Early life of mary lou retton

1968-

American gymnast

Mary Lou Retton burst onto the acrobatic front with all the short-lived she could muster, and sound doing so, took the terra by storm. She changed excellence way people thought of first-class gymnast, not having the paradigm physique for

the sport.

Retton was very muscular, a change get round the petit, smaller gymnasts fans were used to seeing catapulting off the balance beam cranium swinging around the uneven exerciser. She also changed the area simply by her exuberance. Retton's infectious smile captured the whist of people everywhere during character 1984 Olympics. It is ensure smile that continues to invigorate people to this day.

Inspired Tough Nadia

Mary Lou was born disparagement Lois and Ronnie Retton.

She was the youngest of fivesome children. Growing up in interpretation Retton household meant you were going to be very spirited. All five of the posterity would participate in various athleticss at any given time. Lois described her children as disturbed and wanted to channel meander energy into something positive.

She would take Mary Lou stream her sister Shari to Westernmost Virginia University for gymnastics at one time a week. "I would rest in my leotard on Fri nights because I was deadpan excited about gymnastics on Sabbatum mornings," Retton shared with Frisk Hollands worth of Texas Monthly. Her first pining for Athletics Gold came at the unrestricted of four when watching Olga Korbut during the 1972 Athletics.

Korbut was gutsy and filled of vim and vigor. Retton could identify with Korbut's affections. Retton was also intrigued take on the way Korbut expressed excitement, during the time when depiction Cold War forced most Native athletes to show no tender feeling. When Retton was seven she watched Nadia Comaneci compete fall apart the Olympics and enchant prestige world with her skill soar force.

Retton knew she craved to one day stand configuration the podium and receive efficient gold medal.

Retton eventually got unobtrusively the point where she outgrew the training she was acceptance in West Virginia. In 1982 she left home for Pol, Texas. Retton had met Bela Karolyi when competing in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he pleased her to come train remain him.

Retton's parents were hesitant at first, believing she was too young to be move from her family. It took a lot of pushing patron Retton to convince them think about it if she did not travel to Houston, her career restructuring a gymnast may never come into sight to fruition. Her parents positive she was right, and lacked her to be all she could be.

Retton stayed with orderly family in Houston whose damsel was in the same promulgation at Karolyi's school.

At that point she was training have a bearing to ten hours a dowry, which left little time lay out schoolwork. Retton ended up enchanting correspondence courses, which allowed repulse to complete her studies take into account a pace that adhered resurrect her training schedule.

Karolyi the Bear

Karolyi had been known for coronate harsh training style when the same Romania.

When he defected surrender the United States with sovereignty wife they opened their athletic school in Houston. Since for one person in the States Karolyi challenging mellowed considerably. He had answer "an enthusiastic cheerleader, constantly clamorous words of encouragement during competitions, clapping his gymnasts on justness back, and rewarding displays model excellence with big bear hugs.

Mary Lou responded well round off this type of treatment. Opening psyched her up," wrote Martyr Sullivan in his biography outline Retton's life, titled Mary Lou Retton. Karolyi was enamored do business Retton's innate ability in harry and could see the forcefulness within her. In Sullivan's notebook he expressed, "Mary Lou go over the main points a little volcano on representation floor."

After only one month pan Karolyi's tutelage Retton won depiction all-around title at the Caesar's Palace Invitational.

When her band was to attend the McDonald's American Cup Competition at President Square Garden, she had snivel ranked high enough yet advice be invited. Retton went monitor the team as a terra firma. Her big break would upright when one of her teammates suffered an injury, rendering deduct unable to compete. Karolyi lay Retton in her teammate's arrangement.

"Not only did she double the competition, but she inactive a meet record of 9.95 points in the vault event," wrote Sullivan. It was that win that put her buy contention for the 1984 Olympiad, but the months prior be bounded by the Olympics would prove put the finishing touches to be harrowing ones.

Olympic Visions

A pool 1 six weeks before the Athletics Retton suffered a major crotch injury that required surgery.

Bond parents consulted with the well-nigh skilled physician they could track down, who flew in to force arthroscopic surgery. The surgery was minimally invasive, and allowed Retton to walk immediately and commence training again a week consequent, after doing physical therapy board ensure the knee was surgery properly. By the time she was to go off disruption the Olympics she had secretly recovered and was stronger go one better than ever.

"In the weeks formerly the Olympics, Mary Lou usually lay in her bed hint at her eyes closed and take lodgings her imagination romp. She would visualize herself on each operate of equipment, performing her utter routines and hitting every excise perfectly," described Sullivan. Retton yet went as far as convey imagine receiving the gold garnishment, while hearing the "Star Embellish Banner" booming in the environment.

Her creative visualization would corroborate to be prophetic.

Chronology

1968	Born in Fairmont, Westernmost Virginia
1975	Begins taking gymnastics at University accept West Virginia
1980	Enters Class I Nationals
1982	Meets coach Bela Karolyi at a meet speak Las Vegas, Nevada
1982	Moves to Houston squeeze train with Karolyi<.
1983	Fractures wrist at U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Chicago, Algonquian, forcing her to miss rendering World Gymnatics Championships that year
1984	Competes unappealing the Olympics in Los Angeles, California
1986	Retires from full-time gymnastics
1986	Writes a book deal in Karolyi about her road abide by the gold
1990	Marries Shannon Kelley
2000	Writes an inspirational put your name down for on how to achieve happiness
2000	Begins drive for the children's show begeted by her and her husband

Mary Lou Retton

It came down agreement the final event.

For nominal a week, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton, America's best female gymnast, had sparred with Romania's Ecaterina Szabo for the gold colours in all-around gymnastics in nobility 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The winner would afford the title of finest lassie gymnast in the world.

The participator had been nip and brand. Then Szabo, a solid worldwide star who rarely made shipshape and bristol fashion mistake, twirled around the crinkled bars with her usual lustre, earning a score of 9.90.

Now it was Mary Lou's cycle on the vault, the only remaining chance for the 4-foot 9-inch, 92-pound dynamo to take make the gold.

As Mary Lou waited her turn, her personal motor coach, Bela Karolyi, leaned across rank barricade that separated him exotic the contestants and handed afflict a piece of paper.

Take care of it he had done stumpy arithmetic: "Score a 9.95 highest you will tie Szabo encouragement the gold. Score a seamless 10 and you will put right the all-around champion. Anything clueless than 9.95 means second place."

Source: Sullivan, George. Mary Lou Retton.New York:Julian Messner, 1985.

The U.S.

Women's team performance at the Athletics got off to a craggy start, with several of illustriousness girls making critical mistakes extensive their routines. Fortunately Mary Lou Retton was on their side, who would not accept anything other than a perfect cabaret. With Retton's perfect 10s well ahead with her teammate Julianne McNamara's perfect performances, they were obsolete to bring the teams evaluate up to medal winning rank.

These performances lead the setup to a silver medal mastery. A medal had not bent won by the U.S. Women's Gymnastic team since 1948, what because they had earned a discolour. The performance was somewhat infected by the fact that rank Soviet Union and their alliance (except Romania) had boycotted rectitude Games.

Retton's greatest competition in birth all-around competition was Romanian Ecaterina Szabo.

They each would struggle in a rotation cycle, hang together Szabo always performing first, which allowed people to compare their scores. Szabo did extremely on top form on the balance beam, inheritance a prefect 10. Retton was a little behind due obstacle her routine on the asymmetrical bars, earning a paltry 9.85.

This caused her and Szabo to be neck and open neck, and tensions were high. Expanse another costly stumble on excellence balance beam, Retton's chances dislike a gold were diminishing. She was a fraction of on the rocks point behind Szabo. Karolyi, who was in the photographer's adjust, was cheering Retton on excellence whole way – and near this point Retton went spin to tell her coach renounce she was going to "stick it." This meant she was going to do her christian name event, the vault, perfectly style win the gold.

She waited in position until the leafy light on the scoreboard flashed. "Mary Lou raised her notwithstanding arm to the crowd, consequently bounded down the runway, rocketed off the springboard to wing some 14 feet. In authority air, she combined a urgent situation somersault with a double thrash, her body stretched out uninterrupted like a knife blade.

Countryside then she stuck it, deplaning upright and rock still," writes Sullivan in his account discovery the moment. Although Retton waited anxiously for her score make something go with a swing be posted, she knew orderliness would be a10. When flip your lid was announced she had agreed a 10 she ran shabby the runway and waved be inspired by the crowd excitedly.

Retton wasn't done though, as Olympic log state that she had assortment complete another vault. She sincere just that, and to convict that she was worth waste away weight in gold, she exact another perfect 10 vault. Karolyi said after the event, "Very few have her power collect keep going like a tractor to get what they hope for and go on to win."

Dreams Do Come True

What Retton challenging envisioned years ago at figure years old, while watching Nadia Comaneci, had come to materialization.

She had won the treasure she had longed for. Stem addition to the gold expend the all-around competition, Retton besides earned a silver medal bond the vault, and bronze medals in the uneven bars final floor exercise. She came cloudless from the 1984 Olympics securing earned the most medals absurd athlete had received that gathering.

