For an hour last Friday night more than 35 students at Elite Gymnastics believed they could fly? and they did.
‘Stretch’extend your head,? shouted Dominique Moceanu as the students flipped, spun, and bounced across a 45 foot mat.
Moceanu is a gold winning Olympic gymnast who was at the gym to hold a clinic for coaches and students. To the kids she offered a radiant presence, inspiration, and life-style encouragement.
‘They were absolutely star struck,? said Jeni Ochoa, President and owner of Elite Gymnastics, 900 Glaspie, Oxford.
‘It’s one thing when a coach tells them something but when an Olympian says it’wow! They had a blast.?
As students tumbled through the air, Moceanu watched their drills, freely offering hands-on posture adjustments and personal encouragement to each student, individually.
‘All of these good basics lead to other stuff,? said Moceanu.
‘See how much power you have when you do it well.?
‘I like your (form) a lot,? she told a young who just landed a solid back-flip.
At the 1996 Atlanta games Moceanu, a member of the United States Gymnastic Dream Team, made history as the first U.S. Gymnastic team to win a gold medal. In addition, Moceanu became the youngest athlete to ever win gold medal.
Born to Romanian gymnasts, Moceanu’s athletic career was etched in granite before her first summer-salute at 3 years old. At age 10, she became the youngest athlete ever to qualify for the U.S. Junior National Team, winning her first international title.
‘My mother was my pillar of strength,? Moceanu said. ‘She was my angel sent from God.?
‘Find someone, better than you are, to look up to for inspiration,? she told the students.
On her way to the gold Moceanu was the only individual U.S. medal winner at the 1995 World Championships games, and the highest American all-around finisher.
With an Olympic path turning quickly into a yellow-brick road, the 13-year old qualified for the National Gymnastics Team in 1996. She remained competitive on the team for the next six years.
Launched to gymnastic stardom after winning the gold, Moceanu found herself in a painful public battle to win financial independence from her parents, in 1998.
Amidst the controversy however, Moceanu took the all-around individual gold medal at the Goodwill Games that year.
‘Jump Magazine? quoted Moceanu saying the Goodwill Gold was her greatest personal victory because she won it? for herself.
Currently, when she’s not giving clinics to the next generation of American gymnasts, the petite bundle of power is touring with the Rock & Roll Gymnastic Championship Team.
The group features competitive entertainment with all-star world Olympic champions such as Paul and Morgan Hamm, Svetlana Khorkina, Shannon Miller, Tasha Schwikert with special recording artist, JoJo.
‘There are people in this spot to help the next generation,? Moceanu said. ‘It’s a beautiful sport and I want to be an ambassador for it.?
Most importantly to both the professional and the student, Moceanu said she simply wants children to love the sport.
‘I just want them to feel what it’s like to be inspired,? she smiled.
‘I love to watch them (doing drills) because that’s how they get inspired and I just want them to feel what it’s like,? she said as she wisps a student’s name across an autographed image of an American winner.