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Former U.S. National Team coach and UCLA gymnast Steve Gerlach returns to UCLA in his fifth season as an assistant coach for the UCLA women's gymnastics team.
In his four years as assistant coach, Gerlach has helped lead UCLA to two NCAA Championships (2000, 2001), three Regional championships (1999-2001) and two Pac-10 titles (1999, 2000).
Gerlach's UCLA athletes have continued their success beyond the collegiate level. His work with Mohini Bhardwaj helped her earn a spot on the 2001 World Championship team after she placed third in the all-around and first on vault at the USA Championships. Also, in 1999, Gerlach served as U.S. head coach at the World University Games, where Bhardwaj and Heidi Moneymaker helped lead the U.S. to a fifth-place finish.
After winning the Pac-8 men's floor exercise title and graduating from UCLA in 1973, Gerlach went into private coaching before settling in as head women's gymnastics coach at Long Beach State from 1977-80. In addition to his collegiate coaching, he was the U.S. Coach at the 1978 Chunichi Cup and World Cup. Gerlach was named U.S. Coach of the Year in 1985 and coached the U.S. at the 1985 Chunichi Cup, 1985 and 1986 American Cups and 1986 World Cup.
Gerlach moved to New Zealand in 1988 to start a business for his wife's private practice in audiology. He was also a part-time gymnastics clinician for the New Zealand Gymnastics Federation.
In his career, Gerlach has coached World Championship team members in 1978, 1981, 1983 and 1985; two 1984 U.S. Olympic team members (Marie Roethlisberger and Lucy Wener) and one 1984 Canadian Olympian (former Bruin Gigi Zosa), not to mention the many World Championship and Olympic competitors he is coaching at UCLA.
Gerlach is married to the former Kirsty Durward, a four-time gymnastics All-American at Long Beach State. The couple have four children, Brandon, Sean, Cameron and Shelby.
