I discovered the sport of artistic gymnastics (known to the majority of the world as simply "gymnastics") in 2004 whilst viewing the women's competition in Athens. I was elementary school age, and entirely engrossed in the daring acrobatics, shiny leotards, dance, and drama that altogether created gymnastics. I fervently hoped for Carly Patterson's, the sweet-looking American's, victory, and was overjoyed as she stood on her coach's shoulders. "The second American women to win the all-around competition!", the commentators continued to exclaim. As I listened carefully to the commentators' remarks, I tried to understand the complex sport. I kept hearing the words "arabian", "pirouette", "salto", etc.: I was just awed that the commentators had a quick enough eye and vast enough knowledge to tell the complex-looking skills apart! Though I didn't understand much, which included the scoring system, politics, and more, the sport still made a huge impression on me.
Fast forward four years to 2008. I was in the end of my middle school years, and was already quite a curious soul (oh yes, I had discovered YouTube and Wikipedia by this point!). Although I hadn't seen gymnastics since 2004, I meticulously wrote down what time the women's competitions would take place and kept the paper in a familiar place. I was anxious for gymnastics to begin, especially as the media was going crazy over the princess, diva, and superstar Nastia Liukin, and the all-American sweetheart, Shawn Johnson.
When the competition began, it seemed even greater than my 8-year-old mind had remembered. These talented girls were doing skills no one had competed before, while simultaneously dealing with the pressure of being on the international stage. All the girls competed fearlessly to the very best of their ability, making of themselves role models to girls all over the world.
As you may very well know, it was a good year to be American. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson gave the performances of their lives. Nastia won (as the third American to do so) the all-around competition, as well as silver medals in the team, uneven bars, and balance beam finals, and the bronze medal on the floor exercise final. Shawn Johnson earned the silver medal in the team, floor exercise, and all-around finals. After a long, long wait, she won her Olympic gold medal on her last event final: balance beam. I was absolutely thrilled with Nastia and Shawn's amazing accomplishments, and am still stunned at how gymnasts, some only 16 years of age, can cope with the incredible pressure of Olympic competition.
My love for gymnastics began to truly develop as I saw all the wonderful things each gymnast, regardless of nationality, had to offer. I fell in love with Anna Pavlova's incredible grace and power, Ksenia Semenova's spunk and impeccable form, Cheng Fei's elegance and strength, Jiang Yuyuan's charming personality and beautiful gymnastics, Sandra Izbasa's maturity and gorgeous landings, etc. After watching the 2008 Olympics gymnastics competition over and over again on YouTube, I continued to explore the unique brilliance of each talented gymnast.
After a while, I began to explore other competitions: historical ones. I began to easily name each skill performed, and started to familiarize myself with gymnastics from the 1980s and 1990s. I saw Nadia Comaneci's legendary performances, Olga Korbut's innovative skills, and so much more. I saw full coverage of Olympic competitions dating all the way back to 1988. Due to the vast variety of YouTube's videos, I was able to explore not only celebrated routines from the past, but also brilliant but obscure ones. It was incredible for me to discover all the beauty and innovativeness that has accompanied the sport since its creation.
Being the nerd I am, I have also enjoyed the history that exists alongside artistic gymnastics. As one of the most watched sports from the summer Olympics, the sport is also incredibly political. I was able to see the dominance of the Soviet team dissipate as its powerful gymnasts were suddenly spread throughout the Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, and other teams. I viewed the scandals that took place, as Vera Caslavska, a Czech gymnast in 1968, demurely turned her head down on the medal podium. While perhaps not seeming like a scandal at first, it made headlines worldwide: she was refusing to acknowledge the Soviet flag and national anthem of the women who suspiciously tied for the gold medal with her. There have also been global concerns of the well-being of gymnasts who, under mainly communist regimes, have been worked since a young age, forced to enter competitions underage to bring glory to their country.
Despite all the scandals and drama, I find artistic gymnastics an absolutely fascinating sport (actually, on further thought, some of the scandals and drama make it more interesting). It showcases, in a way I think no other sport does, precision, discipline, beauty, acrobatics, and drama. And not only that: if one wishes to explore gymnastics, he/she will be sure to find an interesting, complex tale that complements perfectly the world events that accompanied it. Quite an interesting companion to learning world history, if you ask me.
Check out thrilling Nadia Comaneci's historical performance in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal: the first routine to earn a perfect 10!
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