She was nine when she was taken to Bela. Her father "ran" to Bela, not Dominique. She had no choice in the matter. Have you even read her memoir? She was perfectly happy at LaFleur's in Tampa. Besides that, she was rarely even coached by Bela, who was really more of a manager. She credits the bulk of her success to Alexander Alexandrov.
no, I don't think that 2000 Al Trautwig had read the memoir she would write in 2012. Last I checked that is not how the linear flow of time works, and I'm also not sure Trautwig has ever read a book, period.
@@Altoclarinets Wrong memoir. She "wrote" a memoir in 1995 called "Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion" where she discussed starting at LaFleur's (and doing quite well there) and her father switching her to Karolyi's. Not sure what point you're trying to make, but you can take your snark elsewhere.
@@melaniehornbeck2151 either way it's a big reach to expect that era of NBC to push any kind of remotely anti-Karolyi narrative, they pretty much worshipped the ground Bela and Marta walked on from the 80s until they retired and you still see vestiges of it now even though they really ought to be avoiding that all things considered. Self-awareness and research are not this network's strong suit and that should be old news to anyone as familiar with gymnastics as OP seems to be
@@Altoclarinets I'm the OP, but as you can see, I originally commented over 7 years ago. I was well aware how incredibly sycophantic the NBC team was to the Karolyis, but it has always bugged me (and probably always will) that they left out basic facts that any eight year old with a gymnastics obsession (as I was when I read Moceanu's first book over and over) could catch.
Dominique Moceanu really was the most beautiful gymnast ever. And you know what, some people would like to go down in history for the most medals, but Dominique should always know she was the most beautiful! She had so, so much grace when she danced. When you watch her, pay attention to her hands and her head- it is amazing. Maybe never an individual gold, but her 96 team floor with the American flag leo, BIG smile, the crowd going crazy, and kicking butt!- that's US pride to remember!
She won AA gold at the goodwill games which had a lot of the Olympic competitors in it. She was phenomenal. Totally was in love with her when I was a kid. She was definitely the most beautiful.
I wonder how much worse it was before because of her Romanian heritage/parents. Bella knew he could get away with things that he couldn't with American parents
As I remember it, Dominique's parents made an agreement before they married that their oldest daughter would be a gymnast--it apparently never occurred to either of them that being born with the aptitude or body type is not something they could control.
I remember reading that Dominique knew that if she complained about Bela or Marta's treatment in the gym, her father would just take their side, and she might also get disciplined by him for not working hard enough.
Watching this makes me have tears in my eyes. She is one of the all time greats and she was looking so good going into trials. i really thought she could have made the team and done well.
she is such a lovely lady and she made her dreams come true , i have lots of respect for atlethes that manage to follow their dreams and share them with the enitire world. She will always be beautiful and she will always be in oure harts no matter what she will choise to do next
No cabe duda que los Caroli, Bela y Martha eran los reyes midas de la gimnasia olímpica, he aquí una muestra, digna sucesora de Nadia Comaneci y antecesora de Simone Biles, Dominique Monceau.
Bela abandoned her after she fell on the vault in 96. He gave up on her. She did find a coach who trained her to win the Goodwill Games in 98 when she was really at her peak, but her father fired her and put out a hit on her life. Poor girl grew up surrounded by crazies. Definitely read her memoir. It's quite a story.
Bela was already planning to retire after the 96 Olympics. You can find dozens of references to this in commentary and news articles from the 1996 Nationals, Trials and early days of the Games, before anyone knew she would fall on vault. (This doesn't excuse anything else about the way the Karolyis treated her while she was training with them.) It's unfortunate that her family dynamic was so fucked up that she wasn't able to spend the entire 2000 quad training peacefully in a healthy environment; she probably could have had a lot more success if she wasn't having to focus on everyone else's problems.
@@oneroyalbird oh! On the coach! Dang that is crazy. I hope she has one of those relationships with him where she takes him in small doses. Like I do my abusive alcoholic father. I visit until he starts verbally abusing me and then I leave for a few months and then come back to visit, repeat cycle.
I think with Domi, as far as her training goes, Bela had a lot more liberties to use his questionable methods. Remember Domi's parents idolized Nadia and Bela was her coach. I wouldn't doubt it for a second if they told Bela to do whatever it took to make her a champion.
She blames Bela's coaching style for her being injured so badly her career was over as soon as it started. Kerri Strug was injured...he told her go again remember? Yes wonderful Olympic moment but he should have said go again if you want to take the risk of worse injury for the medal. Not, Kerri we need you to go again like an order. All of his gymnasts broke down FAST. Wonder why.
People forget she choked hard in the 96 Olympics. A terrible fall in the beam and fell BOTh times on the vault. Mistakes gallore. but when she was ON, no one was better.
read little girls in pretty boxes the making and braking of us gymnats and figure skaters. youll see how karolyi and most gymnastics coaches truly are.
"Sometimes, you just don't get that second chance." Could they be any more inflammatory? Here's a shit pie Domi, let's rub your face in it🙄 Why do they always have to say such irritating things. She doesn't have to prove anything to anyone. She's done a great job through and through!
@@sallydaniel1023 Duly noted. Just remember that when it comes to professional sports, which is basically what gymnastics is at that level, it's not a Democracy; we as fans have no say whatsoever as to the outcomes, the coaches, the analysts, etc. And as annoying as Al Trautwig was, not everything was his fault. You didn't like John Tesh; You didn't like Al. You can't have it both ways. & if it's really bothering you that much: don't watch. Go watch something else. Simple as that. That's my advice for the day. Take it or leave it.
