The Dominique Moceanu FAQ
V1.00
Last Edited: 08/22/96
Currently Maintained by:
D. Unks
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Table of Contents:
Section 1: Who is Dominique Moceanu?
a. The Basic Biography
b. Quick Facts
Section 2: Awards and Other Merits
Section 3: The 1996 Results
a. The 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships
b. The 1996 Olympics
Section 4: The 1996 Magnificent Seven Tour
Section 5: How Can I Contact Dominique Moceanu?
Section 6: Miscellaneous
Section 7: Internet Resources (Web Pages and Newsgroups)
Section 8: Merchandise
Section 9: Credits
Section 10: History of the FAQ
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Section 1: Who is Dominique Moceanu?
A. The Basic Biography
Dominique Moceanu, in the minds of many, is thought of as the greatest
gymnast in competition today. She has been referred to as the next
Nadia and Mary Lou. In the July 1995 issue of USA Gymnastics,
Moceanu's coach, Bela Karolyi said of her:
"She's going to be one of the great ones. She's an outgoing
kid, like Mary Lou Retton."
And countless numbers agree with him.
Moceanu was the only U.S. gymnast to earn an individual medal at the
1995 World Championships and was the highest American all-around
finisher. She became the youngest Senior National Champion ever in
1995 after being the Junior National Champion in 1994. When Moceanu
won her first international all-around title at the 1995 Visa
Challenge, she was given the honor of being named USOC Sportswoman of
the month for both April and September. Also, that year she was a
nominee for the Sullivan Award (which honors the top amateur athlete
in the U.S.). She qualified for the U.S. Junior National Team at the
young age of 10 which made her the youngest athlete ever to make the
team. She received standing ovations at the U.S. team trials when she
earned her first perfect 10.0 from a judge in the vault. Moceanu won
a place on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team after finishing third
in the all-around compulsories at the 1996 Coca-Cola National
Championships when she petitioned to the 1996 Olympic Gymnastic Trials
because of a stress fracture to her right tibia and according to an
article in USA Gymnastics News,
"Moceanu has Sever's Disease which is inflammation of the
growth plate in the heel. This condition is especially hard on
Dominique because of the tumbling and landings required in her
daily training."
At the 1996 Atlanta, Georgia Olympics, Moceanu helped the U.S. team to
win its first gold team medal. Despite all the press given to Strug's
famous vault and the press given to Moceanu's faulty vaults, Moceanu
helped the team by posting excellent scores on the other apparatuses
(see The 1996 Results section for details). The gold medal win not
only gave Dominique and her other teammates a place in history, but it
landed them on the special Olympic edition Wheaties box.
Moceanu's gift for gymnastics are a result of hard work,
determination, and perhaps, even genetics. Her parents, Dumitru
(Dimitry) and Camelia, were both born in Romania and came to America
in 1980 to escape the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. The two were
married in Greece and settled in Southern California where Dominique
was born. Moceanu's father was a gymnast on the Romanian Junior
National Team while her mother was a level 10 gymnast. In fact, we
may even see another Moceanu in the gymnastics world as Dominique has
a younger sister, Christina (born August 24, 1989), who also trains at
Karolyi's. Dumitru was determined to have Dominique participate in
gymnastics in order to fulfill a promise he made to himself, when at
16 his mother and teachers encouraged him to concentrate on his
education.
"When that happened, I promised myself that when I got
married, my first child, whether it was a boy or a girl, I'd
like them to be a gymnast,"
Dumitru once told a reporter. The growing family moved to Chicago,
where Dumitru owned a Greek restaurant, Aphrodite's, on North Sheridan
near Loyola University. At age 3, Dumitru had Dominique hang from a
clothesline in the family's Highland Park back yard to check her
endurance. The line broke before she let go and her parents knew that
it was time to contact Bela Karolyi. Karolyi told the pair to enroll
Dominique in local gymnastics classes and to contact him again in 6 or
7 years. The family moved to Tampa, Florida in 1985 where Dumitru ran
a used-car dealership, the same business he is in now. In Florida,
the Moceanus had Dominique enroll in classes at LaFleur's Gymnastics
where she was coached by Jeff LaFleur and Beth Hair. In 1991, when
Dominique was 9 going on 10, the Moceanus felt that it was time to
place a call to Karolyi. This time, Karolyi agreed. Even though
Dominique loved the fishing trips to the Gulf with her father, the
family moved to Houston where they currently reside. Dominique had
her first lesson on December 18 and continues to train today. The
Hollywood-born Moceanu had found her niche in the gymnastics
community.
What does the future hold for Dominique? Well, in the immediate
future, she will be going on a nation-wide tour with the rest of her
gold medal squad. See the 1996 Magnificent Seven Tour section in this
FAQ for tour location and ticket information. Moceanu plans to
continue her training so that she may participate in the 2000 Olympics
in Sydney, Australia. She plans to participate in the many National
and International competitions that will occur in the next 4 years.
In the long term future, Moceanu has expressed interest in going into
sports medicine.
If you want to know even more about Dominique, check out her book:
"Dominique Moceanu - An American Champion" by Dominique Moceanu as
told to Steve Woodward, published by Bantam Books ($14.95 US)
B. Quick Facts:
-Personal:
Height: 4'6.5"
Weight: 72 pounds
Place of Birth: Hollywood, California
Date of Birth: September 30, 1981
Current Residence: Houston, Texas
Current School: Abeka Home School
Year in School: 10th (Fall, 1996)
Favorite Subject: History
Hobbies: Swimming, reading, listening to music
Nicknames: ???
Hand Preference: ???
Favorite Colors: Red, Pink, Black, and White
Favorite Athletes: Kristi Yamaguchi, Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton,
Michael Jordan, and Andre Agassi
Favorite Actors: Steve Martin, Brad Pitt, and Jim Carrey
Favorite Actresses: Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock
Favorite TV Shows: Friends and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Favorite TV Soap Opera: Days Of Our Lives
Favorite Automobiles: BMW Convertible and Ford Explorer
Favorite Cereals: Rice Crispies, Wheaties, Corn Pops, and Apple
Jacks
Favorite Foods: Chicken breasts, steak, Feta cheese, spinach, and
Romanian foods
Favorite Drinks: Apple juice and non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris
Favorite Music: Country and Western
Favorite Music Artists: Garth Brooks and George Strait
Favorite Countries: Brazil and Japan
Favorite Animals: Mitzy her cat and her goldfish
Favorite Jewelry: Her lucky elephant necklace
Things She Couldn't Live Without: Personal computer
Type of Computer: ???
-Gymnastics:
Club: Karolyi's Gymnastics
Coach: Bela & Martha Karolyi
Years on National Team: 5 (92-97)
Began Gymnastics: 1985 (age 3)
Favorite Apparatus/Event: Balance Beam and Floor Exercise
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Section 2: Awards and Other Merits
-Top Finishes:
1995 World Championships Silver & Bronze Medalist
1995 Senior National Champion
1994 Junior National Champion
-International competition:
1995 World Championships, Sabae, Japan; 5th-AA, 3rd-Team, 2nd(t)-BB,
7th(t)-FX
1995 Visa Challenge, Fairfax, Va.; 1st-AA, Team & FX, 3rd-V & BB,
2nd-UB
1995 Reese's International Gymnastics Cup, Portland, Ore.; 1st-UB,
3rd-BB, 4th-FX
1993 International Tournament of Jr. Women's Gymnastics, Charleroi,
Belgium; 5th-AA, 1st-Team & BB, 3rd-UB
1992 Jr. Pan American Games; 2nd-AA, 1st-Team, V, UB & FX
-National competition:
1995 World Team Trials, Austin, Texas; 1st-AA
1995 Coca-Cola National Championships, New Orleans, La.; 1st-AA,
2nd-FX, 3rd-V, 5th-BB, 6th-UB
1995 American Classic/Pan American Games Trials, Oakland, Calif.;
2nd(t)-AA, 1st-V, 9th-UB, 3rd-BB, 3rd-FX
1994 Coca-Cola National Championships, Nashville, Tenn.; 1st-AA,
V & FX(t), 3rd-UB & BB (junior division)
