Off Balance: A Memoir

[MaryClare]

What happened to her father? Is he still alive?

 

[RAFIKI]

He died in 2008/9ish IIRC. At London worlds I asked her to sign a photo of her family in IG (didn’t expect her to be there so didn’t have any of her cover issues with me, but I sent for them because Moceanu got me into this sport and I was obsessed). When this book came out I regretted asking her to do that.

 

[rlayt]

Was her father ever diagnosed? He obviously had some mental health challenges.

 

[JDB]

Dominique and her father made amends. Off Balance has photos of him at her wedding. He died of cancer.

 

[rlayt]

Maybe all that macho shit was due to his upbringing but the description made him seem very paranoid and erratic. Poor Domi.

 

[makam]

Dude couldn't seem to handle being challenged by his "inferiors" but seems like he was ready to lick the boots of anyone with more "authority" than he had, likely in the hopes that that authority would transfer to him. Adult oppositional defiant disorder? Poor Domi.

We always do "suppose Mykayla had good coaching from early on" but suppose Domi had good coaching that didn't do everything possible to break her and toss her away.

 

[QuietColours]

Chapter 11: Jennifer: Flash Forward

• Getting to know each other
  • Talked regularly on the phone, emails, texts. Couldn't get enough of hearing from each other
  • During an early conversation, Jen had mentioned an interest in getting back into gymnastics. She worked as an operations cast member at Disney and was interested in getting into aerials and acrobatics
  • One conversation she 'just knew' she could do what the acrobats were doing; the next she had a professional partner
  • Jennifer loved the workouts so strenuous she could barely lift her wheelchair into her car afterwards–she hadn't worked out this hard in four years
  • She was a bit nervous about silks because so many of the tricks require legs for support, but she was quickly doing roll ups, a scale mostly done by male acrobats because of the strength required
  • Jennifer and her partner Nate's trampoline warm up caught the attention of the soccer and volleyball players they shared a gym with and extended into a full length act
  • Dominique liked it was Jen bounced ideas off her and asked for input or feedback–she was desperate to do more for her
• Meeting in person
  • Christina, Dominique, and Jen brainstormed ways they could meet in person
  • Her sisters agreed that they should travel to see New Mom Dominique
  • Met Jen May 2008–picked her up at the airport, arriving midday, an hour and half before Christina's flight from Texas
  • It was surreal how much she was like Dominique and Christina–not just appearance, but the way she talked, laughed, moved her hands when she described things
  • When Christina arrived she got even more emotional–the circle was complete
  • Talked for hours back at Dominique's house
  • Mama and Tata
    • Avoided talking about Mama and Tata at first
    • How do you reconcile one sister being given up for adoption?
    • It was clear Jennifer had had a more stable childhood than her sisters
    • Told Jen that Mama and Tata had been asking a lot of questions and that they were supportive. Tata had been quite ill recently, but Mama hoped they'd be able to meet Jennifer someday even though they were quite nervous
    • Jen seemed very composed and mature through this, and Dominique had to keep reminding herself Jennifer was only 20
  • It was a magical few days
• Performance
  • Jen and Nate's first performance in Orlando got them immediate media attention, and they started to land trampoline and silk performances, first in Florida and then around the world
  • Jen was invited to join the Brittany Spears tour
  • Dominique got to see them perform in Columbus, Ohio
  • That Jen had only been involved in aerial gymnastics for a year at that point was incredible
  • When Jennifer Bricker sets her mind to something, you'd better believe it will be happening

 

[QuietColours]

