June 22, 1954 – Sept 28, 2025
9/28/25
Wildfire has sad news regarding longtime coach Tom Wakeling. Sunday September 28th Tom passed away peacefully in San Juan Capistrano. Tom has been dealing with Dementia for several years since his coaching retirement in late 2021. Tom was not just a great coach but a close member of the Wildfire family for over 22 years. Tom was 71 years old.
Tom Wakeling was a very guarded, introverted man. He did not talk much about himself. I would like to take this opportunity to tell many of you about Tom’s history in the sport of gymnastics.
It began for Tom during the summer of 1974 when by chance he happened by the offices of International Gymnastics Magazine. He stepped in by curiosity and within the hour had a job. He had no real awareness about gymnastics and its worldwide popularity. Tom started out at IG organizing a system of inventory regulating volumes of back issue editions, they representing several decades of memorabilia and record. As he learned more, Tom was charged with the task of marketing and selling this inventory. Within the year he was an IG Magazine photojournalist where Tom was to recommend, take on and cover whatever the publisher considered to be home front events of interest. Shortly after, his travels went global with photo and story assignments to Europe and Mexico.
It was in this capacity, and because of his travel he met some of the world’s great coaches, trainers and gymnasts of the time. Some distinct encounters would include, for example, traveling with a variety of Soviet teams during some portions of their exhibition tours, circulating among the future 1976 Romanian Olympic team coached by Bela and Marta Karolyi who were in Tucson, Arizona for an Olympic qualifying meet. Another consideration would be his visit with the Chinese Team while in France for a multi-national event. This visit was very interesting considering the tone of international politics of the 1970’s. Tom’s esteem and care for the sport advanced daily in large part because of the warm and welcoming nature of the USAF and American national coaching community.
Such was the environment of Tom’s early education. During much of the 1970’s the IG publication just happen to share a building with the Santa Monica Gymnastics Center. Al Luber, owner and director of SMGC, took a chance on Tom prompting his initiation as a basic academy level coach. So, while still at the magazine Tom was now working as a novice instructor and was beginning to process the mechanisms that produced an active competitive athlete. This is where his inspiration grew from perhaps a somewhat detached but most assuredly impressed personal view of gymnastics to a more emotional, “I had no clue this is what it takes” sort of perspective.
In 1975 Tom was in Miami to cover one step of that year’s Soviet Team exhibition tour. Tom was there also to report on the inauguration of a Jr. Elite national training camp and Pan American Games Team Trials. It was there that Tom met Jim Fountaine of Kips Gymnastics. Jim was guiding Kips when it first became a world class program, a program of great influence and prominent respect. By dinner’s end, in Tom’s capacity as journalist, Jim invited Tom to join him and his team as a Kips sponsored travel partner while they commuted to some of the more prestigious invitationals and other national events.
One year later Jim invited Tom to visit Kips workout regularly and observe-to-learn the aspects of the type of training proven to produce and support elite, national team, Olympic and World Team member athletes. Late in 1977, almost on a dare, Jim offered Tom a program wide coaching job. Tom felt this offer must have been based on some level of enthusiasm he may have displayed, because he knew for sure it was not based on his scope of knowledge and skill. Tom snapped at this opportunity to be mentored by a coach of the highest caliber (two time assistant Olympic coach) while continuing as a free-lance operator for IG Magazine. It was not lost on Tom being this formative, wide eyed rookie coach, that somehow, he was a part of and in a matter of course evolved in a system that from 1967 to 1982 produced no less then 20 elite athletes who travel worldwide representing American and Canadian gymnastics. All this energy filtered through the age group programs with seamless commitment: and from which came profound and consistent success. This commitment was standard that every gymnast, from the first year competitor, to the most decorated elite were of the same team. Tom was affected deeply by this, resulting in his great affection for the age group program process. It was here that Tom decided that a coach was exactly what he need to be.
In 1983 Dennis Mailly took on the ownership position at Kips. Tom was pleased to engage the optimistic nature that was Dennis and joined with his vital new culture of adventure. Within five years, that optimism and youthful leadership style set the motivation climate that brought about a new generation of elites including two national team members as well as a superior and consistent age group program. During this time Tom was beginning to recognize a concept that coaching was progressing within the gymnastics industry where one could convert their avocation to that of a profession of interest.
After 12 years at Kips Tom took his education in the fall of 1988 and accepted a position at New Hope Academy of Gymnastics working for owner Bee Thoma. It was during his tenure there when it became clear Tom wanted to be in the coaching business for the long haul. New Hope offered a platform where Tom was able to work alongside no less than seven former, and some of them prominent, Olympic gymnasts. Their knowledge and background were of great benefit to Tom during his 15 years at New Hope. During this time Tom wanted to strive ever harder to become a better student of the sport and all its facets. Tom wanted to progress in the gym from being a coach to becoming a teacher.
From the first days Tom combined coaching with either school (Long Beach St.) or occupation. Jobs ranged from truck driver to logistics control at Boeing. In the spring of 2003, a new program founded by Rick Watson and Bill Callander, asked Tom if he would be interested in coaching full time as a singular vocation. Wildfire, on its opening, was intent on providing the best possible setting for the best possible service by employing a senior and experienced group including those with proven organizational and business acumen and then integrating that capability with the coaching skills of credible long time industry veterans. Tom accepted, and for the first time in decades had his dream to be able to devote all his working hours exclusively to gymnastics. Wildfire began its first season with 15 athletes in 2002. Tom was with Wildfire for 22 years as a coach, teacher and mentor to younger coaches and a huge part of the success seen today.
- Tom coached and developed thousands of competitive gymnasts in his 48 year career.
- Tom coached countless State, Regional and Western qualifiers and champions
- Tom directly or helped coach 60 plus student athletes to offers of college athletic scholarships.
- Tom coached hundreds of gymnasts to J.O. National Championships with 50 plus qualifying trips to the competitions
Tom Wakeling lived, ate and breathed Gymnastics. This sport and his gymnasts were the most important thing in his life. Tom’s career timeline is a history of the sport of gymnastics in the USA. The sport of gymnastics grew from little success in the early years to the dominate force it is today because of coaches like Tom. Tom may have been a quiet, shy introverted man but his commitment, dedication and influence on generations of young gymnasts will never be forgotten.
Wildfire will be establishing a scholarship in Tom’s name to help and support kids’ participation in gymnastics so they may gain the value that the sport has to offer young people.
Tom Wakeling will be missed but never forgotten. “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed and very near.”
The Watson Family and Wildfire Gymnastics