On June 30th, 2012, one of my most favorite and beloved gymnasts, Tasha Schwikert, was inducted into the USAG Hall of Fame. I have followed Tasha's gymnastics career since she was 15 and was chosen as an alternate for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Team. This is dedicated to Tasha and her amazing gymnastics career.
1998-2000 : Pre-Olympics and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
Tasha's first international meet was in France at the 1998 City of Popes competition.
At the 2000 US Nationals Championships, Tasha placed 11th, which qualified her to the 2000 US Olympic Trials.
I remember watching the 2000 Olympic Trials like it was yesterday. In those 2 nights I fell in love not only with the girls but with the sport of gymnastics itself. NBC mainly showed only the girls who were contenders for the Olympic Team, but a few times they showed Tasha and her routines, and talked about how she had come to compete at the Trials and her backstory about how she was a fill in for an event in her hometown of Las Vegas. When the team was announced that night, Tasha's name was not called. Alyssa Beckerman was named the alternate for the team.
Tasha on Vault on Day 2 of Olympic Trials.
Back then, there was no Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking sites, obviously, so I'm sure those that did not follow gymnastics via the newspaper or television news were as surprised as I was when Tasha was in Sydney for Qualifications! Morgan White had broken her foot and after the team was announced after Trials, Bela Karolyi had named Tasha a second alternate. The alternates were not ranked in any way, so he was able to choose between Tasha and Alyssa. Bela had so much confidence in Tasha that she was the lead off athlete during Qualifications. The US was on Balance Beam in the first rotation and I remember being so nervous for her and could not even imagine what she was feeling. I was re-watching that competition a couple of weeks ago and I tweeted her and asked her about the feelings before hand and she replied "I was nervous... But it was a good nervous. I knew I was prepared and had no doubt in my mind that I would hit my routine."
2000 Olympic Qualifications Balance Beam
2000 Olympic Qualifications Uneven Bars
And that she did. Throughout both the Qualifications as well as the Team Final, Tasha performed to the best of her ability on every event she went up on and then some. NBC called her "the feel good story of these Olympic games". As we all know, the Team Final did not end well for the US, finishing in the dreaded 4th place and just outside the medals. I felt heartbroken for all of the girls, I knew that during Team Finals they pulled together so much as a team but still missed out on a medal. Despite that, Tasha had herself another solid day that day, going up and hitting routines on Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise.
AMAZING FX in Team Finals :)
2001-2003 : Best in the Nation
After the Olympics, Tasha continued training. By the 2001 National Championships, she was the best gymnast in America, winning the National Championship as well as titles on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise. At the 2001 World Championships, she helped the team win a bronze medal and qualified for 2 event finals. She also placed 5th in the All Around.
Tasha on Balance Beam 2001 Nationals.
Tasha on Uneven Bars at the 2001 World Championships.
In 2002, Tasha won the All Around at the Pacific Alliance Championship and the American Cup. She also won her second National Championship. She was not able to compete at the World Championships in 2002 because of injuries.
At the Pac Alliance Championships, Tasha unveiled a new FX pass - a half in half out to a punch front.
Tasha on Floor Exercise.
In 2003, Tasha tied for second at the US National Championships. She was the Captain of the 2003 US World Championships team that won the gold medal (the first Team gold medal won by a US Women's Gymnastics team) in Anaheim, California. Tasha only performed on Vault and Uneven Bars, but posted the highest and second highest scores, respectively, on each apparatus. She stuck both landings, and this is a perfect time to point out that I believe she has to have the most stuck landings of any American gymnast, or at least close. She continually stuck her landings. I also believe they underscored her in the '03 Worlds, and in some of the 2004 competitions as well.
Tasha on Vault at the 2003 World Championships.
2004 : The Quest for Athens
Tasha again struggled with injuries in 2004. She placed off the podium at the 2004 National Championships. She was third after day one, but a fall off the Bars on day two hurt her and she finished in 9th place. However, the important thing was that she earned a spot at the US Olympic Trials. The Trials were another competition where I think Tasha was slightly underscored by the judges. She ended up finishing 8th, and ultimately weeks later after the training camp, was named as an alternate to the 2004 Olympic Team.
2004-2008 : UCLA and NCAA Gymnastics
Tasha competed for UCLA on a full scholarship. She won the 2005 and 2008 NCAA All Around titles, as well as the 2005 and 2007 Pac 10 All Around titles. She also placed 1st on the Uneven Bars at the 2008 Pac 10 Championships and 2nd on the Uneven Bars at the 2007 NCAA Championships.
I absolutely LOVE this Floor Exercise.
2010 : Olympic Bronze Medalist
In 2010, the 2000 Chinese Olympic Team was stripped of their bronze medals from Sydney when it was discovered that Dong Fangxiao was underage when she competed with the team in the 2000 Olympics. Tasha and the other members of the Sydney Six, my most favorite gymnastics team ever, were awarded their bronze medals at a special ceremony at the 2010 Visa Championships.
Medal ceremony :)
Over the past few years, Tasha has done commentaries with WCSN network and worked with NBC for the Beijing Olympics. She was also an actress and stunt double in my favorite show Make It Or Break it, until it was cancelled this spring. I believe that in the Fall she will be starting law school. The following is Tasha's 2012 induction and her speech. This speech was so beautiful that I cried.
Tasha Schwikert has been such an amazing role model for me and has inspired me in so many ways. I love when celebrities and athletes take the time to respond to their fans and she has replied to me on Twitter so many times and I'm so grateful for that, it means the world.
Congratulations Tasha! I wish you nothing but the best of luck in any and everything you do, and thank you so much for being an inspiration to me and to so many others around the world!
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