Olympic hoopla always makes me reminisce about my former life as a competitive gymnast. From age three to 17, you could find me in my velour or spandex at the gym. Once I started competing around the sixth grade, I was at the gym five days a week for four hours a day. During meet season, my weekends were spent with my Mom traveling around the state for competitions. It was the only way of life I knew and I can't imagine growing up any other way.
Needless to say, watching the Team U.S.A. women's gymnastics team compete is very exciting for me and brings me back to me "old gymnastics days". I have not had a chance to watch the all-around competition from last night, but I already know the outcome! Don't get me started on that two gymnasts per country rule because that is straight up dumb. The top 24 ladies should compete regardless of what country they are from.
Please enjoy my vintage gymnastics pics. You are about to embark on quite the bang and scrunchie adventure.
*Side note - I used my iPhone to take pictures of old school disposable camera photos. My apologies for the picture quality.
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| so serious |
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| Outside our cabin at Karoyli's Camp the second time I ever went. Sweet socks. |
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| My floor routine at Level 7 North State |
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| 6 a.m. team conditioning |
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| Obviously extremely thrilled about 3rd place |
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| My teammate Joy and I |
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| Level 8 State |
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| Handstand in Vegas |
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| Good ole Bela welcoming us to camp, At camp he is actually very happy go lucky. It's a great experience. |
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| NBD. Me and Bela. |
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| @ Karolyi's Camp after a work-out, which is why I look so greasy |
Oh and I dabbled in competitive cheerleading my senior year of high school.
There are a lot more gymnastics pics where these came from, but I just grabbed a few to upload. I hope you enjoyed some throwback Bargain Blonde.
What is your favorite sport to watch at the Olympics and why?
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these are awesome! something to be incredibly proud of! i couldn't get that high off the ground on a trampoline!!
ReplyDeleteoh my word! were you like borderline about to be in the olympics? was that ever something you wanted to do?
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love! You rock Linds, and those socks were amazing in the one pic! Smoking hot! Love you! Xoxo
ReplyDeletecrackin me up. wanna teach me to tumble? i need that flat belly!
ReplyDeleteAmazing!! Swimming is my favorite sport but I love gymnastics too... The problem is I really don't understand tbe scoring for gymnastics...swimming its just ok, who touched the wall first! Lol
ReplyDeleteI am O, so jealous that you got to go to Bela's gymnastics camp. Like, so jealous... still!! That was mine and my sister's dream of all dreams when we were little.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's crazy that you met Bela! Gymnastics is my favorite so far, but as a former high school cross country/track runner the running events may soon eclipse them :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome that you did gymnastics! So neat looking through those pictures. I never could, and still can't, do a handstand. I can do a cartwheel though :D Haha!
ReplyDeletegirl. BANGS GALORE.
ReplyDeleteyou rocked them in that last picture though :)
This is beyond awesome. Now we just need some video footage of you tumbling!
ReplyDeleteWe would have been best friends at that age. I did a little gymnastics, dabbled in cheer, but continued on with dance. My studio had a competitive cheer/dance team and I practically lived there. I totally miss it... spandex and all :) So glad you posted this!
I loved seeing these! Oh the memories that the gymnastics brings back ...
ReplyDeleteI didn't do much competing in my gymnastics - I was much more focused on tumbling for cheerleading. Thanks for sharing your pictures!
omg. I mean... I love you. looking good senior year sista! xo
ReplyDeletei love a good vintage BB pic...especially one in your leo.
ReplyDeleteomg, this is awesome! scrunchie, bangs and all, hehe.
ReplyDeleteOMG...dying! I LOVE Bela! I've watched him coach for years and dreamed of meeting him and having him coach me. So jealous!
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome! Such great memories for you- and soo many girls are jealous!!
ReplyDeleteI've been really into the gymnastics and swimming events, especially women's! I won't go on and on here, but I did make a post about it on my page this morning. Feel free to check it out! www.welovedhere.com
ReplyDeleteAshley
BAHAHAHA!!! Oh my GOSH!! Total throwbacks... Good memories... BTW, you can totally thank my mom for those heinous leos & warm-ups. AGA's fashion sense was never exactly on point...
ReplyDeleteWe found a TON of pictures of y'all when my parents moved, and as soon as I can find them I'll scan & e-mail them to you if you want them. :)
Great pics! I was in gymnastics when I was 5 or so and I wish my parents had kept me in it.
ReplyDeleteGymnastics and volleyball are my fave Olympic events to watch.
I didn't know you were a competitive gymnast!!! I can't tell you how impressed i am... prob as excited as i was when I saw Dominique Dawes at Macy's and attacked her for an autograph. Yes, she was buying panties. Ooops
ReplyDeleteI've watched pretty much every Lifetime movie about gymnasts and gymnastics too... obsessed.
4 hr workouts? Holy mother! I danced for like 2 hrs a day and ocassionally bitched and moaned just about that
CarissaExplainsItAll
This is so awesome! I've been looking forward to this post. Also, I have like a million questions for you about gymnastics and how it works, who competes when, etc. I think it's by far the most interesting Olympic event, mostly cause I just cannot fathom my body working in that way. I can swim (but um, not far) and I can run (again, not far), but I cannot even imagine doing a freakin' triple flip off a balance beam and landing on my feet. DANG. It's just so pretty to watch.
ReplyDeleteI also like synchronized diving and swimming.
You're such a cute little BB! Tennis was my young Claire sport--I'll have to dig up some of those pics some day. ha.
these pictures are amazing!! gosh i remember those 6am conditioning workouts. killer. Bela was a sweetheart at the camp. So fun to reminisce.
ReplyDeleteObviously I was obsessed with this post before I even started reading. I'm an Olympic gymnast wannabe and can't even do a cartwheel. Sad story over here. What made you stop competing? Great post!
ReplyDeleteThese.are.awesome!!!! I love looking at old photos! Unfortunately my gymnastics run ended around 3rd grade and dance took over :) Oh and I did the competitive cheerleading thing too.
ReplyDeleteWow that's awesome!! Who knew? I always wanted to be a gymnast....but I ate too many donuts as a child to have the gymnast physique! HA!
ReplyDeleteHa! Pro Spirit was our competition - I used to cheer for Spirit of Texas, way back when. Enjoyed the retro pictures, brings back great memories.
ReplyDeleteScaring me with the handstand pic, we can't lose BB! And womens gymnastics and swimming are the only things I watch. I super have jordyn weiber fever. Shes just so cute.
ReplyDeletemy favorite for sure is the gymnastics and track and field
ReplyDeletehttp://infinitelifefitness.com
http://mscomposure.blogspot.com
Ugh the only 2 from a country rule just irritates the hell out of me! How do they even rationalize that rule? Top 24.period. should go - so what if several go from one country - try harder next time other countries lol
ReplyDeleteGreat pics! {Super jealous - I fully regret never trying gymnastics as a child}
Hahaha these really are vintage! But looks like you had a good time with gymnastics. I always begged my mom to do it but she didn't think I was coordinated enough!
ReplyDeleteLove the pics! I too am a retired gymnast (quit at Level 8) and am totally jealous that you got to go to Karolyi's ranch to train!! Can't wait to see the Individual All-Around this evening.
ReplyDeleteomg that's so cool!!!! every 4 years during the Olympics, i always want to be a gymnast!!!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that you went to Karolyi's camp!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS POST! It is sooo cool you got to go to Karolyi's camp. And clearly you're his favorite! I love him! I included you as my #1 post of the week in my Friday 5 favorites! Thank you sooo much for sharing these pics. You're awesome! http://www.lovelylifeofleah.com/2012/08/friday-five-favorites.html
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome. Bela is a legend! Gymnastics is always my fave with swimming being a close second.
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