letters to a young gymnast by nadia comaneci

More discussions about the sport and less defensiveness about mostly forgotten gossip would have strengthened this mentoring guide.

According to newspaper reports at the time, Panait, married with four children, controlled her life and finances and was responsible for TV bookings where the gymnast appeared overweight and inappropriately dressed. Although Comaneci's descriptions of her harsh life in Romania (although far easier than most) under dictator Ceausescu are compelling, and her decision to defect in 1989 completely understandable, she does not acknowledge that the man who facilitated her escape, Constantin Panait, was anything other than a personal manager. She refutes the oft-repeated accusation that Karolyi abusively overworked his young gymnasts and further denies that she drank bleach when the Romanian government assigned her to another coach. In Letters to a Young Gymnast, Nadia Comaneci tells how she found the inner strength to become a world-class athlete at such a young age. Comaneci, however, devotes far too much space to discussing the controversies that dogged her career. When the author recounts her early years with legendary coach Bela Karolyi and details how his intensive training requirements plus her own determination led to her success, the text is engrossing. At the event she garnered several more medals. Romanian-born Comaneci took the sports world by storm when, at the age of 14, she was the first person in Olympic history to earn a perfect score in gymnastics. etc.), this memoir is less about motivating aspiring gymnasts than justifying the author's life choices. It is a simple tale, but one that needs to be heard, especially for those even thinking of competing in the hard world of gymnastics.Although part of a mentoring series ( Letters to a Young Lawyer If there were such a thing as an elder stateswoman in womens gymnastics today. Nonetheless, as her original voice is kept, you can also hear the Romanian accent, and the book has a beautiful presence that carries through, making it sound as if she is talking to reader in her living room. Buy a cheap copy of Letters to a Young Gymnast book by Nadia Comaneci. Although the original letters are not reprinted, they are not needed they would have wasted space. It is told in her own voice as a series of responses to letters she has received. I knew I was good but didnt know I would be the one to score something that had never been done before. I hoped to win a medal and hoped it would be gold. Letters to a Young Gymnast, p.50, Basic Books 16 Copy quote. Throughout she gives tips and advice to young gymnasts on how to be better and how to succeed not just at gymnastics but in life in general. Letters to a Young Gymnast, p.16, Basic Books 33 Copy quote.

It not only includes what she did, but what actually happened one poignant moment is how people expected her to be living high on the hog after her gymnastics career even though she was just another factory worker. Letters to a Young Gymnast tells her story in her own words, from her earliest memories to what she is doing now. There have been few gymnasts as exhilarating as Nadia Comaneci to watch.

Letters to a young gymnast by nadia comaneci