Brian Amato with OSU seniors Brittany Harris, Kelsi Blalock and Hannah Casey. Photo by Scobel Wiggins, Oregon State. 

The latest club coach to transition into the college coaching ranks is Brian Amato. After nearly six years of coaching alongside Kelly Pitzen and Brandy Johnson-Scharpf at Brandy Johnson's Global Gymnastics in Florida, Amato has accepted an assistant coaching position at Oregon State University. 

Amato replaces John Carney, who recently accepted an assistant coach position at Missouri. Carney was one of the best uneven bars coaches in the country, so Amato should be the perfect fit to maintain the Beavers' big reputation on the event.  

Amato was the head uneven bars coach at Brandy Johnson's. He helped coach Aja Monet Sims to a J.O. National title and helped innovate a new skill, now called the Sims in the J.O. Code of Points. The skill is a wieler+comaneci salto, and can be seen in the below video. 

His 2012 team was voted "Gymnastike Level 10 Team of the Year". He will certainly be missed the the club arena, but we welcome Amato into the college coaching world! 

Below is the full press release from Oregon State Athletics. 

To catch up on more recent changes in college coaching position, click here. 


CORVALLIS, Ore. –  Brian Amato, one of the country’s top club coaches on the uneven bars, has joined the Oregon State gymnastics staff, head coach Tanya Chaplin announced on Wednesday.

“I’m extremely pleased to welcome Brian to Beaver Nation and the Oregon State gymnastics program,” Chaplin said. “He is enthusiastic, innovative and a fantastic technician. In addition, his experience working with some of the best talent in the nation gives him a unique perspective in recruiting.”

“I’m honored to join the Oregon State gymnastics program,” Amato said. “The Chaplin’s have done a great job of filling the gym with talent and I can’t wait to get started on helping the program take another step forward. I’m incredibly honored that Tanya and Michael have afforded me this opportunity and I look forward to taking on the challenges presented by collegiate gymnastics.”

Since 2008, Amato has been the head uneven bars coach at Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Fla. where he was responsible for the event specific training plan and its implementation. In addition, he coordinated the development and teaching of advanced skills, combinations and routines. In 2013, his team was the Level 10 Florida state team champions and in 2012 the team was voted the nation Level 10 Team of the Year.

In recent years, Amato’s gymnasts have enjoyed an impressive string of successes. In 2012, Amato coached two Junior Olympic national champions on the bars as well as a JO all-around champion and a runner-up. Three of his gymnasts have earned spots on the JO national team in the last three years and he has helped to place multiple gymnasts on the Elite National Team. Amato has coached three Nastia Liukin Cup qualifiers in the past four years.

In 2011, Amato developed and coached a new JO bar release move – the Sims – that was added to the Junior Olympic Code of Points in 2012.

"I'm very excited to bring my experience developing technically sound and very consistent athletes to college,” Amato said. “With the high level of competency and success the athletes and the Chaplin’s have already established coupled with our continued hard work and focus on improving, I believe the sky is the limit for the OSU gymnastics program in the years to come."

Amato assisted in coaching a three-time silver medalist in the 2006 World Championships and has served on the Region 8 regional training camp master staff from 2008-13. Over the course of 17 years of club coaching he has helped 20 gymnasts go on to receive Division I scholarships.

The addition of Amato fills the coaching vacancy left by John Carney, who recently accepted an assistant coach position at Missouri. Carney coached the Beavers on the bars for the last five seasons.

Brian and his wife, Tori, have two children, Alex and Brooke.