American Gymnastics Revisits Old Memories Amidst Heartfelt Confession

If we were to talk of gymnastics legends, this one name is bound to be on somebody’s tongue. The winner of four Olympic medals, including a gold medal with the “Magnificent Seven” team at the 1996 Atlanta Games. She retired from the sport in 2000, but the Dawes blood continues to pump for gymnastics as her daughter is going to the floor, beams, and bars like her mother. July 27, 2024, she had her first meet where the mother said, “This was my daughter’s first meet, and I couldn’t be prouder.” About 9 months later, Dawes is back at it again. What did she say this time?

Planet of Gymnastics took to their Instagram handle to report Dominique Dawes’ words. She said, “This is my daughter, doing a back handspring on the high beam. I can’t tell you how much this warms my heart to know that she’s doing a skill at such a young age that is quite challenging.” For those who don’t know, a back handspring includes the gymnast jumping backward onto their hands and then flipping over to land on their feet — all in one smooth motion. Seeing her daughter execute this move took her back to the old memories.

However, it wasn’t a good experience. “When I think back to my gymnastics career and the first time I did a backhand spring, I remember my coach slapping my leg until it was bright red. I remember being so fearful and I remember they’re being a complete lack of empathy, care, or consideration for my emotional health. I remember hiding in the bathroom at the gym for my whole five-hour practice because I was too terrified to get back out in the gym to perform my backhand spring series.” At the age of six, Dawes met Kelli Hill, the person who would coach her throughout her career as a gymnast. Hill quickly recognized Dawes’ talent and encouraged her to practice as much as possible. And by the age of 10, she became an elite gymnast.

Perhaps that is why she opened her very own training facility, Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academy. Her daughter trains there and talking about how her daughter’s kind treatment warms her heart, she said, “Not once of any of our coaches coerced, forced or threatened my daughter to do a skill that she finds fearful.” 

She then thanked the coaches for their empathy in understanding the young gymnasts and their fear and teaching them to conquer it. She is glad that there is no one making the legs bright, and hence she concludes, “There will be no scars at @DawesGymAcademy, because our coaches truly care.” Planet of Gymnastics also dropped words of praise for the mother and daughter. They captioned the post, “@daweser breaking the cycle… one gymnast at a time 🥹 thank you for being the difference! ps your daughter’s backhand spring is beautiful 😍.” But struggles never really did end for the gymnast.

Hardships in gymnastics, hardships in business

In a 2023 CNBA interview, the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics opened up about her hardships as a gymnast. She said that her childhood and the sacrifices she made for her success were very challenging. The Olympian said, “I went through a very challenging childhood, in some degree, where I sacrificed my childhood to win an Olympic gold medal. It was 24/7 work, work, work, and if you weren’t doing well in the gymnastics gym, you felt little of yourself.” The struggles did get her the Olympic medals, but what of all the childhood memories she missed? Nevertheless, you would think things would soothe out after gymnastics. But they didn’t.

When she became an entrepreneur and founded Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy, destiny brought a pandemic. Reflecting on the same, she said, “We were supposed to open our doors April 2020, however, we were a little delayed… It’s definitely been a very rocky journey, but I do believe what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” The first location came in July 2020 in Clarksburg, Maryland, and the second branch was in Rockville.

Though the revenue can be a little up and down from time to time what keeps her motivated is that she wants “to make sure that young kids, boys and girls, have a positive and empowering safe space to go to to be introduced to the sport of gymnastics, as well as to the sport of ninja.” Quite a beautiful dream, don’t you think?