Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Gymnastics Champion

Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Gymnastics Champion Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) won a gold medal for the United States in  womens Olympic gymnastics in 1984. She was the first American woman to win gold in the all-around event, and she won the most Olympic medals of any athlete at the 1984 Games. She also was known for her warm style, enthusiastic personality, iconic pixie haircut, and a more muscular build than many other female gymnasts. Fast Facts: Mary Lou Retton Known For: Gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic GymnastBorn: January 24, 1968 in Fairmont, West VirginiaParents: Ronnie Retton and Lois RettonPublished Work: Mary Lou Rettons Gateways to Happiness: 7 Ways to a More Peaceful, More Prosperous, More Satisfying LifeAwards and Honors: Five Olympic gymnastics medals, including one goldSpouse: Shannon Kelley (divorced)Children: Shayla,  McKenna, Skyla, EmmaNotable Quote: You give up your childhood. You miss proms and games and high school events, and people say its awful...I say it was a good trade. You miss something but I think I gained more than I lost. Early Life Mary Lou Retton was born on Jan. 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia. She was the youngest of five children. Her father Ronnie Retton played basketball in college and was a minor league baseball player. Her mother Lois signed up Mary Lou for dance classes when she was 4, then enrolled her and her older sister in gymnastics classes at West Virginia University. She didnt have to be pushed into working out.  I would sleep in my leotard on Friday nights because I was so excited about gymnastics on Saturday mornings, Retton told Texas  Monthly magazine writer Skip Hollandsworth. She later remembered at age 4 watching Olga Korbut skate in the 1972 Olympics for the Soviet Union and identifying with her courage and vigor. Four years later, it was Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci who caught her eye, inspiring dreams of Olympic gold. Preparing to Compete By the age of 12, Retton had become dedicated to gymnastics and was competing in national and international competitions. Her parents allowed her to move to Houston, Texas when she was 14 to study and train with gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, a Romanian defector who had previously coached Comaneci. She lived with the family of a fellow student and finished high school via correspondence courses while training 8-10 hours a day. She enjoyed the rigorous gymnastics schedule and flourished under Karolyis coaching. Retton stood out physically from many of the other female gymnasts. She was muscular, a change from the petite athletes that fans were accustomed to seeing in competition, even at the highest levels of the sport. One month after beginning her training with Karolyi, Rettons team went to Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, for the McDonalds American Cup Competition. She wasnt ranked high enough to be invited but she went as a substitute. One of her teammates got injured and Karolyi put in Retton. She won the competition and set a meet record, putting her in contention for the 1984 Olympics only two years away. Competition By 1984, Retton had won 14 all-around competitions in a row and was expected to compete in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She was then 16 years old. The Soviet Union and most of its allies were boycotting the Games in response to the United States boycott of the 1980 Olympics. About six weeks before the games were to start, Retton suffered a major knee injury, which turned out to be torn cartilage. She and her parents opted for minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, which enabled Retton to walk immediately and to begin training after just one week of physical therapy. In the weeks before the Games, Retton would lie in bed, her eyes closed, imagining each piece of equipment and each routine and performing perfectly. Then she imagined receiving the gold medal with The Star-Spangled Banner booming around her. Olympic Showdown Sometimes, creative visualization works. At the Olympics, she won the gold medal in womens gymnastics for the all-around competition. The win was dramatic. Coming into the last event, she was barely behind Ecaterina Szabo of Romania. Retton approached her event, the vault, needing a 9.95 out of 10 to tie Szabo for the gold medal, and a perfect score of 10 to win it outright. She scored a 10. Olympic rules required that she perform another vault, although her first score still would count. So she landed another perfect 10. In addition to the gold medal in the all-around event, Retton won an individual silver for the vault, a bronze for the uneven bars, another bronze for the floor exercise, and another silver as part of the team competition. The five medals were the most for any athlete at the 1984 Olympic Games. Legacy Following her retirement from gymnastics in 1985 after winning her third American Cup title, Retton briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin. She married Shannon Kelley, whom she had met in college, in 1990, and they had four daughters: Shayla,  McKenna, Skyla, and Emma. She made many commercials, appeared in several movies and television shows, and was a popular speaker. Among the other recognition, Mary Lou Retton was the first woman to be featured on the front of a Wheaties box and she became a spokeswoman for the cereal brand. Through the many accolades and honors, she retained her fresh and perky personality and continued to convey a sense of being the girl next door. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. Sources Retton, Mary Lou. Mary Lou: Creating an Olympic Champion. Hardcover, First Edition edition, McGraw-Hill, September 1, 1985. Retton, Mary Lou. Mary Lou Rettons Gateways to Happiness: 7 Ways to a More Peaceful, More Prosperous, More Satisfying Life. Hardcover, Broadway, April 4, 2000. Retton, Mary Lou. The Olympic Dream and Spirit Volume 1: Stories of courage, perseverance and dedication. Mary Joe Fernandez, Bela Karolyi, et al., Paperback, Cross Training Pub, November 1, 1999. Retton, Mary Lou. Encyclopedia, The Gale Group, Inc., 2004.

