Scoreboards

Anyone that watched the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles became absolutely smitten with Mary Lou Retton. Not only did she demonstrate a performance of pure excellence, but she represented everything that was wholesome about the United States. Her original family name of Rotundo was changed to Retton when they arrived at Ellis Island, and Mary Lou is intensely proud of her Italian heritage.

Born in 1968 in Virginia, Mary Lou developed an intense love of gymnastics are an early age. She relocated to Houston, Texas to be under the instruction of Bela Karolyi, the famed Romanian coach. Her cute perkiness, combined with a very compact and strong frame led her to wins at a variety of competitions, including the U.S. Nationals and the American Cup. Her 4’ 9” size was smaller than the standard, but every ounce of her weight was pure powerhouse toned muscle.

The 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada brought a number of ‘firsts’ into athletics. One of the most surprising was little Nadia Comaneci, of Romania. The tiny powerhouse from the oppressed country entered the Olympics, becoming the first person to win with a perfect ten score and she won our hearts.

Born in 1961, Nadia became entranced by gymnastics by the young age of 6 years old. She was discovered and then trained by Bela Karolyi, the famed gymnastic coach. Karolyi and his wife were impressed with Nadia’s talent, but also her work ethic. Her own personal memories of that time included the fact that she continued to try, even though she fell a lot. She was only seven when she was entered into the Romanian National Junior Championship. While she finished in thirteenth place, it gave Nadia a taste of getting close to winning.