Missouri head gymnastics coach Shannon Welker found his passion for coaching through his early career of competing in gymnastics. After receiving a scholarship for gymnastics, Welker attended the University of Illinois Chicago, where he was honored All-American in gymnastics.

“I did gymnastics throughout high school and competed in college and loved every minute of it,” Welker said. 

After graduating, Welker ran the St. Louis Gym Centre program located in Webster Groves, to begin his career. His role was to develop young girls’ skills in gymnastics throughout high school and send them off to college with the hopes of having a successful career in gymnastics.

After 10 years of serving in that role, Welker decided to switch age groups and pursue a career as a collegiate-level coach.

In 2008, Welker took his first collegiate coaching job at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Welker worked there for a season, then he took his talents to The University of Michigan, serving as an assistant coach for five years. 

As the opportunity of coaching at the University of Missouri was brought to him from the department of athletics, Welker took the opportunity to apply for the head coach position, which he received in 2013.

“The fortune of getting back to my home state and getting the opportunity to coach in the SEC, I had to take it,” Welker said. 

After Welker made his decision and chose MU as his new home, he was ready to get to work coaching the Tigers. 

What Welker enjoys most about coaching is the developmental aspect of gymnatics — the many different relationships built throughout the experience and the impact he has on numerous student athletes. 

“I think the relationships along with the pride I get seeing their progress athletically are the two things I found I really enjoy and why I continue coaching,” Welker said. 

Welker is inspired by the drive of the athletes he coaches and the transformation he sees in the team, which keeps him eager to continue coaching. Watching the gymnasts maximize their abilities and reach their potential brings Welker the most joy.

“When I see people get the same passion for what they are doing that I did as an athlete, it gets me excited that I can see a transfer of happiness and the progress in the sport,” Welker said. 

However, the pandemic stopped the show for the Tigers. COVID-19 made it challenging for Welker and his team to compete and flourish in their sport. There was very little ability to come together as a team because of the restrictions. Welker turned that negative into a positive and took away a few points from their postponed 2020-21 season.

“We understood what we were up against,” Welker said. “We tried to work harder on our team bonding and make sure we were intentional about what we were trying to do this year.” 

This season, the Tigers are making up for a lot of missed talent from last season. Coming off a season with numerous injuries, Missouri is ready to go into a season without that issue. The Tigers have a few new recruits on the team who are gunning for a spot at the NCAA Championship. 

“We are healthier, number one, and I think our two biggest goals are we want to be top eight in the country to be able to make it to the NCAA Championship, and the other goal is to be in the top half of the SEC,” Welker said.

Welker values teamwork and is dedicated to making his team feel like a family.

“We do a lot of team bonding exercises and a lot of team meetings,” Welker said. “Being proactive and making sure, as a team, we can talk about what we need to be doing and anticipate to avoid those reactive conversations.”

Welker says leading a team can be challenging at times, but he believes he does his best to prove that he is capable of guiding his team in the right direction. Welker said that with the support of his family and coaching staff, him and his team can achieve anything.

“Having my family here really supporting our move back to Missouri is what really got me motivated,” Welker said. “The Tigers really enjoy having me as their coach and they trust me just as much as I trust them.”  

Welker takes on the role of going beyond a coach and pushes his team to the best. Welker says that he believes all the long nights will pay off in the end, as long as the gymnasts work hard and do not quit.

“If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best,” Welker said. “Having the university, being in the SEC, having the training faculty and having the support — those things all allowed us to be competitive.” 
Edited by Riley Gearhart | rgearhart@themaneater.com