what famous gymnasts has your gymmie met?

[dmytv]

About to go to a meet in less than a month where Nastia Lukin is supposed to be and it got me wondering what famous gymnasts has your gymnasts met and how has that inspired them?
My dd first met all the Gator gymnasts of 2008 season when she was little and all she could do when she went back to the gym was dream about being on the "big girl bars". Since then she has met Courtney Mcool, Courtney Kupets, Alexandre and Lidia Tkachev, Wendy Bruce, Brandy Johnson, and Terin Humphery. Her latest meet was Humphery who is a cop now and all she could say was how impressed she was that this 5ft girl could kick butt.(haha, Sure not what a cop does, but hey my dd is a small girl too.) Any how, any stories?

 

[bribri514]

That's really cool for your DD! I've met a lot of college teams. When I was little I always went to the DU camps and met girls like Jenny Ebdon, Kara Clothier, Jessica Lopez, etc. Then of course when I went to college and was on my school's gym team I met girls like Kristina Coccia, Gael Mackie, Sam Peszek and the rest of the UCLA girls, etc. etc. I've also met ASac when she comes to Colorado to see her boyfriend Brady. My good friend lived a few rooms down from her at Brown and is still close with her.

My all time favorite though was when I was probably 7 or 8 and I met Aimee Walker Pond. She was at a meet we went to in Utah and she's my all time favorite gymnast ever. She was what inspired me when I was little to know a deaf girl like me could go as far as she did in gymnastics. She was sooo sweet when we met, my mom has a picture somewhere and she answered all my questions (and I had a lot!) and was just really wonderful. I'll always remember that!!

And for my niece, she's only been to one big gym meet I took her to the USU-Utah meet to see my old teammates and some of the really awesome Utah girls. They were all really sweet and talked to her after the meet.

 

[JudyS125]

My dd met Dominique Dawes and got her autograph. She also met Mary Lou Retton and had the chance to get her autograph but didn't because she didn't know who she was. How pitiful is that!

 

[GymSurvivor]

I met Nastia Liukin, Sam Peszek, Jonathon Horton, Chellsie Memmel and the rest of the Gymnastics Spectacular cast that was touring a couple years ago.
Sam Peszek also did a clinic at my gym at one point.
And the 2008 olympic team was at my gym for something about the Special Olympics.

I also met Carly Patterson at Woodward, shes super nice!!
And I've met the UK Gymnastics team and some of the Florida Gym team.

The girls I REALLY want to meet are ASac and Courtney McCool.

 

[sunshinegymnast]

I met Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Chellsie Memmel, Blaine Wilson, Jana Bieger, Susan Jackson, Svletlana B. and I'm meeting Justin Spring this year!!!

I met all of them at IGC :3

 

[KarenUK]

My daughter met Beth Tweddle when she came to open the gym club that she went to for a while. She got her autograph and had her photo taken with her. When we were at London Prepares (the Olympic qualification) we were walking along the top of the auditorium looking for seats, and Beth Tweddle was walking, chatting to her friend, just in front of us - the girls were in awe

 

[Blackie6]

My daughter has met and got autographs from Carly Patterson, Chelsie M, Shawn Johnson. Also this past August went to the "Evolution" show sponsered by IGC and won a "meet & greet" with all of those gymnasts too. She has a poster & t shirt (and pictures) with everyone that was in the show. While the weather was bad because it was the night of the hurricaine, and we had to leave the show early, the memories will last a lifetime!

 

[cher062]

Both son and DD has met a lot from going to the USAGTC summer camp. They always have a few famous women and men come in for at least a day to be the coach.

I know the first time DD was impressed was when Nastia L. Was her beam coach for a day at camp.

She has a bag she brings to any event where there might be famous folks and has them sign it.

For Son first time he was impressed was when Blaine Wilson was his High Bar Coach.

So the ones I remember is Nastia (a few times) Carly Patterson, Shawn Johnson, Shannon Miller, Alicia Sacramone, Chelsie Memmal, Kristen Maloney, Rebecca Bross, Chelsea Davis

Some of the men are Blaine Wilson, Dwight Smith, John Roethlisberger, Tim Daggett, Marian Dragulescu, Hamm Brothers.

