LAUREL SCHOOL VISIT

Mike and I had the pleasure of visiting Laurel School for an inspirational speaking engagement. Little did they know, I left pretty inspired myself! Here's a photo of me with the lovely young women...

UNEDITED INTERVIEW

The trip to Jacksonville to participate in the 1996 Olympic team's 15-year celebration was an exciting weekend! It was lovely to visit with my teammates again. To view the unedited interview that appeared on the USA Gymnastics website and in the American Cup program, please read below:

Where do you live and what do you do for work now? Describe a typical day?
I moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 2002. I fell in love with Ohio, and I’ve been a proud Clevelander ever since!

My days revolve around my two-year old son and three-year old daughter. Parents know these ages are never a bore, because toddlers are like running blenders without tops! There’s no such thing as “typical day”, and that’s the beauty of it.

When I’m not being a mommy or wife, I run my business, Dominique Moceanu Professional Services, which is dedicated to speaking and gymnastics related events along with fitness seminars with my husband.

I’m also doing public speaking, working with charities like Wigs for Kids, and co-authoring a four part children’s book series that Disney*Hyperion is set to release in 2012. I’m trying to evolve!

Tell us about your family if you have a significant other and/or children?
Carmen is my 3-year old daughter, and she’s bold and athletic! She loves gymnastics, dancing, artwork, and The Backyardigans. She was born on Christmas Day, and there will never be a better gift!

Vincent’s my 2-year old son, and we call him “Charm”. He’s really social and affectionate. He adores his sister and loves Toy Story and being tickled.

We never really grasp the love of a parent until we become parents ourselves.

Mike Canales and I met in 1994 when we were competing at the U.S. Championships. We got married in 2006. Mike was a US Jr. National Team member and a member the ’96 NCAA Championship Team with The Ohio State University. Currently, he works for St. Vincent’s Spine & Orthopedic Institute where he’s a foot and ankle surgeon, and he still enjoys doing gymnastics today!

Do you stay in contact with the sport of gymnastics? What do you think of the direction of the sport?
Both of my kids are in gymnastics, my husband loves exploring all aspects of the sport, we traveled to London for the World Championships in 2009, and we’re making a trip to Tokyo for the 2011 World Championships. Mike and I are the official spokespeople for the 2011 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, and we both contribute to International Gymnast magazine. I’m busy with gymnastics clinics and choreography around the country, so I’d say gymnastics has NEVER played a bigger role in my life.

Quite simply, gymnastics is the greatest sport in the world, but if we don’t get a scoring system the fans, judges, coaches, and athletes understand--- I’m concerned about the future of our fan base.

If the training techniques, equipment, and injury prevention are unable to keep up the sky-rocketing difficulty requirements, I’m worried about the future of our sport at the elite level. I don’t want injuries to cause our elite gymnasts to become an endangered species.

Our sport is here to stay, but we must protect it. We must nurture it. We must work to make it popular throughout the year, not simply during the Olympic Games.

How did winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 shape your life as it is today?
Obviously, the gold medal in Atlanta changed my life forever, and it changed the landscape of gymnastics in America. Most importantly, the gold medal shaped my life by allowing me to connect with people on a global scale. 15 years later, I still have loyal fans who write me stories of encouragement. To inspire people that you’ve never met is a humbling experience, and that has been the greatest benefit of our victory in Atlanta!

NCAA Gymnastics

I've always been a fan of college gymnastics and encouraged many gymnasts that I've coached to pursue this avenue. So glad Mike and I had the opportunity to watch this competition live this year. It was a real treat for us. There was some fabulous routines! At the end of the competition, I bumped into the Penn State Women's Gymnastics Team along with The University of Minnesota Women's Gymnastics Team. Sweethearts!

Golden Lady Gophers

PSU Ladies

MY TRIP TO MEXICO

I just had the pleasure to visit Gymnastika in Puebla, Mexico last weekend. It was a trip I'll never forget; from the emotional fans, to the life-size cactus, and breath-taking cathedrals, my trip was a memorable one. The gymnasts and staff of Gymnastika displayed such passion for the sport, and I was so proud to be an ambassador for our gymnastics community, bringing my knowledge and love for the sport internationally. I'd like to thank Gymnastika for a successful visit, as they were unbelievable hosts! I hope to be able to visit again some day!


24 karat gold chapel


I love signing autographs!


With gymnasts and staff in Puebla


With a life-sized cactus!


I met so many wonderful people in Puebla!



In front of a cathedral


Posing with the staff at Gymnastika


We worked hard, but had a great time!

CLEVELAND SPORTS AWARDS

Here are some photos from Cleveland Sports Awards!



Me, with the Cav Girls!

With Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN's College Game Day


With Swimmer Diana Munz & Figure Skater Tonia Kwiatkowski

FALL PHOTO ALBUM

A lot of photos have been taken in the past few months.....Halloween & World Championship photos are included in this new photo gallery!



HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE DR. PHIL SHOW?

What a unique opportunity I had to go on the Dr. Phil Show and hopefully have a positive impact on Rhonda's family, and others who might have been watching. I'm interested to know what you thought of the show. Please share your comments below.

DR. PHIL PHOTOS

I taped an episode of Dr. Phil last month. Here's a couple photos. Be sure to watch on Nov 4th. Check your local listings!

Me & Dr. Phil


Me & Jessica (one of the staffers who was great!)

SUMMER 2009

Spring/Summer 2009 has been a blast! I've got tons of photos to share! Check out my new scrapbook.


HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

MY SPRING SCRAPBOOK!

So much has happened over the last couple months! Here's my spring scrapbook for you to enjoy!

Love, Dominique
p.s. did you hear I joined Twitter? I've been having a blast with it! ...and have been updating frequently!



Download Photo Album Here


HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

PHOTO ALBUM UPDATE

I hope this update finds you all doing well! I put together another PowerPoint photo album for you to enjoy.

Love, Dominique

Download Photo Album Here

HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

THANK YOU!

A big "thank you" to all our friends, fans, and family for voting for Carmen in the "Cleveland's Cutest Baby" contest. Although she didn't win this year, we are still very grateful for all of your votes & support!

Dominique & Mike

FALL 2008

So much has happened in the last few months! Click here to download my PowerPoint update with news and recent photos...

HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

MY THOUGHTS AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM THE 2008 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

The 2008 Summer Games marked the first Olympics I've watched on TV since the 1992 Barcelona Games. I enjoyed every second of the Beijing Olympics! I was worried about "staying home" for The Games, but like never before I was engrossed in ALL THINGS Olympics. Between the internet broadcasts, television coverage, message boards, and editorials, I was submerged in the Beijing Olympic experience!

I'm recovering from the "Olympic Hangover" of staying up late for 17 days, but what I lost in sleep, I gained in the thrill of the XXIX Olympiad. As I return to my daily routine, I've gathered my thoughts and memorable moments. It helps me get over my post-Beijing let down. Quite simply, I categorized my thoughts into two categories "Things I loved" and "Not so much". I've got them listed in no particular order. The Olympic Gymnastics Competition was all it was cracked up to be. Enjoy the lists!

Our "At Home Olympic Experience" started with a visit from Paul Hamm, Morgan Hamm, and Morgan's fiancée, Megan. Morgan just returned from Beijing the night before (8.8.08) after an emotional and untimely departure from China. More on that: http://www.intlgymnast.com/olympics/ziert/535.html

Morgan and Paul's competitive careers came to a close in a manner that none of us could've predicted 3 months ago. Nevertheless, we were so pleased to have them spend this time at our home.

I have to admit, at first it was odd watching the Beijing Olympics with the Hamms in Ohio. I knew that a healthy Paul and Morgan could've contributed significantly in China; however, once the competition began I could see the genuine happiness they felt for their teammates, and Raj Bhavsar's success helped all of us see "the greater good" in Paul and Morgan's injuries! It was a positive thing, and it's good to see Paul and Morgan's enthusiasm about life after competitive gymnastics. While not directly, no one can dispute that the Hamm's pushed the U.S. Men's Team to new heights in Beijing!

Here are some photos from our "At Home Experience".....Enjoy!

HINT: This photo album was put together in PowerPoint. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer, you can download the PowerPoint Viewer for Windows or the PowerPoint Viewer for Macintosh to view this presentation.

THINGS I LOVED!

• What about Two-Time Gold Medalist Gervasio Deffer!! The controversial Spaniard never lacked in the talent department, and it was particularly sweet to see him finally earn an Olympic Medal on his best event, Floor Exercise.
  
  
• Romania's Bronze medal in the Women's Team Competition and Sandra Isbaza's Gold Medal on Floor reminded critics that Romania's deep tradition in gymnastics is far from dead! I'm impressed with what their program has done with limited resources and huge management changes.
  
  
• NBCOlympics.com's high quality streaming of podium training!
  
  
• While Cheng Fei's performances and efforts as an emotional leader for the Chinese Women left little in the tank for individual glory, she was instrumental in the Chinese Team effort. A TRUE team player, Cheng Fei's Bronze on beam held a very special meaning. I was so happy to see a female gymnast pumping her fists while giving triumphant hollers. Cheng Fei was a thrill to watch. She displayed great sportsmanship when encouraging Alicia Sacramone following the Team Final. You have to see the photos and footage to really understand what I'm talking about. Loved it! That last tidbit brings me to the vast display of sportsmanship I saw as I watched from home.
  
  
• Amid the poor sportsmanship displayed by the media (which I might add we were bombarded with in the U.S). The gymnasts displayed countless acts of sportsmanship that deserve mention and attention.
  