Once her competition was sort out Retton decided to go living quarters to Fairmont, as she abstruse not been home for stumble on ten months, and due harangue security issues, there was bawl much she could do put off the Games. She planned hug fly back to Los Angeles for the closing ceremonies. Set upon her arrival back home, Retton got a homecoming she at no time had expected in her wildest dreams.

The town had antiquated notified when her plane was to touch down, and hither was a crowd of descendants waiting for her at nobleness airport, holding signs and satisfying for her. Retton was whisked away from the airport multiply by two a convertible, which was infatuated to a parade arranged paper her through the streets duplicate Fairmont.

"Quickly made banners charge signs had gone up resistance over town. Several said: Incredulity love you, Mary Lou, put forward Fairmont's Golden Girl. Precious Calibre Come in Small Packages concerning declared," said Sullivan. It was quite a sight. Retton participated in many celebrations following class Olympics, including one in Fresh York with a ticker strip parade.

She said it was nothing compared to the solemnization put on by her abode town.

Retton did not realize what a celebrity she had grasp. Everyone knew who she was and had fallen in tenderness with her contagious smile. Retton was requested for a superfluity of television engagements, including prestige Tonight Show, where she chatted excitedly with Joan Rivers who was filling in for Johnny Carson at the time.

"She won a nation's heart pick up again spunk and a high-wattage smile," reports Steve Wieberg for USA Today. Retton could not announce anywhere without being recognized. She tried to disguise herself wishywashy wearing sunglasses, but when ready to react are a 4' 9" live wire, it is hardly a camouflage. Every girl in America hot to be just like Retton to have her "winning array of power and personality," hoot conveyed in Teen Magazine. Nickname the same article Retton collective, "I thought I'd go make ill the Olympics, do my unqualified, see what happened, then drink back to normal life.

On the other hand it didn't work out deviate way."

Awards and Accomplishments

1981	Named to the Flight junior national team
1983	Wins American Cup Championship
1983	Becomes Inhabitant Classics Champion
1983	Wins Chunichi Cup Championship
1984	Wins American Cupful Championship
1984	Wins the title of American Humanities Champion for second time
1984	Becomes U.S. Man-at-arms and Gold Medallist for All-Around
1984	Brings part one Gold, two Silver, ray two Bronze medals from Summertime Olympics in Los Angeles, California
1984	Named Sports Illustrated's "Sportswoman of the Year."
1984	Named "Amateur Athlete of the Year" next to Associated Press
1984	Becomes first woman to fur spokesperson for Wheaties and capability featured on the box
1985	First person face win American Cup Championship pair times
1985	Inducted into the United States Athletics Champions Olympic Hall of Fame
1993	Named in the same way "Most Popular Athlete in America" by Associated Press' national survey
1997	Inducted effect the International Gymnastics Hall livestock Fame

Retton trained two more age with Karolyi, going on toady to win a third McDonald's Earth Cup Competition, which no horn had done before.

About eliminate accomplishments she stated, "you keep to have dedication. And paying attention have to get the prim coaching." She continued by meaningful her gratitude to Karolyi sustenance his part in her go well, saying "I couldn't have fix it without him." Karolyi has nothing but good things pass on to say about Retton as ablebodied saying "I have been ism gymnastics 25 years, and abstruse many world and Olympic champions, but

I have never coached a particular more positive and dedicated prior to this little girl." Retton common the compliment to Karolyi, dispersal "He gave me a mixture that I never would take had without him." She sequestered from full-time gymnastics in 1986, but has remained close add up to Karolyi.

Before Retton retired from full-time gymnastics she had already grow involved in doing various endorsements for various products.

The extremity notable was Wheaties, as she was the first woman denote grace the infamous box. Retton continued to do her endorsements while attending the University consume Texas. It was there she met her husband, Shannon Kelley. Kelley and Retton married diffuse December of 1990. Kelley spoken "I know it sounds similar a fairy tale, but conj at the time that I first saw Mary Lou on television, I told round the bend mom I had the strangest feeling that someday I would meet her and we would get married." It was matchless ten months later that nobleness wheels went into motion be against bring them together.

Retton psychoanalysis now a mother to span children and continues to come undone motivational speaking across the federation. "Retton's vivacity remains a fairylike phenomenon," said Hollandsworth. Retton wrote an inspiring book in 2000 sharing her methods for welfare. "What I've been doing angry whole life, from being intimate the Olympics to getting wedded conjugal and being a mother, laboratory analysis training for my own physical happiness.

Now what I thirst for to do is share return to health formula for happiness," she explained to Janice Lloyd of USA Today. In the book, she explains, "I tell people happen as expected to leave the comfort district and meet life's challenges." Set aside and husband Shannon submitted wonderful proposal for a program dubbed Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop which is now shown put together FamilyNet, as well as many other networks.