 

[gymnastbeth]

I randomly met Sam Peszek at a hotel in Chicago, it was very exciting as I was only 12 at the time, and she was my favorite gymnast.

 

[marie83]

One of my gymnasts used to train at Lilleshall (our National team training centre) once a month for Regional training and the GB girls were quite often there - Beth Tweddle of course being her favourite! She couldn't believe how small Beth was as she seems 'big' on TV (her words!)

I got Oksana Chusovitina's and Ksenia Semonova's autographs at Worlds in 2009 saw many more gymnasts just walking about the arena, but didn't get autographs.

Oh also, Just wanted to add for a laugh that when I was on my level 2 coaching course, Danusia Francis was one of the gymnasts we were using - she was about 9 years old at the time. I got to support her doing a bhs on beam ad a layout flyaway on bars! Don't suppose I actually taught her anything though!

 

[putri]

I saw Louis Smith run by with a bag of popcorn. That's about the most well known person I've ever met :/

 

[gasrgoose]

She met the entire 1996 Olympic Gold medal team and Nastia and got pictures. But her favorite is Daniela Silivas, a great person, friend, mom and pretty good gymnast as well.

 

[flipper's fan]

Wow- where to start? DD has met so many people at Woodward and through Svetlana Bogunskaiya. Shannon Miller, Annia Hatch, Elise Ray, Morgan White, Courtney Mc Cool, Courtney Kupets, Chellsie Memmel, Dominque Dawes, Domenique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Mary Lou Retton, Oksana Chusovitina, Blaine Wilson, Carly Patterson
and she had a meet and greet with Shawn, Nastia, and several members of the Beijing team when they were on tour.
Did the Arthritis walk and had a lot of face time with Mary Lou, had some private lessons with Svetlana, and I actually worked with Kerri Strug in her non- gymnastics job.

But the best stuff was working with Svetlana, Chellsie, Kerri, Courtney K. Domenique M and Oksana at Svetlana's camps!

 

[Azgymmiemom]

My dd met Courtney Kupets two weekends ago. She was handing out the medals at Amanda Borden's AZ grand invitational(who was also there, but she didn't talk to her). Courtney posed for a pic with her and signed one of her medals. My dd came back and said, "mom! Courtney said she saw me during the competition and that I did really good!!!" She was so elated I didn't have the heart to say that she probably said that to every little girl...lol!!! She was super sweet and nice, though, and my dd wa in awe, bc she knows Courtney was a "bars star" and that's what my dd loves best!

My son met Vitaly Sherbo at a Las Vegas meet last year. He was properly impressed. Actually, at the time, he didn't know who he was, but when we got home, he looked him up on the internet. Then he was mad that he hadn't asked for an autograph!! lol.

 

[SamIam]

These were several years ago, but still her favs.

McCool

Kupets

A GymDog pep rally is very cool.

Nas

 

[GymSurvivor]

These are the pictures when I met Carly at Woodward.

 

[JessLW]

My kids are too little to have met anyone but I met Nadia Comaneci when I was about 12 or 13. Nadia autographed a poster for me and I was in pre-teen heaven.

 

[gymmom14]

Dd has met many people at IGC including Shawn and Nastia. She also met Mary Lou at the Olympic trials. (I loved her...hehe)

At a meet a few weeks ago she met Brandon Wynn. He handed out the medals. It was really cool becuase he could be at the upcoming olympics and I am sure he has a huge cheering section in my area. All the girls loved him and he was so accomodating. He took endless photos with all the kids Go Brandon!!!!!

 

[MdGymMom01]

Back in 1992, my brother waited on Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner at the restaurant where he worked when the Olympic Trials were in Baltimore. Does that count??? LOL--My dd and I have not met any famous gymnasts personally .

Back in the 80's I met Lisa Whelchel (Blair from Facts of Life--anyone remember that show???) in an elevator. She is really short in real life. They always put her in high heels and high heeled boots on the set to make her seem "taller". Interesting, huh?

 

[bribri514]

I also forgot, I'm pretty good friends with Brandie Jay. I know she's not a "famous famous" gymnastics but she's an amazing national team member and soon to be Gym Dog and anything could happen this summer