90's Gymnastics- Smiling

Brittany Mullenary — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 18:42:25 +0000

I recently rewatched the 1996 Olympic Trials because I was feeling nostalgic since it is the 30th anniversary. I originally watched the trials as a 16-year-old and it feels very different now as an adult. What was the obsession with smiling? Every time someone smiled in their floor routine it had to be reported. Mary Beth Arnold's coach was strangely excited that she smiled during her floor routine. Then there was also that awful fluff piece about the Forsters where John Tesh, I think, said of their gymnasts, "they're different, they smile." I'm pretty sure that no amount of smiling was going to make up for how dysfunctional things were at the time. Also, nobody ever said anything about whether or not the men smiled during their routines, just saying. So cringe.

RE: Gymnastics Friend Finder

Kara — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:36:24 +0000

@emme Hi! I'm also from Houston. I'm curious to know (roughly) which area you're in. I'm on the southeast side, though may move soon. If you'd like to connect, feel free to DM me. (I can't DM yet because I'm new to the forum.) Thanks!

RE: Gymnastics Friend Finder

Emme — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 18:14:20 +0000

Houston area gymnerd here

GymCastic Forum - Recent Posts

90's Gymnastics- Smiling

RE: Gymnastics Friend Finder

RE: Gymnastics Friend Finder