Since her arrival to College Hill in 2021, Julia Bedell ’25 has redefined greatness for Brown gymnastics. From setting a new school record on floor with a winning score of 9.950 at the GEC Championships — eclipsing her previous record of 9.925, which she shared with Olympian Alicia Sacramone — to being named a USAG Collegiate national champion on floor, Bedell has cemented herself as a premier gymnast in the Gymnastics East Conference (GEC) and one of Brown’s best floor gymnasts.
As an energetic 2-year-old, Bedell began her career through “Mommy and Me” gymnastics classes.
Her mom “wanted to put me in something fun that would help get rid of some of my energy,” Bedell wrote in an email to The Herald. “I soon fell in love with the sport and kept doing it because I found it fun.”
Bedell began taking the sport seriously at 12, after realizing the educational opportunities that gymnastics offered. Six years later, Bedell enrolled at Brown and started her time on the floor as a Bear. But beginning her college career during the pandemic made the transition to Providence difficult.
“My freshman year at Brown, I struggled with the transition from my club facility to my college facility,” Bedell wrote. “A stress fracture in my lower back and (COVID-19) affected my senior year (of high school) both academically and athletically.” This combination of problems tested Bedell’s resilience as a college freshman.
“I was not in the right position to get (my) routine (freshman) year,” Bedell wrote.
Nevertheless, she managed to compete in 14 meets her freshman season. Even then, Bedell was unsatisfied and eager to elevate her game, deciding to dedicate the following summer to developing her skills.
“I felt I could do more and that I could get this upper-level routine if I really tried,” Bedell wrote. “I trained consistently over the summer at my club gym and prepared myself for the facility shift going back to college in the fall.”
Bedell’s dedication and hard work certainly paid off. Last year, as a sophomore, Bedell was an Ivy Champion, First Team All-Ivy honoree on vault and floor, GEC Co-Specialist of the Year, USAG Collegiate National Champion on Floor and set the new school record on floor.
This year also seems promising for Bedell’s success. For the second time in the last three weeks, she was named the GEC Specialist of the Week. In last week’s meet against Yale, Bedell excelled in both of her events, securing victory with a score of 9.800 on vault and 9.900 on floor — the seventh-best score for floor in program history.
Bedell's performances played a crucial role in Brown's triumph over Yale during the final rotation, ultimately leading to a dual meet victory with a season-high score of 194.025.
“The focus this season has been on her technique and landing on all of her tumbling passes, having clean leaps and jumps throughout her routine and making her floor routine come alive,” wrote Head Coach Brittany Harris in an email to The Herald. “As this season progresses, I am eager to see how she continues to shine.”
Along with her skillset on the floor, Bedell is a leader of this year’s team. “Her infectious personality and huge heart make her a great role model for her teammates,” Harris wrote. “Through thick and thin, she is there for her teammates, providing encouragement whenever they need it.”
Bedell is also a successful YouTuber. She began her YouTube career seven years ago, posting videos of slime content — a trend that took over the YouTube scene in 2015 — on a channel called “Slime Tyme.” Today, Bedell’s channel has over 317,000 subscribers and 24 million views, with content ranging from “day in the life” videos to routine vlogs and clothing hauls.
“I love the creative freedom of my YouTube channel,” Bedell wrote. “I love capturing moments with my friends and family to have forever. It’s truly such a unique opportunity for this time period, which I’m so grateful I started when I was young,” she added.
Bedell’s floor skills will be back on display Saturday night, when she and the Bears will compete against Long Island University, Penn and Cornell in Brookville, New York as part of the LIU Quad Meet.
Cooper Herman is a senior staff writer covering sports and arts & culture. He is a freshman from Alexandria, Virginia studying Economics and International and Public Affairs.
