Friday, July 30, 2004
MOCEANU LOOKS BACK (FOSTORIA REVIEW TIMES)
By Scott Cottos
The questions regarding American success in the Athens Olympics grow all the time. Will Michael Phelps be dominant in the swimming pool? Will the youngest-ever Dream Team be able to win gold in men’s basketball? Will the women’s gymnastics team live up to the hype and come away with gold?
One need look just a bit to the east for some perspective on the ability of this year’s gymnasts and the situation they face. Dominique Moceanu is now a Cleveland-area resident, attending college and coaching at Gymnastics World in Broadview Heights.
Next month, she will be in Athens assisting Sports Illustrated and serving as an ambassador for USA Gymnastics.
Her credentials as a gymnastics authority include being the U.S. all-around champion in 1995 and a member of the American’s gold-medal-winning Magnificent Seven in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
In a telephone conversation this week, Moceanu never used the word “gold” in relation to this year’s team but she did say she considered the Americans to be definite medal contenders.
“They’re wonderful,” she said. “They selected a very good team, and it was chosen strategically. That’s why Mo (Bhardwaj) and Annia (Hatch) were picked, for the vault.”
The vault provided the signature moment of the United States’ team win in 1996, with Kerri Strug working through torn ligaments in her left ankle to stick a landing.
It turned out to be a life-changing moment for all of the Mag Seven. For her part, Moceanu, then 14, was fourth in the individual floor exercise and 11th in the all-around of team competition. She acknowledged that she wished she had turned in a better performance, but she was injured as well, having had to petition her way onto the Olympic team due to missing time with a leg injury. She will, however, always be recognized as the youngest member of a gold medal-winning team. Rule changes since then have made the minimum age 16.
“It was definitely one of the best moments of my life,” Moceanu said of the Americans’ championship. “We made history on July 27, 1996. It didn’t sink in until later, though, when I was getting thousands of letters and people were sending me wedding rings. People were going nuts. But it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Now, it’s the gymnasts who have to prevent just such an occurrence, Moceanu said.
“Less than a month away, this is the most critical time,” she said. “It’s very stressful because you’re constantly thinking about doing the best routines of your life.”
While gymnastics is a highly individualized sport, the Olympics bring team and national pride into play.
“You don’t want to let yourself down, but you also don’t want to let your teammates and your country down,” Moceanu said.
Moceanu said that in pre-Olympics 1996, she found herself in a situation in which she wanted some relief from the stress without losing her edge.
“I would talk to a close aunt or my parents and I’d watch some TV before bed,” she said. “But there wasn’t much I did to relax because I wanted to be in that mode where I was so focused.”
Moceanu, the daughter of two former gymnasts from Romania, spent a lot of time being keyed up for competitions after starting gymnastics at age 3.
She acknowledged that she did not take part in some common childhood indulgences, but she will take to task anyone who questions a youngster’s pursuit of being an elite athlete.
“I have no regrets about working so hard because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” she said.
“How can anyone even say (that a young athlete is being robbed of his or her childhood)? What’s wrong with working hard? Those are the same people who don’t discipline their kids.
“I’m thankful that my parents pushed me to work hard. I am the person I am today because of parents who pushed me and because of gymnastics.”
A falling-out with her father a few years ago received major publicity, and Dominique is dismayed that the media wasn’t as fervent in pursuing word of their reconciliation.
“It couldn’t be better,” she said of her relationship with her parents, who live in Houston. “I’m so close to my family. Family is something that’s forever.”
Moceanu today has a little more than two years left to earn a business degree. She attended the University of Akron for a year and is now enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College with intentions of transferring to John Carroll University.
She’s also passionate about coaching. She acknowledged that it can sometimes be frustrating, but she recognizes the difference she can make in kids.
“One girl told me I helped keep her from committing suicide,” she said.
“She left me a note saying I made her feel like a million bucks because I’m someone who helped her. Those things make it worth it.”
By Scott Cottos
The questions regarding American success in the Athens Olympics grow all the time. Will Michael Phelps be dominant in the swimming pool? Will the youngest-ever Dream Team be able to win gold in men’s basketball? Will the women’s gymnastics team live up to the hype and come away with gold?
One need look just a bit to the east for some perspective on the ability of this year’s gymnasts and the situation they face. Dominique Moceanu is now a Cleveland-area resident, attending college and coaching at Gymnastics World in Broadview Heights.
Next month, she will be in Athens assisting Sports Illustrated and serving as an ambassador for USA Gymnastics.
Her credentials as a gymnastics authority include being the U.S. all-around champion in 1995 and a member of the American’s gold-medal-winning Magnificent Seven in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
In a telephone conversation this week, Moceanu never used the word “gold” in relation to this year’s team but she did say she considered the Americans to be definite medal contenders.
