For the first 60 years of the program’s 62-year existence, Sacramento State athletes, trainers, and coaches have made the 40-minute round-trip drive to Elevate Gym. That is, until 2024, when it was announced that the team would have its own facility built.

Described by head coach Melissa Genovese as Randy Solorio’s passion project, the former head coach was the major driving factor in the creation of the gym. 

Solorio was the head coach from 2016-2023, but his impact extended far beyond this seven-year tenure. Previously, he was an assistant coach, and after he retired, he stayed close to the team by attending practice and helping broadcast home meets.

“I was Randy’s assistant at the time, so I was alongside him through the whole project, working on planning and configuration, and what were the key things that we needed in that facility,” Genovese said. “Getting it across the finish line after he retired was a big deal. That extra funding to be able to get all the equipment we needed and all the amenities that we wanted for our program was huge.”

The new gym has four high beams, three sets of uneven bars, including one over a foam pit and one over a resi pit, two vaults, a rod floor, and new conditioning equipment, which is only a summary of the new features.

But it’s not just the tangible items that symbolize the value of the facility, but the pride of seeing Sacramento State painted on the walls; the green and gold embellishments, and the ability to have extended training hours.

“[Elevate] was an amazing training facility, but the colors were red, white, and blue, which we are definitely not,” Genovese said. “We had our little poster in the corner, which was great and all that, but it’s brought a whole new level of just excitement and pride in the program, and the day-to-day lives of everyone have just improved because before we had our little window to train, and that was it.”

According to NCAA guidelines, Sacramento State would violate its rules if there were club gymnasts there while the team trained, limiting the availability of the gym. Now, the gymnasts can be more flexible with their training hours and with their school classes. If there’s a conflict, they can practice earlier or later, an opportunity that previously couldn’t be taken advantage of.

Despite the previous lack of resources, one thing that Genovese has emphasized from her time as an athlete and throughout her tenure is culture. It doesn’t matter what the team has access to if the gymnasts can’t work together. 

“Sacramento State gymnastics gave me gymnastics back and the love for the program, and so I am in a very fortunate and humbling position now to be able to give back to the program that gave me so much,” Genovese said. “So, I take the culture piece and how our athletes are treated very seriously, and really foster the love for the sport and foster them as human beings.”

This new facility is further emblematic of a growing interest in gymnastics. For the 2026 NCAA Women’s National Championships final, ABC averaged 1.1 million viewers with a peak of 1.7 million during the final, a new viewership record for the contest.

With all the positive changes taking place, Genovese hopes this will be a catalyst for future success, led by the athletes they have recruited to lead the team. 

“We look for people who love gymnastics, who love doing what they’re doing, who want to compete, who are those people who want to be the one who wants to win it for the team,” Genovese said. “I’m excited to see what this team can do because the chemistry this year, I think, has been the best in many, many years. Very cohesive, very much on the same page, and very real.”

Trending upward over the past six seasons, the Hornets have been moving in the right direction lately. Genovese wants her team to be known for working hard, having good people, and taking both the good and bad from every year to make that next step, brick by brick. 

And having this new gym should help with just that.

“It’s increased our school pride and the overall excitement,” Genovese said. “It’s definitely exciting to be there. I’d say it’s like Disneyland every day.”

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Article by Sofia Boddy