Gbby Bryjax Essay

GABBY DOUGLAS: AN AMERICAN CHAMPION
Gabrielle Christina Victoria “Gabby” Douglas is an African-American artistic gymnast on the Women’s US National team. Gabby was born on December 31, 1995. Gabby comes from a poor family, at one point they were even homeless. Through faith, hope, and hard work, Gabby and her family have recovered from poverty. Ever since Gabby was a little girl, she always had a strong passion for gymnastics, and through years of vigorous training, and hard work she made the 2012 Olympic team. Gabby Douglas had a very successful gymnastics career, but most people only know about her major accomplishments in the 2012 Olympics. Most people do not know about her achievements in her early life, her transition to Iowa, or even

her senior career as a gymnast.
EARLY LIFE
After Gabby was born, her family faced many hardships, they went into poverty.

According to Sarah Jane Brian, author of the article “Gabby’s Road to Gold,” throughout her life, Gabby and her family struggled with money, health, bullying, and self-confidence. According to Gabrielle Douglas, Olympic gymnast, and author of the book “Grace, Gold, and Glory,” Gabby’s mother almost bled to death when she gave birth to Gabby. In February of 1996, Gabby and her family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma (15-16). When Gabby was just two months old, her family became homeless and, they lived in a van. Gabby had a deadly blood disease, and her parents did not know it (Brian). Gabrielle Douglas says, “They’d diagnosed me with a life threatening disease called Branched Chain Ketoaciduria” (Douglas 19). According to Simon Perry, author of the article “Gabby the Great,” her parents separated in 2001. Gabby and her siblings rarely got to see their dad because he was in the Air Force, and he was always in Afghanistan or Iraq. Gabby’s mother, Natalie Hawkins, was a single mother raising four kids (Perry). Gabby’s siblings gave up their own sports, and her mom worked two jobs just to pay for Gabby’s gymnastics. At the gym, Gabby dealt with racist bullying

