue painting, and the father wasn’t reluctant to purchase it at all. He said:
“Buying a new computer was a big opportunity for me to tell my kids that we as parents are there to support them all.”
Wehrung on Ruthie adapting to a new environment
Shifting to a new territory will be challenging, but Wehrung is hopeful his courageous daughter will adapt to the new environment.
While the gymnasium hall in Dakota was in the neighborhood, it will be a 30-minute drive from home in Pennsylvania.
Wehrung said:
“Ruthie has joined Central Bucks Gymnastics and Dance in Pennsylvania.”
According to Wehrung, several young girls fade out as they get older as they want to do different things and not stick to one sport in the USA.
He added:
“It’s up to Ruthie to decide how long she wants to continue gymnastics.”
Ruthie has online school and has five more years before she goes to college. Her dad said:
"She had to choose between regular school and gymnastics. She preferred to focus on her sport.”
While other family members went on vacation this summer, Ruthie missed out as she had to practice. Wehrung confessed that although it is "emotionally challenging" for his young daughter and the parents as well, he is glad Ruthie is enjoying her training.