In the News, February 5, 2004 7:02 PM 4 comments
Gymnast Nadia Comaneci
I don't know the first thing about gymnastics, but have been reading up on Romanian Nadia Comaneci, who scored the first perfect 10 in gym history at the '76 Olympiad in Montreal. Comaneci ended up with a total of seven perfect 10s in Montreal and three gold, one silver and one bronze. She was 14.
Comaneci's life and performances seem surrounded in that Legend-class of sport history anecdotal, mythical, more evolved: performing with one hand to favour an injured wrist, winning the Olympics in spite of sciatica of the legs, defecting during the night from Romania to America, an abusive partner, miracles during her infancy, supportive of multiple charities. She even lived in Canada for a stint.
It's not the training from the age of six or the triumph despite injury these are things I'm sure occur somewhat regularly in gymnastics as they do in the top echelons of all athletic accomplishments (Lance Armstrong easily comes to mind). What's compelling is this theoretical notion of supra-human perfection in non-essential (in the scheme of human evolution) endeavors, like art, music and sport. Brilliance in physicality, absence of emotion (she was known and self-described as having a face like "an impenetrable wall to the outside world"), concentration personified.
Am now eager to see footage of the 76 Games. To see the blank and objective faces of the judges when you know inside they must feel collective elation to the point of tears. The audiences, both in Montreal and watching from home, appropriating this 14-year-old child as their personal, inspirational darling. The performance itself, marvel of human form. Our total agreement with the judges' scores. Most rewarding, the ultimate gratification of watching, preparing the cringe in your face for the inevitable, if ever so slight, screw up, but witnessing near objective perfection and feeling ultimate, empathetic relief.
Likely none of those emotions were in Comaneci's mind. She was barely a teen and probably didn't consider the philosophical, metaphysical or political implications of her sport and her career. Yet we understand her performance and others like it are the ultimate in Zen-like connection, the Zone-ness always heard of in athletic culture. You don't need the slightest background in any sport to appreciate that.
4 comments on Gymnast Nadia Comaneci
1. Anonymous | December 8, 2006 7:31 AM
hi i am a 12 year olsdgymnast . did you know that they changed the way that they score and i dont understand it
2. shahram | August 28, 2007 7:08 PM
Mrs nadia comaneci hello.I am mr shahram lhave a.Painting tableauo that iwant to send you to see it.plz add id.
3. Brieann | April 2, 2008 4:38 PM
Hi i'm a 12 year old gymnast and they deducted me 15 points because i had nail polish on and my friends bra starp fell out and they said she was diqualified and i don't get it how is that so bad please e-mail me back about this issue and i love your bar andfloor routine nadia!!!!
4. Donna-M | January 20, 2009 11:43 AM
Hello,,,to learn more about Nadia and know what she's doing these days please join the World Wide Fans of Nadia Comaneci Yahoo group. There are daily news and picture posts so there you'll always get your daily dose of Nadia.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldwidefansofnadiacomaneci
sincerely,]
Donna-M
I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.—D. Eisenhower
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