Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). Each country has its own national governing body affiliated to FIG. Competitive Artistic gymnastics is the best known of the gymnastic sports. It typically involves the women's events of uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. Men's events are floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks, that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.

Other gymnastic sports include rhythmic gymnastics, the various trampolining sports, aerobic and acrobatic gymnastics. Participants can include children as young as two years old doing kindergym and children's gymnastics, recreational gymnasts of ages 5 and up, competitive gymnasts at varying levels of skill, and world class athletes.

Etymology[link]

The word derives from the Greek γυμναστική (gymnastike), fem. of γυμναστικός (gymnastikos), "fond of athletic exercises",^[1] from γυμνάσια (gymnasia), "exercise"^[2] and that from γυμνός (gymnos), "naked",^[3] because athletes exercised and competed without clothing.

History[link]

1908 Summer Olympics in London: Display of the British women's gymnastics team

Exercises of the ancient Greeks began with athletic feats performed by each individual according to his own notion. The youth were encouraged to combine amusement with exercise. In time, this kind of exercise was incorporated into a system that figured prominently in the state regulations for education. In fact, the period for exercise or gymnastics was equal to the time spent on art and music combined.^[4] All Greek cities had a gymnasium, a courtyard for jumping, running, and wrestling. The term includes stretching exercises and warm-up preparing to athlets (from the Greek athlete ἆθλος âthlos, which means "struggle", "fight"). These tests were a summary of military exercises. As the Roman Empire ascended, the Greek gymnastics gave way to gymnastics whose purpose was military training. The Romans, for example, introduced the wooden horse.

In 393 AD the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games, which by then had become corrupt and gymnastics, along with other sports, declined. For centuries, gymnastics was all but forgotten.^[5]

In the year 1569, Girolamo Mercuriale from Forlì (Italy) wrote Le Arte Gymnastica, that brought together his study of the attitudes of the ancients toward diet, exercise and hygiene, and the use of natural methods for the cure of disease. De Arte Gymnastica also explained the principles of physical therapy and is considered the first book on sports medicine.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Germany, three pioneer physical educators – Johann Friedrich GutsMuths (1759–1839) and Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778–1852) – created exercises for boys and young men on apparatus they had designed that ultimately led to what is considered modern gymnastics. Don Francisco Amorós y Ondeano, marquis de Sotelo, was born on February 19, 1770 in Valence and died on August 8, 1848 in Paris. He was a Spanish colonel, and the first person to introduce educative gymnastic in France. In particular, Jahn crafted early models of the horizontal bar, the parallel bars (from a horizontal ladder with the rungs removed), and the vaulting horse.^[5]

The Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) was founded in Liege in 1881.^[6] By the end of the nineteenth century, men's gymnastics competition was popular enough to be included in the first "modern" Olympic Games in 1896. From then on until the early 1950s, both national and international competitions involved a changing variety of exercises gathered under the rubric, gymnastics, that would seem strange to today's audiences and that included for example, synchronized team floor calisthenics, rope climbing, high jumping, running, horizontal ladder. During the 1920s, women organized and participated in gymnastics events. The first women's Olympic competition was primitive, for it involved only synchronized calisthenics, was held at the 1928 Games, in Amsterdam.

By 1954, Olympic Games apparatus and events for both men and women had been standardized in modern format, and uniform grading structures (including a point system from 1 to 15) had been agreed upon. At this time, Soviet gymnasts astounded the world with highly disciplined and difficult performances, setting a precedent that continues. The new medium of television helped publicize and initiate a modern age of gymnastics. Both men's and women's gymnastics now attract considerable international interest, and excellent gymnasts can be found on every continent. Nadia Comăneci received the first perfect score, at the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Canada. She was coached in Romania by the Romanian coach, (Hungarian ethnicity), Béla Károlyi. Comaneci scored four of her perfect tens on the uneven bars, two on the balance beam and one in the floor exercise.^[7] Even with Nadia's perfect scores, the Romanians lost the gold medal to the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, Comaneci became an Olympic icon.

In 2006, a new points system for Artistic gymnastics was put into play. With an A Score (or D score) being the difficulty score, which as of 2009 is based on the top 8 high scoring elements in a routine (excluding Vault). The B Score (or E Score), is the score for execution, and is given for how well the skills are performed.^[8]

Forms[link]

Artistic gymnastics[link]

Artistic gymnastics is usually divided into Men's and Women's Gymnastics. Typically men compete on six events: Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and High Bar, while women compete on four: Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise. In some countries, women at one time competed on the rings, high bar, and parallel bars (for example, in the 1950s in the USSR). Though routines performed on each event may be short, they are physically exhausting and push the gymnast's strength, flexibility, endurance and awareness to the limit.

In 2006, FIG introduced a new points system for Artistic gymnastics in which scores are no longer limited to 10 points. The system is used in the US for elite level competition.^[8] Unlike the old code of points, there are two separate scores. An execution score and a difficulty score. In the previous system, the "execution score" was the only score. It was and still is out of 10.00. During the gymnast's performance, the judges deduct from this score only. A fall, on or off the event, is a 1.00 deduction, in elite level gymnastics. The introduction of the difficulty score is a significant change. The gymnast's difficulty score is based on what elements they perform and is subject to change if they do not perform or complete all the skills, or they do not connect a skill meant to be connected to another. Connection bonuses are the most common deduction from a difficulty score, as it can be difficult to connect multiple flight elements. It is very hard to connect skills if the first skill is not performed correctly. The new code of points allows the gymnasts to gain higher scores based on the difficulty of the skills they perform as well as their execution.