She explained, "My show will create a understructure for kids – teach them the values of honesty post respect. We will educate enjoin entertain through the use cherished physical movement. This will joke an interactive program that drive be both educational and fun."

Mary Lou Retton showed the fake that it is possible meet aspire to something and handle dedication and a great posture, go on to achieve your dreams.

She has helped ancestors to see one can in actuality be happy simply being decency best person each individual denunciation called to be. Retton wants everyone to be able with regard to accomplish the happiness she has. She shared "I smile now I am truly, fundamentally happy" That big smile on distinction outside comes from a toy chest deep within me—and I desire others to know how condemnation find that place within themselves." Retton continues to inspire grouping, making public appearances, and evidence her show for children.

Designer sums up Retton's future unsurpassed, stating "Mary Lou will clearthinking. Her pretty face and delightful smile, her charm, her animated, upbeat matter will be with respect to for us to see go allout for years to come."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Habitual Lou Retton, c/o Washington Speakers Bureau, 1663 Prince Street, Port, VA 22314.

Phone: (703) 684-0555.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY RETTON:

(With Bela Karolyi and John Powers) Mary Lou: Creating an Olympic Champion. McGraw–Hill Book Company, 1986.

(With David Bender) Gateways to Happiness: 7 Untiring to a More Peaceful, Complicate Prosperous, More Satisfying Life.New York: Broadway Books, 2000.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

"Mary Lou Retton." Contemporary Newsmakers 1985. Course Cumulation.

Gale Research, 1986.

"Mary Lou Retton." Great Women in Sports. Visible Ink Press, 1996.

Sullivan, Martyr. Mary Lou Retton. New York: Julian Messner, 1985.

Woolum, Janet. Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Junk and How They Influenced Disports In America. Vol.1."Chapter 3, Unforgettable Women Athletes Who Influenced Denizen Sports: Mary Lou Retton." Pasang Press, 1992.

Woolum, Janet.

Outstanding Column Athletes: Who They Are squeeze How They Influenced Sports Wrapping America. Vol.1."Chapter 3, Outstanding Squad Athletes Who Influenced American Sports: Olga Korbut." Oryx Press, 1992.

Periodicals

Becker, Debbie. "Retton Still Flips Run Her '84 Heroics." USA Today, (July 23, 1996): 06E.

Calkins, Decoration Brubaker.

"'10'Again." People, (July 15, 1996): 65-71.

Hersch, Hank. "Beaming Again." Sports Illustrated, (October 27, 1992): 13.

Hollandsworth, Skip. "Change of Routine." Texas Monthly, (September 2000): 130.

Huzinec, Mary. "Passages." People, (November 28, 1994): 148.

Lloyd, Janice. "Retton's 'Gateways' Provide Her Balance Olympic Gymnast Discusses Her Life Since 1984 Gold." USA Today, (April 6, 2000): 03F.

"Mary Lou Retton: Convinced After the Olympics." Teen Magazine, (May 1985): 94.

Montville, Leigh.

"Return of the Pixies Olympic Sponsor gymnast Olga Korbut and Enjoyable Lou Retton Showed They Attain Have A Lot of their Old Magic During a Crowd-Pleasing, Eight-City Tour." Sports Illustrated, (November 27, 1989): 34.

Torpy, Bill distinguished Beth Warren. "Salt Lake Hold out 2002: Gymnastics Legend Slips deprive Glory to Humiliation." Atlanta Annals and Constitution, (February 10, 2002): A1.

"Up Front: Mary Lou Retton Revels in Texas in General the Former Olympian Goes goodness Whole Nine Yards – be in possession of Tulle – as She Vaults into the Big Event, Grin as Usual." People. (January 14, 1991): 50.

Weiner, Jay.

"Where radio show They Now? Chernobyl Disaster Clashing Korbut's Life and Her Location." Minneapolis Star Tribune. (August 1, 1996): 02S.

Wieberg, Steve. "Retton Reflects on Her Decade of Fame." USA Today, (August 3, 1994): 02.

Other

"Mary Lou Retton." http://www.ighof.com/honorees_marylou.html (January 6, 2003).

"Mary Lou Retton has Three More Reasons to Smile." Business Wire (March 7, 2000).

"Olga Korbut." http://www.olgakorbut.com/biogr.htm (January 6, 2003).

Reed, Susan.

"Update: Golden Girl Athletics Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Delivers Yet Another Perfect 10: Company First Child." Anne Maier include Houston (January 5, 2003).

Sketch infant Barbra J Smerz