Frequently

Asked

Questions

I was 3 years old.  I idolized my older sister, Lisa, and wanted to do whatever she did.  She was already pretty involved in gymnastics at that point since she is 8 years older than me.

2. What was your favorite event?

The floor exercise was my favorite gymnastics apparatus.  I loved tumbling since it came naturally to me.

3. What happened on your first vault in the 1996 Olympics?

I landed short on my first vault and jammed my left ankle.  When I was competing, you had two vaults and the best vaulted counted as your full score. I was the last US team member to compete on the vault-- since it was one of my best events-- and so I knew I needed to land the 2nd vault well in order to feel good about myself and my Olympic performance, secure the Team Gold Medal, and also qualify for the AA finals.

4. What was the team that you were trying to beat for the gold?

The team that was on the Floor Exercise and right behind the American team, was the Russians.

5. Who made you do the second vault?

No one made me do the second vault.  My coach, Bela Karolyi encouraged me to do it by yelling positive affirmations to me such as: "Kerri, You can do it!"  I was the one that decided I would and could do the vault again.  I wanted to show the world how hard I had worked, that I could do the vault well, and to make sure we would win the team gold.

6. Where you in other sports besides gymnastics?

I did swimming and ballet when I was very young.  However at the age of 7, I decided to pursue gymnastics 100%; so I quit the other sports at that time to put everything into my gymnastics training.

7. How did gymnastics change your life?

Gymnastics changed my life in many ways.  First, I moved away from home when I was 13 years-old in order to train for the Olympics.  Training all the time took away from other areas of my life.  However, I learned a lot about setting goals, hard work, perseverance, dedication, discipline and focus.  I accomplished my dream at a very young age--making the Olympic team in 1992 at 14 years-old and then winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic games when I was just 18 years-old.  Winning the gold medal not only made me realize that dreams do come true, but it literally changed my life as well.  I was able to go on a gymnastics tour, meet celebrities, and partake in different activities and organizations that I would never have had contact with -- had I not been in gymnastics and won the Team Gold in 1996.

8. Do you teach or train students now?

I do some clinics and gymnastics camps.  I enjoy helping others in the gym and love the sport of gymnastics. Nonetheless, I have decided to do it on the side versus pursue being a gymnastics coach as a full time career.  I spent so many years in the gym; so I wanted to try some other things after college.

9. Who inspired you?

My sister, Lisa, and Mary Lou Retton inspired me to be a great gymnast.

10. When you were little did you like gymnastics?

Yes, I absolutely loved gymnastics when I was little.  I could not get enough of the gym and would practice certain moves at home, school, or any place I could.

11. What was the hardest thing you had to do while training?

Training 6 days a week for 7-8 hours a day was tough.  I often times got very tired, frustrated and bored.  I had to continually remind myself of my goals and push myself to go the extra mile in the gym every single day.

12. Do you want your daughter to do gymnastics one day?

Yes, I want her to try it out.  If she likes it, I will support her in whatever she wants to do.  I would also like my children to try soccer, tennis, golf and swimming.  I think sports are a wonderful parallel to life; so they are a wonderful venue for youth to grow and develop.