What to Wear to Baccalaureate and Graduation

What to Wear to Baccalaureate and Graduation Are you looking forward to a graduation,  baccalaureate, a  senior recital  or white coat ceremony? If you are, what to wear to such an important and celebratory event may be something you are wondering about. Should you dress up? Go more casual? Plan for cool or warm weather? Do men need ties? Do women wear heels? Any and all of these milestone events are great photo opportunities for families. With brothers, sisters, grandparents and other extended family members in attendance, getting a good picture is always a good idea at gatherings like these. What you wear could be on display on the fireplace mantel for years to come - but dont just dress for a photo. You want to be comfortable, too. Consider the school that your graduate attends. Some colleges and universities are much more low key when it comes to pomp and circumstance than others. While the day may be a momentous one, the fashion doesnt necessarily reflect the significance of the achievement. If your graduate attends school someplace thats very warm - Arizona, for example - being comfortable in the blazing sun and heat will be more important than looking dressed to the hilt. At more conservative schools, like those that are church-based, your clothing choice should be a little more subdued and refined.    Baccalaureate Baccalaureate ceremonies are usually held in the campus chapel or another indoor venue, so the weather and walking surface shouldnt be an issue. While baccalaureate tends to be a bit dressier than the larger graduation ceremonies, that doesnt mean you have to wear high heels or a suit and tie. Dress as you would to attend a religious service for a special occasion, avoiding sneakers, flip flops, tank tops and other casual attire. Graduation Graduation ceremonies offer significant climate challenges when theyre held outdoors. There may be hours of blazing sun, gusty winds or inclement weather, so its important to dress in layers, pack all those graduation survival essentials and adjust your wardrobe to something realistic. You may have to hike a considerable distance from your parking spot, or traverse the football field to reach a seat, heels sinking into the turf at every step. Sitting in the unrelenting sun or drizzle for hours is tough even in comfortable clothes. So check out the logistics and weather report, and make your fashion decisions accordingly. A summer dress will look just as lovely with flats. A jacket and tie can be donned after the ceremony or skipped altogether. If the ceremony is being held indoors, weather wont be an issue, of course, but the trek from the parking lot is still an issue, and gyms and auditoriums can be drafty. Bring a light jacket or shawl. White Coat Ceremony This formal ceremony marks a major rite of passage as medical or pharmaceutical students receive their first, official white coats. Parents are invited, officials make speeches, and flashbulbs pop and flare. Its a big deal. Youll want to dress accordingly - in conservative suits, dresses or business wear - and bring your camera. Senior Recitals Music majors celebrate the end of their four years of study with a senior recital that showcases their work. Its an important concert and one that typically features ensembles large and small. The concert is attended by fellow students and faculty, as well as extended family, friends and former music teachers.  Musicians may wear a considerably more casual version of their usual concert attire, although the starring senior tends to wear something much more extravagant than their usual attire. Attendees can dress on the more casual side if they like, but within reason and with respect for the performers.   As for parents, baccalaureate-style attire is appropriate, but its also fine to wear something slightly less formal, especially if it has artistic style. You might not wear a fabulous, colorful kimono-style jacket to a church ceremony, for example, but its perfect for a concert. That said, basic black is always chic too. Bear in mind that most parents host a post-concert reception. Unless youre having that catered, youre going to be doing significant pre-concert shlepping - moving tables, lugging crates and laying out trays of finger foods.      Updated by Sharon Greenthal