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The vault, balance beam, uneven bars and floor routine. If you follow the high-powered, exciting and beautiful sport of gymnastics you are probably familiar with these terms. These are four events that women gymnasts strive to master. And, if you watched the women’s gymnastics competition during the 1996 Olympics Games you got a taste of how exciting and challenging this sport can be. Imagine the excitement and thrills that lie ahead for seven young gymnasts on their way to Sydney, Australia to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games. These young women are practicing their jumps, flips, turns, spins, and tumbles hoping to vault themselves into a gold medal this year. But, what happened during the Olympic Games four years ago that resulted in the US women’s team being referred to as…”The Magnificent Seven”.

It all started during the 1996 US Olympic Gymnastics trials. Many talented and eager young women tried their best to earn a coveted spot on the Olympic team. After the intense competition, seven young women were on their way to the Olympics…Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug.

The team competition was very close and tense. The US team was about tied with the Russian team (who was predicted to win) during the entire competition. It all came down to the final apparatus-the vault. Dominique Moceanu was the second to last American to vault in the competition. She ran hard and fast during both of her attempts but she slipped on both of the landings earning a score that was not high enough to secure a US team victory. The last US gymnast to attempt the vault was a little-known gymnast named Keri Strug. On her first attempt she slipped on the landing and injured her leg. She was clearly in pain but decided to attempt the second vault. She ran hard and strong into her second vault and she nailed the landing securing the American team their first team Olympic gold medal.

On Sunday, Aug.20, 2000 seven young American women were named to this years Olympic team and have a chance to repeat the glory and victory of the US team of four years ago. In fact, two members of this team have first-hand experience with the excitement of the Olympic Games. Dominique Dawes and Amy Chow were named as two members of the 2000 Olympic team. This will be the third Olympic Games for Dominique Dawes and the second Olympic Games for Amy Chow. Joining Chow and Dawes on the US Olympic team are national champion Elise Ray, Kristen Maloney, Morgan White, Jamie Dantzscher and Alyssa Beckerman. Keep your eye on these talented young women during the Olympic games this year and hope for gold!