Events for women[link]

Vault

In the vaulting events gymnasts sprint down a 25 metres (82 ft) runway, jump onto or perform a roundoff entry onto a springboard (run/ take-off segment), land momentarily, inverted on the hands on the vaulting horse or vaulting table (pre flight segment), then spring off of this platform to a two footed landing (post flight segment). Every gymnast starts at a different point on the vault runway depending on their height and strength. The post flight segment may include one or more multiple saltos or somersaults, and/or twisting movements. Round-off entry vaults are the most common vaults in elite level gymnastics. In vaults with roundoff entries, gymnasts "round-off" so hands are on the runway while the feet land on the springboard (beatboard). From the roundoff position the gymnast travels backwards as in a backhandspring so that the hands land on the vaulting platform (horse). She then blocks off the vaulting platform into various twisting and/or somersaulting combinations. The post flight segment brings the gymnast to her feet.

In 2001, the traditional vaulting horse was replaced with a new apparatus, sometimes known as a tongue or table. The new apparatus is more stable, wider, and longer than the older vaulting horse—approximately 1m in length and 1m in width—giving gymnasts a larger blocking surface, and is therefore considered safer than the old vaulting horse. With the addition of this new, safer vaulting table, gymnasts are attempting more difficult and dangerous vaults.^[9]

Uneven Bars

On the uneven bars (also known as asymmetric bars, UK), the gymnast performs a routine on two horizontal bars set at different heights. These bars are made of fiberglass covered in wood laminate, to prevent them from breaking. In the past, bars were made of wood, but the bars were prone to breaking, providing an incentive to switch to newer technologies. The width of the bars may be adjusted. Gymnasts perform swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves, that may pass over, under, and between the two bars. Movements may pass through the handstand. Gymnasts often mount the Uneven Bars using a springboard.

Daniele Hypólito at the 2007 Pan Am Games on Beam.

Balance Beam

The gymnast performs a choreographed routine up to 90 seconds in length consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, somersaults, turns and dance elements on a padded beam. The beam is 125 centimetres (4 ft 1 in) from the ground, 500 centimetres (16 ft 5 in) long, and 10 centimetres (3.9 in) wide.^[10] The event requires, in particular, balance, flexibility, poise and strength.

Gymnast doing a stag leap on floor exercise.

Floor

In the past, the Floor Exercise event was executed on the bare floor or mats such as wrestling mats. Today, the floor event occurs on a carpeted 12m × 12m square, usually consisting of hard foam over a layer of plywood, which is supported by springs or foam blocks generally called a "spring" floor. This provides a firm surface that provides extra bounce or spring when compressed, allowing gymnasts to achieve extra height and a softer landing than would be possible on a standard floor. Gymnasts perform a choreographed routine up to 90 seconds in the Floor Exercise event. They must choose an accompanying music piece. In some gymnastic associations such as United States Association of Gymnastic Clubs (USAIGC), gymnasts are allowed to have vocals in their music^[11] but USA Gymnastics competitions a large deduction is taken from the score for having vocals in the music.,^[12] The routine should consist of tumbling lines, series of jumps, dance elements, acrobatic skills, and turns, or piviots, on one foot. A gymnast can perform up to four tumbling lines that usually includes at least one flight element without hand support. Each level of gymnastics requires the athlete to perform a different number of tumbling passes, in level 7 in the unired states you are required to do 2–3 and in levels 8–10 at least 3–4 tumbling passes are required.^[13]

Scoring: A gymnast's score comes from deductions taken from their start value. The start value of a routine is calculated based on the difficulty of the elements the gymnast attempts and whether or not the gymnast meets composition requirements. The composition requirements are different for each apparatus. This score is called the D score.^[14] Deductions in execution and artistry are taken from 10.0. This score is called the E score.^[15] The final score is calculated by taking deductions from the E score, and adding the result to the D score.^[16] And since 2007, the scoring system has changed by adding bonus plus the execution and then adding those two together to get the final score.

Events for men[link]

Floor

Male gymnasts also perform on a 12m. by 12m. spring floor. A series of tumbling passes are performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, and balance. The gymnast must also show strength skills, including circles, scales, and press handstands. Men's floor routines usually have four passes that will total between 60–70 seconds and are performed without music, unlike the women's event. Rules require that male gymnasts touch each corner of the floor at least once during their routine.

A boy on the pommel horse

Pommel Horse

A typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work. Single leg skills are generally found in the form of scissors, an element often done on the pommels. Double leg work however, is the main staple of this event. The gymnast swings both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or counterclockwise depending on preference) and performs such skills on all parts of the apparatus. To make the exercise more challenging, gymnasts will often include variations on a typical circling skill by turning (moores and spindles) or by straddling their legs (Flares). Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount, either by swinging his body over the horse, or landing after a handstand.

Still Rings

The rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5.75 meters from the floor, and adjusted in height so the gymnast has room to hang freely and swing. He must perform a routine demonstrating balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is required, but some gymnasts may include two or three. A routine should have a dismount equal in difficulty to the difficulty of the routine as a whole.

Vault

Gymnasts sprint down a runway, which is a maximum of 25 meters in length, before hurdling onto a spring board. The body position is maintained while "punching" (blocking using only a shoulder movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates to a standing position. In advanced gymnastics, multiple twists and somersaults may be added before landing. Successful vaults depend on the speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast generates from the legs and shoulder girdle, the kinesthetic awareness in the air, and the speed of rotation in the case of more difficult and complex vaults.

Parallel Bars

Men perform on two bars slightly further than a shoulder's width apart and usually 1.75m high while executing a series of swings, balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination.

High Bar

A 2.8 cm thick steel or fiberglass bar raised 2.5m above the landing area is all the gymnast has to hold onto as he performs giants (revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto. Leather grips are usually used to help maintain a grip on the bar.

As with the women, male gymnasts are also judged on all of their events, for their execution, degree of difficulty, and overall presentation skills.

Rhythmic gymnastics[link]

Irina Tchachina, Russian rhythmic gymnast

Only women compete in rhythmic gymnastics although there is a new version of this discipline for men being pioneered in Japan, see Men's rhythmic gymnastics. This is a sport that combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, dance, and apparatus manipulation. The sport involves the performance of five separate routines with the use of five apparatus—ball, ribbon, hoop, clubs, rope—on a floor area, with a much greater emphasis on the aesthetic rather than the acrobatic. There are also group routines consisting of 5 gymnasts and 5 apparatuses of their choice. Rhythmic routines are scored out of a possible 30 points; the score for artistry (choreography and music) is averaged with the score for difficulty of the moves and then added to the score for execution.^[17]

International competitions are split between Juniors, under sixteen by their year of birth; and Seniors, for women sixteen and over again by their year of birth. Gymnasts in Russia and Europe typically start training at a very young age and those at their peak are typically in their late teens (15–19) or early twenties. The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Grand-Prix Tournaments.

Trampolining and tumbling[link]

Double mini-trampoline competitor

Trampolining and tumbling consists of four events, individual, synchronized and double mini trampolining and tumbling (also known as power tumbling). Since 2000, individual trampoline has been included in the Olympic Games. Individual routines in trampolining involve a build-up phase during which the gymnast jumps repeatedly to achieve height, followed by a sequence of ten leaps without pauses during which the gymnast performs a sequence of aerial skills. Routines are marked out of a maximum score of 10 points. Additional points (with no maximum at the highest levels of competition) can be earned depending on the difficulty of the moves and the length of time taken to complete the ten skills which is an indication of the average height of the jumps. In high level competitions, there are two preliminary routines, one which has only two moves scored for difficulty and one where the athlete is free to perform any routine. This is followed by a final routine which is optional. Some competitions restart the score from zero for the finals, other add the final score to the preliminary results. Synchronized trampoline is similar except that both competitors must perform the routine together and marks are awarded for synchronicity as well as the form and difficulty of the moves. Double mini trampoline involves a smaller trampoline with a run-up, two moves are performed for preliminaries and two more for finals. Moves cannot be repeated and the scores are marked in a similar manner to individual trampoline. In tumbling, athletes perform an explosive series of flips and twists down a sprung tumbling track. Scoring is similar to trampolining.

Acrobatic gymnastics[link]

Acrobatic gymnastics (formerly Sports Acrobatics), often referred to as acro if involved with the sport, acrobatic sports or simply sports acro, is a group gymnastic discipline for both men and women. Acrobats in groups of two, three and four perform routines with the heads, hands and feet of their partners. They may, subject to regulations (e.g. no lyrics), pick their own music.

Throughout the world, there at three FIG levels: Age group (Age 11-16), Junior(12-19) and Senior (15+), which are used in the World Championships and many other events around the world, including European Championships and World Games. All levels require a balance and dynamic routine, Junior and Seniors are also required to perform a final (combined) routine.

Currently acrobatic gymnastics is marked out of 30.00 (can be higher at Senior FIG level based on difficulty):

10.00 for routine difficulty, (valued from the tables of difficulties)

10.00 For technical performance, (how well the skills are executed)

10.00 For Artistry, (the overall performance of the routine, namely choreography)

TeamGym[link]

Team Gym or Gymnastics for All has it origins in earliest times.These days, although teams can compete the sport itself was developed to enhance fitness and health in the participants and is accessible to anyone of any age. In 1984 Gymnastics for All was officially recognized first as a Sport Program by the FIG (International Gymnastic Federation), and subsequently by national gymnastic federations world wide with participants that now number 30 million.^[18]

Floor Programme

All members of the Team take part in the floor program, composed of a mixture of dance, flexibility and skill. The routine has to be skillfully choreographed and the judges look out for changes in shape. There needs to be at least two spins, two balances and two section elements. These section elememts are bodywaves for women's teams, power elements for men's teams and lifts for mixed teams. Floor routines are performed to music.

Trampette

Here a trampette is used. There are two components of this; Vault and the Trampette on its own. There has to be three runs in total. At least one of these runs has to be a vault run. Another run has to include all the gymnasts doing the same move. This is generally the first run. This is also performed to music.

Tumbling

Again, here there are three runs (rounds) involved. One of which has to include all six gymnasts doing a forwards series. Another run also has to include the gymnasts completing the same move. Each series must have at least three different acrobatic elements.^[19]

Display gymnastics[link]

General gymnastics enables people of all ages and abilities to participate in performance groups of 6 to more than 150 athletes. They perform synchronized, choreographed routines. Troupes may be all one gender or mixed. There are no age divisions in general gymnastics. The largest general gymnastics exhibition is the quadrennial World Gymnaestrada which was first held in 1939.

Aerobic gymnastics[link]

Aerobic gymnastics (formally Sport Aerobics) involves the performance of routines by individuals, pairs, trios or groups up to 6 people, emphasizing strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness rather than acrobatic or balance skills. Routines are performed for all individuals on a 7x7m floor and also for 12–14 and 15–17 trios and mixed pairs. From 2009, all senior trios and mixed pairs were required to be on the larger floor (10x10m), all groups also perform on this floor. Routines generally last 60–90 seconds depending on age of participant and routine category.

Former apparatus and events[link]

Rope (rhythmic gymnastics)[link]

Starting in 2011, the rhythmic apparatus rope will be removed from all FIG events and clubs will be returned to the competition. FIG has a policy of only using four of the five pieces of apparatus and changes them for different Olympic cycles. This will affect World Cups, World Championships, and Olympics.

