Barthold ("Bart") Wayne Conner (born March 28, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American gymnast, who was a member of the gold medal-winning men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; he also won an individual gold on the parallel bars. Gymnastics has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... Audio samples composed by John Williams: Olympic Fanfare (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Olympic Theme (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Problems playing the files? See media help. ... Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics was represented by two different gymnastics disciplines: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics, held at UCLAs Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles from July 29 to August 11. ... Audio samples composed by John Williams: Olympic Fanfare (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Olympic Theme (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Problems playing the files? See media help. ... Gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympics was represented by two different gymnastics disciplines: artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics, held at UCLAs Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles from July 29 to August 11. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which competitors perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 seconds) on different apparatus, obviously less for vaulting (see lists below). ... (Redirected from 1984 Summer Olympic Games) The Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in 1984 in Los Angeles, sports Opening ceremonies July 28, 1984 Closing ceremonies August 12, 1984 Officially opened by Ronald Reagan Athletes Oath Edwin Moses Judges Oath Sharon Weber Olympic Torch Rafer Johnson Highlights... Two parallel bars form an artistic gymnastics apparatus only used by male gymnasts. ...

Conner is the only American male gymnast to have won gold medals at every level of competition, and has won more events than any other American male gymnast. Conner currently owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma along with his wife, Romanian gold medalist Nadia Comaneci. He is also a commentator for televised gymnastics events and an editor of International Gymnast magazine. Bizzell Library, University of Oklahoma Norman is the largest city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area. ... Nadia Elena Comaneci (originally Comăneci ) (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian gymnast, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and the first to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Conner was also part of the 1976 and 1980 USA Olympic gymnastics teams. He won the World Cup in 1979, and the American Cup in 1976, 1980, and 1981. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, including those of the US Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, International Gymnastics, and Oklahoma Sports.

Early career

Conner, who participated in many sports as a child, started gymnastics at the age of ten, after a school physical education coach noticed his talent. He began training with the Niles West High School team and competing in local meets, where he progressed quickly but seldom won; after a few years he also began training at the local YMCA and competing in YMCA events. Conner's first significant gymnastics victory was the AAU Junior Olympics, where he won in 1972, followed soon after in 1974 by the USGF Junior National Championships. Immediately following his high school graduation in 1976, he went on to join the United States team as its youngest member at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Physical instruction at the U.S. Naval Training Station, Newport, RI, 1917 In most educational systems, physical education (PE), also called physical training (PT) or gym in less progressive settings, is a course in the curriculum which utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psycho motor domains in a play... Niles West High School of District 219 is one of two public high schools in the Niles Township school system. ... YMCAs in the United States and Canada use this logo. ... - The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in United States. ... The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were held in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Québec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 366. ...

Conner attended the University of Oklahoma in order to work with coach Paul Ziert on the gymnastics team, which was then ranked 19th nationally by the NCAA. Conner is relatively unsuited physically for gymnastics, according to Ziert, for his relative lack of spinal flexibility as well as his weakness in tumbling skills. However, Ziert continues, Conner's motivation and dedication to the sport combined with his other physical abilities helped him quickly advance to the world-class level. In 1979, he won the parallel bars event at the World Championships with an original move called the "Conner Spin". In this move, the gymnast performs a complete 360-degree turn on one bar in a straddled position, and then presses to a handstand. The University of Oklahoma, often called OU or Oklahoma, is a coeducational public research university located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The 20th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Fort Worth, USA, in 1979. ...

Much of Conner's early career was seen as a rivalry between himself and fellow American Kurt Thomas, both of whom were top competitors but whose styles of competition were quite different. Thomas, a more physically gifted gymnast than Conner, impressed judges with his explosive strength and unusual degree of difficulty in his routines, whereas Conner's strengths were in his solid consistency and artistic presentation. The media made much of this rivalry, with Conner and Thomas competing for the top spots in national competition, and though the two were good friends the publicity around their rivalry and media exaggeration incited ill feeling between the two for a time. Kurt Thomas, born March 29, 1956, is an American Olympic gymnast. ...