  
• Shawn Johnson was often the first athlete to congratulate her competitors, and I'll never forget how Shawn joined Nastia Liukin for a curtain call during the All-Around Finals. Shawn Johnson demonstrated the Olympic Spirit throughout the Games; therefore, her balance beam GOLD was just a fitting conclusion to the Women's competition.
  
  
• Nastia Liukin's composure DURING AND AFTER the Uneven Bar Final. While she could've justifiably blamed the judging for the quirky bar results, she simply admitted that she had not performed her best routine. Class Act! She has been on the losing end of two major tie-breaking procedures, and Liukin continues to be a gracious champion! Love her!
  
  
• Alicia Sacramone erroneously blamed herself for missing out on the Team Gold Medal. While most of us know Alicia's errors DID NOT CAUSE the team to lose the Gold. She was a good sport by not feeding into the blame placed on the delays caused by cameramen and television.
  
  
• Perhaps the most endearing moment of the Olympic Gymnastics Competition was when He Kexin embraced and lifted teammate Yang Yilin during the Uneven Bar final. While I may never know what He was thinking, I can't help but guess that He believed her teammate had won the gold, and she was sharing in her teammate's success. If those were indeed He Kexin's thoughts, I agree wholeheartedly with her.
  
  
• All appeared right in the Gymnastics Universe when Oksana Chusovitina earned her silver medal on Vaulting at the tender age of 33. SHE'S THE WORLD'S SUPERHERO MOM!
  
  
• U.S. Women's Team WINNING, yes WINNING, the silver medal in the Team competition. They endured an exhausting and at times punishing Olympic Team Selection process, not to mention they experienced severe setbacks in the days leading up to the Olympics.
  
  Just think about it, injuries to Shayla Worley, Mattie Larson, Chellsie Memmel, and Samantha Peszek demonstrated how the DEEPEST TEAM in the WORLD was WHITTLED DOWN TO A TEAM THAT WON THE SILVER MEDAL AGAINST ODDS! Again, just think for a moment. If just one more untimely injury plagued the U.S. Women, an Olympic medal could've been completely out of the picture. These young ladies earned a Silver Medal against odds in a similar fashion that the Men's Team earned a bronze medal. The principle difference was the media perception of each medal. In the men's case it was a victory, and in the women's case it was viewed as a defeat based on the 2007 World Championships. The individual athletes and coaches made America proud on both the Men's and Women's sides!
  

• Jonathan Horton winning a silver medal on high bar. His individual medal was payment for his tremendous efforts during the Team competition. Without question, he was the leader of the U.S. Men's Team. His High Bar routine from the Event Final is arguably the most dynamic and difficult routine the gymnastics world has ever seen!

• Yang Wei tore through six events to be victorious in China! He and Raj Bhavsar reminded us that great things are worth the wait!
  

• The U.S. Men's bronze medal Team Final. The team alternates were called upon and did their jobs to help the U.S. win their "Good as Gold" Bronze Medal. Horton was solid, and the high bar squad appeared to be the best in the world (regardless of scores). Raj Bhavsar told us that he "has been paid back double" for all that he endured over the last 4 years!

• Chinese Gymnastics Domination: We could go on and on about how prepared the Men's and Women's Artistic Teams were, but the Chinese dominated Artistic Gymnastics all the while earning individual Gold Medals in Trampoline and a Team Silver in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Impressive isn't enough to describe Chinese Gymnastics program! They succeeded in all disciplines and categories of gymnastics greatness.

• Individual Gold/Silver coming in and Individual Gold/Silver going out! Story book ending for the Team USA's superstars. I love it! The hard work and attention to detail Nastia Liukin/Valeri Liukin and Shawn Johnson/Chow Liang put in over the last several years came through in China. When you look at the whole picture, the one-two punch of Liukin and Johnson was simply too awesome for the rest of the world to handle. Both artistry and pure athleticism were rewarded in Beijing, and the results prove it.

NOT SO MUCH

• Since ditching compulsory routines after the 1996 Olympics, gymnastics has picked up a new compulsory exercise…CONTROVERSY. The vaulting table was the right height this time, nobody was taking Sudafed, Paul Hamm wasn't in the meet, and Chen Yibing was the decisive Olympic Champion on still rings, so we had to find something else to latch on to.

• I guess it's a sign of the times, but it saddens me to know that this year's age controversy quagmire has taken away (more so than in the past) from the stunning performances of ALL OF THE GYMNASTS, NOT JUST THE CHINESE WOMEN! I often wonder how the Chinese Women's team have/has/had wrestled with the negative attention of the age controversy. As a teen, I recall the pressures that came along with an Olympics at home, and I couldn't image having to compete with scrutiny hanging over my head
  

• The 2008 Olympics marked a time in our sport where we've approached the plateau of physical capabilities. When gymnastics' living legends like Jordan Jovtchev, Marian Dragulescu, Cheng Fei, Hiroyuki Tomita, and Diego Hypolito look as if they can't they've MAXED OUT, IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE RULES DRASTICALLY!
  