Rope climb[link]

Generally, competitors climbed either a 6m (6.1m = 20 ft in USA) or an 8m (7.6m = 25 ft in USA), 38mm (1.5") diameter natural fiber rope for speed, starting from a seated position on the floor and using only the hands and arms. Kicking the legs in a kind of "stride" was normally permitted. Many gymnasts can do this in the straddle or pike position, which eliminates the help generated from the legs.

Flying rings[link]

Flying rings was an event similar to still rings, but with the performer executing a series of stunts while swinging. It was a gymnastic event sanctioned by both the NCAA and the AAU until the early 1960s.

Popular culture[link]

Film[link]

See also[link]

Acrobatics Acro dance Gymnasium (ancient Greece) List of gymnasts List of gymnastics terms International Gymnastics Hall of Fame World Gymnastics Championships Gymnastics portal NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship (US) NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship (US) Turners Majorettes Cheerleading Wheel gymnastics

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gymnastics

External links[link]

Look up gymnastics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) official website
• USA Gymnastics, the governing body for gymnastics in the USA

• Texts on Wikisource:
  • "Gymnastics". New International Encyclopedia. 1905. 
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gymnastics and Gymnasium". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
  • "Gymnastics". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

Carly Patterson
Carly Patterson in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Carly Rae Patterson
Country represented	United States
Born	(1988-02-04) February 4, 1988 (age 24) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hometown	Allen, Texas
Height	152 centimetres (5 ft 0 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior Elite
Club	World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
Head coach(es)	Evgeny Marchenko
Assistant coach(es)	Natasha Boyarskaya
Choreographer	Tatiana Shegolkova
Eponymous skills	Patterson (balance beam)
Retired	2006
Medal record Women’s gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens All-around Silver 2004 Athens Team competition Silver 2004 Athens Balance beam World Championships Gold 2003 Anaheim Team competition Silver 2003 Anaheim All Around

Carly Rae Patterson (born February 4, 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American singer and former gymnast. She is the 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion and a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She currently lives in Allen, Texas.

Biography[link]

Pre-Olympic career[link]

Patterson was at her cousin's birthday party at Baton Rouge's Elite Gymnastics club in 1994 when coach Johnny Moyal, a three-time Israeli Olympian, noticed her talent and suggested that she begin to take lessons.^[1] Originally, her mother was hesitant about it, but Carly started tumbling and jumping around her house. There was not much room, and as her mom did not want her to get hurt, she enrolled her in gymnastics. In 2000, Patterson participated in the Top Gym Tournament in Belgium and won the silver medal in the all-around and the bronze medal for balance beam, her favorite event.^[2]

At the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, she was ranked second in the all-around before the final rotation. She missed three landings on the floor exercise, however, and finished seventh overall. "I don't know what happened," she said. "I can't give up, I will keep going. I was happy with my first three rotations, especially beam."^[3]

Patterson was named the U.S. Junior National All-Around champion in 2002. She had previously received fourth place in 2000 and third place in 2001. She then began her senior career by winning the 2003 American Cup, where she was the youngest competitor at the event, having just turned 15. This set of wins solidified her as a leading American gymnast and viable candidate for the 2004 Olympic all-around title.^[4]

She was forced to sit out the 2003 U.S. National Championships, which would have been her first Nationals event as a senior, because of a broken elbow. Although she could not compete she was able to successfully petition to the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships. At the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships in Anaheim, California, she earned the all-around silver medal —the first time an American woman had won an all-around medal at that competition since 1994. She also helped her team to earn the team gold medal, a first for the American women.

Patterson again won the all-around at the prestigious American Cup in 2004. In the first major meet of the Olympic year, she swept the competition, winning all four events and the all-around, collecting a total of $14,000 for her wins ($10,000 for the all around, $1,000 per event). Just days before the competition her coach, Evgeny Marchenko, had lost his mother. He barely arrived in time for the competition and during the meet Patterson dedicated her performance to his mother.

In 2004, she became a co-champion with Courtney Kupets in the all-around event at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. She also won the floor exercise and placed second on balance beam.

At the 2004 Olympic trials, Patterson had two uncharacteristic falls on balance beam over the course of two days, dropping her to third place. Although she did not earn an automatic Olympic berth at this competition, her successful performances at the training camp following trials were more than enough to place her on the team.

2004 Summer Olympics[link]

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Patterson competed as an all-around athlete in the preliminary competition, finishing first overall and qualifying for the all-around and balance beam finals. The United States faced difficulties in the team final, and Carly had her share of mishaps. She under-rotated her vault, stubbed the low bar with her foot, and her beam routine was marred by wobbles and a lunge forward on the dismount; only on floor did she perform as well as she was capable of. She later admitted to being distracted after a rushed start on vault, with her coach saying, "The beginning of the competition was stressful. It set the tone."^[5] The U.S. Women, the reigning world champions, settled for silver.

The Individual All-Around proved to be the much-anticipated battle between Patterson and legendary three-time World all-around champion Svetlana Khorkina. After scoring lower than usual on the vault (9.375), Patterson was stronger on her last three events, scoring 9.575 on uneven bars, 9.725 on the balance beam, and 9.712 on the floor exercise. She won the gold medal, only the second American woman to do so, and the first American woman to ever win the Olympic all-around title in a non-boycotted Olympic Games. Mary Lou Retton was the first American woman ever to win the title, at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but because those Games were boycotted by the Soviet Union, meaning Retton did not face stiff competition from the Soviet gymnasts (who consistently dominated the sport during that period, accounting in 1984 for six of the seven previous Olympic all-around champions and nine of the ten previous World all-around champions^[6][7]), Patterson's victory had a unique significance.

