Former Olympic gymnst Dominique Moceanu speaks out

[Olympia]

Then thank goodness she has such a devoted aunt. We're big on aunts in my family. I had four, but it just takes one to make a big difference in a kid's life.

[Johar]

I remember reading about how Bela K. would scream at them at his ranch if he caught them eating; one of them was chewed out for eating a peach.

[Tonichelle]

Then thank goodness she has such a devoted aunt. We're big on aunts in my family. I had four, but it just takes one to make a big difference in a kid's life.

yes, but I'm not right there... I'm at least 4 hours away :(

but I get to see her this weekend!

[Rachmaninoff]

Thanks for the analysis. You're obviously a well-informed gymnastics fan. I'm just a casual viewer, so I appreciate the benefit of your insights. I'm surprised to hear about Shannon Miller. I don't know why I expected her to be treated differently, or at least have family backing her up as Kerri Strug seems to have. Part of it is that by the time of Atlanta, she had more than proved herself in Barcelona, and I hoped that would give her a cushion. I love that Amy Chow and Shaun Johnson seem to have escaped the worst of it. You might have a point there: that killing oneself in grinding practice might actually be counterproductive.

Thanks for pointing out the difference between gymnastics and elite gymnastics. That makes me feel a lot better about its being a sport for kids.

Ah, thanks. I'm really just a casual fan myself (haven't even watched last year's worlds..although I may get caught up on youtube before the Olympics start ). I have been following the problems reported in elite gymnastics for quite some time now though.

It's been a while since I read Shannon's mother's book, but I had the impression that Shannon was just very strongly driven by her own ambition, and didn't want her mother to interfere. So her mother stepped back. Was it the right decision? Who knows. I don't doubt that kids react to this differently, and maybe some of them can go through it and not end up damaged by it. I would be hesitant to decide whether a particular gymnast came out okay based on their public persona though.

I remember reading about how Bela K. would scream at them at his ranch if he caught them eating; one of them was chewed out for eating a peach.

Yeah, that was Erica Stokes. She ended up leaving the sport because of an eating disorder. The Karolyis were known for really restricting the gymnasts' food - Moceanu believes this was the reason she was so tiny at fourteen years old (4'6 and 70 pounds) then had a huge growth spurt pretty much right after she stopped working with them.

[Olympia]

Yeah, what girl has a growth spurt at fifteen? Hearing that really distresses me. When my best friend in high school was fifteen, she was nearly six feet tall. The shortest girl in our class was just about five feet tall.

Speaking of gymnasts, I recall reading the sad news that Shannon Miller has had ovarian cancer, but she seems at this point to be in remission, according to Wiki.

[Johar]

Why can't our American girls stick the landings like our counterparts?

[Olympia]

Why can't our American girls stick the landings like our counterparts?

I would ask the same question. But they're sure splendid in the air, especially Jordan W.


I feel bad for Nastia, but good for her for giving it a try.

[Johar]

Give a Romanian gymnast an inch and they will take a foot. Those little bobbles and unstuck landings can hurt us in London.