Brody Malone Stays Humble While Propelling to the Top of the Sport
By Joey Johnston
By Joey Johnston
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He was raised on rodeo, frog-gigging (don’t ask), turkey hunting, SEC football and Southern fried foods.
It’s an uncommon background for someone who aspires to be on the gymnastics medal stand at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But Brody Malone, who might be the best American male in the field for the OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 18-21 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, navigates his sport just fine.
Malone, part of Stanford University’s national championship team, is strong and secure, a yes-sir, no-sir guy, a Georgia-bred fan of family, wide-open spaces and simple pleasures who transforms into the ultimate adrenaline junkie once he’s turned loose in the gym.
At the last U.S. Championships, Malone, 22, took first in the all-around and vault, while finishing second in rings and high bar. He’s not only favored to do well in Tampa, but he’s an absolute favorite in the gymnastics community, mostly because of his endearing personality, unselfish attitude and humble nature.
“Brody is a star and a team player all at the same time,’’ said Christy Sandmaier, co-publisher of Inside Gymnastics magazine. “Everyone knows about his incredible work ethic and the impeccable way he carries himself. That’s admirable. He has a great sense of humor when you can pull it out of him. His upbringing and makeup definitely makes him who he is and that’s part of his story. But he’s not just some unknown small-town kid. He’s big-time now and a star on the biggest stages.’’
When you’re at the level of an Olympic gold medalist, a part of you belongs to the world. Malone can’t quite wrap his head around the magnitude of that status. He never wants to change, so he plugs his enduring values into any setting.
As a Stanford freshman, Malone was discussing an assignment with his professor.
“I was saying like, ‘Yes sir … no sir … yes sir’ as he was asking me these questions,’’ Malone said. “Then he stopped me in the middle of my sentence and said, ‘Brody, you do not have to call me sir. This is California.’ My jaw just kind of dropped. It was definitely a culture shock.
“Even beyond the gymnastics, I’m grateful to be at a place like Stanford. It has opened my eyes to a whole new range of people and things. That’s a good thing when you’re exposed to different things. It’s an unbelievable experience. Maybe for some of the others, meeting me has been different, too. But it’s all about knowing who you are and knowing how to accomplish your goals in life.’’
By all accounts, Malone is great at that.
“Brody’s work ethic is almost like no other,’’ said Jason Woodnick, the USA Gymnastics vice president for the men’s program. “I mean, he just works. It’s all business and he’s there with a mission. He’s ultra-talented, but so likable because he’s the nicest, most humble kid out there. There’s no secrets. When you watch him train, you’re like, ‘OK, I get it. I understand why he’s good.’ He earns it. He’s a natural.’’
No one could have predicted Malone’s gymnastics journey. He came from a family of rodeo buffs. His father, JD, competed in college rodeo. His mother, Tracy, was a decorated hunter and jumper who edited a monthly team-roping publication.
Malone, a management science and engineering major at Stanford, was good at rodeo but also baseball. At age 11, he competed in the Dizzy Dean League World Series. But around that time, he dropped baseball for gymnastics, which had been an alternate passion since he was first taken to the gym at age 3.
“I was not raised around gymnastics, so I was a little taken aback when my wife said, ‘Hey, I’m going to put Brody in gymnastics class,’ ‘’ Malone’s father said. “I always told my kids that you have to be very passionate about something — obsessive, really — to be good at it. I feel pretty certain Brody could’ve made a run at baseball, but he wasn’t as passionate about it as he was about gymnastics. He found something he loved and something he was great at.’’
Gymnastics also became a refuge for Malone. In 2012, when Malone was 12, his mother died after a four-year battle with breast cancer. It was four days before Christmas, just shy of her 38th birthday. Malone was the oldest of four children.
“I know he thinks about his mom a lot,’’ Malone’s father said. “She was absolutely 100 percent his biggest fan. I found a Facebook message she had sent after a competition. She wrote, ‘Brody’s going to be in the Olympics one day.’
“He gets emotional about it at times, like after the Olympic Trials, but I definitely think gymnastics in itself has been an escape. He kept pushing. He never let it slow him down. He doesn’t talk much about it. But it’s in there and it’s a motivator (to make his mother proud).’’
When people refer to Malone as “stoic,’’ that’s only partially true. He’s capable of focus and compartmentalizing, especially in delivering championship moments through his sport. But when it comes to family and friends, he feels things deeply and always wants to do what’s right.
“It's definitely hard when you experience difficult things at a young age,’’ Malone said. “I was 12 when my mother passed. Honestly, I didn't really know how to process it or handle it very well. I could see how my dad was reacting and how strong he was being. And then I just kind of tried to mimic him. He's the glue that held our family together after that. So I just tried to be like him. I still look to him for everything. We talk almost every day. I’ve always wanted to become the man that he is.’’
That’s also why no matter where Malone goes — Stanford, the Paris Olympic or anywhere around the world — home will always be home. While growing up in north Georgia, rodeo, fishing and hunting were his cherished ways of life.
In the summers, he was fond of frog-gigging — hunting frogs with a long pole tipped with a multi-pronged spear. At night, he and his siblings listened for the croaks, then used floodlights to find and strike their prey, eventually cleaning them and using the legs as part of a frog-fry recipe. Malone said he never knew something could taste so good.
“I’ve always told my dad that whenever gymnastics is done, I’m moving back home and I’m going to be a couch potato for a year and just do the things I enjoy,’’ Malone said with a laugh.
So if Malone takes all the top awards in Tampa, don’t look for him at one of the area’s many fine dining establishments. He’s more apt to seek out his favorite restaurant, Bojangles. He has considered working with the National Wild Turkey Federation. Gymnastics has given him enough thrills for a lifetime — or two. While Paris is closing fast, he can’t shut the door on 2028 because that coincides with his peak years.
One day, though, he’ll be back home for good, hopefully with a gold medal or two. Conquering the world of gymnastics won’t really change the important stuff. He’ll still be living life on his terms.
“I am who I am,’’ Malone said.
In the eyes of an adoring gymnastics community, that is quite enough.