“They’re wonderful,” she said. “They selected a very good team, and it was chosen strategically. That’s why Mo (Bhardwaj) and Annia (Hatch) were picked, for the vault.”
The vault provided the signature moment of the United States’ team win in 1996, with Kerri Strug working through torn ligaments in her left ankle to stick a landing.
It turned out to be a life-changing moment for all of the Mag Seven. For her part, Moceanu, then 14, was fourth in the individual floor exercise and 11th in the all-around of team competition. She acknowledged that she wished she had turned in a better performance, but she was injured as well, having had to petition her way onto the Olympic team due to missing time with a leg injury. She will, however, always be recognized as the youngest member of a gold medal-winning team. Rule changes since then have made the minimum age 16.
“It was definitely one of the best moments of my life,” Moceanu said of the Americans’ championship. “We made history on July 27, 1996. It didn’t sink in until later, though, when I was getting thousands of letters and people were sending me wedding rings. People were going nuts. But it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Now, it’s the gymnasts who have to prevent just such an occurrence, Moceanu said.
“Less than a month away, this is the most critical time,” she said. “It’s very stressful because you’re constantly thinking about doing the best routines of your life.”
While gymnastics is a highly individualized sport, the Olympics bring team and national pride into play.
“You don’t want to let yourself down, but you also don’t want to let your teammates and your country down,” Moceanu said.
Moceanu said that in pre-Olympics 1996, she found herself in a situation in which she wanted some relief from the stress without losing her edge.
“I would talk to a close aunt or my parents and I’d watch some TV before bed,” she said. “But there wasn’t much I did to relax because I wanted to be in that mode where I was so focused.”
Moceanu, the daughter of two former gymnasts from Romania, spent a lot of time being keyed up for competitions after starting gymnastics at age 3.
She acknowledged that she did not take part in some common childhood indulgences, but she will take to task anyone who questions a youngster’s pursuit of being an elite athlete.
“I have no regrets about working so hard because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” she said.
“How can anyone even say (that a young athlete is being robbed of his or her childhood)? What’s wrong with working hard? Those are the same people who don’t discipline their kids.
“I’m thankful that my parents pushed me to work hard. I am the person I am today because of parents who pushed me and because of gymnastics.”
A falling-out with her father a few years ago received major publicity, and Dominique is dismayed that the media wasn’t as fervent in pursuing word of their reconciliation.
“It couldn’t be better,” she said of her relationship with her parents, who live in Houston. “I’m so close to my family. Family is something that’s forever.”
Moceanu today has a little more than two years left to earn a business degree. She attended the University of Akron for a year and is now enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College with intentions of transferring to John Carroll University.
She’s also passionate about coaching. She acknowledged that it can sometimes be frustrating, but she recognizes the difference she can make in kids.
“One girl told me I helped keep her from committing suicide,” she said.
“She left me a note saying I made her feel like a million bucks because I’m someone who helped her. Those things make it worth it.”
Sunday, July 25, 2004
TIMES HAVE CHANGED FOR MOCEANU (FLORIDA TODAY)
At 9, she enrolled at Bela Karolyi's Houston gymnastics academy, where Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton got their starts.
At 13, she became the youngest girl ever to win the senior all-around title at the National Gymnastics Championships.
At 14, she starred in a Kodak commercial, came out with an autobiography, had Annie Leibovitz photograph her for Vanity Fair and was on the cover of a Wheaties box, along with the rest of the gold medal-winning "Magnificent Seven."
At 17, she filed suit in a Houston court to be declared a legal adult after fleeing the home of her parents, who she claimed thought of her only as a source of income and controlled the more than $2 million she'd won since turning pro at age 10.
It's been a wild ride for Dominique Moceanu, now 22, working toward her business management degree at a Cleveland community college, doing some coaching and back in good graces with her parents.
On Sunday, we caught up with Moceanu, who's no longer the 4-foot-6, 72-pound jumping jack you remember from the 1996 Summer Olympics.
FT: How much of the normal kid experience did you miss out on because of gymnastics?
DM: A lot. I didn't get to go to the prom, I didn't get to do normal after-school activities. I was always stuck training. I gave up a lot of my friendships. I didn't really hang out with kids at school, I didn't make many friends. I was on a completely different schedule than they were, I was always on a different path. I didn't get to do the girly sleepovers and all that stuff. I was on a mission to go to the Olympics someday and I was only 14 when I did it. I was just a baby.