1994 American Classic/World Championships Trials, Orlando, Fla.;
4th-AA (junior division)
1993 Coca-Cola National Championships, Salt Lake City, Utah;
7th (t)-AA(junior division)
1993 U.S. Classic, Austin, Texas; 8th-AA (junior division)
1993 U.S. Olympic Festival, San Antonio, Texas; 12th-AA, 4th-FX
1993 American Classic, Murray, Utah; 10th(t)-AA, 5th-FX, 7th-V,
15th-UB, 16th-BB (junior division)
1992 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Columbus, Ohio; 5th-AA, 2nd-BB
(junior division)
1992 U.S. Classic, Knoxville, Tenn.; 10th-AA, 4th-BB
(junior division)
1991 U.S. Classic, Salt Lake City, Utah; 7th-AA, 1st-BB, 5th-UB
(junior division)
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Section 3. The 1996 Results
A. The 1996 Coca-Cola National Championships
-In the ALL-AROUND COMPULSORIES
(Moceanu finished in 3rd behind Shannon Miller and Jaycie Phelps)
Vault Uneven Balance Floor All-Around Weighted
Bars Beam Exercise
1. 9.800 9.750 9.825 9.875 39.250 47.100
2. 9.750 9.550 9.800 9.800 38.900 31.120
-In the ALL-AROUND OPTIONALS
(Moceanu finished in 2nd behind Shannon Miller)
Vault Uneven Balance Floor All-Around Weighted
Bars Beam Exercise
9.800 9.750 9.825 9.875 39.250 47.100
B. The 1996 Olympics (Top 5)
-Final Team Standings
1 USA 389.225
2 Russia 388.404
3 Romania 388.246
4 China 385.867
5 Ukraine 385.841
-Individual Standings:
-In the TEAM EVENT (July 21 and 23, 1996)
Vault Uneven Balance Floor All-Around
Bars Beam Exercise
July 21 9.662 9.725 9.687 9.750 38.824
July 23 9.200 9.812 9.850 9.837 38.699
-In the ALL-AROUND FINALS (July 25, 1996)
Vault Uneven Balance Floor All-Around
Bars Beam Exercise
July 25 9.706 9.762 9.600 9.687 38.755
-In the INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (July 29, 1996)
Floor Balance
Exercise Beam
July 29 9.825 9.125
-Competition Notes:
Moceanu got her place in the all-around finals after the now famous
Strug incident.
The well-known shot of Moceanu slipping on the balance beam and
banging her head on the beam occurred during the individual
events.
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Section 4: The 1996 Magnificent Seven Tour
Date City Place
September 20 West Palm Beach Auditorium
September 21 Orlando Centroplex
September 23 Charlotte Independence Arena
September 26 Baton Rouge LSU, Maravich Center
September 27 Austin UT, Erwin Center
September 28 Dallas (Denton) U of No. Texas Col.
September 29 Oklahoma City Myriad Convention Ctr.
October 4 Boston FleetCenter
October 5 Uniondale, Long Island Nassau Coliseum
October 6 Pittsburgh Civic Arena
October 11 E. Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena
October 12 Philadelphia Corestates Spectrum
October 13 Washington DC/Baltimore USAir Arena
October 17 Atlanta The Omni
October 18 Dayton Nutter Center
October 19 Cleveland Gund Arena
October 20 Detroit The Palace
October 25 Indianapolis Market Square Arena
October 26 Minneapolis Target Center
October 27 Milwaukee Bradley Center
November 1 Chicago Rosemont Horizon
November 2 TBA TBA
November 3 Denver McNichols Arena
November 8 Seattle Key Arena
November 9 Portland Rose Garden
November 10 Sacramento Arco Arena
November 13 San Diego Sports Arena
November 14 Phoenix TBA
November 16 TBA TBA
November 17 San Jose San Jose Arena
To order tickets, please call: 206-628-0888.