• Olympic order used to mean something! Vaulting, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise. I didn't like the order used at the Olympic Women's Event Finals. Having both women's leg events was not only tiring, but the audience loves seeing Women's Floor Exercise as the final event of the women's competition. Can you imagine the 2008 Olympic Women's Floor final followed by the 2008 Olympic Men's High bar final? That could've been an even more spectacular night for the sport of gymnastics!

• Bela Karolyi was "The Grinch" of my 2008 Olympic experience. Has anyone noticed how Bela manages to make historic gymnastics moments his own? His antics of exaggerated patriotism, righteousness, and empathy sandwiched between roars, howls, and imaginary adjectives were just too much! I found myself muting his commentary by the time the Women's All-Around Final had arrived. His comments added a negative and suspicious dimension to the competition, really nothing of utility for the gymnastics fan.

• I trained with Bela for several years, and my family and I spent many holidays with Bela and Martha Karolyi. I can separate the real behavior from the phony performance. In 2008, I had an overdose of the Karolyi phoniness. I was embarrassed by his lack of knowledge of the sport. I felt like I was watching a crazed-aged man talk senselessly about a sport he knew little about. Come to think of it, I see why I felt that way. (I guess I shouldn't be surprised why the questions I submitted were never read during Ring the Bela!)
  

Once again, the BIGGEST competition in gymnastics was filled with lots of drama and great moments. The only certainty is that one can never predict what will unfold! As I let the moments of Beijing digest, I look ahead to what's to come in the next 4 year cycle.

Dominique

CONGRATS TEAM USA!

I'm so proud of the USA Men & Women for their success in Beijing!

They should both be very proud to have represented their country and stand on the medal podium as first time Olympians that will come home with silver and bronze medals! No one can take those efforts away from them and to come home with any medals AT ALL is a SUCCESS! Let's not forget that, Karolyi's.

Although some uncharacteristic mistakes were made on the women's side, I still remain supportive of their efforts especially after the grueling Olympic selection process that they went through, they DESERVED this medal. They should be proud of being the second best country in the world. After all, how many people can say that they're the second best at anything in the world?!?!

p.s. It's a real treat to re-read the interview with Raj Bhavsar before he was named to the 2008 Olympic Team. It makes his Olympic Team medal that much sweeter! Congrats to Raj for never giving up! We've supported you all along!

Congratulations TEAM USA...AMERICA IS PROUD OF YOU!

2016: CHICAGO BELIEVES!

I recently attended a special event in Chicago at Millenium Park to celebrate the city's bid to host the 2016 Olympic games. Here are some of my photos!

Good luck to my new friend, Anjali J. Forber-Pratt! She is a paralympic Track and Field athlete representing the United States in Beijing!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

I'm interested to know what you think about my recent comments. There's a poll at International Gymnast Online. (The poll is on the left hand side of the page)

A RECENT INTERVIEW

Please take a moment to read this interview that I did with About.com. I truly feel it best represents my thoughts regarding the controversial Olympic selection process and the direction that USA Gymnastics has taken since 2000.

On a related note, I would like to thank those individuals who have shown support for my recent statements and an improved system.

AMERICAN GLADIATOR, SIREN COMES TO THE GYM!

American Gladiator, Siren (a.k.a. "Green Goddess") came to visit my local gym, Gymnastics World, for a motivational speech!

Valerie Waguaman went to high school with my husband, Michael. Val was raised in Cleveland, and her sister attends Gymnastics World. Val was a former track and field athlete and volleyball player at Brecksville High School. She has since joined the eclectic cast of NBC's primetime hit, American Gladiators.

I've always been a fan of American Gladiators, so it was a special treat for me to meet Val!

Dominique


For more information on Val, you can check out http://www.octanecafe.com and http://www.valspace.com/blog

NOTE FROM DOMINIQUE CONCERNING HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARTICLE

I’m excited for Tuesday night's broadcast of my interview for Real Sports on HBO. It will be interesting to see which parts of our discussion they use. I did, however, want to draw attention to a quote of mine from the HBO interview that was taken out of context by the Houston Chronicle this morning.

The article, which talks about tomorrow's HBO interview, reports that Mike and I wouldn’t put our daughter, Carmen, in the sport of gymnastics. This actually was taken out of context and is in fact the opposite of the truth!

As most of you know, despite my concerns about the way our sport is managed, I’m passionate about gymnastics and love the sport with all my heart. I have always said that I’d put Carmen in gymnastics -- and we still absolutely plan to. I am an advocate of change, however, with the highest level of management in my sport and I stand by that.