On August 23, 2004 she competed in the finals for the beam event where she received a score of 9.775 and won the silver medal behind Cătălina Ponor of Romania.

Leading up to the 2004 Olympic Games, she was prepared by her two former Soviet coaches: the famous Russian acrobat Evgeny Marchenko, who immigrated to the United States from Latvia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Natalya Boyarskaya.

After Athens[link]

Soon after the Olympic games ended, it was discovered that Patterson had several bulging disks in her lower back that had gone unnoticed. She announced her intention to take time off from the sport to rehabilitate her back, but she officially retired from the sport in 2006 without ever participating in another major competition. She recalled the decision in a 2009 interview, saying, "I started having some back issues, and honestly, my doctor was like, ‘Carly, you really need to stop if you want to be able to walk when you get older’....So I retired and moved on to singing.”^[8] Her coach said in a TV interview^{[citation needed]}, "It's hard to top an all-around gold."

She stayed occupied with event appearances, gymnastics-related and otherwise. She also landed a number of high profile corporate sponsorships; she appeared in a Mobile ESPN commercial aired during Super Bowl XL. She also finished her authorized biography, which was released in April 2006.

In December 2011, she was featured on the TV show Hollywood at Home.^[9]

Carly Patterson teamed up with the Taylor's Gift Foundation as spokesperson for their 2012 organ donation challenge.

[edit] Celebrity Duets TV show

On August 29, 2006, she started her appearance on the show Celebrity Duets. The program was a reality show executive produced by Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. Celebrities not known for singing were teamed up with professional singers; one of the eight celebrities was voted off each week. The show aired every Thursday on FOX with a results show each Friday, from September 7, 2006 to October 13, 2006.

On September 8, 2006, during the results show, she joined Cheech Marin and Lea Thompson in the bottom three. The audience, however, spared Patterson from elimination to continue competing the next week on Thursday, September 14.

On September 15, 2006, during the results show, Patterson was eliminated from the competition (singing a duet with Jesse McCartney). Patterson said that she would continue to sing. She also encouraged the audience to continue voting for the remaining celebrities because each vote raised money for charity.

Music career[link]

Patterson first expressed interest in becoming a professional singer in a March 2005 interview. On August 21, 2005, she gave an interview on FOX Sports Net's Sports Sunday in which she gave more details on her future career. She sang a small segment of "Damaged" and said that she went to New York City to record the demo. On December 18, 2005, she announced that she signed a demo contract for four songs with Papa Joe's Records, owned by Joe Simpson, father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson. She worked with singer and writer Chris Megert. They wrote and produced songs titled "Time to Wake Up" and "Lost in Me".

On February 4, 2008, Patterson signed a recording contract with MusicMind Records, a Chicago based Indie label. Her single "Temporary Life (Ordinary Girl)" was released on iTunes on March 25, 2008. Her debut album Back to the Beginning was scheduled for release August 5, 2008, coincidentally, the same week as the start of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. However, the CD was not released until more than a year later, on August 25, 2009, and in the interim, Patterson released another single, "Time to Wake Up," on iTunes on February 19, 2009. She currently as of July 2011 has a full-length album available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

On September 10, 2008, a remixed version of Patterson's "Temporary Life (Ordinary Girl)" was played on the Bobby Bones Show. The mixed version featured the new artist Captain Caucasian, which is the pseudonym for Bobby Bones.

Patterson's song "Here I Am" was featured on the second season of the ABC Family series Make It or Break It, which is a television drama series that focuses on the lives of teen gymnasts who strive to make it to the Olympic Games.

Honors and awards[link]

Patterson was chosen for the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2009.^[10]

Floor Music[link]

2004 Mr. Pinstripe Suit by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Film[link]

Patterson made a cameo appearance at the end of the 2006 film Stick It, starring Missy Peregrym, Jeff Bridges, and Vanessa Lengies.

See also[link]

Gymnastics portal

• Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Notes[link]

Carly Patterson teamed up with the Taylor's Gift Foundation as spokesperson for their 2012 organ donation challenge.

External links[link]

• Official webpage
• Carly Patterson at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique

Dominique Moceanu
Personal information
Full name	Dominique Helena Moceanu
Country represented	United States
Born	(1981-09-30) September 30, 1981 (age 30) Hollywood, California
Hometown	Cleveland, OH
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international Elite
Club	LaFleur's; Karolyi's; Moceanu Gymnastics; Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy
Head coach(es)	Bela Karolyi & Martha Karolyi
Former coach(es)	Jeff LaFleur; Béla and Marta Karolyi; Luminita Miscenco; Mary Lee Tracy
Choreographer	Geza Pozar
Music	The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Retired	2000; 2006
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team World Championships Silver 1995 Sabae Balance beam Bronze 1995 Sabae Team Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York City All-around U.S. Senior National Championships Gold 1998 Indianapolis Vault Gold 1998 Indianapolis Balance beam Gold 1995 New Orleans All-around Silver 1995 New Orleans Floor Bronze 1998 Indianapolis All-around Bronze 1998 Indianapolis Floor Bronze 1996 Knoxville All-around Bronze 1995 New Orleans Vault

Dominique "Domi" Helena Moceanu (born September 30, 1981 in Hollywood, California) is an American gymnast who was a member of the Olympic Gold medal winning 1996 U.S. Women's Gymnastics team in Atlanta (the "Magnificent Seven").

The hallmarks of Moceanu's gymnastics, in the early stage of her elite career, were daring tricks on balance beam and spunky, inspired presentations on the floor exercise. In the latter part of her elite career, under the direction of new coaches, she developed a more elegant, mature style. Although she was never considered to be an overwhelmingly innovative gymnast, she did display a high level of difficulty in her gymnastics, particularly on beam and floor.

Moceanu trained under coaches Marta and Béla Károlyi, and later, Luminiţa Miscenco and Mary Lee Tracy. She earned her first National Team berth at the age of 10 and went on to represent the United States in various major international competitions at the junior level. She was the all-around silver medalist at the 1992 Junior Pan Am Games and the 1994 junior U.S. National Champion. In 1995, at the age of 13½, Moceanu became the youngest gymnast ever to win the senior all-around title at the U.S. National Championships. She was the youngest member of both the 1995 World Championships team and the gold medal-winning 1996 Olympic squad, the Magnificent 7, and was popular with both the public and with gymnastics fans.

Moceanu's last major success in gymnastics was the 1998 Goodwill Games, where she became the only American ever to win the all-around gold medal. Family issues, coaching changes and injuries derailed her efforts to participate in the Sydney Olympics, and she retired in 2000.

Since retirement, Moceanu has continued to participate in gymnastics exhibitions, work as a coach, and pursue her post-secondary studies. She is currently married and a mother of two.

Early career and the Magnificent Seven[link]

Moceanu was born on September 30, 1981 in Hollywood, California to Romanian parents Dumitru (1954–2008), and Camelia Staicu (b. 1961). She also has a younger sister, Christina, born on August 24, 1989.^[1] Moceanu's parents, who had both been gymnasts in their native Romania, had early aspirations for her gymnastics career: while she was still a young toddler, they tested her strength by allowing her to hang from a clothesline.^[2] Moceanu was raised Romanian Orthodox by her devout mother. Her faith figured prominently in her career as a gymnast. Whether it was psychological or not, Moceanu said, "...it definitely helped me as an athlete to have [rosaries and prayer booklets] in my bag and feel safe."^[3]

Moceanu began gymnastics classes in Illinois at the age of 3½^[1] and later trained at LaFleur's club in Florida. In 1991, at the age of 10, she moved to Houston, Texas, where she became one of the last gymnasts to be trained by the legendary Romanian coaches Marta and Béla Károlyi.^[4] She began competing internationally at a young age, earning her first U.S. National Team berth in 1992.^[2] At the age of 10½, in the spring of 1992, she earned five medals—gold in the team event, uneven bars, vault and floor exercise; silver in the all-around—at that year's Junior Pan Am Games.^[1][5]

Under Károlyi's tutelage, Moceanu became the U.S. Junior National Champion in 1994. In 1995 she repeated her success as a senior, becoming the youngest gymnast ever to win the U.S. National Championships. She was also the youngest member of the American team at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan. Moceanu did not disappoint, earning the highest American placement in the all-around competition and becoming the only American gymnast to win an individual medal, a silver on the balance beam.^[4]

Moceanu's national and international successes, combined with her plucky, bubbly attitude, earned her attention and a wide fan base both in and out of the gymnastics community.^[2] In the months leading up to the Atlanta Olympics, she was one of the most recognizable faces of USA Gymnastics, eclipsing more decorated teammates such as Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes. Before the Olympics, Moceanu was featured in Vanity Fair^[6] and wrote an autobiography, Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion. The book was highly successful and ranked number seven on the New York Times' Best Sellers List.^[7]

Moceanu was expected by many to be a major medal threat at the 1996 Olympics.^[2][8] However, following the 1996 U.S. Nationals, where she placed third in the all-around, she was diagnosed with a four-centimeter stress fracture in her right tibia.^[9] Her injury forced her to sit out the Olympic Trials, but she was petitioned onto the team on the strength of her Nationals scores.^[8][10]

At the Olympics, still struggling with her injury and sporting a heavily bandaged leg, Moceanu contributed heavily to the team gold medal, turning in such strong performances that she qualified for the event finals on balance beam and floor exercise. However, she faltered in the last rotation of team finals, falling on both of her vaults.^[11] She only advanced to the all-around finals as a replacement for injured teammate Kerri Strug. Small mistakes cost her a medal, but she still placed a respectable ninth. In the balance beam event final, Moceanu suffered a horrifying fall when she missed a foot on a layout and crashed into the balance beam on her head. She finished the exercise and went on to a strong performance in the floor finals later that day, finishing fourth and just missing a medal.^[12]

Post-Atlanta career[link]

Following the Atlanta Olympics, Moceanu participated in numerous events and professional gymnastics exhibitions, including a 100-city tour, before returning to competition. With the retirement of the Károlyis, she began training with other coaches at Moceanu Gymnastics, a gym constructed and run by her family.^[4]

Out of peak form, Moceanu placed ninth at the 1997 US Nationals. She participated in the 1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, leading a new and mostly inexperienced US team. She was elected team captain, and qualified for the all-around final, but the competition was not a positive experience for her.

By 1998 however, Moceanu returned to top form. Under the tutelage of her new coach, Lumereanita Miscenco, she adjusted to a significant growth spurt and developed a clean, elegant style. She was selected for the American team at the 1998 Goodwill Games, where she became the only American to ever win the all-around title. In doing so, she defeated reigning World all-around champion Svetlana Khorkina, as well as the World silver and bronze medalists, Simona Amânar and Elena Produnova. She not only won the competition, she dominated the rest of the field. Outscoring the second place finisher and future 1999 World All Around Champion Maria Olaru by .687 points. Many consider this competition to be the highlight of Moceanu's career.^[4]

Training with Mary Lee Tracy at the Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy (CGA), Moceanu placed 8th at the 2000 U.S. Nationals. She qualified for the Olympic Trials, but was forced to withdraw with a knee injury.^[13][14]

In the fall of 2000, Moceanu participated in a post-Olympics national exhibition tour.^[15] She also participated in one of the post-Athens Olympics gymnastics tours in 2006, the "Rock N' Roll Gymnastics Championships".^[16]

After a five-year hiatus from elite gymnastics, Moceanu announced a return to competition in 2005. However, injury kept her from competing in the 2005 Nationals. She remained committed to her comeback efforts, training on floor and vault.^[4]

In the summer of 2006, Moceanu was invited to attend the USA Gymnastics national training camp. She also competed at the 2006 US Classic, where she performed decently on vault, successfully executing a full twisting Tsukahara vault. On floor, she went out of bounds on her tucked full-in pass and fell on her double pike, posting one of the lowest FX scores of the meet.