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Section 5: How can I contact Dominique Moceanu?
-Dominique's "Home" Address:
Dominique Moceanu
c/o Karolyi Gymnastics
17203 Bamwood
Houston, TX 77090
-Dominique's Other "Home" Address:
USA Gymnastics
Pan American Plaza, Suite 300
201 S. Capitol Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(Note: This address can be used to write to any American gymnast.)
-E-Mail Address:
[email protected]
(Note: Mail sent to this address will be forwarded to her by her
book publisher. Her actual e-mail address is a closely guarded
secret due to National Security.)
But does she write back? Well, it is known that she has found time in her
busy schedule to write a reply. She will not write a 50 page letter back to
you, but she does indeed try to find the time as the following shows:
Dear Yusako,
Hello, How are you doing?
I'm OK. I've been training
and have been very busy.
I was happy to receive
your letter. It was nice, +
different. I have a computer,
but I am not on the Internet.
I heard about that girl who
put an autobiography on me.
I'm glad fans enjoy it. I
have to get going!
Best wishes,
Dominique Moceanu
A JPEG of this letter can be found at:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~ysako/images/domlet.jpg
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Section 6: Miscellaneous
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Section 7: Internet Resources
-IRC
#Moceanu
-Newsgroups
-Web Pages
Dominique Moceanu's Fan Page
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~ysako/moceanu.html
(temporarily moved to www.hooked.net/~mlinet/moceanu/)
DOMINIQUE MOCEANU: America's Sweetheart
http://www.hyperski.com/moceanu
Dominique Moceanu's Web Page
http://www.inexpress.net/~cybergam/Moceanu/domini.htm
Dominique Moceanu
http://www.angelfire.com/pages1/moceanu/index.html
Dominique Moceanu's Web Page
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/DomMoWeb/index.html
Dominique Moceanu
http://members.tripod.com/~Baleki/index.html
The BEST Dominique Moceanu Page
http://members.tripod.com/~GFunk12/moceanuframes.html
Dominique Moceanu Page
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/domoceanu/index.html
Dominique Moceanu's WONDERFUL homepage
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/dominiquem/index.html
Dominique Moceanu's Fan Page
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/5570/dmoc.html
The Dominique Moceanu WebPage
http://brutus.bright.net/~zeddas/
An Unofficial Dominique Moceanu Home Page
http://www.alaska.net/~swanson/moceanu/
Dominique Moceanu Page
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/moceanu1/index.html
The Dominique Moceanu Page
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/dmoceanu/index.html
Dominique Moceanu
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/5697/moceanu.html
BibleBoy's Dominique Moceanu Home Page
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6047/
The Ultimate Dominique Moceanu Fan Club
http://www.angelfire.com/pg0/moceanufan/index.html
The Dominique Moceanu Page
http://members.tripod.com/~moceanu/
The Ultimate Dominique Moceanu Fan Club
http://www.primenet.com/~kylem/moceanu.html
Dominique Moceanu:Member of the Gold Medal U.S. Women's Gymnastic Team
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/6764/Dominique.html
Dominique Moceanu!
http://www.esu16.k12.ne.us/~sperry/olympic.html
DOMINIQUE MOCEANU
http://www.angelfire.com/pg1/dominique/index.html
Jerrod's Dominique Moceanu Home Page
http://www.angelfire.com/pages0/DMoceanu/index.html
Dominique Moceanu
http://www.servtech.com/public/moceanu/
BDD: A Visit with Dominique Moceanu (Book Publisher)
http://www.bdd.com/athwk/bddathwk.cgi/07-26-96
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Section 8: Merchandise
-"Dominique Moceanu - An American Champion" by Dominique Moceanu as
told to Steve Woodward, published by Bantam Books ($14.95 US)
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Section 9: Credits
Maintainers, Dominique Moceanu FAQ:
D. Unks
Submission credits:
Yusaku Sako ([email protected])
Pablo Macouzet, Jr. ([email protected])
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Section 10: History of the FAQ
8.12.96: V0.01 (beta)
8.22.96: V1.00
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