But I got to go to Brazil when I was 10 years old, to compete. I went to Switzerland, I went to Belgium, Japan, Australia. I went to all these beautiful places because of gymnastics. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I've learned so many lessons from the sport itself that I know I'm a better person because of it. I can handle adversity, I can handle obstacles in my life because of what the sport has given me, and the determination and drive helps me with my academics now. I know it's benefited me so much.
FT: Was it pretty much pre-determined that you were going to be a gymnast?
DM: I used to live in Tampa. When I was 8 years old, I told the local news in the first interview that I ever did that my goal was to go to the Olympics one day and win a gold medal. From the moment I said that -- from 8 on -- it became a passion. My parents put me in the right places at the right times with the right coaches, and it finally happened. After my first interview, people were like, "Oh sure, honey. Good luck."
I was one of those bouncy, hyperactive kids. My parents were born and raised in Romania, where gymnastics is very, very huge. My parents decided that their first child would be a gymnast. They put me in it and needless to say, I loved it.
FT: What is your relationship with your parents now?
DM: I have a great relationship with my parents now. Yeah, there were tough times for a little while, but it's great now. It's unfortunate that my life was in the public eye. I didn't realize how many people felt like they had the power to peek into my life and say bad things about me and my family at the time -- that things were really hard for us. But I know now that we're strong enough to beat that, we're strong enough to overcome anything. We're actually closer because of all that now because it didn't break us. We were able to prevail and persevere and make it, and we're OK now.
I was just a kid. This issue was between my father and I, and a lot of people couldn't understand what was going on and wanted to make it a huge story. It was a personal thing that got blown out of proportion. I guess that's the price you have to pay when you're in the spotlight. But people have no idea how many nights of tears there were over that and how hard it was on us.
FT: That update to your story hasn't gotten the exposure that taking your parents to court did.
DM: We did a reunion in Akron Sports and Leisure magazine. They took pictures of the whole family. There will be an article in Good Housekeeping next month. That was important to me -- to finally do an interview with my family and show that we're doing well. Let's get over all that stuff in the past. It was kind of an unfinished story. You got all this attention at this age because of what had happened between you and your family, but no one followed up to do the reconciliation story.
I wanted it this year -- for my family's sake, for mine and for the general public's. You know, what ever happened to that girl that had issues with her family? They're wonderful people. They helped make who I was, they helped sacrifice everything for my dream. Without them, I wouldn't even be here today. People need to realize I'm not this spoiled, little brat. I didn't do anything wrong but try to find myself as a teenager and as a young adult. I'm on a good path now with my life. I'm happy.
FT: You know what they say: Scandals sell.
DM: Sunny days and flowers, they don't sell stories. People want drama. That's why all these reality shows are on television now. That's why I tell all these little kids: Be careful what you wish for. Fame isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
FT: You've said that you try to live your life without regret. Do you regret that experience at all?
DM: Surprisingly, I don't regret it. If we didn't go through it, we wouldn't be as strong today. I think it really taught my dad a lesson. I think my dad realized I wasn't a little kid anymore and I'm mature enough to make grown-up decisions. He needs to trust me with that and I think he's starting to.
FT: Since you came on the scene 12 years ago, a lot of young phenoms have followed -- Michelle Wie in golf, Freddy Adu in soccer, Maria Sharapova in tennis. What advice would you give someone going through that experience now?
DM: I always tell my athletes to keep their heads grounded and stay humble, stay appreciative. Being at the peak of your career doesn't last forever. After you accomplish everything you want to in the sport -- whether it goes well for you or not -- you have the rest of your life to live. You always have to have a backup plan. Education is No. 1. I always tell everyone I coach: Go for a scholarship in college. There are so many benefits and rewards.
FT: What's in your CD player these days?
DM: I have a lot burned CDs with a lot of hip-hop music.
FT: Last good book you read?
DM: "The Notebook" and "The Wedding," which is a sequel to "The Notebook." I fell in love with those books.
FT: Last thing: How tall are you now?
DM: 5-4. I'm actually the tallest one from the team now, believe it or not.
At 9, she enrolled at Bela Karolyi's Houston gymnastics academy, where Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton got their starts.
At 13, she became the youngest girl ever to win the senior all-around title at the National Gymnastics Championships.
At 14, she starred in a Kodak commercial, came out with an autobiography, had Annie Leibovitz photograph her for Vanity Fair and was on the cover of a Wheaties box, along with the rest of the gold medal-winning "Magnificent Seven."
At 17, she filed suit in a Houston court to be declared a legal adult after fleeing the home of her parents, who she claimed thought of her only as a source of income and controlled the more than $2 million she'd won since turning pro at age 10.
It's been a wild ride for Dominique Moceanu, now 22, working toward her business management degree at a Cleveland community college, doing some coaching and back in good graces with her parents.