(Brian).
Despite all the poverty the Douglas family went through, they found a way to recover. In the summer of 1996, Gabby and her family moved to Irving, Texas. Then in 2000, Gabby and her family moved back to Virginia and stayed with Gabby’s Grandmother (Douglas 20-25). Gabby lived with two sisters, Joyelle and Arielle, and one brother, Johnathan (Perry). Gabrielle Douglas said, “Starting in November 2001, our family became separated” (Douglas 26). According to Victoria J. Sanders, author of the article “Talking to Gabby,” Gabby’s mother was very involved with her faith, and some of it rubbed off on Gabby making faith has a big role in Gabby’s life (Sanders). Eventually Gabby’s mom had saved up enough money, and bought a house for Gabby and her family to live in (Brian). Gabby’s father, Timothy Douglas, was an Air Force Staff Sergeant (Perry). Her mother, Natalie Hawkins, worked in the Recovery department at Household International (Douglas 28). Gabrielle Douglas says “By 2002, mom had squirreled away enough money to buy a three-bedroom, 1,378 square-foot townhouse” (Douglas 27). According to Blythe Lawrence, author of the book “Great Moments in Olympic Gymnastics,” Gabby grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia (Lawrence 53).
Throughout Gabby’s childhood, she was always doing gymnastics around the house, eventually her mother signed her up for gymnastics classes. When Gabby was three years old, her sister, Arielle, taught her to do a perfect cartwheel (Douglas 24). Gabby learned gymnastics from her sister and by teaching herself (Brian). According to the article “About Gabrielle Douglas,” Gabby used to flip off the furniture when she was just four years old. Gabby was introduced to the sport by her sister Arielle, who was a gymnast herself (“About Gabrielle Douglas”). Arielle convinced her mother to put Gabby in gymnastics classes because she was so energetic (Perry). According to Selena Hill, author of the article “America’s Olympic Sweetheart Blasted for Saying She was Bullied,” Gabby started official gymnastics classes at age six (Brian). Gabby first started gymnastics at Excalibur (Hill). Gabby won the Virginia State gymnastics Championship when she was just eight years old (Brian). Gabrielle Douglas says “I’d been dreaming of an Olympic gold medal since I was eight” (Douglas 7).
TRANSITIONING TO IOWA
Gabby had always known she wanted to go to the Olympics, and have Liang Chow to be her coach. Gabby’s first meet as a Junior Elite International gymnast was in 2008 at the U.S. Classic, where she came in eighth on the uneven bars, and tenth in the all-around (Douglas 92). According to the movie “The Gabby Douglas Story” directed by Gregg Champion, Gabby had competed in the 2008, and 2010 Visa Championships in the Junior division. One day, coach Liang Chow came to Excalibur Gymnastics to do a clinic for the gymnasts (The Gabby Douglas Story). After the clinic with coach Chow, Gabby knew that he was the coach she needed. When Gabby asked her mother if she could go train with coach Liang Chow, her mother responded with “Brie, have you lost your mind?” Gabby eventually convinced her mother this had to be done (Douglas 116). At age fourteen, Gabby moved to Des Moines, Iowa to train with coach Liang Chow (Perry). Gabrielle Douglas says, “In October 2010, “I’d left my family and moved to Iowa so I could be coached by elite trainer Liang Chow” (Douglas 7).
While Gabby was training in Des Moines, Iowa she lived with a very welcoming host family, but despite all their comfort Gabby still got very homesick. According to Nancy Armour, author of the articles “All-Around Dominance,” “Douglas Defies Expectations in Return,” “Douglas Settles in,” and “Seeking Repeat, Douglas Leaps Back into Sport,” Gabby had left her mom and siblings--whom she was very close with--to go train with coach Chow (Armour). A host family had volunteered to take Gabby in for two years (The Gabby Douglas Story). Gabby stayed with a host family while she lived in Des Moines, Iowa (Perry). According to Kelly Whiteside, author of the article “Champ Douglas Back in Training,” Gabby was the host daughter of the Parton family while she was in Des Moines (Whiteside). Gabby’s host father, Travis Parton, considered Gabby part of their family as she would be their fifth daughter (Perry). Gabby got desperately homesick while living with her host family (Armour). About a year after moving to Des Moines, Gabby wanted to quit gymnastics all together because she missed her family so much (Perry). Gabby just wanted to be a normal teenage girl (Douglas 8).
While Gabby was transitioning from training in Virginia Beach to Des Moines, she was very successful in competitions. Gabby got silver on the balance beam at the US Junior National Championship in 2010. Gabby also won gold on the Uneven Bars at the 2010 Pan American Championship (About Gabrielle Douglas). Two months before the 2011 Visa Championships, Gabby had sprained her hamstring, and injured her hip flexor (Douglas 144). Gabby was very fortunate to recover, and still compete in the 2011 Visa Championships (The Gabby Douglas Story). At the 2011 Visa Championships, Gabby placed third on the uneven bars, and seventh in the all-around (Douglas 146).
SENIOR CAREER
After years of training for the Olympics it was all coming together for Gabby Douglas. Gabby was barely known in the gymnastics world before the 2011 American Cup. Martha Karolyi--the national team coordinator for the United States women's national gymnastics team--was the only one who had Gabby on the 2011 World team, but she still made the team (Armour). Gabby was part of the team gold in the 2011 World championship (About Gabrielle Douglas). According to Bonnie D. Ford, author of the article “The not-so-unusual for Douglas, Leyva, Wieber” at the 2011 American Cup Gabby was just an alternate, so she competed in exhibition mode, so her scores did not count, but had her scores counted she would have won the competition (Ford). At the 2011 American Cup Gabby had beaten Jordyn Wieber--the favorite to win--but she was just an alternate so Jordyn got credit for the win (Armour). In March of 2012, Gabby won the gold medal on the uneven bars at the Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships. In May of 2012, Gabby won gold on the uneven bars at the Secret US Classic. In June of 2012, at the US National Championships, Gabby won Gold on the uneven bars, bronze on the floor exercise, and silver in the all-around (About Gabrielle Douglas). Gabby won three consecutive titles at the world champs (Armour). Gabby’s father surprised her with a visit at the Olympic Trials in 2012 (Perry). Gabby had her peak right before the Olympics--perfect timing--(Armour). At the Olympic Trials in 2012 Gabby tied for first place on the uneven bars. Gabby also got first place in the all-around at the Olympic Trials, guaranteeing her a spot on the 2012 Olympic team (About Gabrielle Douglas).
Gabby officially had a spot on the 2012 Olympic gymnastics team to represent the United States of America. Little did Gabby know, she was about to make history. Gabby was just sixteen years old when she made the Olympic team (Brian). At the 2012 Olympics,Gabby had one of the highest scores on bars in the team division (Armour). Gabby also won gold medals in both the all-around, and the team division (Whiteside). The article “About Gabrielle Douglas,” states that “Gabrielle is the first woman of color of any nationality and the first African-American gymnast in Olympic history to become the Individual All-Around Champion. She is also the first American gymnast to win gold in both the gymnastic individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic games” (About Gabrielle Douglas). Gabby was the first African American gymnast to win an All-Around gold medal in the Olympics (Brian).
After the Olympics were over, Gabby had many opportunities to try new things, Gabby took about nine months off of gymnastics before training to try and come back for the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio De Ja, Brazil.

After the 2012 Olympics in London, England, Gabby moved to Los Angeles, California to be with her family. Gabby lived in Los Angeles for eight months before moving back to West Des Moines (Armour). Nine months after the Olympics, Gabby continued to train with coach Liang Chow in Des Moines, Iowa (Whiteside). In July, 2014, Gabby left Chow’s gym, but Gabby will not say why. Gabby is now training full time at Buckeye Gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio. Gabby trains seven hours a day, six days a week. Within a month of training, Gabby was in good enough shape to attend her first national team training camp since the Olympics (Armour). Gabby is planning to compete in the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (About Gabrielle Douglas). Gabby is staying focused on the 2016 Olympics, she plans on not making any plans, like red carpet appearances, or commercial opportunities before the 2016 Olympics. Gabby’s first competition after the 2012 London Olympics was three years later, at the 2015 U.S. Secret Classic, where she placed second in the all-around (Armour). According to Lynn Rutherford, author of the article “Gabby Douglas Wins AT&T American Cup,” In March of 2016, Gabby won the AT&T American Cup

(Rutherford).
CONCLUSION
Gabby Douglas is an artistic gymnast who represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, England. Gabby and her family have experienced the struggles of poverty but yet they never gave up. Gabrielle always had a passion to be a great gymnast, a passion strong enough that she moved halfway across the country so she could be better. Through all the hard-work Gabby put into training she accomplished her goal. Despite Gabby’s major success, most people are not aware of the struggles and achievements in her early life, her transition to Iowa, or even her senior career as an artistic gymnast.

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