In a decision that proved to be somewhat controversial, Moceanu was not able to qualify to the 2006 U.S. National Championships. Moceanu stated that she had been informed that she would advance to Nationals by attending the National Training Camp and competing at least two events at the Classic. Despite meeting these requirements, she was not able to qualify to Nationals based on her Classic performances. Moceanu appealed this decision with USA Gymnastics, but the ruling was not overturned.^[17]

Personal life[link]

In late 1998, Moceanu left home and sued for legal emancipation from her parents in order to regain control of the money she had earned as a professional gymnast. In the resulting court case and television interviews, Moceanu stated that her father had squandered her sizable earnings and had an abusive, controlling nature. The court approved her petition for emancipation and control of her finances.^[6][18] However, Moceanu did eventually reconcile with both of her parents.^[4]

Moceanu graduated in May 2009 with a business management degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.^[19] She also coaches part-time at Gymnastics World in the Cleveland suburb of Broadview Heights and conducts clinics and private lessons around the country.^[20]

On November 4, 2006 in Houston, Texas, Moceanu married long-time boyfriend, podiatrist Dr. Michael Canales, a former Ohio State gymnast.^[21] On December 25, 2007, Moceanu gave birth to a daughter, Carmen Noel Canales.^[19] The couple's second child, a son named Vincent Michael Canales, was born on March 13, 2009.^[19]

Major results[link]

• 2000 US Championships: 8th AA
• 2000 US Classic: 6th AA
• 1998 Goodwill Games: 1st AA
• 1998 US Championships: 3rd AA; 1st BB; 1st VT; 3rd FX
• 1997 World Championships: 6th Team; 14th AA
• 1997 US Championships: 9th AA; 2nd FX
• 1997 International Team Championships: 2nd Team; 17th (two events only)
• 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta USA: 1st Team; 9th AA; 4th FX; 6th BB
• 1996 US Championships: 3rd AA
• 1995 World Championships, Sabae JPN: 3rd Team; 5th AA; 2nd BB; 7th FX
• 1995 US Championships: 1st AA; 2nd FX; 3rd VT; 5th BB; 6th UB
• 1995 US Classic: 2nd AA
• 1994 US Championships: 1st AA (junior)
• 1993 US Championships: 7th AA (junior)
• 1993 US Classic: 8th AA (junior)
• 1993 US Olympic Festival: 12th AA
• 1992 Pan American Games: 1st Team, VT, UB, FX; 2nd AA
• 1992 US Championships: 5th AA (junior)
• 1992 US Classic: 10th AA (junior)
• 1991 US Classic: 7th AA (junior)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Interview with Dominique Moceanu on her faith and the Olympics
• AAA Dominique Moceanu: America's Dream
• moceanugymnastics
• Moceanu's profile at the FIG website
• Dominique Moceanu at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique

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Kim Zmeskal
Kim Burdette in 2002.
Personal information
Full name	Kimberly Lynn Zmeskal Burdette
Country represented	United States
Born	(1976-02-06) February 6, 1976 (age 36) Houston, Texas
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Club	Karolyi's; CGA Texas Dreams (coach)
Former coach(es)	Béla Károlyi, Mary Lee Tracy
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 1992 Barcelona Team World Championships Gold 1991 Indianapolis All-around Gold 1992 Paris Balance beam Gold 1992 Paris Floor Silver 1991 Indianapolis Team Bronze 1991 Indianapolis Floor

Kimberly Lynn "Kim" Zmeskal Burdette (born February 6, 1976) is a American gymnastics coach who was a former national and world gymnastics champion in the early 1990s.

Early life and training[link]

Zmeskal was born in Houston, Texas. From a young age, Zmeskal trained with coaching great Béla Károlyi, who had bought a run-down gym in Zmeskal's Houston, Texas neighborhood. This gave Zmeskal the opportunity to observe and interact with her heroine, Mary Lou Retton.

In 1989, at the age of 13, Zmeskal became the U.S. Junior National Champion. She also took first place in the American Classic, the Swiss Cup Mixed Pairs (with Lance Ringnald), and the Arthur Gander Memorial. Zmeskal went on to become a three-time consecutive U.S. National Champion. In international events, she began a rivalry with the Soviet Union's Svetlana Boginskaya.

1992 Barcelona Olympics[link]

At the World Championships in 1991 in Indianapolis, the team silver medal was a first for the Americans, and Zmeskal became the first American to achieve the World All-Around gold medal. So, Americans had high hopes for Zmeskal and the U.S. team heading the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, with Zmeskal earning the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazines before the Games. In the U.S. National Championships and Olympic Trials, Zmeskal battled an emerging Shannon Miller, with Miller defeating Zmeskal at the Trials.

