Role models come and go, but some leave a legacy that bridges generations. According to the coaches at North Carolina’s Everest Gymnastics, Shannon Miller is one of these. Here, we’ll learn a bit about this 1996 Olympic Champion.

Q: Who’s Shannon Miller?

Everest Gymnastics: Shannon Miller was a member of the US Women’s Gymnastics Team that, in 1996, garnered the appropriate nickname of the Magnificent Seven. She is notable as both a team member and an individual athlete. She is today considered a legend in the sport and currently holds more medals than any other US athlete before or since.

Q: What was Shannon Miller’s athletic career like before the Olympics?

Everest Gymnastics: Miller was an accomplished athlete well before she ever donned the red, white, and blue leotard. Before the Olympics, she had actually participated in the 1992 Olympic Games in Spain. There, she won five medals. Miller, however, had previously earned dozens of competition medals. Before the 1996 games, Shannon already held five Olympic medals — at the time, that was more than any single athlete in any Olympic event. Continue reading “A Q&A with Everest Gymnastics: America’s Most Decorated Gymnast” →

According to the coaches at Everest Gymnastics, safety is critical to success in gymnastics and all other sports. Keep reading as staff members from the Cornelius-based fitness facility answer a few common questions about safety in gymnastics.

Q: What are some of the activities that students participate in that could cause injuries?

Everest Gymnastics: Just about every move a child makes during gymnastics, especially as they advance in class, involves some inherent risk. Students might fall off the balance beam, for example, or land incorrectly while flipping or tumbling. Gymnastics employs the use of special spring floors and trampolines, which may increase the risk of ankle injuries. No matter how safe your child is or how well they have been trained, there is always the potential for accidents, which is why practice and physical conditioning is so important. Continue reading “Everest Gymnastics Answers Questions About Safety” →