LadyR Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Nadia was my idol. Here's video of her perfect 10 routine on balance beam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Thanks for posting that! I remember watching Nadia at the '76 Olympics, too. When we talked about this the other night, someone posted a youtube for Olga Korbut's uneven bars routine at the '72 Olympics. Rather impressive!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 She was mine also :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Nadia was my idol. Here's video of her perfect 10 routine on balance beam. And how old was she? (drum roll please...) You guessed it, 14 years old! She would have been too young to compete by current rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jugglin'5 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 She was amazing, wasn't she? I was 5 or 6. My parents signed me up for a brief 6 week stint in gymnastics after that Olympics to stop me jumping all over the furniture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyR Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Oooh, I searched for Olga's bar routine. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOOmFgBAdIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Honestly, I miss the older style of gymnastics from the 70s and 80s. It was so fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 ... Karolyi a couple of days ago? In my mind's eye, she was still the girl from the 1976 Montreal Olympics & I couldn't believe she grew up! (I'm only a year older than she is, so I'm not sure why I felt that way!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 That was cool to watch. I wasn't actually born then. :D Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Why were the uneven bars moved farther apart? Anyone know? ETA: I just read about the reasoning why...but I miss the old way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Oh, Nadia was my hero, too! I used to run around in my swim suit-as-gymnastics-leotard and my mom's dark eye-shaddow daubed under my eyes. I was mesmerized by her dark eyes . . . not to mention the gymnastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I loved Nadia! Wasn't she incredible? And remember "Nadia's Theme"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Olga is the one I remember most... made the most impression on me. Today's routines are a lot more difficult/athletic, aren't they? Notice how much closer the uneven bars were back then... the gymnast was often in contact with both at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Why were the uneven bars moved farther apart? Anyone know?ETA: I just read about the reasoning why...but I miss the old way! Women started doing circling moves like the men do- clear hip circles, toe-on handstands, and stalders- where you circle around the bar and swing up to handstand. That became a safety problem, because the women's bars were MUCH larger in diameter than the men's high bar. Women were peeling off the bar and flying across the gym because they couldn't hold on. So they made the bars slightly smaller in diameter. With smaller bars, it hurt a lot more to "beat" the bar with your hips, so women tried to avoid doing that so much. Since the bars were smaller, women started doing giant swings- where you go from a handstand, swing around with a straight body, and end in a handstand again. This was very difficult to do with the bars so close, so someone finally just moved the bars as far apart as they would go and let it swing! After that, rails got even smaller and bars were able to be even wider apart. I competed through this bar transition- I was one of the girls doing crazy moves and flying across the gym. I love the bars the way they are now- so much more technique involved. Also a lot less pain- I remember always having bruised on my hips and sometimes even rips on my thighs from the bars. Other events have changed a lot also. Olga competed on a wooden balance beam, a vaulting horse with a rueter board, and just an inch of padding on floor. Now beams are steel covered with padding and suede. Floors have 4" metal springs, 2 layers of plywood, and up to 2" of foam. The vault is a table now (much less scary to run at full-speed ahead!) and the vault board has actual springs in it. Most of the changes came about for safety reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 ... Karolyi a couple of days ago? In my mind's eye, she was still the girl from the 1976 Montreal Olympics & I couldn't believe she grew up! (I'm only a year older than she is, so I'm not sure why I felt that way!) ...a mom now! (She and Bart had a little boy not too long ago. They have a gym in Norman, OK.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in Orlando Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Women started doing circling moves like the men do- clear hip circles, toe-on handstands, and stalders- where you circle around the bar and swing up to handstand. That became a safety problem, because the women's bars were MUCH larger in diameter than the men's high bar. Women were peeling off the bar and flying across the gym because they couldn't hold on. So they made the bars slightly smaller in diameter. With smaller bars, it hurt a lot more to "beat" the bar with your hips, so women tried to avoid doing that so much. Since the bars were smaller, women started doing giant swings- where you go from a handstand, swing around with a straight body, and end in a handstand again. This was very difficult to do with the bars so close, so someone finally just moved the bars as far apart as they would go and let it swing! After that, rails got even smaller and bars were able to be even wider apart. I competed through this bar transition- I was one of the girls doing crazy moves and flying across the gym. I love the bars the way they are now- so much more technique involved. Also a lot less pain- I remember always having bruised on my hips and sometimes even rips on my thighs from the bars. Other events have changed a lot also. Olga competed on a wooden balance beam, a vaulting horse with a rueter board, and just an inch of padding on floor. Now beams are steel covered with padding and suede. Floors have 4" metal springs, 2 layers of plywood, and up to 2" of foam. The vault is a table now (much less scary to run at full-speed ahead!) and the vault board has actual springs in it. Most of the changes came about for safety reasons. Pico, I competed through a lot of these transitions as well. I remember the excitement when our gym got a new beam with the suede covering and padding! I also remember going through jr and high school with HUGE bruises on my hips and thighs from the bars. Don't even get me started on the beauty of the spring floors! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepy Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I can't believe I remember it, but I do! (I was 6) I loved watching the Olympics with my dad when I was little. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdWTMer Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 She was amazing. It was a big deal because I lived near Houston and that's where she trained. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Pico, I competed through a lot of these transitions as well. I remember the excitement when our gym got a new beam with the suede covering and padding! I also remember going through jr and high school with HUGE bruises on my hips and thighs from the bars. Don't even get me started on the beauty of the spring floors! :lol: The best changes are in training equipment- Tumble-Trak, Air-Trak, foam pits, trench bars! Makes everything less scary to learn, and more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Honestly, I miss the older style of gymnastics from the 70s and 80s. It was so fun to watch. My DD's coach and I were talking about that last week - we both miss the "old school" stuff! Thanks for the link, i'll have to show the kids. They keep asking, "who is Nadia?" I just look at them like they have 2 heads :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin in Tx Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 She was amazing. It was a big deal because I lived near Houston and that's where she trained. Awesome. Are you sure? I don't think that's right... Maybe you're confusing her with Mary Lou Retton. The Koralyi's defected after the '76 olympics, started the gym in Houston, and Mary Lou was the next big gym-star that Bela produced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Are you sure? I don't think that's right... Maybe you're confusing her with Mary Lou Retton. The Koralyi's defected after the '76 olympics, started the gym in Houston, and Mary Lou was the next big gym-star that Bela produced. I wouldn't really know but I remember her as a product of the Soviet regime. I had a couple of books about her and they described her gyms somewhere in romania and somewhere in russia. I remember in one of the books she describes how she was chosen for gymnastics. A group of scouts (?) came to her school. They lined up all the girls, comparing hights, joints, et c looking for the qualities that they thought could develop into great gymnasts. I don't remember them mentioning her training in the US but that doesn't mean she didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Oooh, I searched for Olga's bar routine. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOOmFgBAdIA Now THAT was amazing!!!!!! I love the commentators, "And SHE is *second* best on her team?? WOW!" "Oh, my!" "WOW!!" :lol: I wonder what her score was for that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I wouldn't really know but I remember her as a product of the Soviet regime. I had a couple of books about her and they described her gyms somewhere in romania and somewhere in russia. I remember in one of the books she describes how she was chosen for gymnastics. A group of scouts (?) came to her school. They lined up all the girls, comparing hights, joints, et c looking for the qualities that they thought could develop into great gymnasts. I don't remember them mentioning her training in the US but that doesn't mean she didn't. Nadia only trained in Romania. Bela recruited her in Kindergarten. Bela defected in 1981, and Nadia defected in 1989, at the age of 28. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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