Dan Gill

Gill was born on July 8, 1982, in Ontario, Canada, to Thom and Lorna Gill. He was raised in Fairfax, Virginia, and learned gymnastics at Capital Gymnastics National Training Center under coach Carlos Vasquez. He attended Robinson Secondary School before enrolling at Stanford University to pursue gymnastics.

Gill was an all-arounder, but weaker in rings and parallel bars than the other events. He attributed this to his relatively tall stature as a gymnast (5-8 or 5-9).{{cite web |url=http://www.theawsc.com/2012/10/20/awsc-interview-dan-gill-ceo-huddler/ |title=AWSC Interview: Dan Gill, CEO, Huddler // Advertising Week Social Club |access-date=March 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024051653/http://www.theawsc.com/2012/10/20/awsc-interview-dan-gill-ceo-huddler/ |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-gym/mtt/gill_dan00.html |title=Player Bio: Dan Gill - Stanford University's Official Athletic Site |access-date=March 17, 2013 |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411022255/http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-gym/mtt/gill_dan00.html |url-status=dead }} Gill was a two-time member of the US Junior National Team.{{cite web |url=http://www.gopsusports.com/camps/m-gym-coaching-staff.html |title=Penn State Official Athletic Site - Camps |access-date=March 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329131440/http://www.gopsusports.com/camps/m-gym-coaching-staff.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/hssports/longterm/allmets/spring00/gymboys.htm |title=Winter All-Mets |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 8, 2000 |accessdate=July 1, 2022}}

Gill competed for the Stanford Cardinal men's gymnastics team from 2001 to 2004, where he was a many-time all-American. In 2001 and 2002, he overlapped with David Durante. In 2001, the Cardinal won the NCAAs. At the 2002 NCAA championships, Gill won gold on the vault. In 2004, Gill was the team's captain and won silver in the all-around at championships. That year, Gill won the Nissen-Emery Award, the Heisman of men's gymnastics.{{cite web|url=http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2004/2004_04_09.gymnast.shtml|title = Stanford's Dan Gill wins the Heisman Trophy of gymnastics (April 09, 2004)}}{{cite web |url=http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-gym/spec-rel/040504aaa.html |title=Dan Gill Wins Nissen-Emery Award - Stanford University's Official Athletic Site |access-date=March 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411013515/http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-gym/spec-rel/040504aaa.html |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |url-status=dead}}

Gill became a member of the U.S. National Team in 2003 and was a part of the bronze medal-winning team at Pan American Games that year. At the 2003 National Championships, he finished 11th all around, sixth on floor exercise, and fifth on vault.

At the 2004 Nationals, Gill won silver on the floor exercise and performed well enough overall to be invited to the Olympic Trials. At Trials, Gill moved from 12th to 7th at one point (threatening for a spot on the team),{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6625-2004Jun25.html?nav=rss_sports |title=Fairfax's Gill Moves Into Olympic Picture |first=Amy |last=Shipley |date=June 26, 2004 |page=D04 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=July 1, 2022}} but a fall on the horizontal bar dashed his chances. He described the Trials as the high point of his athletic career and a more tense meet than the Olympics (because of the dividing line between Olympians and non-Olympians).{{cite web|url=http://www.gymnastike.org/speaker/1646-Dan-Gill/video|title = Gymnastics | Videos, News & Articles - FloGymnastics}}

Following the Olympic trials and after consultation with multiple doctors, Gill retired from the sport.{{Cite web |url=https://www.flogymnastics.com/video/5108428-dan-gill-on-retiring |title=Dan Gill on Retiring |last=Phillips |first=Anne |date=October 22, 2008 |website=flogymnastics.com |access-date=August 19, 2024}}

Gill completed a bachelor's degree in biology and was planning for a career as a physician (perhaps an orthopedic surgeon). However, gymnastics competition had interfered with taking MCATs and Gill eventually decided to go into Silicon Valley startups instead of medicine.

After experience elsewhere, Gill, along with his brother, founded Huddler. The company makes software for online forums and has raised $17 million in venture funding. Gill believes his experience as a gymnast has given him the persistence needed for sales and marketing and that being a team captain translates to leading a startup.{{cite web |url=http://pandodaily.com/2012/08/27/a-17-million-round-we-all-missed/ |title=A $17 Million Round We All Missed | PandoDaily |access-date=March 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308130506/http://pandodaily.com/2012/08/27/a-17-million-round-we-all-missed/ |url-status=dead }} The company was sold to Wikia and Gill is the current Chief Product Officer at Carvana.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Sports links}}
• [https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/archivedbios/g/dgill.pdf Dan Gill] at USA Gymnastics
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr-UcSqtw7k NCAA floor exercise]: The double-twisting double backflip to punch front one and one quarter flip is at the beginning of the routine.
• [http://www.huddler.com/ Huddler] (Gill's dotcom startup)

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:Stanford Cardinal men's gymnasts

Category:American male artistic gymnasts

Category:Gymnasts at the 2003 Pan American Games

Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games

Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in gymnastics

Category:21st-century American sportsmen