Tracee Talavera
Encyclopedia
Tracee Talavera is a retired artistic gymnast of Mexican-American descent who competed for the United States at the Olympics and World Championships. She was the 1981 and 1982 U.S. National All-around Champion and a member of the silver medal-winning American team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles
.
Talavera continued to enjoy success in 1980. Early in the year, she won the all-around title and every event except vault at the American Cup
, beating a field that included Romanian Emilia Eberle
, a multiple medalist at the World Championships. She also placed first at the Olympic Festival and had a strong second-place all-around showing at the 1980 U.S. Nationals. In 1980 Talavera was also the subject of a biography, The story of a young gymnast: Tracee Talavera published by Bantam Books.
She won the U.S. Olympic Trials and was named to the women's gymnastics team for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. However, due to President Jimmy Carter
's boycott
of the Games in the Soviet Union
to protest the invasion of Afghanistan
, Talavera, along with the rest of the American team, was unable to participate in the Olympics.
Talavera continued competing as a member of the U.S. National team after the Olympics. In 1981, she won her second U.S. National Championship and participated in the World Championships
in Moscow, helping the American team to a 6th-place finish. She also became one of only a few American women to date to win an individual medal at Worlds, earning a bronze on the balance beam. Talavera's original balance beam element, a one-handed flair, was named after her in the Code of Points
. It is still included in the Code, and currently carries a 'C' difficulty rating.
In 1983 Talavera's competitive fortunes changed. She was only able to achieve a 15th place finish at U.S. Nationals and was left off the World Championships team. However, in 1984 she returned to finish 8th in the all-around at Nationals and win the beam gold medal, placed 6th at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and earned a spot on the American team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She helped the team to a silver-medal finish and qualified for the vault event final, placing 4th.
After the Olympics, Talavera participated in an exhibition tour with her teammates.
in 1990. In 1998 she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She works as a coach at Golden Gate Gymnastics in California and remains involved in USA Gymnastics. In 2000, she was a member of the selection committee for the women's gymnastics team for the Sydney Olympics.
Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics
At the 1984 Summer Olympics, two different gymnastics disciplines were contested. In addition to the fourteen artistic gymnastics events contested–eight for men and six for women, for the first time at the Olympics, a rhythmic gymnastics event was contested–the women's individual all-around...
.
Gymnastics career
Coached by Dick and Linda Mulvihill until 1983, when she began training with Mike Lynch, Talavera rose to prominence on the U.S. gymnastics scene in the late 1970s. In 1978 she won the all-around titles in both the junior division of the U.S. National Championships and the Junior Olympic Nationals. The following year, competing as a senior, she placed second in the all-around at the U.S. Nationals and third at the World team trials. She was awarded a spot on the 1979 team for the World Championships, but at age 12½ was well below the minimum age requirement of 14 and was deemed ineligible to compete.Talavera continued to enjoy success in 1980. Early in the year, she won the all-around title and every event except vault at the American Cup
American Cup (gymnastics)
The American Cup, is an elite senior level international gymnastics competition held in the United States, and is generally considered to be one of the first major competitions of the Gymnastics season, as it is held in March or February of each year. In 1978-79 the event was sponsored by Dial and...
, beating a field that included Romanian Emilia Eberle
Emilia Eberle
Gertrude Emilia Eberle , was a Romanian gymnast of ethnic Hungarian - German descent who was of European, World, and Olympic calibre.Eberle, a pupil of the famous fellow ethnic Hungarian husband-wife coaching team Béla Károlyi and Márta Károlyi before they defected from Romania to the United...
, a multiple medalist at the World Championships. She also placed first at the Olympic Festival and had a strong second-place all-around showing at the 1980 U.S. Nationals. In 1980 Talavera was also the subject of a biography, The story of a young gymnast: Tracee Talavera published by Bantam Books.
She won the U.S. Olympic Trials and was named to the women's gymnastics team for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. However, due to President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's boycott
American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott of the Moscow Olympics was a part of a package of actions initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet war in Afghanistan...
of the Games in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to protest the invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Talavera, along with the rest of the American team, was unable to participate in the Olympics.
Talavera continued competing as a member of the U.S. National team after the Olympics. In 1981, she won her second U.S. National Championship and participated in the World Championships
1981 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 21st Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Moscow, the capital of the USSR, in 1981.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:...
in Moscow, helping the American team to a 6th-place finish. She also became one of only a few American women to date to win an individual medal at Worlds, earning a bronze on the balance beam. Talavera's original balance beam element, a one-handed flair, was named after her in the Code of Points
Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
. It is still included in the Code, and currently carries a 'C' difficulty rating.
In 1983 Talavera's competitive fortunes changed. She was only able to achieve a 15th place finish at U.S. Nationals and was left off the World Championships team. However, in 1984 she returned to finish 8th in the all-around at Nationals and win the beam gold medal, placed 6th at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and earned a spot on the American team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She helped the team to a silver-medal finish and qualified for the vault event final, placing 4th.
After the Olympics, Talavera participated in an exhibition tour with her teammates.
Post-retirement
Talavera retired from gymnastics after the 1984 tour and returned to school, earning a B.A. degree in Communications from Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaSaint Mary's College of California
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
in 1990. In 1998 she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She works as a coach at Golden Gate Gymnastics in California and remains involved in USA Gymnastics. In 2000, she was a member of the selection committee for the women's gymnastics team for the Sydney Olympics.