On Sunday, we caught up with Moceanu, who's no longer the 4-foot-6, 72-pound jumping jack you remember from the 1996 Summer Olympics.
FT: How much of the normal kid experience did you miss out on because of gymnastics?
DM: A lot. I didn't get to go to the prom, I didn't get to do normal after-school activities. I was always stuck training. I gave up a lot of my friendships. I didn't really hang out with kids at school, I didn't make many friends. I was on a completely different schedule than they were, I was always on a different path. I didn't get to do the girly sleepovers and all that stuff. I was on a mission to go to the Olympics someday and I was only 14 when I did it. I was just a baby.
But I got to go to Brazil when I was 10 years old, to compete. I went to Switzerland, I went to Belgium, Japan, Australia. I went to all these beautiful places because of gymnastics. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I've learned so many lessons from the sport itself that I know I'm a better person because of it. I can handle adversity, I can handle obstacles in my life because of what the sport has given me, and the determination and drive helps me with my academics now. I know it's benefited me so much.
FT: Was it pretty much pre-determined that you were going to be a gymnast?
DM: I used to live in Tampa. When I was 8 years old, I told the local news in the first interview that I ever did that my goal was to go to the Olympics one day and win a gold medal. From the moment I said that -- from 8 on -- it became a passion. My parents put me in the right places at the right times with the right coaches, and it finally happened. After my first interview, people were like, "Oh sure, honey. Good luck."
I was one of those bouncy, hyperactive kids. My parents were born and raised in Romania, where gymnastics is very, very huge. My parents decided that their first child would be a gymnast. They put me in it and needless to say, I loved it.
FT: What is your relationship with your parents now?
DM: I have a great relationship with my parents now. Yeah, there were tough times for a little while, but it's great now. It's unfortunate that my life was in the public eye. I didn't realize how many people felt like they had the power to peek into my life and say bad things about me and my family at the time -- that things were really hard for us. But I know now that we're strong enough to beat that, we're strong enough to overcome anything. We're actually closer because of all that now because it didn't break us. We were able to prevail and persevere and make it, and we're OK now.
I was just a kid. This issue was between my father and I, and a lot of people couldn't understand what was going on and wanted to make it a huge story. It was a personal thing that got blown out of proportion. I guess that's the price you have to pay when you're in the spotlight. But people have no idea how many nights of tears there were over that and how hard it was on us.
FT: That update to your story hasn't gotten the exposure that taking your parents to court did.
DM: We did a reunion in Akron Sports and Leisure magazine. They took pictures of the whole family. There will be an article in Good Housekeeping next month. That was important to me -- to finally do an interview with my family and show that we're doing well. Let's get over all that stuff in the past. It was kind of an unfinished story. You got all this attention at this age because of what had happened between you and your family, but no one followed up to do the reconciliation story.
I wanted it this year -- for my family's sake, for mine and for the general public's. You know, what ever happened to that girl that had issues with her family? They're wonderful people. They helped make who I was, they helped sacrifice everything for my dream. Without them, I wouldn't even be here today. People need to realize I'm not this spoiled, little brat. I didn't do anything wrong but try to find myself as a teenager and as a young adult. I'm on a good path now with my life. I'm happy.
FT: You know what they say: Scandals sell.
DM: Sunny days and flowers, they don't sell stories. People want drama. That's why all these reality shows are on television now. That's why I tell all these little kids: Be careful what you wish for. Fame isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
FT: You've said that you try to live your life without regret. Do you regret that experience at all?
DM: Surprisingly, I don't regret it. If we didn't go through it, we wouldn't be as strong today. I think it really taught my dad a lesson. I think my dad realized I wasn't a little kid anymore and I'm mature enough to make grown-up decisions. He needs to trust me with that and I think he's starting to.
FT: Since you came on the scene 12 years ago, a lot of young phenoms have followed -- Michelle Wie in golf, Freddy Adu in soccer, Maria Sharapova in tennis. What advice would you give someone going through that experience now?
DM: I always tell my athletes to keep their heads grounded and stay humble, stay appreciative. Being at the peak of your career doesn't last forever. After you accomplish everything you want to in the sport -- whether it goes well for you or not -- you have the rest of your life to live. You always have to have a backup plan. Education is No. 1. I always tell everyone I coach: Go for a scholarship in college. There are so many benefits and rewards.
FT: What's in your CD player these days?
DM: I have a lot burned CDs with a lot of hip-hop music.
FT: Last good book you read?
DM: "The Notebook" and "The Wedding," which is a sequel to "The Notebook." I fell in love with those books.
FT: Last thing: How tall are you now?
DM: 5-4. I'm actually the tallest one from the team now, believe it or not.
