The history of gymnastics activities can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Organized gymnastics activities for girls, however, have a much shorter history. Gymnastics encompasses a variety of events like the parallel bars, the balance beam, hanging rings and vault, among others. The sport requires supreme balance and strength, and contestants are judged upon their form and execution by a panel of expert judges. Though the sport is for both genders, it is more popular for girls.
The First Olympics For Girls Gymnastics
The first chance for girls to perform gymnastics in the Olympic games came at the 1928 games, which were held in Amsterdam. Only one event was offered, the team combined exercise, which is similar to calisthenics. According to the USA Gymnastics website, the Netherlands won that competition. Girls and women from the U.S. made their first Olympic gymnastics appearance in 1936 at the Berlin Games.
NCAA Championships
Girls who are good enough to compete at the collegiate level have been able to compete in the National Collegiate Athletics Association since 1982. The University of Utah was a national power and though other colleges have since overtaken the Utes, the first five national championships went to the Salt Lake City university. The University of Georgia and UCLA have since emerged as the most dominant programs at the NCAA level. Georgia has won more titles than any other university with 10, and it was the Bulldogs who broke Utah's five-year streak in 1987. UCLA has six titles and Utah has nine.
Mary Lou Retton Wins First American Olympic Gold
America's first gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal was Mary Lou Retton, who was 16 years old when she competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Retton is still a national hero in gymnastics. According to a piece by ESPN about the 100 Most Memorable Moments of the Last 25 Years, the West Virginia native trailed Romania's Ecaterina Szabo by .15 points with the floor exercise and vault competitions left in the all-around. Retton earned a perfect 10 score on the floor exercise to narrow the gap slightly, as Szabo posted a 9.9. Sazbo earned a 9.9 on the vault, and Retton needed a 9.95 to tie for gold or a 10 to win it. She told her coach "I'm going to stick it," then performed 10s on both attempts on the vault to win and become a piece of Olympic history.
High School Competition
Organized girls gymnastics at the high school level gained a foothold at many different times in different places. California's Central Coast Section, for example, held its first girls gymnastics championships in 1976, opening the sport to students around San Jose, Calif. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has sanctioned competition for girls since 1974. And the Virginia High School League made gymnastics its first "modern era" sponsored sport in 1969. The VHSL offered individual competitions only from 1969-73, then added a team competition after that.
References
- US Gymnastics: History of Artistic Gymnastics
- NCAA Women's Gymnastics: Championship History
- ESPN; 70 --- Mary Lou Gets the Gold in Olympic All-Around; Rick Weinberg
- CIF Central Coast Section: Historical Record of CCS Girls Gymnastics Championship Results
- NJSIAA: History of NJSIAA Girls Gymnastics
- Virginia High School League: VHSL Gymnastics - History
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