Essay about Gabby Douglas: The First African-American Female Gymnast

As in the next Olympics there will only be 4 members. The Final Five are America’s 3rd gymnastic team to win gold. Simone also went on and dominated the individual performances, by becoming the first woman in two decades to win back-to-back Olympic all-around and world titles. By the end, Simone Biles had earned herself 19 Olympic and World titles, making herself the most decorated American gymnast in history.

Mary Lou dominated the world of gymnastics. She made records and had fun doing it. She is still an idol for gymnasts today. That's why I think Mary Lou Retton is the most supreme gymnast

Gabby Douglas, Olympic gold medalist. She is known for being the first African American gymnast to be the Individual All Round Champion at the Olympics. In pursuance of her dream, Gabby Douglas had to sacrifice the things most important to her. This would include leaving her home and family behind to go to Iowa in the interest of training as a serious gymnast at age fourteen. Not only did Gabby Douglas make sacrifices, but her family also had to, financially and emotionally. In fact, most Olympians give up all of these things so that they can achieve their objective. Luckily, the sacrifice paid off and Gabby Douglas achieved her dream. Much like Gabby Douglas, Asher Lev has to sacrifice his family and community for the sake of following his

Simone Biles was born in Ohio in 1997. She has won 19 Olympic and Championship medals. Also she is one of the world's top gymnasts. After denominating the junior elite level, she won her first U.S. titles in 2013. She lead the U.S. olympic team in women's gymnastics. She began as a level 8 gymnast in 2007, and in 2011 she did her standing in elite junior division. She has emerged as a champion in her sport.

From war orphan to star ballerina, Micaela Deprince has inspired millions of dancers across the world to follow their dreams. Becoming the first full African American female classical ballet dancer, she has changed the face of ballet. From her story to all of her big accomplishments, she is certainly looked upon by millions of young dancers, including me.

There are many talented gymnasts around the world, but Shannon White was a real special one. The factors and contributions that made Shannon Miller well-known was her becoming an Olympic gold medalist at the age of 15. When she was 18 (in the year 1995) she was diagnosed with brain cancer, but fought it and survived. She is an inspiration to men, women, and children for being one of the best gymnasts in the world, for beating cancer, and for never giving up.

Gabby Douglas is true to her beliefs, and her personality shows that she is helpful to the world, and her family and she shows exceptional execution in gymnastics Gabby shows long and beautiful lines specifically in bars, floor, and beam. She is very powerful in the vault, as well. In the text, it states, “I compete for each element with great grace and strength… I will flow beautifully” (Douglas 192). This quotation supports the thesis statement because it shows how Gabby Douglas has long and beautiful lines on the uneven bars. Gabby’s only specialty is the uneven bars, but she occasionally does very well on the balance beam. Gabby Douglas can hit on beam, and when she does, it is an exceptional routine to watch. The text supports this by

Gabby Douglas went through many things in her childhood, starting from when she was born on December 31, 1995, in Virginia Beach, Virginia (usagym.org). It was not long from when she was born that she was diagnosed with a fatal disease called Branched Chain Ketoaciduria (Grace).

“Surround yourself with the dreamers. The doors. The believers and thinkers; but most of all surround yourself with those who see greatness within you don’t see it yourself.” - Simone Biles The U.S.A gymnast that rose to fame by the time she was 19. She has trained all of her life to get to the points she got to. It was her dream to compete in the Olympics one day. She won many competitions and was always ready to compete. She was ready to take on any competition and always wanted to win. Did Simone Biles get to the Olympics? How did she rise to fame?

“Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.” - Jesse Owens. Jesse Owens was an African American athlete that won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin during the Nazi regime. The 1936 Olympics was quite controversial because of the Nazi’s and their policies for minority groups like the Jews. It was so controversial that the United states nearly pulled out of the international spectacle. Germany wanted to use the Olympics to showcase their country. But Jesse Owens took much of the attention away due to his athletic display. Even with his legendary performance in Berlin, it didn’t change much of his status in the US as a black man. In the

Men and women who chose to engage in sports from which they would traditionally be discouraged because of their gender, particularly as professionals, redefine the sport. The social and cultural "costs" are not the result of the individual's participation, but rather the way in which sports have been socially, politically, and economically constructed. Gender is only one of the few ways in which people are categorized according to their proficiency for some athletic activities. Race and class are also factors which may prevent individuals from engaging in sports that have been traditionally excluded to them. Socially constructed notions of race, class, and sexuality compound the way in

would be different because she would feel better about her performance in Rio de Janeiro. She won a gold medal and wen online to see if everyone was congratulating her on her stunning performance but instead she found hate from online bullies. She also wouldn’t have been upset and depressed because of all of the hurtful comments, or be so frightened to even go on any type of social media.

The adverse topic of women in sports stems from society's disregard to viewing women as persons. Women were, and in other parts of the world continue to be viewed as property of men and have no significant role in society. Being allowed into the Olympics was a step in the right direction for women across the world, but it was meager attempt equality. Women were still restricted by what events they were allowed to compete in, how they were trained and coached and even limited as to what they could wear. A woman’s femininity played a large role in the way they were perceived by society; weak. Women were seen as incommensurate to men and it was something that has taken us centuries to reverse. Today, women are given the rights we should have

My brain goes silent. I forget my problems, my issues, my struggles, and everything that makes me feel dead inside. Nothing gives me more hope and happiness, then running on floor to hanging on a bar. From the darkness inside comes a light that feels like an eternal flame that can never be extinguished. Nothing can stop me from feeling more alive. Starting gymnastics has been the best decision I have ever made and has made me the person I am today. With every move, every skill, and every moment, gymnastics makes me feel alive.

In the last one hundred years women have made tremendous inroads in many facets of life. Of that there can be little doubt. Women may now hold jobs, own property and participate in professional sports. Today women can compete in sports, once a vestige of male domination; there is now room for women in that arena. But even today women in sports are not portrayed in the same light as their male counterparts. To a large degree this is because of today's cultural ideal of women.