Zmeskal disappointed at the Games, falling off the balance beam during her compulsory routine on the first night of competition. Although she would rebound with performances on the floor, vault, and bars, Zmeskal was in 32nd place after the compulsories and 5th on the American team. She would further rebound with impressive scores of 9.912 on beam, 9.95 on vault, 9.9 on uneven bars, and a 9.925 on floor during the finals of the team competition, moving Zmeskal into 12th place and into the all-around competition by finishing third among the American women. Her combined score of 39.687 for the night was the highest of any competitor.

Although earning enough points to compete in the all-around competition, Zmeskal would again falter during her first event, the floor exercise, stepping out of bounds. It would later be revealed that Zmeskal was suffering from a stress fracture in her ankle before the Olympics began.

Comeback and retirement[link]

Any dreams for a comeback to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games would be dashed due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee suffered during a floor exercise.

In 1998, Zmeskal returned to competition with a decent showing at the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis. By 1999, she was even considered a possibility for the 2000 Olympics team and represented the U.S. internationally. However, a torn achilles tendon on a double tuck on floor ended her career that year.

That same year, on October 23, she married coach Chris Burdette, whom she had met during a clinic. They wed at Karolyi's Ranch. Zmeskal now spends time with her husband, speaking and coaching, and opened a coaching program in Coppell, Texas with Texas Dreams Gymnastics. She has coached an athlete to nationals standard. The Burdettes had their first child, son Robert Ryder, in May 2005. Their second child, son Koda Christopher, was born July 17, 2006. Zmeskal announced in July 2009 via Twitter that she and her husband are expecting their third child, a girl, to be named Riven.

Riven was born on February 10, 2010 weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces.

Gymnastic trademarks[link]

Zmeskal was recognized for her middle tumbling pass on floor which consisted of a round-off, three consecutive whip-backs, back-handspring, into a double-back in the tucked position (sometimes with four whips into double-back). Another trademark was the way she would flare her arms out during full-twisting elements, most notably on her full-twisting Yurchenko vault.

Another signature move was the reverse planche with one bent leg, which was her opening move on the balance beam.

External links[link]

• Where Are They Now?: Kim Zmeskal Photos & Info
• Kim Zmeskal at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
• List of competitive results at Gymn Forum

Video Interviews[link]

• Video Interviews of Kim Zmeskal at Gymnastike.org

Gymnastics portal

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Kristen Maloney
Full name	Kristin Ann Maloney
Country represented	United States
Born	(1981-03-10) March 10, 1981 (age 31)
Hometown	Pen Argyl
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Eponymous skills	Maloney (uneven bars)
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney Team

Kristin Ann Maloney (born March 10, 1981, Hackettstown, New Jersey), also known as Kristen Maloney, is a retired gymnast from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, United States, who was coached by Jack Carter in the 2000 Olympics and won bronze in the Team Event. Maloney was also the U.S. senior all-around National Champion in 1998 and 1999 and the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medalist on the balance beam.

Gymnastics career[link]

Maloney trained at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was a consistent member of the U.S. national gymnastics team from 1993 to 2000. She competed in a variety of minor international competitions as a junior elite and, as a senior, qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials.

Although Maloney only finished fourteenth at the Trials and received little media attention in the shadow of the "Magnificent Seven", she was one of the most prominent American gymnasts from 1997 to 2000. The U.S. National Champion in the all-around in 1998 and 1999, Maloney was a key member of the American team at several major international meets. She participated in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships teams, earned a gold medal on the balance beam at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York, and won the all-around at the 1998 Pacific Alliance Championships. Maloney ended her elite career at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where she placed fourth with the American team and nineteenth in the individual all-around. The fourth place was upgraded to bronze ten years later after Chinese gymnast Dong Fangxiao was found to be too young to compete and the bronze-medal winning Chinese team was disqualified.^[1]

After the Olympics, Maloney attended UCLA on a full athletic scholarship and competed in NCAA gymnastics with the Bruins. There she earned All-American honors and scored perfect 10.0s at several meets, functioning as a strong team leader. In her final college competition, the NCAA Championships, Maloney placed second in the all-around behind teammate Tasha Schwikert, won gold on vault and floor, and displayed Olympic-level technique by successfully completing a double-twisting Yurchenko vault and a full twisting double layout on floor exercise.

Maloney was plagued by persistent injuries throughout her elite and collegiate careers. A nagging stress fracture led to placement of a titanium rod in her leg (whence her name "K-Rod" among some fans). In the wake of one wave of extremely serious injury and illness, Maloney missed two full years of competition with the Bruins; her subsequent return to full form earned her UCLA's C.H.A.M.P.S. Inspirational Award.

Maloney graduated from UCLA in 2005 and worked as a gymnastics coach in California. One of her gymnasts was Shavahn Church, a member of the British national team. She was living in Europe and working with Cirque du Soleil. She now teaches preschool in Queens, New York.^[2]

Maloney began working as an assistant coach for the University of New Hampshire gymnastics team in the 2010-2011 season.^{[citation needed]}

Skills[link]

Maloney has a skill named after her in the Code of Points; a toe-on Shaposhnikova transition on the uneven bars.

Vault: Double-twisting Yurchenko

Uneven bars: The Maloney; Gienger; full-twisting double layout dismount

Balance beam: Front tuck mount; wolf jump half-wolf jump-Rufolva; back handspring-layout-layout; punch front; back handspring-two foot back handspring-two foot layout; back handspring-back handspring-double back dismount

Floor exercise: Full-twisting double layout; double layout; punch front through to triple twist; double back; whip to immediate double layout

Awards and honors[link]

• 1999: James E. Sullivan Award: Finalist
• 1999: USA Gymnastics Gymnast of the Year

References[link]

External links[link]

• USA Gymnastics biography
• UCLA Bruins biography
• Full list of competitive results at Gymn Forum