Rebekah Bean Ripley was in the middle of a workout when her phone rang from an unknown number.
“Normally, I don’t answer those,” she said. “But I just had a feeling.”
On the other end of the call was a producer for BYU gymnastics broadcasts, who offered her a job she had never applied for — a moment that would change the course of her career.
“Within the first 60 seconds, he had told me what the job was,” Ripley said. “I was a little bit confused because I’m turning 26 this year, but I still feel like an 18-year-old.”
The former BYU gymnast, known for her iconic “Barbie Girl” floor routine, has returned to the program this season in a new role. Instead of competing for the Cougars, Ripley is now calling home meets as an ESPN analyst for BYU gymnastics.
She has already called BYU’s home meets against Oregon State and Boise State this season.
The opportunity came together quickly. Ripley said there was no application process and no formal interview.
“I was like, ‘Do I need to apply?’” she said. “And he said, ‘No, this phone call’s enough. If you want the job, we want you to do it.’”
The offer followed recommendations from BYU gymnastics coaches Guard Young and Natalie Broekman, who had coached Ripley during her collegiate career.
“I was super honored,” Ripley said. “They knew me as an athlete, said I was well-spoken and that they thought I would do a good job. I’ve spent so much time here as an athlete, so returning in this role was really special.”
Despite spending more than two decades in the sport, Ripley said the nerves heading into her first broadcast were unlike anything she experienced as an athlete.
“I was more nervous to do this than I ever was to compete in gymnastics,” she said. “With gymnastics, you’re training 20 or 30 hours a week. You know what to expect. But this is live. This is ESPN. There’s no editing. There’s no going back.”
She said live broadcasting introduced a new kind of responsibility that challenged her and brought on some early feelings of imposter syndrome.
“I was like, ‘Am I a grown-up now?’” she said. “This is an adult job. “
Once her first broadcast at the Marriott Center began, Ripley said her focus started to shift.
“After the first 10 minutes of commentating, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just watching gymnastics and talking about it,’” she said. “I think I can do this. I think I can do it well.”
Ripley said her goal as an analyst is to help viewers understand the routines and scoring in real time, while also keeping a positive tone throughout the broadcast.
“I’ll explain where the deductions came from and talk about why things maybe didn’t go well,” she said, “but then I always try to have a positive spin on it.”
BYUtv broadcaster Spencer Linton, who works alongside Ripley on the broadcast, said her presence on air stood out immediately.
“Her energy is off the charts,” Linton said. “It’s not forced. She just has a natural charisma for life and certainly for gymnastics.”
“When you combine that with some real intelligence about the subject matter,” he added, “you have somebody who has a legitimate shot to make it in the world of broadcast television.”
Linton said Ripley’s preparation stood out, especially given the quick turnaround after she took the job.
“She vastly exceeded the expectations,” he said. “She did her homework. She listened to broadcasts. She watched previous meets.”
Ripley credits how comfortable she is on camera to years of content creation on social media and her education at BYU. She graduated with a degree in advertising and said the skills she learned in that program translate directly to broadcasting.
“Advertising 101 is just creative problem solving,” she said. “Now I feel like I get to use it when I’m trying to tell a story while I’m commentating.”
For Ripley, her return to BYU gymnastics as an analyst has brought a sense of both familiarity and growth, which she said feels like a turning point.
“This is my first really big, big girl job where somebody sought me out,” she said. “I feel like I’m stepping into my more adult professional life.”
As the season continues, Ripley hopes that this opportunity marks the beginning of a long-term career in broadcasting.
“As long as they like having me,” Ripley said, laughing, “I would love to continue doing this as long as I can.”