Chapter 12: Enter Mike Canales

• First Meeting
  • Dominique was 12, he was 16. They ran into each other in the hospitality room at 1994 US Nationals
  • She'd just won the junior AA title, and she, Alexandrov, and Jackie McCarter were very excited
  • She went to the hospitality room during the men's competition for something to eat–she'd barely eaten in the week leading up to the competition
  • Michael Canales was 5'5, thin, and lean–a typical male '90s gymnast
  • She could tell he was preoccupied and was cheery and gave him a bit of a coach-like pep talk
  • They both laugh about it now, how outgoing she was in the moment considering how timid she usually was at the time
  • Mike had gone to the hospitality room to clear his head; he was competing against some long time idols and felt a little overwhelmed
  • He had no idea who Dominique was, but she gave him some perspective and a smile. Someone later pointed her out to him as the winner of the woman's junior AA title. "So that kid really did know a thing or two about gymnastics"
• Growing up
  • Eventually had a proper introduction and became friendly when they crossed paths over the next four years
  • He was down to earth, kind, and respectful
  • With training and travel schedules, it's hard for elite gymnasts to keep in touch, especially since Dominique had no downtime before the Olympics
  • Did see him when the tour stopped in his hometown of Columbus, OH
  • Each time they saw each other, they just picked up where they left off
  • Always enjoyed seeing each other
  • Reconnected at the US National Championships in 1998. She was still clueless about romance and saw him as a friend she wanted as a penpal
  • She sent him a note after Championships, and many years later he surprised her by revealing he'd kept it
• Relationship
  • Next saw him in 2001. She's been through injuries, alcohol, and drugs by then, and viewed the people in her life very differently
  • She was in between camp sessions at the International Gymnastics Camps and saw him with Raj Bahavsar. For the first time, she saw him romantically and felt a little self conscious in her bikini, feeling less fit than she'd been before
  • Saw him again that night at the cabin house where the gymnasts and staff would hang out. It was the first time she'd really had a long, uninterrupted conversation with him
  • When she moved on to the next camp, they didn't know when they'd see each other again. They didn't exchange numbers for some reason
  • 2001 was another time of transition for her. Injuries had interrupted her attempt to try for the 2000 Olympics and she'd officially retired and didn't know what to do next. She felt the retirement was premature due to injury–she had two surgeries on her right knee and one on her right shoulder. She still wanted to compete. She was only 19
  • Attended 2001 Nationals as a spectator for the first time. She missed her bus and ran into Mike. She sprinted to him and almost tackled him–he'd hitched a ride to Philadelphia from OSU and was there to support Raj
  • She was more into Mike than the competition
  • He was very knowledgeable of both men's and women's gymnastics
  • His goal was to be a foot and ankle surgeon. He'd taken off a year after graduating from OSU with a degree in molecular genetics and was getting ready for med school, and was volunteering with the OSU men's team to help them prepare for Nationals
  • This time they exchanged phone numbers and their first kiss
  • Talked regularly on the phone for hours
  • He kept encouraging her to fulfill her dream of going to college, and she eventually enrolled in community college in spring 2002. She'd always dreamed about being the first in her family to graduate from college. Mama and Tata had never had the opportunity
  • Flew out of New York on September 11, 2001. Didn't learn about the attack until her plane landed and was grounded in Pennsylvania. There were no flights anywhere, so she couldn't get home to Houston, so she used the airline's voucher to get a cab to Cleveland to stay with Mike
  • Stayed there for five days, following the news
  • Couldn't believe she was already thinking of him as "the one"
  • She was at her highest weight then, but he always made her feel beautiful
  • After eight months of flying back and forth she moved to Cleveland to be with him while he was in medical school
  • Dominique and Tata had been slowly rebuilding their relationship. Neither ever formally apologized–it was more the fighting and rehashing died down and they began to accept each other as who they were
  • Mike came to meet her family at Christmas 2001, and Dominique wasn't sure how Tata would react. Tata grilled him for ages, and Mike calmly and respectful answered each question and was able to win over Tata. She even remember Tata asking him how much goat cheese cost. "I don't know, Mr. Moceanu. I just eat it."
  • Tata got a kick out of MIke, which was a relief. She was glad Mama and Tata approved. When she moved to Cleveland, they supported the decision. Tata even offered to bring her furniture in a moving truck for her
• Gymnastics
  • Mike opened the door for her to work at Gymnastics World, where he'd trained since high school. Owners Ron and Joan Ganim welcome her with open arms, and she also attended Cuyhoga Community College and John Carroll University to complete her business degree
  • Mike remained passionate about gymnastics and stayed active by participating the annual OSU Alumni gymnastics performance each January, despite his med school course load. He was able to perform at an elite level years after retiring
  • In 2004, Dominique spent a lot of time training for the post-Olympic tour and Mike started making comments about her getting back into competitive gymnastics. She'd often felt her retirement was premature and she didn't leave on her own terms. By 2005 she was in full training mode with Mike as her coach, using a "train smarter not harder" approach to prevent injuries
  • She'd been conditioned to believe she had to be in the gym 40+ hours a week and couldn't miss more than one day a week. This time she trained a lot fewer hours, went to college full time, and coached three days a week. It was a lot, but she felt balanced and empowered
  • Became a specialist, doing only vault and floor. She was learning new skills. They'd video tape their sessions and review the footage later that night. She liked being able to see what she couldn't always feel. It wasn't an original idea, but it was the first time she'd had it incorporated into her training
  • Some skills came naturally, like the full in on floor–she learned it at nine, mastered it by her twenties, and it came back quickly.
  • Aimed to compete at 2005 Nationals, knowing it would be an uphill battle with the rules and restrictions on athletes trying to come back from retirement
  • It was also widely believed US WAG was controlled by Marta Karolyi, who as national team coordinator didn't have much interest in Dominique Moceanu. She could stop Dominique's comeback at any time by saying Dominique 'didn't qualify' or 'didn't meet the criteria.' They were fully aware of the politics of elite gymnastics going in
  • But this time Dominique was coming back to compete at the highest level one more time, this time on her own terms
  • On July 2, 2005, Mike proposed and Dominique said, "Yes!"