Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Moceanu Moments
In honor of her book release, we need to celebrate the defining moments of the career of Dominique Moceanu. From a very young age, it was clear that she was born with an ungodly and frankly unfair level of natural talent.
By 1994, Dominque's talent and training led her to be the best junior in USA.
In 1995, Dominique stormed on the senior scene with all of Bela's bluster and theatricality. She was now the love child of Nadia and Mary Lou and a media sensation. The days of Miller v. Dawes were behind us. Unless you asked Kathy Johnson Clarke, Dominique was IT. We all adored watching her flashy routines. Gorgeous enough to be a child model, Dominique was an agent's dream. We all wanted a doll of Dominique to brush her hair and do her Silivas beam mount.
The 1995 Worlds wound of being one of the highlight's of Dominique's career. She charmed the world in Sabae.
Dominique was the queen of the fluff piece. She will forever be climbing that sugar mountain.
Dominique's first three optional routines were an iconic part of the Mag 7's win in Atlanta.
She also threw in an extra front full during floor finals just to be fierce as hell. Given her stress fracture, it is unlikely she ever practiced it. If medals were given out for how much we all loved this routine at the time, Dominique would've retired an Olympic legend with more than enough money for her dad to build seven Taj Mahals of gymnastics.
Dominique was a hot mess during most of the professional gymnastics events, yet she showed up to the Goodwill Games and shocked everyone with her fitness level, gorgeous floor routine and shocking vaulting prowess.
Dominique was only third AA at the 1998 Nationals due to a knee ailment, but she outscored Atler for the vault title and picked up another crown on beam. She was an angry biotch not to be messed with.
A knee injury ultimately kept Moceanu out of Trials, but she looked hot as hell after yo-yo dieting like Janet Jackson in 1999 and 2000. She still had the 'it factor.'
Dominique is the first one to tell you that she deserved to be at the 2006 Nationals.
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I love that compulsory beam routine she did. Especially the cartwheel.
ReplyDeleteI love that Steve Penny bought off Memmel to quell her fans and keep the negative publicty of Marta and co. at bay during the Olympics, but now he's got Moceanu on the talk show circuit bashing the face of his organization. What now Steve? Renew her contract for another quad?
ReplyDeleteShe's my all-time favorite gymnast (obviously I'm a child of the '90s, haha!). I love Dominique's second vault during the 1996 Olympics all-around competition. She rocked that stick!
ReplyDeleteBAHAHAHAHA the "sugar mountain." I always had creepy images in my head of her walking around with one of Bela's legs that he "gave" her...
ReplyDeletewonderful post, AJ... I always feel Domi still never reached her full potential as a gymnast... competing in Atlanta at 14 I wanted her to have so many more years of good gymnastics. I loved 1998 "long lines" Domi!!!!
Yes! She was so beautiful that year, just coming into her own, it was great to watch.
DeleteFunny theres no mention of her time at CGA at all.
ReplyDeleteSo that fluff piece on Dominique. Why is a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD on a TEETER-TOTTER? Wonder whose idea at NBC that was. She's not 8 yrs. old, for god's sake. I think I first did drugs when I was 14.
ReplyDeleteDominique's sister was quite small. We've all played with our siblings. It is a rather adorable moment that NBC ate up to make her appear even younger.
DeleteI loved the 1998 Goodwill Games floor routine! I completely agree with the commentators that the extra height really suited her!
ReplyDeleteSo you meet her at a book signing and now she is NastiaLike. Give me a fucking break
ReplyDeleteDominique was a hot mess during most of the professional gymnastics events, yet she showed up to the Goodwill Games and shocked everyone with her fitness level, gorgeous floor routine and shocking vaulting prowess.
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