One of the best known gymnasts today, … due to the 3 Bars skills with her name on them.
Click PLAY or watch her AWESOME 2000 routine on YouTube.
One of the great innovators.
How does she feel about getting a Bronze Olympic medal at VISA Championships?
Find out from an interesting article in her local paper:
Ten years after Elise Ray and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team finished fourth in Sydney, Ray and her teammates are being awarded a bronze medal after an age infraction by the Chinese was discovered by the International Olympic Committee.
“At first I thought, ‘There is no way this is going to happen,'” said Ray, who coaches with Hampstead-based Carroll Gymnastics. “I was just shocked. It’s pretty wild.” …
Missing out on a medal was heartbreaking for Ray, who was 18 at the time. She nearly gave up the sport.
“I was very deflated,” she said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to do it anymore.”
Ray didn’t let up, however, and continued her career at the University of Michigan, where she became the most decorated Wolverine gymnast of all time.
Ray captured the NCAA all-around national title her freshman year. She then flipped, twisted and spun her way to national titles in the beam in 2002 and the bars in 2004. In 2005, she led the Wolverines to the Super Six finals where she took home a silver medal on the beam.
“Michigan was a healing experience for me,” Ray said. “It brought the fun back to it.”
Ray, a 14-time all-American, graduated with an English degree, but she wasn’t ready to give up gymnastics. She spent the next two years performing in Las Vegas for Cirque Du Soleil.
“I loved performing. The work was unbelievable, but Vegas was not my city,” Ray said with a laugh.
So she went from the neon lights of Vegas back to Maryland. She has been with Carroll Gymnastics, which practices at Four Seasons Sports Complex, for more than two years.
Ray found a passion for coaching immediately. …
Gymnastics Coaching.com 