SEATTLE – For 46 years, Laurel Tindall and Seattle Pacific gymnastics have been joined at the hip: Can't have one without the other.
 
But that's about to change.
 
Tindall has announced her retirement from the helm of the immensely successful Falcons program.
 
As SPU athletic director Jackson Stava put it, Tindall's accomplishments and contributions go beyond mere words.
 
"Thank you does not seem enough to express the gratitude owed to Laurel Tindall," he said. "She has poured her whole self into this program for the last 46 years. I am very thankful to have had the chance to work with Laurel these past few years and see first-hand the impact she has had in the lives of gymnasts both at SPU and in this community for nearly 50 years." 

Tindall

's teams won national championships in 1986, 1992, and 1997. From 1984 to 2003, SPU had a run of 20 consecutive top-4 national finishes.
 
Under her guidance, Falcon athletes have won 30 individual national championships, the most recent one being current junior Darian Burns on the floor exercise in 2017.
 
Another of the titles – also on the floor – came in 2014 when Tindall's daughter Kai, in the final routine of her career, tied for first place. In fact, at that meet, SPU effectively swept the individual events, as Maria Hundley won the vault, uneven parallel bars, and balance beam crowns.
 
But as Tindall pointed out, it's much more than those success stories that kept her coming back season after season.
 
"I love coaching," she said. "The athletes I've developed strong relationships with and continue to have strong relationships with, and the coaches I've worked with – some of us have had a real great camaraderie."
 
Tindall first came to campus in the fall of 1973, transferring from the University of Washington. At the time, she was still Laurel Anderson, and the school was still Seattle Pacific College (becoming SPU in 1977).
 
During her two years as a competitor for the Falcons (1974 and 1975), she earned six All-American awards, and tied for the national vault championship as a senior in '75. She also collected four All-American honors and a national vault title during her time at the UW. Tindall was a member of the U.S. national team in 1974.
 
She moved into the head coaching spot in 1975, and has been there ever since, although as she pointed out with a smile and a bit of a laugh, "I didn't intend to stay this long."
 
Tindall has been named national Coach of the Year four times, and, in 2003, was a charter member of the Falcon Hall of Fame.
 
"She not only exceeded the bar of excellence, she built it," SPU president Dr. Dan Martin said. "More important, though, than the titles are the thousands of lives she has impacted, whether they were members of SPU gymnastics or participated in the club program. I am grateful for her dedicated service and her commitment to the university's mission."
 
In addition to coaching SPU, Tindall runs the Falcon Gymnastics Center in Brougham Pavilion for local youths. As might be expected, the sport sill figures to have a prominent place in her future plans.
 
"How do you go cold-turkey from being involved in gymnastics 24 / 7 to not doing anything?" she asked. "I'm hoping to volunteer with our club program (that she herself started) and with the college program.
 
"I'll probably get myself about 10 jobs," she continued, laughing again, "working one night with our club and one night with another and one night with another. I still judge, and I did a lot of it this year, and I would like to continue being involved in that way."
 
 

Added AD Stava, "While it is hard to imagine this program without Laurel, I'm confident that SPU gymnastics will continue to thrive. I thank Laurel for the legacy she has created, and we look forward to working diligently to uphold that legacy moving forward."
 
Stava said a celebration of Tindall's career will be planned and announced at a later date.