He was the first qualifier for the 1980 Olympic gymnastics team, and did not support the US boycott of the Games; he made several media appearances in which he described the boycott as "futile", and protested the Olympics being used for political purposes. However, due to a torn biceps he received during the Olympic Trials, it is unlikely he would have performed well; due to continued training after this injury, his recovery lasted well over a year. In December 1983, competing at the Chunichi Cup, Conner tore his left biceps during his rings routine; due to several bone chips floating around his elbow, his arm mobility was limited, which placed undue stress on the muscles of the upper arm during the strenuous activities of competitive gymnastics. Look up Biceps in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

1984 Olympics

After surgery and intensive physical therapy, Conner squeaked onto the 1984 Olympic team, after competing in only one of the two qualifying events, the Olympic Trials. He had begun competing in the earlier National Championships, but several serious falters including a headfirst landing on the floor exercise made it clear that he had not yet made a full recovery. Conner was granted a petition by the USGF to consider only the Trials scores, with which he was selected for the team.

After intense training to return to the level of competition he had reached before his injury, Conner's consistently good scores (including a perfect 10 on the parallel bars) helped the US men's team earn its first team gold. Conner took sixth place in the indivdual all-around competition, with his total separated from gold medalist Koji Gushiken by .35 in total.

He qualified for two individual event finals, on floor exercise and parallel bars. He had a lackluster floor exercise, scoring a 9.75 for fifth place. In the parallel bars final just hours later, however, he scored a perfect 10 to win the event.

Former rival Kurt Thomas, who had retired from gymnastics, was a commentator for ABC Sports; coach Paul Ziert saw his assessments of Conner's performance as being more fair and accurate than any other's. [1] ABC Sports is a division of ABC, responsible for the televising of many sports events on the network. ...

After the Olympics

Conner and Nadia Comaneci were engaged on November 12, 1994 ( Nadia's 33rd birthday), and married on April 27, 1996; the couple met at the 1976 America's Cup, where Conner won the men's and Comaneci the women's title. They currently own the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, Perfect 10 Production Company and several sports equipment shops, and are editors of International Gymnast magazine; they also do charity work. Conner is also a gymnastics commentator, and accepts speaking engagements. Nadia Elena Comaneci (originally Comăneci ) (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian gymnast, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and the first to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Bart became a proud father when Nadia gave birth to their first child, a little boy named Dylan Paul Conner via c-section on the morning of June 3, 2006 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Baby Dylan was born three weeks early, weighing in at 4lbs and was not expected to arrive until the week of July 18. However, it is reported that both mother and son are in great condition. June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Downtown Oklahoma City The State Capitol of Oklahoma From The South Motto: Nickname: Capital of the New Century Founded 1889 Incorporated County Oklahoma County Cleveland County Canadian County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Mick Cornett Area  - Total  - Water 1,608. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ...

In 1997 Conner was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. ^[1] Logo The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a Hall of Fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the worlds most greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics. ...

MDA Charity Work

Conner has long been associated with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, better known to some as Jerry's Kids. He has made several appearances on the annual Labor Day Telethon which raises money to fight neuromuscular diseases. Oddly, Conner appears on the national feed of the telethon or in local segments from his hometown of Chicago. (These local appearances can be seen on WGN nationally via cable/satellite.) However, it cannot be remembered the last time Conner appeared on the telethon locally with the Oklahoma City area affiliate where he lives. Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is a U.S. organization founded in 1950 which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public. ...

Movie Work

Appeared in Rad! in 1986

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rad_%28film%29

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0091817/

References

1. ↑  BART CONNER. International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved on April 01, 2006.
2. Conner, Bart, with Ziert, Paul (1988). Winning the Gold. New York:Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-51333-4
3. Gray, Kevin. "Head over heels: for gold medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner, love is something to flip for." People Weekly, 27 Mar 1996

April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy
• Gymn Forum bio of Conner
• Bart Conner's U.S. Olympic Team bio