Bela let there be too much hype around that little girl. Should have just let her perform instead of talking about the next Nadia. And her father should have left her alone too. She was one of the most talented young gymnasts ever.
Oh I totally understood where she was coming from, and I personally believe every word she said about the Karolyis. Just the grinch comment made me laugh. She is funny. :) I love her blog.
What a beautiful young soul. Treated like shit by the adults around her. So strong to declare herself emancipated at 17. She was fabulous on the apparatuses though.
I think what Dominique is trying to get across is that Bela puts on a show when the cameras are watching, and he is more emotionally abusive in the gym when nobody is watching. I don't know how much truth there is to everything Dominique has been claiming, but hey, she grew up in his gym, under his training, and if anybody knows the Karolyis, she does. We only know the Bela we see on television, when his gymnasts are in their prime. Only his athletes know what goes on behind closed doors.
About Bela, I just think it was so unfair to "retire", pretty much abandon her when she needed him the most, because she could have been prime for 2000 with consistent training and stability. Then look how him and Marta still stayed around! They're still around! They could have kept coaching her. Like if you want to retire- don't take on new athletes, but stick around until your little one (that you looked like you loved!) is done in 4 short years. He should have helped her reach her dream.
Nobody is blaming you for that, however, you can be blamed for the horrible things you're commenting. "Know their place?" Really? lol XD What a sad life you must have if you take issue with a legless person making something of their life instead of being confined to a chair. What you're saying about her is really saying more about you and the type of person you are. Truly disgusting....
She didn't have a lot of injuries in her gymnastics career (partly because she was so young) but when she did get injured it was bad. Too bad because after nationals it looked like she really had a shot.
Can anybody tell me the name of the music that played in this video? I know the piece (even performed it) but somehow I simply CANNOT remember the name.
That's different, she got Gold in the Team Competition at the Atlanta Olympics but failed to place in the individual competition for Floor Exercise. Had she not sustained an injury, Dominique would have been trying for an individual Gold Medal in Floor Exercise at the Sydney Olympics.
@kwan4life I have been through some what of the same thing. Some times you just have to let it go. The injury could have been worse and with that type of inury you can not chance it. Some times the risks out weigh the reasons for wanting to come back!
It kills me though how they ran to Bela to be trained so they could be the next "Nadia" or "Mary Lou" and then complain when he turns out to be abusive. I don't know if he was or wasn't, but if he was, there were plenty of other gymnastics coaches around to go to. They want who they deem to be the 'best' coach and then are disillusioned when working with him isn't a picnic. I personally think that to be a gold medalist in this, or any sport, you have to be willing to sell your soul to an extent.
He was great with Dominique? Um, she would disagree with that. Apparently you've never heard her talk about the abuse she suffered from the Karolyis...
Aly Raisman fulfilled her dreams and blames the Karolyi's for the abuse from Larry Nassar. She also blames USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee. That goes beyond the coaches, but it includes them too because coaches are who see the abuse. They just choose to ignore it, which is exactly what the Karolyi's did. Domi has openly talked about how the atmosphere at the Ranch was prime for abuse, because it allowed ANY coaching methods to go on there. This included constant weigh-ins, being berated when you weren't perfect, hitting and slapping the girls when they messed up. Domi's parents (especially Tata, her father) was to blame, but the Karoyli's set it all up. Domi and Jamie Danitzcher first complained about the abusive atmosphere at the ranch and about Larry Nassar in the early-mid 2000's and no one took them seriously. Now with the Me Too movement, all of the girls have come out saying that Nassar DID abuse them sexually and the Ranch was able to let it happen. Maggie Nichols, a World Champion and now NCAA collegiate athlete was the whistleblower. Her COACH (finally an actual coach with BRAINS and a HEART) overheard her talk about his questionable methods of "healing" and "treating" athletes and spoke up. Many of the athletes were told to keep their mouths shut if they wanted any chance of making it big in gymnastics. For example, Vault Champion and Olympic Champion (gold and silver medalist) McKayla Maroney was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement after she spoke up about Larry Nassar abusing her at the Ranch and at the Olympics. When she said she was thinking about speaking up at Larry Nassar's trial (he was charged and subsequently convicted of molesting more than 150 minors) she had to pay a $100,000 fine because she was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Three celebrities offered to pay for the fine so she could speak. USA Gymnastics were the ones to force her to sign the agreement and just after the celebrities (one being Chrissy Teigen) agreed to pay the fine, USA Gymnastics magically said they wouldn't force McKayla to pay the fine should she speak up about the abuse. She had a letter read in court, but didn't go herself as it was too traumatizing. Only one in a million make it in gymnastics, it's a hard road to make it to the top. That doesn't mean girls need to be hit and sexually assaulted to get there. Any questions?
Honor your Mother and Father always... It wasn't your knee, or any other injury. It was disobedience that brought your down fall. Love you, but honor to the Lord is first. I did not walk your shoes, but you never walked mine. My life has been incredibly difficult, but I wouldn't divorce my parents no matter what I saw(and I saw alot), and no matter what I've been through (and I've been through a lot). The Bible says honor the MOTHER and FATHER and it gives no acceptance. Sorry sweetie, I luv ya, but the truth is the TRUTH.
You're a typical bible thumping moron who has no grasp on reality at all. Her father abused her, gave her coach permission to abuse her, stole her money, and put a HIT on her coach's life!! She was supposed to honor that?? You're a fucking idiot, and you obviously know nothing about the "TRUTH"
