In the summer of 1972, Olga Korbut performed moves never before seen outside of the then insular world of gymnastics. A back flip on the Uneven Bars, a forward flip on the Balance Beam and even more amazing, Comrade Korbut sported a sunny smile during her floor event, further blowing the minds of of her rapt audience.
Her pixie-like image shattered the stoic stereotypes held in the West regarding athletes who came from behind the Iron Curtain. At 4'11" and barely 80 lbs., she did not fit the image of the bulky female swimmers from East Germanany whose genders were somewhat ambiguous do to serious doping issues along the lines of performance enhancing male hormones.
When one disastrous uneven bar performance left her in tears, she managed to endear herself even further to her worldwide audience. Along with a physical image stereotype, she and her teammates managed to change the sport of gymnastics itself.
Prior to the global stage of the 1972 Summer Munich Olympics, gymnastics had been more much about artistry rather than athleticism, much like ice skating had been.
Female athletes were expected to perform with ballet-like movements rather than unfeminine and ungainly athletic skills. US gymnasts like Cathy Rigby were immediately rendered moot and ineffective against their spectacular routines.
The Russians managed to combine the elegance of a Balanchine ballerina with sheer physicality and strength. Further changed was the true sense of "team" that was lacking in the psychological make-up of women's sports.
The Russian team members were supportive of one another, consistently congratulating a member as soon as they walked off the floor into their team's corner. With a kiss and a hug, sincere or not amongst competitors, it reinforced a sense of esprit de corp that was unfamiliar outside of the Eastern Bloc.
The USSR team totally restructured the sport and the ripple effect had millions of little girls joining gymnastics clubs across the U.S.
When one disastrous uneven bar performance left her in tears, she managed to endear herself even further to her worldwide audience. Along with a physical image stereotype, she and her teammates managed to change the sport of gymnastics itself.
Prior to the global stage of the 1972 Summer Munich Olympics, gymnastics had been more much about artistry rather than athleticism, much like ice skating had been.
Female athletes were expected to perform with ballet-like movements rather than unfeminine and ungainly athletic skills. US gymnasts like Cathy Rigby were immediately rendered moot and ineffective against their spectacular routines.
The Russians managed to combine the elegance of a Balanchine ballerina with sheer physicality and strength. Further changed was the true sense of "team" that was lacking in the psychological make-up of women's sports.
The Russian team members were supportive of one another, consistently congratulating a member as soon as they walked off the floor into their team's corner. With a kiss and a hug, sincere or not amongst competitors, it reinforced a sense of esprit de corp that was unfamiliar outside of the Eastern Bloc.
The USSR team totally restructured the sport and the ripple effect had millions of little girls joining gymnastics clubs across the U.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment